Spruce Meadows 'Summer's Gone, Run On!' 10K Race Recap

Thanks to some good old blogger peer pressure, I signed up for the Spruce Meadows 'Summer's Gone, Run On!' 10K run this past Sunday. Since I didn't end up running a 10K at the LRPS run the weekend before, I figured it was a good way to get in a long distance before the Spartan Super (13K+!) coming up on Saturday. Of course, the promise of brunch afterwards never hurts either!

This is the first year Spruce Meadows (which is an International Horse Sports venue here in Calgary, Alberta), has put on running races. This year marked their 40th Anniversary, and as part of the celebration, they put out an entire race series, the Spruce Meadows Run Series, consisting of six different running events. Each race benefits a different charity and community initiative. The Summer's Gone, Run On! one supported KidSport Calgary, which is a program that gives opportunity and access to children to play organized sports, who might not otherwise be able to due to financial reasons. I love causes like this that give back right in our own backyard!

The race package from this run was pretty cool too. It included a t-shirt, a sports magazine and what I originally thought was just another protein shaker, but turns out is actually a salad-on-the-go container! Complete with a separate dressing container and a fork. Sully thought it was the greatest toy ever, and played with it most of the day, haha! And check out the sweet medal! It's huge and gold and pretty fantastic!

Unfortunately, this past weekend was a cold one. Summer left over night, and winter gave as a sneak peak, with temperatures hovering around zero degrees Celsius (32F) on Sunday morning. Honestly, if I hadn't been meeting up with friends for this run, I probably would have crawled back into bed!

I've always been a fair weather runner, so I found it challenging to dress for a cold run. I heat up quickly, and there's nothing I hate more than being overheated, especially when running, but I also didn't want to be freezing either. I'm not used to running in layers or anything much more than crops and a tank top. For Sunday's run, it was full leggings, a pullover over my tank and a light rain jacket over that. Plus, gloves and a buff to keep my head and ears warm.

Ange, along with Jen and Laura, picked me up on the way to the race and we arrived around 8am, where we met up with Ashley. We picked up our race packages, and then sat in Ange's car while Ange got in a run BEFORE the race. Ya, you heard that right, that woman is a machine! Just before 9 a.m., we took our pre-race photo and then lined up at the start line. There wasn't a big turnout for this run, so it didn't take long get going.

{Ashley, Jen, Laura, Me & Ange}

The first km was brutal. I was still cold and we immediately set out running into the wind and uphill. Tears were streaming down my face and I thought to myself there is no way I can do this for 10km. Just before the first km, we did eventually turn around which put us out of the wind and downhill. Things improved but I had no idea how I was going to do 9 more km's.
Because it had rained all weekend, some of the course, the parts that had us going through the paddocks, had to be changed because those routes were too muddy. So I'm not sure what the original route would have looked like, but this one had several in and out parts as well as some zig-zagging through the parking lot. Around km 4 we hit another in and out. These are so tough for me mentally because you can see how far you have to go and then how far you will just have to come back. At least during this part we found ourselves running along the pastures where the horses were out. It was pretty cool experience as the horses would run up to the fence and then trot along beside you as you ran. I definitely pretended that they were cheering me on!

 

At km 5 all I could think was that I would be done right now if I had just signed up for the 5K.

It took me 6 km's to hit my stride. I finally felt like my legs were no longer made of lead and were moving almost effortlessly. This is the point where I started to feel great physically and could focus on how strong my legs and muscles felt as opposed to how hard the run was. Around this point, another runner caught up to my pace. We had passed each other back and forth a few times back around the pastures, but eventually our paces evened out. I was so grateful for her presence. She really pushed me to keep going even when my brain said quit.

During the last 2 km, I could see the finish line through the trees on my right hand side, and just as you think the course is going to bend to the right towards the finish, you actually veer left for one last in and out (the same one at the beginning of the race). I almost could have cried! Mentally, I did not think I could do one more straight in and out, especially since the first part of it is a steady incline. The finish line felt miles away after that.

Once the finish line was finally in site, and only about a few hundred metres away, I sprinted, giving it everything I had. I knew I was the last of our group to cross the finish line, so it was extra nice to see them all there cheering for me! I couldn't help but grin ear to ear and I'm so grateful that Laura and Ashley even got my picture crossing the finish line.

{Thanks for the photo, Laura!}

The course ended up measuring a bit short of 10K, at 9.7K, and my official time was 1:06:13! Can I still count that as a 10K PR even if the course was a bit off?! I'm so glad I got myself out there and can check off another 10K race on my list. I ended up walking way more than I ever have during a run, but not every race can be our best one.

Afterwards, we took some post-race photos, but we were too cold to stick around for much more than that. Our entry fee included a free breakfast sandwich, which I took, but only ate a bit of since we had brunch plans about an hour later. Jo and Sam met us for brunch at Bow Valley Ranche restaurant for an amazing meal! I almost always opt for the bacon and eggs when I eat breakfast out, but decided to treat myself instead and ordered the Stuffed French Toast. Seriously, it was amazing and I'm already trying to figure out how soon I can get back there to eat it again. Of course, celebratory mimosa's were a must, and I think it's fair to note that the serving was very generous. We also dined in the upstairs of the ranche, in our very own room, which was fancy and fun and we never had to worry about being too loud.

There are two more races coming up in this series, but I'm hesitant to sign up for anything in the winter months! We shall see!

What's the next race you're signed up for? 

Do you race in the winter?

Calgary Marathon: Jugo Juice 10K Race Recap

I know, I know, where are the New York trip posts, you're probably wondering?! They're coming, I promise! Trying to recap all that went on in that trip is a way harder than I thought it would be! Come back next week and I'll have them ready :)

Last Sunday, I ran my first 10K race, not only post baby, but in 5 years! When I first signed up for the Calgary Marathon 10K, I was super motivated to train for this run. But, of course, life got in the way and my training took a back seat. I seriously considered moving down to the 5K, and had it not been for all the other awesome women running in the Calgary Marathon, I might have backed out of running completely. Luckily, Leigh, Becky and Lindsey convinced me to just go for it and that worse case scenario, I'd end up walking a lot of the way. 

The day before the race, I met up with Leigh and Becky for lunch at Famoso (blogger fail - no photos were taken!), and to discuss race day plans - what time to meet, what to wear, music or no music, etc. You know, typical runners talk, or so I assume - I'm no pro at this race thing. Then I headed over to the race expo to pick up my bib and race package. The expo was pretty quiet by this time, but it really hit me while I was there, just how exciting and big this run was going to be. Originally I was nervous about navigating my way to the race early Sunday morning, but luckily Becky and I were able to co-ordinate our c-train times and caught the same train to the grounds. 

Amazingly, Saturday night I got to bed around 10pm and it didn't take me too long to fall asleep. I set my alarm for a few different wake up times, and had all my clothes laid out for me for the morning. As luck would have it, Sully woke up around 12:30am and would not go back to sleep. Jim went to tend to him, but I could not fall back asleep. He kept us up till almost 2 am at which point he finally fell asleep in our bed. Two hours later I woke up in a panic thinking I had slept in. I had horrible dreams that night about sleeping in as well, so when it was finally time to get up at 5am, I actually welcomed it! Surprisingly, I felt quite rested - yay for race day adrenaline! 

I got dressed, ate two pieces of peanut butter on toast and then drove to the train station. It was pretty neat how packed the train was with runners at 6 in the morning on a Sunday! Becky got on my train a few stops after me and we arrived at the packed grounds around 6:20am where we met up with Leigh. We had just missed the blogger meet-up for a photo op as most of those girls were running the half marathon which started at 6:30am. We tried to find them at the starting line, but no such luck! There were about 15,000 people running that day!

The start line for the marathon, half and ultra was packed and it was crazy how long it took everyone to finally cross the start line. We met up with Leigh, took our pre-race photo, checked our bags, finished our water, and used the porta-potty's one last time before lining up for the 10K which started at 7. I was still feeling pretty unprepared and it really hadn't hit me yet that I was going to have to start running in a few minutes. I told Becky that I was going to follow her lead with run/walks, but that she did not have to adjust her pace for me.

Becky, Leigh and Me

Becky and I ran the first few kilometres together, taking one walk break around kilometre 3. Around kilometre 4 I knew I needed to try and keep running without walk breaks to keep up my momentum. I was feel so great in those first 4 kilometres. Nothing hurt and all the elements were in my favour - not too cold and not too hot! After I hit 4K I told myself I couldn't walk until I hit 5K. Kilometre 5 came quickly so I said keep running until 6K. I felt like the kilometres were passing so quickly (which usually isn't the case when I'm running). My fear of not being able to finish the race strong went out the window. I was pretty confident by kilometre 7 that I could finish by 1:15 no problem, and 1:10 if I pushed myself. 

The only times I slowed down was at the next two water stations, but just long enough to grab a water and drink it. The 1:10 pace bunny was within sight in front of me and I did my best to keep up. When I hit 8K, I planned to keep my pace till 9K and then I would give it my all to make up for some lost time. Somewhere between kilometre 8 and 9 I passed the 1:10 pace bunny and I was feeling pretty good! But then kilometre 9 came and it was the toughest one - a steep incline at the beginning of it really slowed me down and I got a bad stitch in my side. I tried to regulate my breathing and massage it out and it eventually did go away, but I wasn't able to sprint the last half kilometre to the finish line like I was hoping to.

That last half kilometre was so windy and loopy that I thought the finish line was never going to come! When it was finally in sight I could feel my heart swell with pride and a huge smile form on my face. I had done it - I had run 10K, I gave it all I had and I was pretty damn pleased with my results! I crossed the finish line at 1:11:27, but knew my actual time was a little bit less. I was shocked and pumped! I managed to stay ahead of the pace bunny by just enough! And considering that my previous and only 10K (that I actually trained for) time was 1:08:17, I couldn't be happier! 

TIME: 1:09:12

OVERALL: 1868/2899

GENDER: 1052/1858

AGE GROUP: 214/329

 

 

Becky and I met up at the finish line and had about a million photos taken of us together! Seriously, my race photo proofs are hilarious - there's about 5 photos of Becky and I to every one photo of just me, haha! Then we went and found Leigh, had our after-race photo taken and then we met up with Jen and Kaella who both ran the half marathon. It was great to finally meet those two!

Becky, Jen, Me, Kaella, Leigh & Amelia

We hung around the grounds for a bit and watched Kaella run the kids kilometre dash with her son London. It was the cutest thing ever and I can't wait until I can do something like that with Sully! Right before heading home, we also quickly met Laura who was running the 5K. What a great day for finally meeting some awesome Alberta bloggers! 

I've had a few days now to reflect on my run. Beforehand, I was so doubtful of my ability to run the 10K. I knew that physically, I could manage it, but mentally, I wasn't so sure. So much of running is a mental challenge for me. Running this race reminded me how much more fun it is to run with friends and to run in a race setting. The energy a race this size gives off does wonders for your motivation! Becky commented after the race that I didn't need her out there after all, but she's wrong - I DID need her. She gave me the confidence to run the race in the first place and she helped me start out strong and kept me at a pace that didn't have me burning out in the first few kilometres. I wish we lived in the same city - she'd be a perfect running buddy for me! 

I totally get now why running races is addictive - I already want to sign up for another 10K! I know I can easily beat my PR from 5 years ago! Calgary Marathon - see you next year!