Let me just say how much I love the whole race day experience. There is something magical about it for me as I anticipate what I'm about to accomplish. It's all about the reward for all the hard work I've put in with my running.
My race day started at 4:30 AM. As is typical, I beat my alarm as my body just seems to know when it's time to get up. After my morning routine, which included two trips to the bathroom, 1 cup of tea and final check of my race bag, I was off to Kingston.
I left my house just shortly before 6:00 AM. It's been years since I've been to Kingston and I forgot how nice the drive was. We are truly blessed in Ontario with a nice stretch of highway.
I arrived at just before 8:00 AM. I immediately noticed so many familiar faces. Most, if not all, of the people came up to me to ask me how I was feeling after the Sulphur 100 mile race. They knew that it was my first attempt and congratulated me on my efforts. I mingled with as many people as I could as I prepared for my race.
The temperatures were in the high 20's to early 30's and the "track" that we ran on was an old horse track 800 Metres (1/2 mile) long. The rules were simple, each time we crossed the start/finish line we had to wave/get the attention of the table that we were assigned to so that they could keep track of how many laps we did. Each 4 laps was the equivalent to 5 KM's.
There was a group photo taken just before our race and then some final instructions about the heat. Because we were going to be running for 6 hours, there was a very real possibility of heat exhaustion. We are all experienced runners but it’s still important to stress the need for taking in fluids and electrolytes on such a hot day. I’m fortunate because the heat doesn’t seem to bother me as much as it bothers other people. In fact, I prefer to run in warm temperatures.
There was an aid/food station set up about 300 Metres from the start/finish line. I had no idea of what strategy to employ as I hadn’t run a timed race before. It usually takes me about an hour to warm up anyway, so I decided to run the first hour and see how I felt after that.
After that first hour there was an amazing group of kids who were volunteering at about 200 Metres from the start/finish area. They had buckets of water with sponges. As the runners ran by them they handed the sponges and we used them to keep ourselves cool. I could not have asked for better support during this race. I seemed to connect with one of the kids and he would run with me a little bit and then hand me the sponge. I used this on every other lap and it really helped to keep me cool and provided me with a boost of energy at the same time.
Eventually my strategy was to run 6 laps and then stop for some food and to fill up my water bottle. This worked out to every 30-34 minutes. As the race progressed the laps became more like every 4 as the heat started to take its toll. I saw many experienced runners having to walk most of the race as the heat was just too much for them.
At about the 4 hour mark my right hip started to really hurt and I had to do more walking then running. This lasted for about 20 minutes or so. After taking some Advil, I was feeling a little better and then I started to run more. I made sure that I didn’t walk anymore than I had to. My feet were on fire and I knew that I had several blisters and that I’d probably need a new toenail or two.
I was never happier to see the time on the clock read 5 hours because I knew the last hour would be run on guts. Knowing that only 1 more hour was left in the race brought out lots of confidence in me and I actually had a few good laps left in me. With about 15 minutes left in the race we were handed a plastic bag of dirt with our name on it. Once the clock hit 6 hours, we had to stop running and place our bag on the ground. This was done so that they could measure the distance we covered. At 6 hours in, or 3 PM, there was a loud honking of car horns and that signified that the race was over.
After high-fiving as many people as I could, it was time to see how I did. My totals were 54.59 KM’s which put me 16th overall and the 11th Male overall. I was very happy with my performance considering the amount of races I’ve done since April (50 Mile, 50 K, 68 Mile and today’s race). As I took off my socks I confirmed what I had suspected, another two lost toenails and two large blisters. After a quick change of clothes, I was back in my car for the long drive home to Ajax.
I’ll need a few days to heal up but I actually feel pretty good as I type this. My next race probably won’t be until July so I can do some nice running between now and then.
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