Done and Done

I was wide-awake this morning at 5:30am, excited to get out the door and head to UBC but also a little anxious about how the race would go. I got to the start area about 45 minutes before start time to check everything out and use the washroom. The washroom lines were quite long so I was glad I got there so early. I really enjoyed the bag check because it is so convenient and hassle free, I can drop off my things off at the start line and the volunteers drive it to Stanley Park at the finish – amazing.

The beginning of the race started great, it wasn’t very congested and I found I could get right into a good pace quickly. I was feeling relaxed and quite comfortable at a faster pace then I was planning on running at. I tend to go out too quickly in races and that is something I will have to work on for the next half marathon I am running in August. I had the 1:45 pace bunnies run by me at around 16km, I was hoping to stay with them until the end however I started feeling fatigued, the legs weren’t moving as fast as they were before and my pace dropped.

Its funny how many times I have ran across Burrard bridge during my training and have had no issues with the incline. However running over it after 18km is a totally different story, it is much harder. I had a few people from the Forerunners running group go past who gave a wave and a big smile. Seeing them gave me the motivation to keep going, only 3km left! From 19-21.1km there were so many people cheering and providing support.

As I saw the red Scotiabank arches I gave it one last kick at the end, I looked down at my watch and I saw 1:47:25. I didn’t have a lot of expectations going into the race because I started my long runs late and I was unsure whether I got enough mileage in. In the end, I am extremely pleased with my time and how well I am feeling post race.

 

Overall, this has been a great experience being able to train and share my ups and downs with you. I would like to thank Scotiabank, Asics and Forerunners for all of their support throughout the past few months. As I said above, I will be running another half marathon in August – I can’t wait :)