04.18.2016 - My First Boston

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to run the Boston Marathon, the crown jewel of the marathon circuit.  I had qualified for the race way back in January of 2015 at Disney, which now seemed like an eternity ago, but the time was finally here.

I have been training for my first Ironman this year so my marathon training has been different than in years past, but I am working with a great coach and I trust her training.  I had a great race two weeks ago at Around the Bay in Hamilton and had every reason to believe I was on track for a great result in Boston as well.  My main goal going into the race was to enjoy the experience more than anything…I really didn't want to focus on a time goal, but seeing how well my training had been in the last couple of months I was expecting to have a real shot at a sub-3 hour run.

Michelle and I got into Boston on Sunday morning and quickly checked into our hotel before heading down to bib pick-up at the expo.  The expo was pretty cool with all the major vendors represented, but there were just too many people for me and I wanted to get out of there. I bought the obligatory Adidas jacket and Michelle picked up a shirt from Saucony and we took off in search of lunch.  We ended up finding a cool little joint called 'Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe' that was full of history and had some great food too.

After taking an afternoon break back at the hotel we headed off for dinner at City Hall where the official pre-race pasta dinner was being held.  Runners received a complimentary ticket and guests were $25 so we figured it was probably cheaper than anywhere else we would find in downtown Boston.  The location wasn't great for us from our hotel, it was a hotel shuttle ride plus a decent hike after we were dropped off.  The food itself was okay but certainly nothing special, and it was buffet style filling up styrofoam boxes.  We then ate at cafeteria tables.  I would have rather just gone to Olive Garden to be honest…we'd skip this dinner if we ever come back.  We headed back to the shuttle pick up location but it was nowhere to be seen, so we just walked the rest of the way back to the hotel, nearly a 5K walk in total.  Lots of walking the day before a marathon, probably not the best strategy.

I ended up having a great sleep which isn't always the case the night before a big race and when the alarm went off at 4:30 I was ready to go.  I got dressed and Michelle and I went downstairs to grab breakfast…with the race start not until 10:00 I was able to get a pretty decent meal in.  The hotel we stayed at had a great breakfast and they opened it up early on Marathon Monday for the runners.  Breakfast started at 3:30 and when we walked in shortly before 5am the staff cheered for me…I was their first customer of the day :)  I had some pancakes and greek yogurt to fill up on and then it was off to catch the hotel shuttle to the bus loading area before heading off to the Athlete's Village in Hopkinton.  I caught the shuttle with a young guy named Kevin who was also running his first Boston and we stuck together up until it was time to head into our corals.  The weather was cool when we arrived in Hopkinton but the sun was shining and we knew the temperature was on the rise.  I ditched my throwaway sweatshirt and headed off to my corral, ready to run.

The corrals were packed tight and there wasn't much room to move let alone get any warmup in.  A couple minutes before the starting gun went off I looked to my left and saw my buddy Laura only a couple people over…I snaked through the crowd and said hi.  It was nice to catch up a bit and wish each other well before we set off.  She's a rockstar running her third straight Boston!

10:00 rolled around and the elites took off…I was in the first wave as well, back in corral 4, so I had to wait a couple minutes to get across the start line.  It was pretty incredible to see the river of people heading down the hill at the start, all bobbing in unison like a giant tidal wave rolling towards Boston.  The running was congested, just as I had expected, and plenty of people were taking off at a pace I knew I didn't want to run at.  I was planning to run around 4:20-4:30/km for the first 5K as the descent is around 70m and you can really trick your legs into running fast out of the gate if you aren't careful. 

I stuck to my pacing and came through 5K at 21:50…the course levels out a bit at this point as we head into Ashland and Framingham and at this point I was looking to build a bit of speed.  I dropped my pace to run 4:10-4:15 and I managed to stay here all the way through to 15K.  My split at 10K was 43:12 and things were looking good.  There were a couple of developing issues though, the first being that my armpits had started to chafe almost right away, I'm talking about a kilometre in or so.  This despite bathing in Body Glide :(  It was the first run I had worn a singlet for this year and my pits were not happy.  The heat was rising and the sun was beating down…no shade on this course.  I knew the heat would be a factor so I was taking in water at every aid station and when I hit 15K I had to make a quick pit stop…I wasn't willing to pee my pants with two-thirds of the race still to go. 

After my quick port-a-potty stop I felt much better and continued clipping along at a good steady 4:10-4:15ish pace, right where I wanted to be.  I passed Kevin along the way and cheered him on and I caught up with Laura again as well.  I pulled in beside her to see how she was doing and she was making the smart decision that it was not going to be her day.  She let off the pace a bit (but honestly, not too much…she still finished with a great time) and let herself enjoy the race.  I wished her well again and took off through Natick and on to Wellesley and the famous kissing girls of Wellesley College.  Wow what a rush that was!  So much energy as you are subjected to the scream tunnel…it was a blast and you couldn't help but laugh at the signs the girls were holding up in hopes of getting a smooch.  Boosted by their energy, I cruised through the halfway point at 1:31:15…pace was still looking really good and not fluctuating at all.

I kept pushing hard through the next couple kilometres, making sure to keep drinking at the water stations and keeping my fluids up, but coming up on 25K I was starting to get some mild cramping in my side and my stomach was fighting some GI issues.  I knew I could fight through it and watch my pace drop or I could jump in to the next port-a-potty I saw and just deal with the issue as quick as I could and hope my pace would stay strong.  I opted for the latter and it cost me a little over a minute but I felt a lot better…I actually had my fastest split of the day after taking care of business.  At this point I was now closing in on 30K as I entered the dreaded Newton Hills.  I had trained for the hills for months and felt like I was ready for them…my pace dipped a bit but that was to be expected.  I made the turn at the Fire Station and was still feeling decent.  I was passing people as I climbed the hills but felt good…there was no walking these hills for me.  I held my pace around 4:30 for the first couple hills and then on the big ones through to Heartbreak Hill I kept it close to 5:00 (8:00/mile).  I was through the toughest part of the race and it was a nice downhill run into Boston from here over the final 8K.  Only problem, I was toast.

I wanted to push but I couldn't.  I was boiling hot but had goosebumps…never a good sign.  Dehydration and heat exhaustion were setting in and I just hard to work as hard as I could to push on to the finish.  I knew that there was no way sub-3 was going to happen…I knew that after bathroom stop number 2…and now I knew that I was likely going to miss out on getting under 3:10 to get another BQ.  My new goal became "don't walk".  I made a special effort to take in the sights around me and enjoy the crowd…and what an amazing crowd they were.  People lined the entire length of the course urging you on every step of the way.  It is a crowd that can't be described, only experienced.  I saw the Citgo sign I knew I was close.  I passed by Fenway and then shortly after 40K I heard "Go Michael! Woo Hoo!!!" and looked over to see Michelle cheering me on…if there was any moisture left in my body I might have been able to produce a tear.

I gave her a smile and thumbs up and pushed on to the finish.  It gave me the boost I needed and I was able to pick up my pace to the finish.

I crossed the line with a time of 3:12:16, which actually works out to be my second fastest marathon.  I was pleased with my effort, knowing that I gave it everything I had on a tough day on a tough course.  It would have been easy for me to throw in the towel once the going got tough and my goals had slipped away, but I adjusted and thought back to my original, most important goal…enjoy the experience because you never know if you'll be here again.  That goal was a success!

I met Michelle afterwards in the family reunion area and we hopped a cab back to the hotel to rest…I was knackered.  Eventually we got up and got moving again and headed off to watch the last runners cross the finish line hours after the race had officially come to a close.  People were still out cheering runners on and we were proud to be a part of it.  Shortly after we found a little pizza joint called 'Woody's' that served some pretty delicious wood-oven pizza as well as equally delicious Guinness.  I may have had a pint or two ;)

We polished off our dinner and went over to the afterparty at Fenway Park…I've always wanted to go and didn't want to pass up the opportunity to get on the field.

We wrapped up the day with a nice long walk back to our hotel and I collapsed in bed for a well-deserved good night's sleep.

I have to say that in the days after the race I was really overwhelmed by all of the support I received from people…people in my personal life, at work, from up at the cottage, on Strava, Facebook, the DIS Boards…everyone was so supportive!  There are too many of you to thank but please know every one of you that I am humbled and truly appreciate your cheers and well wishes.  THANK YOU!

2015 Barrelman 70.3 Recap

This past weekend in Niagara Falls I put a bow on my 2015 triathlon season.  I had decided to end the year with a bang and signed up for the Barrelman half iron-distance race…way back in March when I registered I had every intention of this being my goal race for the year.  As the race drew closer however, instead of getting excited about racing I was just excited to be done with racing for the year.  It has been a long season, and my last few races have been a bit of a disappointment for me as I have suffered out on the run (which should be my strongest discipline).

The race was set to take place on Sunday, starting in Welland and ending up down in Niagara Falls.  Michelle, the kids and I headed down to Welland on Saturday to take care of kit pickup, racking my bike in T1 (where it would stay overnight with a tarp over it since the weather was calling for rain…lots of rain) and attending the athlete's briefing.  Everything went smooth enough but the rain did end up coming in while we were there…it was bucketing out.  Better to get it out of the way though and not have to worry about racing in the rain.  I ran into quite a few people I knew from the London Tri Club and just from around the tri scene, so it was nice to catch up a bit and wish everyone good luck.  After leaving we drove the bike course into Niagara Falls, checked into our hotel and then went to do what we do best…carb load.

Sunday morning came and it was just perfect outside…sunny and cool, amazing racing conditions.  It was set to warm up to around 20ºC as the day went on, so certainly wouldn't have to worry about it being a scorcher out there on the bike and run.  We jumped in the Jeep and were at the swim start at the Welland International Flatwater Centre by 8:15…plenty of time before my wave went off at 9:10.  The venue itself was great…it is at the end of the Welland recreational canal and is where they hold all kinds of rowing events, including the recent Panam Games.  There are stands on the banks for spectators and they were able to enjoy great views.  I finished setting up my transition area, kissed Michelle and the kids and went down to get a bit of a warmup swim in.  I was able to hang out for a bit before the start with some of the ladies from the Tri Club (Trudie, Mary Elizabeth and Carol), always nice having some company to help keep the nerves at bay.

Swim - 2000m
34:13 (1:42/100m), 12/43 AG

The water was perfect…cool, clear and flat.  The canal is a great place to swim, so easy to sight.  There were orange markers along the route and green tetrahedrons for the turns.  On top of that there were markers almost the entire way out and back used for rowing, so it was super easy to stay in a straight line.  I wasn't able to find any fast feet around me so I ducked out into some cleaner water and just plowed along on my own.  There was a lot of congestion as we were in one of the last waves, so I was coming up behind a lot of slower swimmers.  I've been fortunate in the races I've done this year to be in the first or second wave every time, so it was just my turn to be near the back.  I knew this would happen going in so I just didn't let it bother me.

The swim went great though, I was really happy with it.  No issues with leaky goggles or getting kicked and pulled by other swimmers…just a nice swim.  I had been hoping to do the swim in 35-36 minutes, so was happy to pop out of the water at 34.  A quick run in front of the stands full of cheering spectators then up a concrete stairway to T1, followed by balling up my wetsuit, goggles and swim cap to throw in my wetsuit bag (as T1 was in Welland and T2 was all the way in Niagara Falls).  In and out of T1 in 1:47 including the run up, not too bad.

Bike - 89K
2:34:32 (34.6km/h), 11/43 AG

As I ran up to the mount line coming out of T1 there was a crowd of people that had basically stopped in their tracks to get on their bikes…I was able to find just enough room to scoot between them and then leap onto my bike to get going.  Out onto the bike course things were just as busy for quite a while…lots of slower riders from the earlier waves to navigate around.  We set out to the west from Welland where we would do an out, then loop down to the shore of Lake Erie and back to Welland, then out east to Niagara Falls.  The 25K out portion down to Lake Erie had a nice tailwind, but that meant the last 65K of the ride would be into a headwind.  I used the tailwind as best I could to really get going and then planned on just maintaining a strong pace with a fast cadence for the duration of the ride.  I kept my cadence over 100 for the entire ride (12 avg), so I was never really pushing too hard.  The course itself is very flat…my Garmin only showed 94m of elevation gain on the bike over 90K, compared to 114m on the 21.1K run.  I actually prefer some hills on the course as I am light enough that I end up passing a lot of people on climbs and can use the descents to pick up speed…a flat course you just end up pushing the entire ride.

I was able to fuel well on the bike, taking in a full bottle of Gatorade, another bottle of water, a Clif bar and a couple of Louis Garneau gels.  I knew I was pretty well hydrated as I actually needed to pee towards the end of the ride.  The only anxious moment I had on the ride came right at the 10K point when I passed another athlete.  I called out "on your left" as I always do to make sure he knew I was there.  I gave him plenty of room and after pulling back in front of him I heard him yell "Oh shit!" followed by a crash as he rode right into the 10K marker sign.  I was already a ways up the road and didn't see it happen, only heard it.  The bike lane might not be the best place to set up the distance markers (basically a little sandwich-board type sign if you haven't seen them before), but also a reminder that you need to pay attention at all times and keep your head in the game.  One of the pros I know was actually leading the race on the bike and rode right into a parked police car at a T-intersection.  He crashed hard and his bike went flying…his day was done but thankfully he is doing okay.  I came upon the scene not too long after and the ambulance had just finished loading up.  I didn't know what had happened, nor did I know it was someone I knew in there, but it is always unsettling to see that on the course.

Run- 21.1K
1:35:10 (4:31/km), 7/43 AG

It was a bit of a long transition in T2…having not really seen the area until I got in there I only knew roughly where my rack was.  I found it easily enough (luckily I ran on the correct side of the rack) and my bike-to-run bag was waiting for me with my shoes and visor.  I always race in my New Balance 1400 flats, but this past week I decided that with the run being a half marathon I would go with something just a little more comfortable in my Saucony Kinvaras.  The Kinvara is pretty much my everyday training shoe and the shoe I wear for marathons so I wasn't at all concerned about running the last leg of the triathlon in them.  Once I had my shoes on it was another long run to the end of transition and I was in and out in 1:42.

Despite my last few runs being slower than I had hoped, I had come off the bike with my legs feeling good for all of them.  My problem was just that I would tire out really quickly, which I figured had a lot to do with the heat but I couldn't say for sure.  I wouldn't be able to use the heat as an excuse today though because the temperature was perfect.  I took off with legs that felt good despite having just rode 90K and I saw my family almost right away when I hit the run course.  High fives all around and I was off for the first of two loops.  We ran along the river for a little bit before ducking into Dufferin Islands Park.  We had a little out and back in there before heading up a big hill past Marineland and along Portage Road towards Casino Niagara.  Heading up Portage we could feel the mist from the Horseshoe Falls and it was certainly a welcome addition to the run.  I was going along at a good pace, but I kept telling myself to slow it down and not burn up those matches too soon.  I was trying to keep my pace around 4:30, but the first couple kilometres were a touch quick (4:06, 4:07).  The climbing helped bring my pace into check and I was able to settle into a good groove between 4:15-4:25 for quite a while.

Once we finished climbing the hill on Portage we ducked onto a public walkway the goes behind the Casino.  There were lots of people out walking back there but the race had enough volunteers around to make sure no one was getting in the way of the runners.  I saw a mother with her two little girls sitting on a bench watching us and gave one of the girls a little wave…she smiled and waved back happy to be a part of the action.  When I came by on my second loop they were still there and she started shouting "Mommy!  I remember him!" as she jumped up and waved at me…made my day .

As we exited the pathway we had to descend a flight of stairs to get back to the street…there was a short set of three or four stairs up and then the long flight down.  The volunteer was yelling out "up the stairs then down the stairs" and I couldn't help but sing out loud (I got a few looks…)

Wee Willie Winkie, running thru the toon,
Up the stairs, down the stairs, in his nightgoon
Rappin' at the windaes, tappin' at the locks,
Are all the bhoys and ghirls in bed?  For now it's 8 o'clock

My Mum would be proud.  I got to the bottom of the stairs and then it was a massive downhill…nearly 100 feet in just 200m.  Quite the quad burner after the long incline.  Then it was onto the Niagara Parkway with the Falls right beside us…hard to explain in words what an awesome feeling it is to run past the Falls.  You can't help but appreciate the power and the beauty and it inspires you to push on (which was helpful because it was immediately back to a long incline).  I got back to Kingsbridge Park where the finish was and saw the family again as I set out for loop number two.  More cheers and high fives to fill up my tank for the final push.  I was at 45:37 for the first half of my run and I saw that my overall time was only 3:57:xx…I only had two goals coming into the race, one being to finish with a decent run and not feel like a piece of garbage, and the second being to go sub 5-hours.  If I could manage the first goal then the second was a virtual lock.  Knowing this helped me push through the second loopp even as it started to get tough around 14K.  There were a couple times towards the end where I contemplated a little walk break through a water station but I pushed those thoughts out of my mind.  There wasn't another race on the calendar for me to save myself for and there wouldn't be a chance for redemption.  I was going to push through to the end with everything I had.  As I ran past the 20K marker I switched my watch over to just see total time…I wasn't only going to break 5 hours, but I was going to be under 4:50.  I dug deep to pull out whatever was left in my legs and ran that last kilometre hard…I saw Michelle and the kids as I came down the finishing chute and I slowed up to just enjoy the moment.  One of my running buddies just went sub-3 on her marathon last week to net a massive PR and she had one of the best finishing pics I've ever seen…she had a huge smile on her face as she fist-pumped her way across the line.  I guess she was my inspiration as I was punching the air as I came across the line in 4:47:21 (although I also seem to be sticking my tongue  out for some reason??)

I had smashed my goals, my expectations and my previous best effort.  I was thrilled with my result and I felt great in the process.  I collected my finisher's medal and hat then went over to enjoy the moment with my family.

Overall
4:47:21, 36/496 OA, 9/43 AG

Multisport Canada put on a great event as always and this is one of those races that people will keep coming back to.  It is a fantastic event with a beautiful course and easily the best swim venue I have ever raced at with the Flatwater Centre.  John Salt and his team deserve heaps of praise and this event will only continue to grow year over year.  Thanks to John, his team and all of the volunteers that made this such a wonderful event.

Thanks as well to my family for being out there supporting me…despite my best efforts to be fast, I know it was a long day for you.  Your cheers, smiles and high fives really helped me push through so thank you!

2015 Goderich Olympic Triathlon Recap

On Sunday Michelle and I got up early and took off from the cottage to go take part in the Goderich Triathlon about an hour's drive up the coast of Lake Huron.  Michelle would be taking part in the Duathlon while I was taking on the Olympic Tri.  We had never done this race before but had heard good things about it from a number of people and were looking forward to seeing some new sights.

We were on the road just before 6am and arrived at the race site just before 7.  We had plenty of time to rack our bikes, pick up our race kits, etc as well as say hi to a few people who were also racing or had made their way up to Goderich just to cheer us on.  This was our club race for the year so there were plenty of familiar faces out there on the course as well as a London Triathlon Club tent stocked with ice cold water, which would certainly come in handy on a hot day like this.

Swim - 1000m
20:26 (2:03/100m), 3/12 AG, 11th Overall

Rough swim.  We started at 8:30 and the waves were crashing pretty good right away.  This was one of those triathlon swims where the best way to describe it is swimming in the washing machine.  All of the Olympic triathletes started together in one wave and there was plenty of crashing and banging out towards the first buoy.  The water was rough right from the start, but as soon as we were clear of the breakwall it got really tough.  The waves were large enough that they would slam you in the face and I'm light enough that they would pick me up and drop me at times.  The water itself was beautiful though…nice and cool and an amazing shade of clear blue.  It was tough sighting with the waves and the early morning sun, but I "only" added an extra 65m to my swim based on my Garmin, so I kept it fairly straight.  As much as the swim was rough and tumble, I actually enjoyed it.  Once I was able to just settle into a decent rhythm I was fine.  I lost the fast feet just before the first buoy but I managed to keep them in sight most of the time.  Overall I was happy with this swim.

Bike - 42.5K
1:17:56 (32.7kph), 3/12 AG, 10th Overall

An uneventful T1 (that's always a good thing) had me in and out in 1:21.  I hopped on the bike and immediately had a long climb up the hill from the beach.  The temperatures had already started to climb as well and it was hot by now.  The sun was beating down and my legs were in for quite the hill workout.  I knew that there were some hills on this course, but I didn't realize that it was basically all climbing (over 1100 feet).  Usually I am good with the hills, but this was tough.  I can bounce right up a regular hill just staying in my big ring no problem, but these hills went on and on and on and on.  Even when you got to the top of the hill it would keep going!  I had no choice but to drop into the small ring on a few of them.  I normally aim to ride the bike course around 35kph, but that simply wasn't in the cards with this course.  I still managed to keep it close to 33, which is over 20mph, so that is pretty solid.  I managed to hold my cadence in the 95-100rpm for most of the ride, averaging 97 overall…just keep spinning    I passed a few people, a few people passed me…nothing too exciting really, just a lot of hills.  The most exciting part of the bike was my dismount (which you can see in the picture above).  We finally have a good downhill section but it is coming back down to T2 at the beach, with a sharp left-hand turn ahead and volunteers yelling at you to slow down.  I slipped my right foot out of my shoe easy enough, but when I went to tug the heel strap on my left shoe to get my foot out, the entire shoe came off in my hand!  (again, see photo above )  The left pedal also happens to be the side I dismount on, of course.  Smooth.

Run - 10K
48:02 (4:49/km), 5/12 AG, 13th Overall

Ugh, the run.  Still the leg of triathlon that needs the most work (funny, isn't it?).  I started off the tri season in June with a sub-20 5K run and a 40 minute 10K, but my last 3 races have all been in hot weather (upwards of 30ºC plus humidity) and I have been just sapped on the run.  The worst part is that my legs feel fine…I get off the bike and I'm able to run well, but the heat just beats me down.  Goderich was more of the same and I'm really going to need to figure this out for next season.  The run itself was beautiful…we ran up the beach hill and then darted off to the rail path, which is a chip & dust trail that is great for running on.  Quite a bit of the trail is shaded which at least kept the sun off of us.  Of course, this is Goderich so that meant climbing the whole way out to the turnaround.  As I turned onto the rail path I saw Michelle up ahead of me completing her second run of the day.  I came up behind her and gave her a little kiss on the shoulder and wished her well…she yelled at me that I better not pass her again or else I would need to carry her the rest of the way.  She was looking good though and finished up well.  I went out hoping to hold the pace around 4:30/km and was doing a decent job of it up to the 5K turnaround, coming through 5K in 22:55 (4:35/km).  Once I hit the turn though I was done…the heat was really getting to me and I was starting to play mind games with myself.  My brain kept telling me to stop and take a walk break, it was okay, blah blah blah.  I knew this was coming and I pushed it out as best as I could.  I decided that I would walk through just one water station so I could actually get a whole cup down and another to pour over my head and I stuck to that plan.  I was really encouraged to see a bunch of my teammates coming through on the run course and we cheered each other on…there were lots of great results out there for a bunch of people I knew!  Eventually I made it off the trail and back onto the road where I gave it a strong finish line kick.  I heard Tom yelling my name and knew the finish chute was just around the corner and I cruised through in 2:28:51.  The time was good enough for 6th overall and second in my age group, much better than I had expected after the strugglebus run.

It was a tough day but in the end it was a fun and successful day.  Michelle did great too and made a podium appearance taking 3rd in her age group woot woot!  The race itself is very well organized with plenty of great volunteers.  It is a tough course but it is also a beautiful course…I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a challenging race.  A nice surprise at the end of the race was a food truck was set up and was offering free breakfast sandwiches to all athletes…what a great post-meal snack!

Couldn't beat the support we had from the London Tri Club as well…the shade of the tent (and the ice-cold water) was such a relief after the race and it was great having Tom, Nancy, Catherine and Richard all make the trip from London just to cheer us all on.  And thanks to Tom for all the great pictures!  I stole most of the ones here from him

Now it's time for a little race break as I have just over a month to get in my final training for the Barrelman Half Iron in Niagara Falls.  Time to work on getting my run straightened out!

Thanks for reading folks!