I lived in fear and excitement during most of March. Every day that went by brought me that much closer to the longest run of my life – the Around the Bay 30km, also known as the “oldest road race in North America”. I had many half marathons and had followed a reasonable training program, but I was still feeling overwhelmed by the distance - but I also couldn't wait to see if I would be able to conquer it.

On the morning of the race, I drove up to Hamilton with a group of girlfriends. It was the first time running the race for most of us. When we got there, the arena was packed with all the runners coming and going, and you could feel the excitement in the air. The access to indoor toilets before and after was much appreciated! Soon, it was time to head to the start line. Now the excitement really began!

Though the 9:30am start time felt a little weird to me, I quickly settled into a steady pace. My girlfriends and I all started out together but as after about 20km we gave each other some encouragement and a quick, “see you at the finish” and then we split off. I enjoyed different parts of the route, like running on overpasses and on-ramps, passing some amazing houses, high-fiving the Grim Reapers, and running right along the water. The famous “hill” that everyone had warned me about had been omitted due to construction this year – it was, however, replaced with a series of rolling hills between kilometers 20 to 25 of the race. Each hill took a little bit of wind out of my sails and I was forced to walk a few times to catch my breath. The silver lining (and the personal mantra that I repeated to myself) is that “what goes up must come down”. My body certainly appreciated the downhill stretches that followed each mound!

It was fantastic to see local residents come out to cheer friends, family members, and random strangers. I wanted to say a special thank you to the families who handed out water bottles, fruit, and Kleenex! There were also a lot of children on the sidelines, cheering and holding up adorable signs. I also wanted to say that the volunteers were amazing, and everything felt very well organized. I also appreciated that there were lots of photographers around to take pre, during and post-race pics, and that there were plenty of water stations along the route.

Coming into the arena at the end was such a neat experience. At first, when the stadium came into view, I couldn’t actually see where the runners entered the home stretch. I had to squint for a moment, and then noticed that runners ahead of me were turning down a short, steep ramp into the stadium. This was a little scary! But seconds later, I heard my name being called out, which gave me that last push that I needed to cross the finish line. Some amazing volunteers shuttled runners into the “end zone”, where we grabbed food and got warm after just over 3 hours in the cold.

If I had to pick a few areas for improvement, I’d say that the corrals were a little crowded, and it would have been nice to have been offered some fuel during the race. I thought that there may be some energy gels or blocks handed out en route, but I had packed a couple of my own GU’s just in case so I was fine.

Around the Bay was a big personal challenge that I think I crushed. I’m happy that I ran it, and I’m still feeling accomplished as a runner. Will I run it again? It’s looking very likely! For now, I’m excited to enjoy spring & summer racing and holding on to the great feelings I had during ATB this year!

This year, I ran the Chilly Half Marathon for the first time, and I couldn't have asked for better conditions! The forecast called for a high of about 5 degrees with a little bit of a wind, no snow, and a lot of sun.

Despite the great running weather, it was nice to be able to wait inside the Performing Arts Centre before the race. I thought that the announcers inside were great at providing directions to the runners, and volunteers were plentiful to point people in the right direction. I heard that pre-race massages were even being offered, though I wasn’t able to take one in.

The half marathon run started City Hall at 10:05, which is the latest that I’ve ever started a race. At first, I was concerned that this would throw me off my game, but it was actually really nice to be able to sleep in and fuel properly at breakfast before the race. Hello, oatmeal!

Even though nearly 3000 people ran the race, it did not feel crowded once we cleared out of the start chute. The only issue that I experienced was finding my pace bunny – she was actually ahead of a “faster pace bunny at the beginning of the race. This wasn’t a big issue and she quickly corrected her timing, and I found the right pace group.

The half marathon course was beautiful, mostly flat, and really scenic. I loved running through the residential part of Burlington, right along the waterfront. I loved that there were tons of water stations along the way, and that there were lots of people along the route to cheer on all the runners. I always find that it’s the energy of the crowd that helps me along the way – and especially during my final push. I thought that it was especially sweet of the members of the congregation who handed out orange slices and bananas to the hungry runners ; it was messy but appreciated!

As for me – I’ve been battling some issues with fatigue and breathing in the cold, so I was just hoping to finish the race smiling. The first third of the race went by pretty fast, and I managed to maintain a slow and steady pace. I started feeling some fatigue set in at about 7km, at which point I moved towards a run/walk combination. I made up my mind to focus on keeping my pace and effort as constant as I could for the last few kilometers.

Finally, I saw the 20km marker and then caught a glimpse of the finish line. Again, the cheering spectators made a big impact in my ability to get through that final 1.1km. I managed to finish the race with a time of 2:24, which is not even close to a personal best, but I had a great time anyway. The ride back to Toronto was a lot of fun, and we girls chatted about how well everyone did and how we are looking forward to our next races/events. Overall, I would love to run Chilly again and would recommend it to anyone.

PS: The New Balance long sleeve shirt was really nice – it’s something that I will certainly get a lot of use out of. I also have to say that the medal is one of the coolest ones I’ve ever received. As soon as I got home, my children asked to “borrow” it for a while, and were really hesitant to return it to me!

After months of prepping and training, I arrived in Ottawa, Ontario for the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend half marathon this past weekend. Almost 50,000 people took part in the various events of the weekend, and it was just incredible to be a part of it. Literally thousands more flooded the downtown core to watch the races and cheer on friends or family members – everywhere in the city, the energy was literally electric.

My race weekend started off on Saturday afternoon at the Shaw Centre Health Expo with my good friend and her family, where I picked up my bib and checked out the great vendors onsite. Everywhere we went that day we heard people greeting one another with questions like “Are you running?”, “Will you be cheering on the other runners”, and “What’s your goal?”. Runners of all experience levels chatted up a storm! It was so nice to hear such camaraderie. I did regret that I couldn’t meet up with my Team Running Free teammates, who were able to meet for a group photo on Saturday afternoon!

I spent the rest of Saturday at my friend’s home – catching up, taking in a quick 4km jog to keep limber (complete with some silly running pics), and enjoying a wonderful homemade pasta dinner. I laid out everything that I would need for the race, and then headed to bed nice and early.

Sunday I awoke to chilly conditions. The race started at 9am, and I was praying for it to warm up (little did I know how hot it would actually get by mid-morning!). After a toast and peanut butter breakfast, I prepared my Gu Brew and added a Gu gel (Jet Blackberry, one of my favourites!) to my pouch and headed the door with my cheering squad.

At 8:45 am, I was in my corral, and a few minutes past 9:00 am, we were off and running. The first bit of the race involved dodging people and trying not to trip due to the large number of people on the course, but traffic after the first kilometer or so the congestion eased and I was able to get into a steady pace. After a cooler start, the weather warmed considerably and I started to really feel the heat around the 10 to 12 km mark. It was then I really wished that I had put on a tank and shorts instead of a sleeved shirt and capris! Throughout the run, I decided to stay focused on my form rather than worrying about my speed. I was also mindful of my heart rate and breathing due to the increasingly warm weather conditions. Nevertheless, I definitely took time to notice the amazing scenery along the route. Here are a few other observations:

The good:
• The spectators were absolutely incredible. I’ve never seen this level of enthusiasm, support, and encouragement from the crowd. Entire families sat on sidewalks, front lawns, steps…wherever they could find room…to cheer the runners on. I saw some of the most hilarious signs along the way, and more than a handful of strangers called out my name to encourage me to keep going.
• Crossing the border into Quebec was fun! I loved how the spectators screamed and cheered us on in French – I heard things like “Félicitations, tout le monde!”, which was fabulous!
• The live music along the way was a great touch!
• There were so many water stations! Having access to water and Gatorade every 3km was wonderful. Not only did it keep the runners hydrated during the exceptionally hot day, it made time go by much faster. My running buddy and I kept saying to each other “wow, another water station already??”

The not so good:
• The race kit pick up process was quick and easy, though we were a bit surprised that the swag bag was empty. We didn’t anticipate that we’d have to go through the whole expo to pick out our own swag. Not a huge issue; just a bit surprising when considering some of the great race kits that I’ve gotten in the past.
• By the time I reached the one and only fuel station along the half marathon route, they had run out of Power Bar gels! Out of superstition and from previous experience, I always pack an extra Gu in my fuel belt, so I was covered, but I felt really bad for any runner who was left stranded.
• Certain parts of the course narrowed considerably, creating a bit of a bottleneck and leading to some quick maneuvering to avoid falling or stepping on other runners.

In any case, crossing the finish line was an incredible feeling, as always. I felt accomplished and motivated. This really felt that the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend half had a something for everyone. Although I didn’t achieve a personal best this time around, I had a blast and am just that much hungrier for a sub-2hr half. A few things could be improved but this is definitely one that I would suggest others run…in fact, I’m already in discussions about doing the race again next year!