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<\/a>What to wear?<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>The view from the hotel the day before the race. Yuck!<\/p><\/div>\n
Luckily for us, Sunday brought cold weather but also sunny skies. \u00a0There was definitely a wind, but not enough of one to suck the life out of you. \u00a0It was cold enough for there to be ice in the water at the stations, but warm enough that I did end up tying my running jacket around my waist after 10k.<\/p>\n
My experience this year was very different from that of 2014 in many ways. \u00a0I have strong memories of how the 2014 race seemed to just come together for me, at least up to 26k. \u00a0That time I felt so strong at the beginning and went out at a faster pace than I had planned. \u00a0For lack of a better way to explain it, I simply felt happy to be out running. \u00a0During that 2014 race I did slow down as the race went on, and the big hill after 26k forced me to walk and made me light-headed. \u00a0I fought hard for the last 3k and when I finished the race I needed to sit down and put my head between my legs for fear I might pass out. \u00a0It was a race I was very proud of though.<\/p>\n
This time I started faster, but at the same time didn’t feel like it was going to be my day. \u00a0I’m not sure how to describe it but if you are a runner you probably know what I mean. \u00a0It just didn’t have that feeling of everything coming together. \u00a0But 30 km is a long way (a long, long way) and you can never really predict what will happen based on the first part of the race.<\/p>\n
After a solid 10k I started to get slower. \u00a0It was a strange feeling as I didn’t feel like I was struggling, but when I checked my watch there was a definite change in pace. \u00a0I think I was running into a bit more wind at this point and maybe that was what made the difference. \u00a0My mood changed here too. \u00a0Many of the thoughts that plagued me during training came out in full force. \u00a0I could not seem to turn off the discouraging voice in my head. \u00a0I was frustrated that these legs of mine just didn’t want to run faster, though at the same time pleased that I didn’t actually want to stop altogether. \u00a0As I started the hills of Burlington I finally got angry with myself. \u00a0Basically, I told myself to suck it up and just keep moving at whatever pace my body was prepared to do. \u00a0If I couldn’t beat my previous time of 3:04, so be it. \u00a0I stopped looking at my watch. \u00a0I told myself that no matter what, I would pick up my pace once the hills were done and show some speed in the last couple of kms.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, I remembered there being more rolling hills two years ago. \u00a0This year of course the final hill was not included due to construction. \u00a0Am I a bad ATB runner for saying I was quite grateful to not have to do that hill this year? \u00a0But I was surprised when approaching a hill and I heard a woman behind me say, “This is the last hill.” \u00a0I was sure she was wrong as I was preparing for at least a few more rollers. \u00a0Amazingly she was correct and suddenly the hardest work was behind me and only a few more kms left!<\/p>\n
With that my spirits picked up as did my pace. \u00a0I felt confident that I was not going to hit a wall, even if a big portion of the race felt like a giant speed bump. \u00a0I was able to high-five the Grim Reaper Jr. and make my way to the finish line inside First Ontario Place. \u00a0This was the stretch that two years ago seemed to last forever; where I fought light-headedness while quietly hoping I wouldn’t pass out. \u00a0This time I can honestly say that while I was tired, I did not feel like I had run almost 30 km. \u00a0That is a pretty amazing feeling, even when not quite reaching the hoped for pace.<\/p>\n
It was during this stretch that I said to myself words I never thought I would:<\/p>\n
“Thank you, thank you, Taylor Swift!”<\/em><\/p>\n I can’t say I’m a Taylor fan – indifferent would probably be the best description of my thoughts on her music. \u00a0But right before the race I added a few new songs to my iPod, and Swift’s “Out of the Woods” was one of them. \u00a0I often use music as a motivator when I run. \u00a0I would argue I am somewhat addicted to listening to music both when training and racing. \u00a0Music can sometimes pull from me strength that I otherwise can’t find. \u00a0It is not always predictable what song will work at any given time so I keep quite a variety on my iPod and simply skip forward if I need to. \u00a0I don’t even rely on songs with a specific beat. \u00a0Slow songs can push me forward as much as something with a quick tempo. \u00a0I have a memory of one day running joyfully to Gordon Lightfoot’s “Carefree Highway” and let’s face it, Gord is probably not usually thought of when making a running list.<\/p>\n In this case, after 28k of running, it was “Out of the Woods” that somehow pulled that little extra out of me – so much so I played it twice. \u00a0To my ears there is some\u00a0female anger and a fighting spirit in that song, just what I needed as I edged closer to the finish line. \u00a0In less time than I was expecting, I was on the steep ramp (with unhappy quads I might add), entering the stadium. \u00a0I watched the gun time just roll over the 3 hour 3 minute time and told myself that at least I had managed to come in before the 3:04. \u00a0In fact, I reassured myself that my chip time would actually be 3:02 and was satisfied with the result.<\/p>\n