Once again, the weather didn’t look promising but the rain held off, and it turned out to be perfect running weather; Overcast, 3C and no wind.
PRE-RACE
7:00 AM – Got up and have the usual All-Bran/milk/protein powder breakfast combo with a banana.
7:30 AM – Hit the road with the customary stop at Tim Hortons. Mrs. FatGuy, and FatGuy’s mom were coming for the event also this time. 🙂
8:45 AM – Arrived in Hamilton ON and proceeded to park the car, and make our way to Copps Coliseum. Since race packet pickup/registration was on Saturday, it was just a matter of getting ready to run and find a place for my 2 fans to have a seat.
9:20 AM – I had everything hooked up & ready to roll. Met a fellow runner and had a brief chat. Nice to meet you Al. 🙂
9:35 AM – I headed downstairs to the starting area only to see almost 2000 people already standing behind the gate. My odds of starting at the front at that point were nil. I did some kick sprints and then stretched a little to warm up. I then tried to find a spot mid pack, but that didn’t help me much….more on that later.
9:45 AM – Horn sounded, but from where I was, didn’t start moving for over a minute. Since they score these things based on “gun” time and not chip time, I was a little disappointed.
THE RACE
My strategy for the race was as follows:
- First 4 kms – 5:30 min/km pace
- Last km – Go by feel, but faster than 5:30. I was shooting for an overall 5:20 to 5:25 min/km average pace
The 1st km was just dealing with traffic….and lots of it. It was like a freeway at rush hour and I knew this was going to affect my pacing. But I did the best I could and got going.
For the following 2-3 kms was kept dealing with traffic, and trying to find a groove. I felt good overall, heart rate & breathing was in check, everything was still on track. My Garmin was telling me my average pace was holding @ 5:30 min/km which was perfect.
From 3-4 kms; encountered a hill I didn’t know existed for this run. I slowed my pace a little not to drain the legs for the climb. Must have worked as I still felt great at the top. I knew I would need to drop the hammer pretty soon.
The last km went by fast, probably because I was “hauling the mail”. Seeing the coliseum just around the corner I bolted, passing alot of people like I was running from a wild animal. 🙂 The finish line was inside the coliseum, which meant going in through the back entrance, down a steep concrete ramp. My legs felt like limp noodles at that point, and when I saw that ramp, I was so paranoid I would go head diving, I had to slow down a little.
I crossed the finish line, arms in the air with the clock reading 28:03, but that’s “gun” time. The timing chip time was 26:47 mins, which is way better than my initial goal of 30 mins. Yes, it took over a minute to get out of the “coral”.
POST RACE
After the race, we were given all kinds of food treats and of course a finishers medal….my first. 🙂 Then I went upstairs and found my fans. After eating up a banana and a bottle of water, I got changed, and headed for a Tim Horton’s Bagel BELT. Yummy…that hit the spot!
Results Recap:
Official Chip Time: 26:47 mins
Avg. Pace/Speed: 5:21 min/km, 8:38 min/mile, 7 MPH
Overall: 437 of 1802 (24%)
Age Group (35-39): 27 of 67 (40%)
Race Weight: 198 lbs
Next on the race agenda: Mercedes 10k in Oakville, April 25th 2010.
It was nice meeting you too. I went out 15min before and got a place up at the front. There’s always people walking up to the front even though it is packed so just push your way in and once there, hold your ground. There were even walkers up at the front! In the end though, it was a great day to race and break PBs!
Love the race reviews btw, I actually have to start doing them as a requirement for my team so I hope to be as thorough as you =)
See you again at another starting line!
Al.