Nope, that is not a typo, Hamilton is HILLatious, so, I’m re-naming it HamHILLton!
My good friend Rod and I drove up to HamHILLton the day before the race, picked up our race kits, visited the fitness expo (of course some $ was spent there), got settled into our hotel and made our way to the Pasta dinner…delicious carbs and some great desserts too!
After supper we drove the majority of the 30K race route (there’s a section that is only accessible to pedestrians), the course description is pretty much bang on “The first 20k of the Around the Bay Road Race is an exciting, scenic, and fast route. The last 10k includes rolling hills through scenic North Shore Blvd.” As Rod put it, that’s great if you’re buying real estate, but it Sucks for a race…more on that later.
After the long drive up, we both agreed that an early night was in order, so with the tour of the race course complete, it was back to the hotel and lights out by 9:00 p.m.
Early to bed ad early to rise, start time for the 30K was 9:30 and 9:45 for Rod’s 5K, but we were both up well before 8:00. Turns out we both hate to feel rushed in the morning, so having plenty of time to doddle before the races suited us just fine.
We were both able to find our race start lines and with my race starting a little earlier than Rod’s, he was able to cheer me on as I ran past the start line and still make it to his own race start on time, very kewl!
The pre-race report that I had read on Tri-Rudy was bang on, the first 1k was downhill and my pace was faster than expected or desired this early in the race, but with the help of my trusty Garmin, I was able to adjust and get back to a more comfortable and sustainable pace.
The first 20K or so felt great, some very slight inclines, but mostly flat, we had a fantastic day, not too warm, not too windy and so far a dry race with plenty of fans and some race favourites like the Grannies in the self-titled “Tin Pan alley” with their pots and pans banging out encouragement as we ran by, very much appreciated as we neared the 18K marker.
And then…..the hills came (oh and the rain too, but just a drizzle really)…rolling hills fer sure…but in rapid succession…I didn’t count, but I’m sure there had to be at least a half dozen…back to back then a short flat and a couple more hills for good measure…at this point the crowd was letting us know, only one more hill to conquer…a very accurate word indeed, given that the last was a monster (well for me at the 25K point of the race it sure was) 450 m, 18% grade and there was no way I could run the hill at this point and make it another 5K. In the interest of self-preservation and being able to complete the race I walked this monster of a hill, but to no less encouragement from the fantastic specatators than those who dug deep and were able to run the whole beast! There were sooo many spectators with bells, horns, music and other noise makes cheering us on up this hill that it was difficult not to break into an all out sprint, their energy was infectious, but I was banking it for the rest of the race…something it turns out I would need.
After the monster hill was complete, there was only another 4K to go…and the good news was, it was all flat..YEAH BABY!! With this monster behind me and the Copps Coliseum finish line so close, it was time to get the feet in gear and Git’r done!
About 2.5K out from the finish, the race takes us by a graveyard and there in the middle of the course is the Grim Reaper, determining the fate of all who run by some he said would die that day or appeared to be dying as they passed him, some by their own admission, and some he chose to let live to run another day, I refused to let him get a grip on me and hollered out..”Not Today sir…Not Today!!” A few hundred meters later, I began to question that…my calves were burning and seizing up, I had to pull off the course and stretch them out, only a short stop as it turned out but I just couldn’t muster the energy to break into a run again, I knew I had to get moving so I started the legs going in a slow walk, feeling a little worse for the wear but I would not let this spoil the day, I was going to finish this race, I started remembering the photos of my buddy Derek in the hospital during his Chemo treatments and reminded myself of the battle he has been through over the last year, the rebuilding he is doing now and how through it all, he remained so positive and never once complained…that was it, I found what I needed to tap into to get my motor running again, and I was off and running with about 2K to go…I knew I was going to finish, there was no doubt in my mind.
About 1K out my calves seized up again, on fire and feeling like they had shrunk about 3 inches! I wasn’t expecting this, I’d been here such a short time ago…but I knew what I had to do, I pulled off the course, did the stretches, repeated the walk cycle to get the legs moving again and 100 meters later I tapped into that memory of Derek in the hospital again and felt the energy surge return…with less than a kilometre to go the only question was, could I make it across the finish line under the 3:30 outside goal I had set for myself…I wasn’t going to leave this to chance and I was determined to not to have anything left in the tank…so I ran as fast as my legs could carry me at that point…reminding myself that for 900 meters, anything was possible and sustainable…the crowd was getting thicker and louder as we got close to the Coliseum and the finish line, but the one line I heard very clearly brought a huge smile to my face “If they told you you look good, they’re lying…you’re almost done!”
Less than 200 meters now and as close to a sprint as I could manage, peeled off the jacket I’d been running with for most of the race, the rain felt damned good! The fenced off finish coral was visible now, with large signs warning us to proceed with caution 2- 90 degree turns and a steep ramp were ahead of us before the straightaway to the finish inside Copps Coliseum. There were wall to wall people all along that finishing chute the cheers grew louder the closer to we got to the Coliseum, but all I could think was you’re going to finish! Now…make yourself smile!! 1 corner done, onto the steep ramp, not too slippery and very short, 2nd corner rounded and there it was, less than 100m to the finish, not enough left to break into a sprint, but I managed to muster a slight speed increase to get me across the finish….with a smile and my arms raised high!! I was really surprised by the wave of emotion that came over me, I still can’t identify exactly what it was, and I have never felt that in a race before so it caught me by surprise, I’ll have to see if that comes back on Marathon day.
There were lots of folks directing us out of the finish area and towards the food tables, keeping us moving out to collect our medals and to the cool down and stretching area. Spent a few minutes here catching my breath and stretching out the legs, I was surprised and how quickly I was able to get up and get moving, tired, but mentally I felt GREAT!
Up the escalator (thank goodness for that!) to the pre-arranged meeting spot where Rod was waiting patiently having had a fantastic race himself (he was recovering from the flu and still made the trip and ran a strong race).
First order of business...find the nearest Starbucks…still no caffeine in my system. We decided to walk to loosen up our legs before the long haul home (who knew it was so far?).
Caffeine acquired we were ready to hit the road. I won’t bore you with details of the drive, suffice to say that I was very fortunate to have Rod there to do the driving on the way back, there is no way I could have managed that drive after the race, a HUGE thanks to you my friend!!
All in all it was a great day a well organized and supported race and I felt so much better than I did after completing the ½ marathon. In spite of being tired, I was happy with my race, eager to get home and ready to take on the rest of the training plan, fundraising and complete the journey to my first marathon in support of finding a cure for Blood Cancers!
