Tag: NorthVanRun 10K

2019 week forty

Book Read
Nope

Kilometres Ran
week forty – 85.7

2019 to date: 2,040 KM

It’s not that I didn’t read anything, rather I didn’t finish the book that I’m currently reading (that seems redundant). It’s a good one, though. I’ll finish it in time for next week and then I will be two books behind in my 2019 reading goal. Twelve weeks to go. I can do 14 books in 12 weeks. Talon’s fall launch is on Wednesday, and features new releases by favourites Oana Avasilichioaei and Danielle LaFrance. I’m not sure how I’m going to make it, what with Mile2Marathon track workout Wednesday eve. I need a doppelgänger.

NorthVanRun 10K a little over half way, with Shauna Gersbach out front, and Jordan Hurdal drafting me. Gersbach would finish W3 overall, and Hurdal passed me with about two to go, finishing AG 2nd. I settled for AG 3rd but more importantly to me 39:22 crushing my sub 40 goal. Photo by Dave Mallari.

On the running side of things goals are coming along just fine thank you very much. Earlier this summer I broke six minutes in the mile, which I don’t think was a stated 2019 goal, but became one when the opportunity to run it presented itself. Then after finally crossing an official timing mat to break 20 minutes over 5 kilometres in the Eastside 10K a couple weeks ago, and breaking 40 minutes at the NorthVanRun 10K last weekend, this week crossed another goal off my list, surpassing 2,019 KM (so far…) this year. In 2018 I surpassed 2,018 KM a few weeks earlier, but I was also running hurt (and dumb) at the time. This year started a bit slow dealing with an achilles injury, and the build for the BMO Marathon in May was pretty cautious in retrospect, or to spin it, quality kilometres over quantity.

Finish sprint down to the end of The Shipyards pier, and arguably the coolest race finish line in the Lower Mainland. Photo by Jan Heuninck.

I’m heading over to Victoria for Thanksgiving weekend with my sights set on running a sub 90 minute half marathon and I’m riding pretty damn high on confidence. I’ve never run the half event, though I’ve run every bit of the course, from many weekends escaping to Oak Bay to visit family, and getting chewed up and spit out running the marathon last fall. Weather and wind can both play huge factors, and weather apps indicate next Sunday will be wet. I can thrive in wet. Downpour less so. Headwind could spell disaster. But whatever. I’m ready to give it my all and see what happens. I’ll let you know how it goes.

2019 week thirty nine

Book Read
38. The Body Artist – Don DeLillo

Kilometres Ran
week thirty nine – 69.2

2019 to date: 1,954

Another short novel about death and the human condition. I found this one sort of interesting because I was interested in the artist, and I found the review of her show written by a journalist friend in the latter part of the book to be the most interesting part. I was often tired when I was reading this book and, I don’t know but there’s something about DeLillo that I know I’m supposed to like him because he’s supposed to be this brilliant American novelist but I always find him a bit drab. I remember a review of a Timothy Taylor novel – I don’t recall which novel or by whom – and they compared Taylor to DeLillo as a compliment and I quite like Taylor and just did not take it that way. Anyway, this book was short, which is good because I think there’s a good chance I would not have gotten to the part that I actually liked otherwise. But it took me three tries to finally get through White Noise so what do I know.

Above, a couple frames from the finish video shot by Jeannine Avelino. Thanks Jeannine!

Today was goal race day and I’d been looking forward to this day for the whole year because last year I ran the NorthVanRun 10K as a tune up for the Victoria Marathon, so I ran the first half at marathon pace and then picked it up for the second. And I loved the course and I thought that this course style really suites me and I figured that I could really rip on it. There are some hills but nothing onerous and every one of them has an equal downhill right afterwards, with the start and finish at sea level. I was feeling great right up until Thursday evening when I felt the plague coming on, so I took Friday off and willed it at bay as best I could and it mostly worked. Head was a bit stuffed this morning but otherwise I felt pretty great. This was my last chance on my 2019 calendar to sub 40 minutes a 10 km race, and after missing the mark by 20 seconds at Eastside two weeks ago (without reeelly trying*) I was pretty sure that barring disaster today was going to be the day. And disaster abated! I went out a little bit hot but settled into a great rhythm at 3:55/km right behind Shauna Gersbach and in front of Jordan Hurdal and the three of us paced each other perfectly, right up until about 8 km. Gersbach started to pull away and I felt like I was fading and then Hurdal passed me and I hit a wall where I wanted to quit so badly and then at about 8.5 km I suddenly got really nauseous, but I swallowed hard and just willed it all to go away. The last half kilometre drops 17 metres before a couple tight turns and a sprint to the finish at the end of the North Van Shipyards pier. I had nothing left for the sprint finish, but somehow managed to maintain pace and crossed the finish line 39:22 gun time, for a new personal best by nearly a minute, third in my age group, and 15th overall.

This is my happy-and-also-everything-hurts-and-don’t-forget-coach-wants-another-10-or-12-km-today face.

I really wanted to stick around for the awards, but when I asked I was told they weren’t happening until noon. The race started at 9 a.m. and I had only paid for parking until 11, so rather that wait around another couple hours (plus I was freezing) I went home. And that’s my only regret. I wish that I would have stuck around for the awards, or that they were a bit sooner. This is only my third running award, and I am zero-for-three for the ceremony. But I ran an excellent race. My splits are nearly dead even. My goal was sub 40 but my number in mind was 3:55 pace, and I finished 3:56. My last three kilometres were 3:56 / 3:54 / 3:52 and I had nothing left at the end. I am absolutely satisfied with this race. The only way I am running faster is by getting faster.

*I can admit that now, but oh boy that could have blown up in my face. And I won’t be doing any of that sort of nonsense again.

2019 week thirty seven

Book Read
36. If You’re Not Yet Like Me – Edan Lepucki

Kilometres Ran
week thirty seven – 66.0

2019 to date: 1,817 KM

This book could have been an episode of Girls. And just like Girls I liked the first bit and then lost interest really quickly once I realized that I really dislike all of the characters. Then, because I get petty when I’m annoyed, there was this line in particular that I hated, “my menstrual cycle is like a German train: always on time.” I always hate it when writers do this. No, not write the word menstrual. I hate it when writers use simile and/or metaphor and then immediately afterwards, (often with a colon but sometimes a dash) feel the need to explain it to writer’s readers because we are clearly too dumb to understand how clever writer is. Anyway, the story was nearly done so I hate-finished it. And then to rinse the bad taste from my mouth a decided to read this article that people were yammering about online by a woman named Natalie Beach all about her relationship with Instafamous influencer (barf) Caroline Calloway in The Cut and now all of a sudden I’m supposed to have a strong opinion about Yale plates. And while I sort of feel for Beach and she sure seems like a pretty good writer and definitely makes me dislike Calloway but it turns out a dislike them both.

Mile2Marathon Eastside 10K takeover. I’m in the middle somewhere.

I blame the weather. The week was pretty wet, which sucks because my mental health of late seems to be tied to my bicycle commute as much as my running, and I am definitely a fair weather cyclist. But you cannot live in Vancouver and hate running in the rain. I raced my first Eastside 10K in 2016, in the pouring rain. It was the last one run with the start and finish at the top of the Dunsmuir Viaduct. I ran 44:56 for 20th in my age group and I was ecstatic. I missed 2017 (for an epic half marathon in Copenhagen, in the pouring rain…I made the right decision…). Last year I ran the new course in the pouring rain and a knee brace and set a PB (at the time) 41:23. I set two goals for this year: run faster than last year, and sub 20 minutes the first 5 KM. (I’ve been chasing an official sub-20 5K all year, and I knew that there is an official timing mat at this course’s midpoint just before its dreaded hill.) I woke up Saturday morning and it was wet but it wasn’t raining, downed downed four shots of espresso and jogged the two-and-a-bit kilometres to the Woodwards building. After a group photo and a few strides I got into the start corral. I don’t know if the PA wasn’t working but all of a sudden there was a 10-9-8- countdown to start and we were off. I lost a bit of time dodging people who’d no business being at the front of the corral and then the crowded, tight turn around from Cordova onto Water Street but you would’t know it from my pace splits. I got into a just slightly uncomfortable groove, with the 40:00 pace about 25 metres ahead of me. I could tell he was building a buffer for the hill that comes just after 5K. My watch buzzed 5K a bit early (as usual) and I checked the time as I crossed the mat – 19:40 – and goal number one was in the bag. Next was to finish the rest of the course in 21:43 or sooner.

I took the hill and lost a bit of time but felt pretty good coming down and just settled back into a groove and held on. The eighth kilometre felt really rough but I took a peek at my watch as I crossed nine and saw I was on pace for well under 41 minutes. I probably could have given more kick at the finish but the only kick I gave is to myself for not checking in on my time more frequently. I crossed the finish line 40:19 for not just a new course best, but fastest 10K yet. I think I could have gone under 40 if I’d known how close I was but I’m still elated with this result. I took a handful of seconds off my personal best, and over a minute off my course best, and achieved an official sub-20 5K along the way. My sub 40 minute 10K is coming soon – NorthVanRun 10 is just two weeks away.