West Van Run
Sometime back in February I decided it would be a good idea to accomplish something during funemployment. And while I was perusing the free handouts at the West Vancouver Library one afternoon a leaflet caught my eye and I found just the thing: the West Van Run 10K.
I don't remember ever running more than 6 miles in my life. There was that one time in high school when I decided to join the cross country team, and at the first practice we ran 6 miles. I probably walked about half and for the next two weeks I was in such immense pain that I quit the team. For the rest of my high school career I stuck with track & field running the 400m & 800m, and once college rolled around running became a pre-spring break pastime.
Over the past 5 years I'd flirt with running, taking it up for a few months here or there, only to be waylaid by this or that injury. It wasn't until we lived in Austria and I was unemployed for three months that I took it up with any regularity and began to enjoy doing it again (or maybe for the first time). I worked my way up to 5 miles (a nice round number) and continued with the new habit once we returned to Vermont.
Like so many other things in our lives, our cross continental move disrupted my running rhythm and I fell out of stride. Once we were settled in our new (temporary) home I took it back up with a vengeance. The sea wall along False Creek was an absolutely perfect inspiration and opportunity to get back to it. It reminded me of the walking path across the street from us in Innsbruck where I used to run, and it provided some perfect loops.
It must have been a few weeks after we moved to West Vancouver, and I had taken to running on the sea wall lining the Burrard Inlet (Vancouver likes its sea walls), that I saw the leaflet at the library. Normally I wouldn't be interested in a running race, but considering it was in my new home on my new sea wall, I thought "why not?" It didn't hurt that the weather was turning nice, and I needed something to lend some structure to my days.
By the time the race rolled around I had been training for 7 weeks. My goal: finish the 10K in under an hour. Standing in the lineup for the start of the race I had my doubts. There was that week that I didn't train... and did I rest too much or not enough the week leading up to the race? Would I go out too fast and blow up before the end of the race?
As it would turn out I surpassed my expectations and found myself sprinting to the finish line trying my best to finish under 50 minutes. Even finishing at 51:03 was more than I thought I was capable of, and it just goes to show (me) that training really does pay off. I'm already planning my attack for next year...
I don't remember ever running more than 6 miles in my life. There was that one time in high school when I decided to join the cross country team, and at the first practice we ran 6 miles. I probably walked about half and for the next two weeks I was in such immense pain that I quit the team. For the rest of my high school career I stuck with track & field running the 400m & 800m, and once college rolled around running became a pre-spring break pastime.
Over the past 5 years I'd flirt with running, taking it up for a few months here or there, only to be waylaid by this or that injury. It wasn't until we lived in Austria and I was unemployed for three months that I took it up with any regularity and began to enjoy doing it again (or maybe for the first time). I worked my way up to 5 miles (a nice round number) and continued with the new habit once we returned to Vermont.
Like so many other things in our lives, our cross continental move disrupted my running rhythm and I fell out of stride. Once we were settled in our new (temporary) home I took it back up with a vengeance. The sea wall along False Creek was an absolutely perfect inspiration and opportunity to get back to it. It reminded me of the walking path across the street from us in Innsbruck where I used to run, and it provided some perfect loops.
It must have been a few weeks after we moved to West Vancouver, and I had taken to running on the sea wall lining the Burrard Inlet (Vancouver likes its sea walls), that I saw the leaflet at the library. Normally I wouldn't be interested in a running race, but considering it was in my new home on my new sea wall, I thought "why not?" It didn't hurt that the weather was turning nice, and I needed something to lend some structure to my days.
By the time the race rolled around I had been training for 7 weeks. My goal: finish the 10K in under an hour. Standing in the lineup for the start of the race I had my doubts. There was that week that I didn't train... and did I rest too much or not enough the week leading up to the race? Would I go out too fast and blow up before the end of the race?
As it would turn out I surpassed my expectations and found myself sprinting to the finish line trying my best to finish under 50 minutes. Even finishing at 51:03 was more than I thought I was capable of, and it just goes to show (me) that training really does pay off. I'm already planning my attack for next year...
