All kidding aside I really had and very solid day and one of my best results of the year finishing 30th out of the 98 souls who started!
The splits define my success more then my time or finishing position.
Starting the race sucked. It was kind of miserable with temps in the high single digits , wind in the double digits and a wee bit of rain but that was only part of it. The longest runs I had done since the Endur Marathon mid August was last weeks 1h40m outing on the backyard trail. The crush injury to my little toe was still quite a concern. I was off my feet for a week then gradually returned to running the following week with a shoe with the toe box half cut away. In the week leading up to the race I was able to wear a normal running shoe but with a fair bit of discomfort.
This picture I will title " The look of trepidation ".
The race took place at the Christie Lake conservation area on a 5.3 km loop around the lake! I really hated the first few loops. As mentioned it was kind of cold at the start, a couple of Ks on the hat came off , 2 more Ks and it was the coat. There was 2 aid stops on the loop and right from the get go I made a brief stop for water. At the end of the third loop I started on the Gels every lap and did so until the last lap of the day.
The picture below is somewhere mid race. My mood had picked up and the toes wasn't bothering me. My uninjured foot was the one complaining a bit but otherwise I was feeling pretty good.
When ever I pass or get passed by another runner I usually have something to say. Past the midway point in the race I asked a Woman how she was doing , her firm response " THIS IS STUPID" ...it made me laugh , I really couldn't argue the point.
The weather really improved in the last few laps with the sun breaking though a couple of times but temps remained comfortable pushing up to the low double digits. The picture below was taken with a few laps to go.
I passed quite a few runners in the last few laps and although it felt like I was fading I was actually hanging in there pretty good . All of the splits ended up being within +/- 1 min of 37 min/loop.
I made a be line to the warmer bathroom area as soon as I crossed the finish line. Took the shoes and socks off , washed the toe the treated it with an antibiotic and bandaged it up....just a percaution.
This is the toe 7 hours later.
Part of my drive to have a successful race was to get my mental on for the Bad Thing 50 km in two weeks. I am feeling a whole lot better about the upcoming Goderich to Auburn run along the Maitland River.
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