Around the Bay for the 2nd time!

Last Sunday, I was lucky enough to have run the 30k "Around the Bay" race in Hamilton, ON.  I say "lucky" because it's an extremely popular run that seems to sell out more quickly every year.  This year was my second year.  I hadn't even heard of it before friends of mine told me about it in fall of 2011 and I thought it would be a great incentive to keep me motivated to run all winter long.  I had so much fun the first time around last year, I decided to sign up again!

This year, my motivation was similar...the timing of the race ensures that you stay on track with your training during the winter months when it's all too easy to hibernate...BUT this year, I was trying to look at it as more of a training run as part of preparing for my first (and possibly ONLY lol) full marathon on May 5th!

So hubs and I headed to Hamilton on the Saturday and enjoyed a quick tour of the expo and picked up my bib, etc.  The ATB race shirts you get with registration are always nice (although this year's colour is "watermelon"...it's a little BRIGHT but I'll deal...) but I also couldn't resist buying another ATB shirt, this one is short sleeved and super cute.

Saturday night, we enjoyed dinner and a visit with some old friends, Sabrina and Lorenzo (who were the friends who had encouraged me to register the first time around!)  It's so nice to know other people running a race....even though we wouldn't be running "together", there is something really great about being able to chat and have some laughs beforehand...a good distraction and for me...a way to keep my nervous energy in check!

Sunday morning came and weather conditions ended up being perfect...it's always hard to know how to dress for races this time of year sometimes but I was comfortable in tights, a light base layer and one of my Nike running hoodies.  I also wore a ear band and gloves but peeled those item off during the last 20km when it was really starting to warm up!  I had been able to do the majority of my long runs outside this winter which was great--so this mild yet cool weather was just perfect!  I've said it before, and I'll say it again:  I will never been a HOT weather runner. 

I'm not sure if I will ever get over pre-race jitters but as someone a few years ago pointed out to me...nervous energy can be a really good thing...as long as you keep it in check.  For me, it's always the anticipation that's the worst...

Once the race started, I felt good although I'll admit, my pace felt faster than it should have been.  I tried not to look at my Garmin very much but I could see after a few quick glances.... that I was averaging 6:00-6:10/km for the first few kms.  For a longer race like the 30 km, I would normally stay closer to 6:30...and I ended up, not surprisingly, slowing down my pace for the 2nd half.  I would like to think that if I had paced myself better and started out a bit slower, I might have ran the 2nd half better, but I'm not so sure if I could have.  The last 10km of this race is VERY hilly...and well, my training just didn't include hills as much as I knew it should have (especially since this was my second kick at the can and I really knew how hilly it was!!)  Still though...I powered through, keeping to my 10 and 1's and feeling like I finished strong.

My chiptime ended up being: 3:22:16.  I'm pleased with it because I tried to keep the perspective that this truly would be a training run, NOT a race for me.....but I STILL bested last year's time by a minute.  Not shabby!  Next year (if I register....although...who am I kidding...I probably will!), I think I would like to aim for the goal to break 3:20.  I know I can do it, and I know that I could have pushed a bit harder this year but wanted to run a conservative pace. That's not a bad feeling, you know?

After a rest day on Monday (feeling a bit sore going up at the stairs at work, not going to lie!), I was glad I had a massage booked after work on Tuesday.  I was able to enjoy a nice easy 7km run on the treadmill Tuesday night and then had an even better 11.5 km run outside after work on Wednesday night! 

I am SO glad I signed up for ATB again this year.  I had initially thought it might be overkill to sign up for ATB when I had my sights really set on the full..but I think it reminded me of the importance of pacing, and allowed me to practice everything I hope to bring on May 5th.

I feel like I earned that beautiful medal this year!  Bring on 42.2!

Powering through...

Lately, I feel like I've hit a bit of a personal slump.  Not sure if it's the time of year (I was SO happy to turn that calendar page to March...I'd had enough of February!) but it seemed as if there was a "perfect storm" of stressors happening and I was being pulled in all directions but not feeling like I was going anywhere.  Frustrating for someone who NEEDS to feel "on top of things".

I knew that training for my first full marathon would be time consuming...but I also know that in most ways, it wouldn't be *that* much different than training for ATB the first year I did it...just a few more weeks of build up. 

That being said, I have also felt guilty...that my focus is maybe a bit too much on running...and not on the other areas of my life.  Call it what you want...but really at the end of the day, it's just guilt and the rational part of me knows that it is unfounded.  A few times over the past couple of weeks, I found myself thinking:  "What's the point of all this?!"  It's almost as if all of the "you're crazy!" and "I don't know how you do it!" comments from some random and not-so-random people were starting to get to me and I started to question my goals.

Truth is...in many ways, I've never felt better.  And actually...maybe that's precisely why I start to question myself and feel guilty.  I'm one of those people who seems to have it bred in the bone to worry and stress even though things are fine...especially if they seem "too fine".  Sounds crazy?  It might not though.  I think there's a lot of people out there who do the same.

One of the things I'm really trying to work on is my ability to pace myself well for my long runs and build up the mental fortitude that I know I'm going to need especially in the last leg of the marathon.  It's almost as though I need to take this same approach to other aspects of my life.  Instead of losing focus, feeling scattered, or frantic...I just need to calm down, take a deep breath, and keep moving ahead.