I should mention the Sun Run I did two weeks ago.
It’s a 10km race in Vancouver, apparently the biggest in Canada. There were 40,110 participants.
I signed up awhile ago because the people I run with at the Running Room were looking for more people on their team. It seemed like a good idea. I had had the opportunity to join as part of my corporate team, but at the time it seemed too short. Then I got injured and 10km was about what I was doing anyway.
My physical therapist was not entirely on board. But he relented as long as I didn’t push myself. No sprinting.
When he had let me start running outside again, he had told me for only twenty minutes. And then I figured out that he hadn’t given me a distance limit, so I could do the distance I wanted as long as I did it in twenty minutes. I knew at the time that that was not in the spirit of the rule, but I did it anyway. And it felt great. So he rightfully doesn’t trust me. At the minimum I listened to him and didn’t sign up for the marathon that is going on today.
The Sun Run conveniently starts close to where I live. I did run there a bit to warm up, but otherwise I was in the starting pits for about half an hour. The sun was peeking between the buildings which made it a pleasant wait.
I had signed up with an expectation of finishing in 45 – 50 minutes. That seemed reasonable. I was even concerned that I would be too slow. And when the race started, I didn’t push too hard. But then you are surrounded by people, all running. It is very easy to just try and pass that person who is just ahead of you. And there is always someone just ahead of you.
Everyone’s race shirt who was part of a team, had that team’s logo on it. So when I saw someone from a competitor company, I knew I had to beat them. I switched to a higher gear and was able to overtake them. But then I got used to that new gear. I could increase the pace, get used to it, and then repeat.
I finished in under 42 minutes, placing 622. I ran the fastest 10km I’ve ever done, and feeling good the entire time. I watched someone else at the finish line who needed to be carried away, while I don’t think I was even breathing heavy.
Catalina and I walked to the restaurant to join the after-run brunch with the others on my team. It was an hour and a half after I had finished, and the streets were still filled with people running. With the staggered start, I had technically finished before a lot of people had even started running.
When we got to the brunch, all the people I knew had finished in under 37 minutes. So I guess I know what I’m doing next year.