Vancouver Sun Run!

I ran the Sun Run this weekend in Vancouver. I loved it and hated it. Things I loved: the enthusiasm of the city in embracing this event! Awesome crowd support, organized bands along the route and plenty of water stations, stellar views along an diverse route (city, 2 bridges, etc), running with 60,000 people! Woah! Things I hated: 40 minutes to cross the start line, waiting in line to cross the finish line, and running with 60,000 people! Woah!

This was the second largest race in the world, with a record breaking 59,179 registered runners. My time sucked, mostly due to the walkers and slow runners registering in the incorrect wave. There is nothing more annoying than having to strategically dodge hundreds of people for 5 kilometers! It tends to slow you down. I finished at 68:26, about 5 minutes more than my expected time - but I still did well in comparison to others in my age group and finished in the top 1/3 of women :) Here are some fun photos from the race...

Me and Wacarra patiently waiting at the start line ... for 40 minutes.

The line in front...

And the line behind us...

Here we are - 39:29 - almost crossing the start line!

Around 4k - crossing the Cambie Bridge. Unfortunately I didn't capture the stunning views from the bridge. I was busy running :)

At the 9k mark - heading over the Burrard Bridge. More great views of downtown Vancouver.

Running the last 1k

After standing in line to cross the finish mats, we waited in another line to enter the Expo. Lots of runners, lots of food :) But where is Wacarra???

Bagels never looked so good! I hate that after a big run I always eat all the calories I just burned - I had 3 (hey - they were small).

Yum - bananas!

55,785 people running in Vancouver this weekend!

The 2008 Vancouver Sun Run has broken the participant record this year, with nearly 56,000 people signed up to run! Wacarra and I are heading up Saturday morning, with fingers crossed that we won't hit insane traffic at the border. On Saturday, we have plans to pick up our race packs and have a little fun enjoying the Vancouver night life without a hugely long run to worry about on Sunday. We're staying on Robson Blvd., so I'm sure we'll get some fabulous shopping in over the weekend as well :)

I'll be sure to take tons of photos! Stay tuned!

Mercer Island 10k

Well, I did it! On Sunday the 9th I ran my first 10K race at the Mercer Island half-marathon event, which also included both a 5K and 10K run. Although I viewed the course elevation map online before the event (and timed my iPod list accordingly), I was just not prepared for the 3 - 200' elevation hills that made up the course! I'm happy to say I finished, just under my planned pace time of 11 minutes/mile. My chip time was 67:54, which I hope to improve at my next 10K, the Sun Run in Vancouver, B.C. on April 20th! Special thanks to my running pal and good friend Wacarra who got up early and cheered me on as I shuffled up the final hill from miles 5-6. You're awesome!