Road2Hope Half

Race: Road 2 Hope, Hamilton
Distance: A full Half Marathon
Date: November 4, 2012

Getting There

I stood on the start line and collected my thoughts. I am going after my 2010 half PB. Out of all my distance PB’s this was my best in terms of equivalent performances. To go better, I would need to be in the best shape of my life. But was I? I would soon find out.

The time I was going after was crazy business: 13.1 consecutive miles, each mile to be completed in less than six minutes. That is what 21.1k is when your PB is 1:18:26. By comparison mile repeats at track seemed like a breeze. There is no pussy-footing around. You are either all-in or you are out. I was just so in for this.

What an incredible journey it has been so far, for such an ordinary runner. A 2010 where PB’s fell at my feet like stars from the sky. A 2011 that gave me more injuries and cancelled races than anyone deserves. Needless to say, PB’s for me recently have been scarcer than hen’s teeth and this should be expected considering just how high I had set the bar for myself. So high that I had been injuring myself again and again, forcing a return to the best shape of my life.

My return to form obviously needed more than a two month plan. So in November 2011 I stopped running. Then in December I taught myself to run all over again. I changed my stride so much that I no longer needed orthotics. Speed was my enemy. Every time I hit the gas my legs threatened to blow up. So my new mantra became: Speed kills. With almost no speed work January and February I stayed healthy and built up the mileage.

I preached patience to myself and training pal Johnny Tranter. John thought we should have a crack at sub 1:20 at the Toronto half in May. I told him not yet. Patience. When he worried that his 10k results in June were average, I told him again: patience. Fall would be ours. Just get in the mileage. Keep your easy runs easy. He now owns #1 in the 21k and 5k Ontario age rankings, and he is not yet done with 10k. That might soon be his too.

My first goal race of the summer was to be the Boilermaker in Utica (mid-July). However I had to pass due to family matters. I also realize I had beaten myself up a little too much trying to get ready. Old habits die hard. Up next was the Acura 10 miler. Again, the week before the race something in my ass was not behaving, so I passed. No mid-season injury was going to sideline my fall glory. I ended up doing as much biking as running in August avoiding a blow out, and that tactic would set the table for my fall goal race.

A test half in Ajax revealed I was getting there, just not quite there yet. It was mid-September and I had a decision to make: full or half for Hamilton? Not enough mileage to take a crack at a PB in the full. But I was right as rain for a half and it was time to go after new territory.

Besides, I had put all my eggs in one basket: one race to make or break my 2012 season – it had to be not just good but great. I turned up the quality of my long runs: gnarly hilly routes finishing with 5k race pace kick-downs. By the time November arrived I was healthy and no doubts remained. It was time to let the tale be told.

Running With The Wolves

Anthony Davey and a few of his Longboat club pals toed the line in front of me. Know your competition. Or in this case, know who you need to chase if you’re going after a PB. A sub 1:18 was likely in Anthony’s game plan so I decided to grab onto his shirt tails and not let go.

I don’t understand why my group (John Tranter and John Gardener) didn’t line up closer to the front. We started 4 seconds off the gun, Anthony and crew 2 seconds ahead of us. We would all be in the top 20. What confounds me were runners who had matching chip and gun times finishing their race ranked 110th and 156th (among others). Why crowd the front? All it did was put a lot of people in the way.

Caught up in the crowd, my Garmin read 4:00/k pace after 500 m. Matters were corrected by the 1k marker, the crowd now in the rearview, and Anthony’s posse about 60 m ahead. I knew my fortunes rested with that pack of wolves and I needed to join them pronto. Headwinds were stronger than forecast and I was working solo. By 3k I had caught up and locked in step. John and John were not far behind and I hoped they would also catch up and join too.

Within the wolves the feel of the race immediately changed. The wind disappeared. All was quiet. We moved with purpose, efficiently striding forward. The experience was primeval, tribal, predatory. What a rush!

We spilled into the Red Hill valley. The speed was fearsome, but the effort was comfortable. Not having to mind pace, the job became keeping strides even, balanced, and efficient. We hurtled downward from one side of the road to the other hell bent on getting there on the shortest route possible. The pack moved as one. It was Davey (8), Chapman (9), Free (11), Bentley (13), me (14) and Dietz (17). Ironically, it was Davey and I hanging at the back, all of us elbow to elbow, shoulder flanking shoulder. (Finish rank in brackets).

The first 10k was over in 35:42, better than my 2011 PB at Sporting Life! The pace was wreckless and foolish. Surely disaster would find me soon. And to add further incredulity, the second 5k was 17:30 which included a 3:20 split at the 7th km. I have only ever raced one 5k faster. But this is just how the course runs. Smoke ’em while you can!

I lost the pack climbing out of the Red Hill at Barton Street and then dropped into the trail part of the course. The effort was hard and I suffered through a 4:00 split. I corrected that with a 3:38 at 14k. I was all-in and not going to fold now.

We were out of the trails and time to suck it up. The pack, strung out on the trail, gathered ahead of me for the final assault. Mindy and Todd appeared from the sidelines to send me on my way. I should have busted my guts to catch back up. However I didn’t and had to fight the wind solo to the final turnback. Km’s 15 (3:49), 16 (3:50), and 17 (3:49) sucked accordingly. I counted on the wind to send me home, and did it ever. My pace returned to 3:40/k and I called my bets.

There would be no sprint to the line. All was spent. I now owned a 1:17:47 half, a massive PB. And to Mr. Davey, a huge PB of 1:16:44. Anthony had led the way for me yet again, and I now know the time I will be gunning for next I lace ’em up for this blazing half. Sooner or later, I will turn the tables on this fellow.

My Thanks

While we race for our own, we certainly do not train that way. My PB is shared with my training pals who helped get me there. So thanks to Johnny T, John Gardener, Nathan Mahan, Jeff and Megan Fyfe, Mike Bosch, Todd McCall, Aaron and Cathy Putman, Mike Babcock, Erin King and all who ran with me this year at Running Free. Also a big thanks to Matt Leduc for lending me a few snippets of his vast wisdom.

Where exactly would we be without Running Free Ajax owners Steve Ockrant and Garth Boucher? Build it and they will come…and conquer the roads! Their store has given me access to better runners, training pals who can keep me honest, and better training tactics. It has not cost me a dime extra, and given me the best shape of my life. Such a legacy, and they are only two seasons in. How many got a PB this year? Too many to count!

Massage Therapist: Mike Bosch, Athletic Kneads Ajax, 905-208-6452.

Chiro and A.R.T: Dr. Jeremy Barchman, Dynamic Balance Chiropractic Ajax, 905-686-0960.

Photo Credit: Mysportsshooter.com

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