Vancouver Sun Run: My First Road Race
I did it! I ran the Vancouver Sun Run!
The Vancouver Sun Run was my first 10 km road race which also happens to be in my hometown of Vancouver. One of my friends convinced me to sign up since we both had never run it before and it was something we needed to check off our Vancouver to-do list. Somehow I agreed even though I don’t run and we even rallied two more Vancouver-based friends to join us in our efforts.
Running has been an interesting journey for me. Running is something I don’t love. I am very slow. It probably looks like I’m speed walking when I am actually running my ass off. My joints hate it. I do love the feeling I get after running, “the runner’s high”. It feels like a drug!
While I was training for the Vancouver Sun Run, I sustained some injuries too. I was out for a couple of weeks after I pulled a muscle in my calf. I couldn’t walk and training at the gym was tough. There were also a few heat waves in Los Angeles and I learned that running in the heat is really tough.
The race itself was an interesting experience. We picked out starting line-up times according to what time we thought we would finish. I, of course, picked the wrong time because I thought I would take forever. My friends all picked the white zone and made me move up with them. In the end, I did belong in the white zone.
It seemed like it took forever to start the race. The race starts at 9:30 am but by the time our time wave was ready it was after 10 am. My friend who flew in from LA had to catch her plane by noon so she planned to gun it.
There were over 45,000 runners running that day. It was definitely overwhelming for my first race. Not everyone was in their proper time wave. People were walking and it felt like a gauntlet running around people who were walking or running with a stroller. I’m not a speed demon but I did walk towards the right of the road/sidewalk when I would take breaks.
A weird moment during the run: A woman asked me as I was walking if she could borrow my phone to call her husband. I looked at her like she was crazy and I yelled an emphatic, “No!” and kept running. Strange? Yes.
At the 5 km mark, it there was a hill. Luckily it was not too big and I chose to walk that portion. At the 7 km, I got a boost of energy. Perhaps it was my playlist or I was just desperate to finish. When I got to the 9km mark I was just so happy to be nearing the end. When I got the finish line it was such a good feeling. I walked over to our meeting spot since we had to drop off our friend off at the airport!
And that was my Vancouver Sun Run experience! I’m so happy I did this with my friends in my hometown after all these years. I don’t have any half marathon or marathon hopes yet. I would like to do more 5 and 10 km races so I can get faster.
And here are photos from the race. I wonder if I had not taken as many pics if I’d come in a bit faster hehe!
Rainbow signifies the starting line!
With my friends who also ran the race
I was in the white wave when I started
Running over the Burrard Bridge
Halfway
HAlmost there! Thanks, kiddo for cheering us on!
Almost, almost
And the finish line!
The face of a Vancouver Sun Run finisher
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