Dan

Part of my winter training has been focused on building my base speed. At the end of last season I ran the Toronto Island 10km and set a base line for the shorter faster stuff. Today I ran the Robbie Burns 8km as a check-in race to see how things are progressing.

Bright eyed and ready to go.

Beautiful crisp cold sunny day to run it. Not so crisp was yours truly, I had far too much to drink last night and was way too late going to bed, guess I will be running this race Scottish style, that is with last night beer still swilling around my gut.  If there was any doubt about whether I was hung over it was quickly cleared up as the bagpipes started to pipe. I dislike the instrument (if you can call those Scottish monstrosities instruments) at the best of times, but this morning they seemed to be boring a hole into my brain.  Everyone else seemed to enjoy the piping and I have to admit their energy level was a bit infectious and by the time the pipers piped us to the start line a little colour had returned to my cheeks and there was something close to a spring in my step.

Dan didn’t appreciate the noise.

As the race got underway I started pass a lot of people, in my muzzy headed state I had seeded myself horribly. Soon enough though the group thinned out. I went through the first km checked my watch saw a 4:53 pace, not even close to what I wanted to see, annoyed that my watch obviously was broken as this pace felt fast I decided to sulk at it and not talk to it again until the last 2km, that will teach it!

The km’s ticked by and I was cheered on by some great race volunteers. As I sweated out the beer, the pipe induced headache subsided as did the urge puke, however the nagging feeling that at any moment I could “shart” stayed with me for most of the race, light grey pants may not have been the best option.

At 6km I hoped that my watch had learned its lesson, quick glance revealed a slightly improved 4:47 pace. I pushed on for the last 2km high, fiving a group of kids 500m from the finish, as I turned onto the home straight I saw H and gave her my best Zack Ryder “woo woo woo you know it” (with fist pump).

Ended up with a 4:43 pace not bad compared to the Toronto Island 10k (4:50 pace) considering just how rough I felt.