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!!

campLPC 2015

One of the main reasons that I like to kick start my year with teamLPC Florida camp is to have something to look forward to throughout the cold and crappy southern Ontario winter. Whether it's training camp or an early season destination race, the only way I can motivate myself to run in -30 or finish a swim workout before sunrise is knowing I have something to look forward to in the spring.

Those who haven't left for Australia or the Canary Islands this winter know that it has been a particularly cold and crappy one. And lucky me, I've got some big races planned this year and have been putting in pretty long miles in less than ideal weather so far. I couldn't wait to get to Florida once again this year, mostly to avoid a fourth straight weekend of 25+km treadmill runs. But for the first time I also decided to kick off my racing season while we were down south and take the opportunity to get an idea of how I am progressing so far in 2015.

My goals this season are to continue progressing at the 70.3 distance and  race my first IM in October. So jumping in a draft legal sprint tri in March not only meant an early start to the year but it also meant no specific training for the unique demands of draft legal racing with my current training geared towards racing Around the Bay and a June 70.3. But I love the dynamic of draft legal racing and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to enter one of the only age group draft legal events out there while I happened to be in town.

So Amanda and I arrived in Orlando last Thursday with just enough time to get my legs under me and cheer on teammates Jack and Meghan in the ITU race on Saturday. Then on Sunday while everyone was meeting up for the first camp workout it was my turn to race. I had no goals whatsoever in terms of times or placing, I just wanted to kick my own ass and have some fun!

There were around 50-60 guys in the race, with what seemed to be all levels of skill and age. One thing that stuck out to me was a group of 8-10 Canadian Forces athletes in the race, many of whom often race elite...and it turned out they would play a major role (no pun intended) in the outcome of my race and the overall results. But I didn't know anyone in the race at all so it was impossible to make any kind of race strategy besides 1. Work my butt off, and 2. Don't get crashed out.

I had a fast and clean start off the beach but I wanted to be careful not to smash the first 250 not really knowing how I might recover and settle in. I just wanted to swim a decent tempo and see who was around me when I got out. I ended up swimming in no man's land about 5-10 seconds behind a line of leaders, with a few holding on behind me. When we hit the beach I saw the gap to a few athletes ahead, so I did the exact opposite of what I usually try to do in T1 (relax, stay aerobic and be methodical but efficient) and sprinted up to my bike as hard as I could.

There wasn't much of an organized group getting on the bike so I just put my head down and pushed 360-400 watts to the turnaround at 2.5k then looked back to see if anyone was with me. There were two Canadian forces guys with me, with a lead group about 20 seconds up and a few stragglers in between. So we rolled through a strong pace line and picked up riders through the first 2 laps.

Catching the leaders - I'm in blue just behind the pack

On the third of four laps we caught the leaders which made us a group of 8...6 forces guys, one American and me. I almost couldn't believe I bridged to lead pack...even though the age group race was not as competitive as an elite draft legal event it still felt like a huge accomplishment. From that point it started getting very tactical as the forces guys would launch 2 guys up the road while the rest slowed the front of the group. I had to tell the American that I was not with them and it was up to us to chase. Some might have gotten frustrated with the team tactics but I knew what they were doing...I've dealt with it in road racing before and it's a big part of draft legal tri. So we took turns bringing them back together and the 8 of us got to T2 together. I ended up riding just a hair over 30 min for the 20k with my normalized power close to 300w.



The first km of my run was not pretty...I blew out of T2 then was quickly reminded that it's March and I've done zero speed work. It felt like I was getting off the bike in a 70.3! But rather than stress out or throw in the towel I sucked it up and did what I could. As the race progressed I could feel my legs come around, and even though the podium was already set I pushed all the way through and ended up negative splitting by almost 30 seconds.



I ended up 5th behind 4 forces guys, and 8 of the top 10 in the race were Canadian. I gave them props for strong team racing, while one guy was moping about the pack not working...something I didn't quite understand as their team was 80% of the pack! But it was a lot of fun, I was very happy with my performance and it was the perfect start to camp. I got home just in time to join everyone for a couple hours of base riding, since it was time to flip the switch back to tempo and long miles.



I won't go through all the details of camp since this blog is getting long enough already...and you should just come out next year if you don't know what it's all about! But the theme for me was manage fatigue levels while putting in BIG miles all week. I got some confirmation that things are going in the right direction with the swim workouts and video analysis along with a good test of speed on our brick intervals over the same roads as my race was on a few days earlier.





My riding buddy for the remaining 130k of my Sugarloaf ride


But the highlights for me were doing my longest ride ever (160k) to Sugarloaf hill with our awesome group, followed by my longest run ever (35k) at the Orange Grove the next morning. Needless to say I went through a lot of gels and infinit sport drink. I ended up riding close to 600km and running over 80km in seven days along with 5 swims, by far my biggest training week of my life.
All in all I left Florida knowing I am in a much better place both physically and mentally than last year and maybe ever before, and I can't wait to start my true racing season. Starting with ATB 30k in 2 weeks! But for now it's time to be patient, absorb the fitness and keep moving forward to my bigger goals this season.
Thank you to everyone at campLPC for making it an amazing week (especially Amanda!) and I can't wait to see everyone racing throughout Ontario this summer.