Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Abbotsford Run For Water 10K, 2013


I was over in Vancouver last weekend (May 26th) for the Abbotsford Run For Water 10K race. There is also a 5K, Half and Full Marathon as well, which attracted almost 5000 runners to come out and race in the rain. The forecast was decent, but ironically it was very very wet... plenty of water for everyone!

Before the race started I ran into Paul O'Callaghan, also from Victoria, who was doing the race announcing. It was great to see a friendly face as I didn't think I knew anyone else from Victoria who was racing. Plus I love the energy he brings to the job!

In my pre-race scouting I knew that last year's winner Yue-Ching (in 34:48) was registered to race again, but I was excited to find out that I had narrowly beaten him at the Sun Run by 9 seconds (35:18 to 35:27). If no one else faster showed up, perhaps I had a chance to battle for the win!

Before the race started I was disappointed to see that Yue-Ching hadn't picked up his race package... perhaps he didn't like the rain? But that didn't last long because at the start line he appeared right beside me wearing a different bib number (in the white singlet in the middle). Apparently they couldn't find his at the race expo!
We had a nice chat, and joked around with another runner Jin (on the left in the USA tank top) who turned out to be a friend of his, and looked pretty ripped.

When the race started I was in the small lead pack of 5 or 6 runners. By the time we had looped back to the starting street (Bevan Ave) at 3K, the lead pack was just 3 runners - me, Yue-Ching and Jin. The pace was comfortable at around 3:37/km, and we were talking and joking around. Jin looked behind and announced that the top 3 places were now decided (us), and he would happily take 1st. Soon after he put in a small surge and I jokingly yelled "I see the race tactics have started!". He replied with "Well you see I've been training with the Kenyans, and that's how we do it".

Around 4K Jin yelled back at Yue-Ching (who was hanging behind us by a few steps, and wasn't joining in our friendly banter) - "Yue-Ching - why so out of breath?". I think that may have been a mistake, because soon after Yue-Ching blew by the two of us and quickly opened up a 50m lead as we ran away from the start along McDougall Ave. Jin turned to me and said "Uh oh, I think the race is over". We both picked up our pace and tried to gain some ground back. The course goes gradually downhill at this point until the turnaround (at 6.5K), and we didn't gain an inch despite dropping our pace to 3:16 from 5K to 6K. At this point Jin pulled away from me and I let him go, reassuring myself that I would be fresher for the uphill on the way back.

Around 6.5K there was a sign warning us that the turnaround was ahead, and then 100m later another larger sign saying "10K Turnaround". But the volunteer at that sign was busy directing a car out of the way, and wasn't ready for us. So unfortunately Yue-Ching who was leading kept running past the turnaround (maybe 50-70m?), and Jin also went too far. When I got there a few seconds later and ran past (blindly following the leaders) the volunteer yelled "10K turn around is back here guys!". I immediately turned around, as did the other two, and suddenly I was in the lead! But for some reason it didn't feel right taking advantage of their mistake, so I slowed my pace slightly and let them catch me. In no time both of them went flying past with Yue-Ching quickly re-gaining a similar sized lead as before - maybe 50-100m. Hmm, perhaps I shouldn't have slowed!

As we climbed up the steeper uphill section I pulled even with Jin, and with 2K to go it flattened out so put in a surge to try and gain some ground. It didn't work, but it did cause Jin to fall off the back. The runners going the other direction were very vocal cheering for us, it was pretty cool.
The finish line was visible from a long way off, and I was still way behind Yue-Ching. I knew at 500m I had to start going otherwise the race was over. The spectators (despite the rain) were amazing at cheering for me, yelling "You can catch him!".

So I started sprinting with about 400m to go. When I was right behind him with 200m to go and gaining fast I thought perhaps I might actually do it, but when I pulled along side he glanced over at me and then easily shifted gears, pulling ahead. I had no response and he crossed the line 2 seconds ahead of my time of 35:40. Part of me is annoyed I didn't try to catch him earlier, but the more rational part of me knows that he deserved to win and was the faster runner on the day. Plus it was my second fastest 10K ever, and considering the conditions I am very happy with my time. My half way splits were really solid too - about 17:55 on the way out, and 17:45 on the way back - so another strong negative split race!

Full results here.


Here is an amazing video of the race highlights and some neat scenes of Africa. My finishing fade out is at 1:45.

Envision Financial Run for Water 2013 Race Day Video from Run for Water.


In the other races, the marathon was won by David Palermo in 2:35 (who I believe dropped out of Vancouver/BMO part way, so a good result), just edging out Ryan Prachnau in 2:37. I heard that Jason Loutit was running, but I didn't see him finish so maybe he dropped out. Mike Janes had a great marathon too, finishing in 14th overall in a time of 3:06:02. That is nice redemption for him after having bad luck at BMO a few weeks ago.

The half marathon was won by David Jackson again, easily cruising to victory in a time of 1:10:53. This was his 4th race in 6 weekends, and he said he plans on racing Whistler next weekend too! Care Nelson also had a great race in a strong women's field, placing 2nd in 1:22:40.

The 5K (which is called a competitive "fun run") was run through the trails around Mill Lake Park. I don't think there were any runners from Victoria, but did have some fast times for a windy course with 3 people finishing between 17-18 minutes.

Overall it was a very well organized event, lots of good food after the race (yogurt with granola on top!), a nice finisher's medal, and nice shirt/hat/socks in the race package. And the atmosphere was great too, especially considering the inclement weather.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Sun Run Recap

The Sun Run on April 21st was near perfect conditions. A little gusty perhaps, but not too cold and not too warm.

Leading up to the race I was feeling great - I was very satisfied with my training, especially my speed work. I did have a nagging left toe problem (seismoiditis) but I figured it wouldn't affect my race. I was well tapered, and feeling good.

The morning of the race I followed my usual routine - wake up 3 hours before the race and go for a very easy 15 minute shakeout run. I didn't really feel like running around the streets of Vancouver yet, so I ran on the treadmill at the hotel. It worked out okay despite my dislike of treadmills!

After the run I gobbled down my usual pre-race breakfast of a small bowl of yogurt, fruit and granola. Then proceeded to crank up some tunes and get pumped up! Luckily no one got to see my horrible dance moves except for my wife.

The race starts at a very reasonable time of 9am. I headed out the door at 8:25, and as soon as I started my warmup I had this sudden burst of energy and excitement. "Oh yes, I feel fast today!". A few laps around Nelson Park and then headed over to the start line. It's a nice setup - the start is on West Georgia Street (very wide, probably 4-6 lanes?) - and the first kilometer of the race course is open to seeded runners for warmup. Did a few sprints, chatted with some friends, and then it was time to get serious. I purposely waited as long as possible before moving in behind the start line to be as near the front as I could. I figure I was probably about 4th or 5th row back.

The gun went off, and away we went. The first kilometer is very fast - it's straight and mostly downhill which really lets the lead runners get off to a fast start. It was congested but not too bad at all. I tried to make the most of the downhill without getting my breathing up too much, and passed the first marker in 3:16, perfect! The second kilometer has a couple corners and a slight uphill in it and ended up being slightly slower at 3:39, but still nicely on pace and feeling good. The next two kilometers are flat and relatively straight and the goal was to maintain a 3:30 pace: 3:30, 3:34, close enough. Just before 5K there is a short and nasty hill up Hornby before going over the Burrard Street Bridge (which is also an uphill but not as steep).

I knew my friend Jonathan would be waiting at the bottom of the hill, and sure enough there he was! Perfect placement because it really helped propel me up the hill. I also knew that my wife would be waiting at the top of the hill, so I had to be smiling :) Here is a photo from the bottom of Hornby. Interestingly the guy in green and the girl in orange both finished right with me. Both of them pulled ahead after this photo but I just caught them right at the line (although the green shirt beat me even though we had the same time, and of course he is in my age group!).

The 5K was slightly slower as expected (3:43) due to the climb, but my 5K time of 17:47 was right on target for my goal of 35:30. I clawed my way up the Burrard Street Bridge telling myself that there is a nice long gradual downhill on the other side. The next few kilometers were a little bit of a blur but the pace was good: 3:33, 3:31, and 3:27. I had some more friends waiting at 8K and it really helped to keep me going. Somewhere around this point I glanced down at my watch and saw that my pace was 3:31/km... and had visions of going sub 35 minutes (3:30 pace)! But I quickly realized that my Garmin watch is never that accurate, and so in a 10K race I usually run around 50m more (10 more seconds), so I figured I was on pace for 35:20.

Right around 9K there is a short and unpleasant uphill on to the Cambie Street Bridge, and this was when the race really started to hurt. That kilometer was slow at 3:36, but luckily by then all the hard work was done. I held on along the bridge knowing my wife would be cheering at the end of the bridge, and put in one final push down the off ramp and a decent sprint to the finish, crossing the line in a time of 35:18. As the photos show, I was quite happy with that result! 50 seconds faster than my previous PR at last year's TC10K. It is also my highest ever points - 770!

Splits:
3:16, 3:39, 3:30, 3:34, 3:43 (17:47)
3:33, 3:31, 3:27, 3:36, 3:32 (17:31)

Here is my garmin activity for the race, and full race results.

After the race I met up with my wife and brother (who also ran the race) and we walked back along the course to the 8K marker. It was incredible to see the sea of runners as far as the eye could see. We relaxed in the warm sun at a friends place, and then walked over to Granville Island for some lunch. My legs felt pretty good overall. Slight soreness in my right knee but otherwise fine. We stayed another night in Vancouver to relax and enjoy ourselves before heading back to the island on Monday.

The last 2 photos are copyrighted (in case you couldn't tell) and belong to Marathon Fotos, from this website:
http://www.marathon-photos.com/scripts/event.py?new_search=1&event=Sports%2FSTCA%2F2013%2FVancouver%20Sun%20Run&match=123.