What better way to kick off the new year than a 9k race along Lake Ontario?
I ran my first race since the summer today – a 9km called “Hair of the Dog” put on by the Balmy Beach Canoe Club. It’s a laid back affair along the Waterfront Trail and boardwalk starting at the Balmy Beach Club. The route is an out and back to the entrance to Tommy Thompson Park. The halfway point aid station features water, orange juice and schnapps.
To top it off, many runners add a polar bear dip in cold Lake Ontario at the finish (but not me).
A Quick Race Report
I ran it fairly conservatively and finished in a respectable 46:02. That’s slower than my fastest 10km time, but on a flat course with a pretty good headwind on the way back, I was very happy with the effort.
The rain was coming down pretty good just before we went outside to start, but it tapered to some light sprinkles at noon for the race. I forgot to start my Garmin until about 100m in, but that wasn’t a big deal since the time wasn’t all that important to me.
Early on I was running too fast – about 4:30/km. That wasn’t going to be sustainable for 9km, so I dialed it back and settled into a nice easy 5:00/km pace.
Around 2km I saw Mac, Lindsey and Ginny at the Woodbine Beach Pool – a little cheer station for me and a good energy boost. They were watching the Polar Bear event from a distance. As I ran by I heard the cheers from the lake as hundreds went in for a quick swim.
I chose to do walk breaks (10 and ones), which I normally wouldn’t do in a shorter race like this, but I figured why not, since it was really more of a Sunday LSD than a race.
By the halfway point at the end of Leslie St. I was feeling pretty good and started thinking about a finish time around 46 minutes. More cheering here in the form of Sam and Maria, complete with ample cowbell.
The return trip featured a decent headwind and the rain started picking up a bit through the last 2km. Running on the boardwalk was also sapping some energy – those wood slats not only give you heavy legs, but they make you dizzy too.
The finish was good – I reeled in a couple of runners in the last 200m and finished strong with Mac, Lindsey and Ginny cheering me to the line.
125 Days Until Vancouver
My BMO Vancouver Marathon schedule starts today so I can now say I’m officially in training for marathon number four which happens in just 125 days.
Thanks to Ginny and the kids for coming out in the rain to cheer dad on. And to Sam and Maria for doing the same. Miguel ran it too (kicked my ass with a 42 minute run) and topped it off with a dive into what looked like a pretty frigid lake. Better him than me.
