It's so much fun-akkah to celebrate Hanukkah

I raced the Hannukkah Hustle 10k today in Hamilton. I've previously participated in the 5k, but thought I'd try the longer distance with the hope that some faster guys who usually show up would push me to a decent time. As it turned out, it was quite windy out on course and time became less relevant, but Charles Bedley still took us out quite hard in the downhill first kilometre in 3:06. Bedley has run some incredible times in all distances all the way up to marathon, and now as a masters runner is still putting up fast marks.  

In what has become a bit of an unfortunate trend in my races recently, I developed a side stitch in my right abdomen during the race. The difference from prior occurrences was how early it surfaced, just as we moved through that fast first kilometre. As a result I let a gap open between myself and the two leaders, Bedley and a guy in a Mac singlet, but then did my best to stay close while hoping the stitch would pass. Thankfully it didn't worsen and as I closed up the gap the three of us were running as pack for about two kilometres until I put in a slight surge before halfway. From that point onward I was away and rolling to the win in 33:50. Not all that happy with the time once again, but I'll just have to keep working.  

Regarding the two goals I set last week, my abdomen and groin have improved but are still not perfect, but running does not seem to effect the issue. I found out the hard way that biking does seem to aggravate what is wrong, but it has improved since. And I've found some training partners who like to run early, so I can start putting in some decent miles with other people for a change.  

In unrelated news, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are going to the Grey Cup! What does this have to do with running? Nothing. But as Hamilton is my home, I would wager that a Ti-Cats win in the Eastern final means a lot more to the citizens of this city than to the ones down the QEW. Hamilton has had a rough go of things since the decline of manufacturing which started well before I was born, and while it truly is only a game, a victory on the field is something you can swell your chest in pride about. It's been 14 years since we last won a Grey Cup after all! And there's a new stadium on the way, some new buildings finally going up in the downtown core, and by all accounts the reputation of the city is improving as a result of various festivals and other initiatives. The changes in even the last ten years have been impressive (despite the folks down at City Hall dragging their heels about just about everything), and while I don't believe it's right to deny what this town is, blue-collar in its roots, I want to see Steeltown shine. This victory puts us in the spotlight once again.