Monday, March 30, 2015

Around the Bay 30k

I didn't think I was going to write a race report for Around the Bay, because to be honest I wasn't sure what to write about. When I finished and got the chance to talk to Amanda she asked me how it went, what my favourite part was, what my biggest takeaway was…being the amazing supporter that she is. But I didn't really have much to respond with besides THAT WAS F***ING HARD!!

For those not familiar, Around the Bay 30k is a massive event and the oldest running race in North America, and it's infamous for a challenging course usually in cold and windy conditions. And in my eyes I've always seen the race as a rite of passage for "some day when I can actually run 30km in one day".
I decided this year was the time to check ATB off the list because this season is all about challenging myself – of course physically but to me it starts with "raising the roof" on my mental limits and truly believing in myself that I am capable of more. And trust me, 30km of hard running was plenty of time to either give in to the pain and self-doubt, or find new limits and accomplish a big early season goal.
Despite the insanely cold winter I actually managed to train really well for ATB. I found a new winter training partner  - the YMCA treadmills! In the past I've hated treadmills but I actually found it a huge asset for an early season long distance race, being able to set a speed for long intervals (anything from 5x3k, 2x8k, and 15k continuous) at my goal race pace and force myself to not go flying off the back! ATB wasn't an A-priority race for me but I did want to get off on the right foot for the upcoming season and I was confident in my prep for it. I figured sub-2 hours would be a great goal for my first go at the race (and the longest run race of my life!), and anything below that would be bonus.
I made the trip down to Hamilton on race morning with a strong contingent of teamLPC Hurdle Project athletes, and we were met there by many more. I warmed up with everyone (most doing the 5k) then found my pals Mike Hay and Mat Reid on the start line. We all had very similar time goals so it was going to be an interesting race!
When the gun went off I tried to settle into my pace as quickly as possible and I found myself running with Mike and Mat almost right away. They have both run the race many times and I figured they would be great pacing buddies, but I also wanted to be careful to stay within my own limits, especially in the first half. After all I was going 30% longer than I had ever raced before. We were rolling through the first few k's at 3:45-3:50 and it felt reasonable, but around 4k I decided that pace was a little too optimistic for my first go at this race and distance, also knowing that the back half would be a net uphill and headwind. It was a tough decision to let them go but it was the smart thing to do.
Mike, Mat and me...realizing it's time to ease off

I went through 5k at 19:10ish…maybe a bit rich for my goal but it was also downwind and downhill to start, so I was good with that. Just after 5k was the first time the distance really dawned on me, that I was already putting in a good effort and I was one-sixth of the way through this thing! I felt ok, but not quite as smooth as the pace felt on my tready runs. I got through 10k around 38:30,still more or less right where I wanted to be. It seemed like with the direction of the wind I was going to have to bank a little bit of time on the front half, since a true even split would mean a massive increase in effort on the way back.
From 10-15k the course turned from ugly industrial Hamilton to a really cool road running under the Skyway bridge towards Burlington. To be honest I was suffering already…maybe to be expected considering I was running at half-marathon PB pace! I kept reminding myself of a piece of wisdom my teamLPC teammate Thierry told me about running an Ironman marathon – to stay present and in the moment, and not allow yourself to get overwhelmed by the distance or fatigue. It was great practice to keep my focus despite the effort creeping up with lots of miles still to go. I hit 15k around 58:10, and I couldn't decide if I was happy to be half way done or completely demoralized that I had the harder half left! Like I said, I faced a lot of mental demons in this race :)
Trying to hide the suffering

At 16k the course reaches the far side of Hamilton Harbour and goes through Burlington, where all the hills start. The course actually reminded me a lot of the Rev3 Knoxville Half course with rolling hills through beautiful residential roads. I thought about my run there last year, feeling like I was falling apart but I managed to keep my pace up and ran a half-IM run PB. I kept rolling and my time at the half-marathon point was 1:22 flat, about 10 seconds off my PB.
A few more k's of holding it together and I was on familiar roads from when Amanda lived in Hamilton and we would run the last 5k of the course. I was still on pace for 1:58:XX but I was suffering. My chest was tightening up, my legs were on the brink of cramping, and I had to really focus to not trip over my own feet/pylons/curbs. I was in the hurt box! I saw Coach Mark at around 26k and he assured me that the worst was over and the last 3k was a net downhill. With 3k left I still wasn't sure if I had enough in me to finish, but I gave it everything I had and dragged my ass all the way back and finished in 1:58:51. I was completely destroyed but I was very happy to break 2 hours in my first go at this awesome race, and I can't wait to give it another crack and try to shave off some time!
War face in the last 200m

I had definitely put more priority on Around the Bay than my first tri a couple weeks ago, so I was thrilled that I was able to push through and execute the race I was capable of. Its great reassurance for the upcoming season that I've got some good fitness and I'm ready to bring my 70.3 runs to the next level. And its a big step in the right direction for my Ironman training knowing that I've already put in some big miles and long runs and my body has responded well to the distance. Thanks to everyone for showing their support!!

1 comment:

  1. well done, Ryan! I've used ATB for many years as motivation to train hard over the winter and get ready for the triathlon season. Definitely a tough race. Thanks for sharing.

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