This was the second time I had run this event as I really enjoyed it in 2008. Lots of runners of different abilities, a well organized start area and lots of port-o-potties - a sure sign of a well planned race!
I got to the University of British Columbia start line with plenty of time to spare for a bio break and a warm up run. Since the race starts at 7 AM and finished downtown, I took a taxi out to UBC rather than drive. It seemed to be a very popular idea because as my taxi entered the campus we were joined by about 20 others! Never has so much spandex and wicking synthetics been delivered to a single location by so many cabs in so short a time!
As I was doing a warm up run I saw some folks who were obvious elite runners doing strides in a field. They were just booting it! And this was just the warm up. No doubt I would get to see them fly by during the first 5 km of the course as it loops back onto itself before heading out to Kitsilano and downtown.
I started out fairly close to the start line and was very happy to have my iPod this time, as I had forgotten to bring it last year. Since I wasn't running with anyone, I like having my tunes to accompany me and keep me motivated. About 2km into the race I realized I was gaining on Betty Jean McHugh, who in her 80th year set a world record marathon time for her age group at the 2008 Royal Victoria Marathon. Wow. That is the cool thing about running. You never know who you are going to meet before, during or after the race. She was running with better form, even this early in the race, than most of the other racers around her. My guess I will not be doing this when I am in my 80th year.
As I was approaching the turnaround point that takes racers back towards downtown, I saw the front runners blazing by on the other side of the boulevard. They run with such ease, at least on the outside. I'm sure they are working harder than me on the inside, though!
At this point in the race I felt I was running well: not too fast nor too slow. As I reached the significant downhill part of the course I was making good time and ran down the hill with ease, remembering the advice I had read about leaning a bit forward and trying to keep my feet underneath me as much as possible to avoid a braking effect. It felt good and as the course flattened out I took time to take a gel and drink some water. Unlike last year's race, I was running with a water bottle with a hand strap. I had been practicing with this gear for a while and I had gotten used to the extra weight in my left hand. Unfortunately, at this point in the race, just past halfway, I realized that my shoulders were quite tense and I wondered if it was as a result of carrying this bottle. I was sure I had gotten myself into the habit of keeping my arms low and loose but that didn't seem to be the case now. As I ascended up the most significant incline of the route all I could think of was ditching this water bottle. But I am too cheap to do that! So I kept on going and relaxed as best I could as the route flattened out again.
By now most of the racers had found their "groove" and very little passing occurred. This is the most boring part of the route as all I could see is the road ahead of me and some houses and apartments on either side. I was happy to have my tunes for motivation but I had to work to maintain my pace. Eventually I made it to First Avenue which is the last residential street on the route prior to the Burrard Street Bridge and downtown. There were lots of spectators along this part of the route, many waving motivational signs for their racing friends and family. That was nice to see, but for some reason all I could think about at this point was finishing this race and devouring a big plate of bacon and eggs. And of course I was still angsting about carrying this water bottle.
I turned left and headed up onto the Burrard Street Bridge. Unlike last year, I found the incline to be quite a challenge, which was very disappointing. I reached the crest of the bridge and started my descent but at this point my motivation was gone and I slowed to a walk. I continued to walk for about 90 seconds and started up again. I turned left and headed towards the finish line in Stanley Park, taking two more quick walk breaks. After the second walk break, I ran past two people being attended by police and paramedics. Ack! For some reason, this made me run faster. I approached the finish line and race clock told me that this was not the day for me to break 2 hours for the half...oh well. I finished strong and spent about 20 minutes walking around, stretching and munching on the food provided.
Turned out that I had run 30 seconds slower than last year's Scotiabank half. I'm not sure if the walk breaks helped or hurt, but I was disappointed that I couldn't complete the distance in one run. Oh well, it would be silly to think I could run a PB in every race I do. If anything, this has motivated me to train more and run smarter in next year's Scotiabank half. Oh, and it convinced me to rely on the water stations instead of carrying my own for a road race. Lessons learned, eh?
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