It was the Best of Runs, it was the Worst of Runs.

It's amazing how you can run 2 races in a span of a month and both can have completely different results. Last month I ran in the "First Half" Half Marathon on Feb. 10th. which started in Yaletown.  It was my first year running in it as it usually sells out in a few hours. I'm certainly glad I remembered to get on it this year - what a great course! Very scenic as it goes all around the seawall - also very flat and fast. It was cool that they chose to use mile markers instead of km. Psychologically, it felt like I wasn't running as far. ;-) The weather was amazing and I felt pretty great throughout it. This is one of the bigger half marathon races I've participated in so it was wall-to-wall people for the first little while until we started to spread out. My overall chip time was 2:04:31 - which beat my last PR by 10 minutes! The finish line area was packed with people so I decided to run across the street to Starbucks to grab a coffee. Overall, this was an exciting and fun race to be a part of. The only thing that wasn't my bag were the shirts.The colour looked like something that you'd cough up during a bad flu. Not exactly flattering - oh well.

 

First Half - Half Marathon Finisher Medal.

Four weeks later I was planning on running the Golden Ears Half in Pitt Meadows. Unfortunately, the stomach flu hit me the day before so I couldn't run it. The following weekend (yesterday), was the Shamrock'n & Green Sock Half. I was excited to be amongst other crazy runners donning green in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day. With all this crappy weather we've been having, we were lucky to get such a beautiful day for it. The race consisted of 2 loops around Burnaby Lake and it's a nice, pleasant run - decent views, no cement and pretty flat. I got off to a great start, too. I was making awesome time until the 7k mark. My darn stomach was starting to suffer ... probably remnants of the flu. By the time I hit 10k, I was seriously considering dropping out. I was done and felt defeated. Most people who know me, know that I'm ridiculously stubborn and I did not want to get my first DNF. Especially on a half. My brain was yelling at my body... and I dug deep... really deep... just to finish.

Around the 17K mark, my stomach eased up and then my knee started locking. Probably from the constant starting and stopping. I felt my body temperature drop and I was freezing. I wasn't going fast enough to keep warm, so my joints were cold. By the time I walked through the finish line, I was frozen to the bone. My time was 2:27. Amazingly, this is not the worst time I've ever had. lol. I'm just happy I finished. Next time, it will be better. :-) In less than 3 weeks, I have the April Fool's Half and I'm hoping to bring in a new PR. :-)

St. Patrick's Day Half Finisher Medal.

In the meantime, I've also signed up for the BMO Vancouver (full) Marathon. It's coming up pretty fast and I'm so excited (48 days - eeek!). Even from the previous 2 years that I've ran this, it's made many improvements with everything from more aid stations, better organization and a nicer route. I'm also looking forward to "hi-5'ing" strangers along the way, again. lol. Of course, I'm also hoping to smash my previous years times. ... then, from there, I can start working on qualifying for Boston. ...Hey, one can always dream, right?! lol.  ;-)

BMO Vancouver Marathon Race Course

Thanks for Reading and Happy Running!

First Race of the Year

T'was a cold, and wet morning morning for a race. Did the 10k distance of the Chilly Chase. (Ok, the rhyming will stop here.) Despite the rain, it was warm and of course, I wore too many clothes and overheated within the first 10 minutes. Regardless, I managed to run a PB (by a whopping 13 seconds) with a 58:09 time. I'm certainly no Speedy Gonzales as of yet, but after all the set-backs I had last year, it's a definite improvement.

The course was the same as last year. Starting by the Creekside Community Centre and went out and back along False Creek (seawall). I'm not used to running on pavement so I was extra diligent with my warm-up and stretching and hooray, I had no pain. 

 

Muscle Milk is one of their sponsors which I absolutely LOVE. A recovery drink that I can both stomach and enjoy drinking after a run is rare for me. My favourite is vanilla but banana ain't bad either. . 

Majority of the runners and volunteers were in relatively good moods. Lots of smiles and cheering which was nice to see. There were a couple of ladies at the end that were annoying me, though. I'm a relatively steady runner; I don't generally change my pace throughout and very rarely do I stop unless I'm in pain or at an aid station. Sort of a pet peeve of mine when in the last 2-3k I have someone running past me for a minute then they stop to walk. Then as I finally make it past them, they go be-lining in front of me again. If this continues over and over again, I now make sure that I sprint my a** of in the final 4-500 meters of the race past them. By that point they are too pooped to do the same and I laugh hysterically in my head (or just mildly chuckle). 

I also typically stay to the right of the course so if someone wants to pass, they have plenty of room on my left to fly by me. So when I get someone squishing their way past me on my right it is... well... weird... and again, annoying. Stay to the right. Pass on the left. I thought this was common knowledge. Hmmm. Unless of course, there's a group of them jogging 4 abreast ...then yes, by all means, do a shoulder check and knock 'em over like Dominoes! Muwahaha! LOL. (I'm kidding. Sort of.)

All in all, this is a good race and with the late start time (11am) which is even more appealing (to me). They have also a 5k and a 15k distance. The finisher medals were pretty cute. I'll most likely be doing this one every year. The registration price is decent as well. It's great for beginners and also a great warm-up race for that future 1/2 marathon you plan to do. ;-) 

Thanks for reading!