Around the Bay Road Race, March 30, 2014 - 30 km in 2:42:41 (5:26/k)

So, today was the big day. Well, I guess, not that big as I was only going to run the Around the Bay 30K as a training run, not as a race. The plan was for me to go out with Bob Weir and The Legendary John Ferguson at a 5:35/km pace which would get us in at a very comfortable 2:48. For comparison, I ran it in 2:30:09 last year, so this pace should be a walk in the park.

As it turns out, I couldn't run that slowly. I kept looking around for Bob and John and couldn't see them. So after 4 km of this, I decided to just run on my own. Its not like I was alone -- the race was packed (9000 registered for the 30K).

The weather was perfect, too. Zero degrees at the start, but the sun was shining so it felt warmer. Warmed up to 4 or 5 degrees C by the end, and by the time we were tailgating back at the buses, it was easily up over 7 degrees. I wore shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. No headband or ear muffs. It was like a cool summer run.

Here are my splits according to my GPS:
5:13
5:06
5:12
5:18
5:19
5:17
5:26
5:18
5:11
5:07
5:08
5:14
5:16
5:11
5:23
5:08
5:13
5:19
5:17
5:23
5:32 (hitting the hills of Burlington)
5:48
5:35
5:39
5:36
5:20 (downhill and then a bunch of uphill)
5:56 (more uphill, and legs are screaming)
5:34
5:45
5:29
1:30 for 210 m.

So, as you can see, my GPS was out about 210 metres or 3 seconds per km. overall as compared to the measured course. So add 3 seconds to all of the times above.

I didn't walk at any point during the race -- not at the water stops nor at any of the hills.

For breakfast, I choked down half a 12 grain bagel with butter and a bowl of Mini-Wheats, and half a large Tim Horton's coffee. I felt like crap at the start of the run, but felt much better once my legs were actually moving. I had pineapple and a yoghurt snack in reserve as well, but I couldn't face choking it down.

On the run, I had some Clif Bloks with me, but what I used instead were the dried apricots. I started running low on them, though. Would have been better to have at least 1 per mile. At the end of the race, I could still handle them.

Overall, I was pretty happy with the run. I didn't go out there looking for a super fast time, but rather was hoping to have a good, solid run with some energy at the end for a final kick. I didn't get that last part, but I did get through the hills of Burlington relatively unscathed.