My first racing victory!

Wow! What a truly amazing day it has been.
I woke up at 6:00AM, and got ready for the race (Toronto Ultra race). Instead of my usual steeped tea and bagel from Timmy's I decided to just have some tea with a bagel with peanut butter and honey at home.
I arrived at the race site at approximately 7:15. This gave me plenty of time to pick up my race kit and mingle with plenty of runners. Most of them were doing either the 50 or 100K race. I did meet several though who were doing the 30K as a warm up for either the Ottawa or Cleveland Marathons in a few weeks. I think I was the only crazy one who decided to run a 30K race the week before a marathon.

EVERYONE I met today was so friendly and offered plenty of encouragement. The people who run trails are by far the friendliest people I've ever met. They are not driven by time or pace but instead are there to run for the enjoyment of running and to socialize afterwards.

The race started promptly at 8:00 AM and this was a 5K "out and back" which meant that I ran for 5K and then turned around and ran to the start again. I did this 3 times for a total of 30K. The course itself was on a bike path through a nature trail. The neat thing about today's race is that all the competitors started at the same time. I got to see everyone running and because all the categories were mixed together, I didn't know who I was running with or against. This made for a more relaxed race and I could just focus on my own pace.

I started off rather fast and finished the first 10K in fewer than 50 minutes. I was carrying a fuel belt which was uncomfortable so I dropped it off at the 10K mark and ran with a bottle in my hand instead. I took a gel after the 10K and 20K mark as well as some E-Load and water throughout.

It was a cold day with some drizzle of rain at the stIt tooK me about 15K to feel comfortable but after that I was fine. I got a little tired after the 23K mark but realizing that I only had another 7K to go I was able to push forward. I crossed the finish line at the 2:32 mark and was immediately asked how old I was. When I told the organizers my age, I was surprised to learn that I had come in first place! I was obviously overwhelmed, stunned and excited all at the same time. I forgot about the pain in my hips and knees and focused on my trophy instead. I phoned my sister, my girlfriend and my kids and they were all proud of what I had done. I HAD to go to the Running Room to show Nancy and Maureen what I had done. It was amazing to see how excited they were and even the customers applauded my efforts.
Today just emphasized what I already knew and that is that trail running is where I'm happiest. Once my marathon is completed next week, I'm going to focus on my training for my 50K trail race in either June or July.
A special thank you goes out to Cass for a truly great massage and also to Nancy for sharing in my joy today.