Energizer Night Race Vancouver: Top finishers

Article Post: National Post.com November 23, 2011

The Energizer Night Race (5K and 10K) held on Nov. 12 in Vancouver’s Stanley Park was the final race in Canada’s first series of these popular evening races. Top finishers and their times from both distances are below, and we salute you!

5K

Male Top 3 Overall

1. Brent Limbeek, 18:27.92

2. Matt Meffan, 18:50.19

3. Laurent De Weck, 19:01.58

Female Top 3 Overall

1. Chantal Mathieu, 18:58.25

2. Angela Hammond, 18:58.88

3. Daisy Laforce, 20:26.09

Male Under 20

1. Duncan Grainger, 19:26.02

2. Jonah Smith, 25:45.33

3. Sean Vanderluit, 28:01.18

Female Under 20

1. Kate Pickering, 23:18.03

2. Kiah Wheeler, 25:23.89

3. Courtney Milligan, 25:24.66

Male 20-29

1. Sean Wheeler, 21:58.42

2. Rafal Matuszewski, 22:23.03

3. Marvin Ng, 22:26.89

Female 20-29

1. Sue Safadi, 20:47.50

2. Danielle Jarvis, 26:05.84

3. Glorianna Anderson, 26:53.49

Male 30-39

1. Andy Bienefeld, 19:01.65

2. Dave Stirling, 19:37.72

3. Michael Geary, 20:24.26

Female 30-39

1. Jill MacKinnon, 22:29.44

2. Nicole Housley, 25:04.62

3. Christine Smith, 27:22.61

Male 40-49

1. Duncan Wood, 19:40.50

2. Brendan Farrelly, 21:44.60

3. Martin Cross, 22:10.36

Female 40-49

1. Keri Cawthorne, 25:26.15

2. Sandra Verschuur, 25:59.59

3. Beverley O’Neil, 26:26.91

Male 50-59

1. Gordon Flett, 20:49.70

2. Colin McLean, 20:54.31

3. Bill Chang, 22:25.17

Female 50-59

1. Darcey Dalzell Wood, 29:02.95

2. Sybil Henteleff, 29:09.23

3. Anne Vanidour, 30:05.27

Male 60-69

1. Dave Reid, 31:23.34

2. Pete Emmett, 31:42.20

3. John Lowe, 32:37.15

Female 60-69

1. Edna Mathews, 30:42.79

2. Marnie Mitchell, 33:42.85

3. Kelli Buchanan, 34:28.03

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Las Vegas Rock N’ Roll 2011 Recap

It was decided that we would be running this year’s Las Vegas Rock and Roll event before we left the race last year.  And when it was announced that it would be a night run, it was just a matter of booking the flights, but with one minor change, this year for the pure enjoyment factor, I would run the ½ marathon instead of the full.  The countdown seemed to last months, which included many “this time next month, we will…” , “this time next week, we will…”, and before we knew it was Vegas time baby!

We checked into the MGM Grande and dropped our gear and headed down for the infamous BLT at Wolfgang Puck.  As Chris and Soraiya were missing from this year’s trip we decided to have a little fun, of course at their expense.  We are so funny.

Retracing our steps from last year seemed to be a theme on Friday afternoon as we headed to race package pick-up, we said hello to Toby Keith and got lost trying to find the convention centre.  Once we were there, pick-up and last minute corral changes went smoothly, and again had some fun with Chris and Soraiya.

There were no celebrity sightings this year, but a definite highlight was the Barefoot Winery sampling booth.  Why do they not have one of these at every race event?

Friday evening was supposed to be a quiet evening singing along with songs we knew at the Paris Piano bar…Friday evening as with the wee hours of Saturday morning will remain in Vegas.

Although we were up and at ‘em relatively early, Saturday morning was a hat and sunglasses type of morning.  The girls shopped, the boys looked at old cars.  On our way to the outlet mall, we saw the sea of Santas leaving the Great Santa Run, even for Vegas, it was a weird sight.  Our group reconvened over lunch at Cabo Wabo, tested the waters (they were calm) and ate what may have been the greatest bowl of chips and guac EVER.

Saturday night was not only carb loading night, it was Vegas dress night!  Dinner was at Lombardi Romagna Mia, other than a slight food mix up which lead to a near force feeding and a stare down with risotto girl, we had a really great time and had plenty to talk about.  That was until we got to the cab line up.  Ahead of us was a very intoxicated fellow (Vegas, go figure) who was waiting for a limo, because due to his lack of kids and wife that evening, he was doing him (his words not mine) until he saw D’s pink athletic tape running up the outside of her calf, which ensued him to ask in a very loud voice “what is thaaat in your stockin’?” Which then became the line of the night.

You should never do anything new on race day, I would also like to extend this rule to the evening before race day.  Note to self: as hot as they may look, as well as they go with the dress; new heels are never a good idea the evening before a big race.  I also learned that sequins irritate your skin.

Race day came very quickly and without the solution to the dilemma, when and what do you eat for a 5:30pm race?  I opted for a late morning breakfast of toast, scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and fresh salsa (don’t knock it ‘til you try it), my meal did come with sausage but I thought that the salsa might be pushing the envelope a bit so settled at just a little nibble of one.  With still a few items that I wanted to pick up, I did a little leisurely shopping and was back at the room and even had time for a 7 minute power nap before my transformation began.

With this whole turning 40 thing and just wanting to do something a little different (me doing me) I decided that I was going to run this race dressed as Wonder Woman.  As my Mum is a master seamstress she was able to transform my red Lulu Power Y tank and my blue Speed Shorts into something Diana Prince worthy.

Our group met in the hotel lobby at 3:00pm and began our trek to Mandalay Bay.  This year Colin was the only one running the full marathon and we certainly weren’t going to let him start his race alone.  Although the sold out ½ marathon didn’t start until 5:30pm, the streets were extremely crowded, and a bit pushy at times.  The start of the marathon was very exciting, the sun was setting and the energy was intense!  We wished Colin well and away he went….run like hell Colin!

With 90 minutes before our race started, we went in search of gear check.  It was inside, no it was outside, no it was inside, and finding it was nearly impossible.  So many people you could hardly move and when you did it was at a snails pace.  If you had any kind of anxiety about close quarters or claustrophobia this was not a place you would have enjoyed being.  My highlight was meeting San Diego Wonder Woman while in line for the washroom!

Eventually we found gear check and started to make our way back to the start line amongst the crowds of people.  As we were nearing race time people were starting to get a bit panicky so I was glad when we got outside.

By now it was dark, the wind had picked up and it was chilly…not shorts and tank top weather.  Fortunately for us, we had the best support crew/sweatshirt holders we could ask for.  They stood with us until moments before the race started and kindly took our belongings.

The race started at 5:30 and corral 7 made its way across the start line 8 minutes later (I found out later).  Only a few moments into the race I heard what sounded like a massive water balloon hitting the pavement…it wasn’t a water balloon…poor guy.

I knew that the first few miles were going to be congested, until the crowds thinned out, but that never seemed to happen.  I was really disappointed by the runner etiquette displayed by some, walkers 3 and 4 abreast chatting, unwilling to move or let others through.  I am a big believer, on the trails or on the road SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT, I do it myself.  Not to mention that the corral seating for where I was placed was 1:55, why am I passing walkers?

The marathoners had their own separate lane, and why shouldn’t they?  By the time they hit this part of the course they would have already run over 13 miles and this race was also a Boston Marathon qualifier race.  There were so many ½ marathoners using their lane, I witnessed one lady who was asked and then told by several marathoners to move over, I don’t know if she was oblivious or just rude, because she never did.

I chose to run this race without music because I wanted to hear and feel the energy and as well as the  bands.  I was a little disappointed in the bands or what may have been my poor timing, it seemed that whenever I approached a band they were just finishing a song, with exception of the band playing Adele’s “Someone Like You”, not the most driving beat or motivating song.  I do highly recommend running in costume though, you are not being cheered “go random runner” I felt and heard plenty of Wonder Woman love while on the course, which made up for the lack of rock and roll and of course running along the Strip was absolutely fantastic!

I also chose to carry only a small bottle of water with me and use the water stations.  Just after the ½ way point I found them to be too hectic and not manned as well as they should have been, so decided to use my own water.  I am thinking I made the right choice especially after the numerous reports of “tainted” water.

One choice that I did not make was for my Garmin screen to go blank, yet again.  And without knowing exactly what time we crossed the start line, I had no idea of what my time was.  Although I never felt like I could completely stride out due to the congestion and constant weaving in and out of other runners, I felt really strong (it may have had a lot to do with the costume).  I was so sure that I my pace was good that I did not stop for the free beer being handed out in front of one of the pubs.

As we rounded back around from Freemont Street to Las Vegas Blvd and the Stratosphere, I knew that it would only be a matter of minutes before I would be able to see the lights of the Mandalay Bay in the distance.  The funny thing about Vegas is that things look so close because they are so big, but in reality the Stratosphere is 4 miles away from the finish line!

Over the course of the last few miles the crowds of runners did start to thin out, and the crowds of spectators now nearly lined the sides of the street.  Passing the Venetion Hotel was a big deal, because I knew that I had walked to my hotel from there only two days before, and the MGM was only a mile from the finish line.  It’s funny how we rationalize the distance during a run.

It was during this stretch that the 3:30 marathon pace bunny ran by me as if I was standing still! But it didn’t matter, because the Wonder Woman fan club seemed to be out in full force.  As a runner you always appreciate spectator support along a course, but as you come into the final stretch of a race, especially one of this magnitude it becomes electric!  I love reading the signs people bring.  Worst sign I saw was something about running into hell care of a religious group, which is something that I am sure that the marathoners could relate to (although it may have not been meant to be taken that way).  Best sign along the course and it made me think of my Thursday morning Studio class, “Don’t stop…that’s what she said!”

With the finish line in sight and still feeling really strong, I wiped the sweat off my face, made sure that my crown was still in tact, chin up, chest out and shirt down I started my kick.  As I got closer I realized I may not be able cross the finish line as the ½ marathon finish line was completely jammed with people.

What a complete disappointment, there were no arms in the air/horns up crossing of the mat, instead I put one foot on the mat and came to a complete standstill.  I have never experienced anything like this before.  The line-up to receive the finishing medal was insane, there were volunteers screaming at us to keep moving as there were other spots to receive medals.  I stayed to the middle and managed to have mine tossed to me (I heard reports later that they ran out of ½ marathon finisher medals), the same was done with a bottle of water and my space blanket.  By this time I had cooled enough and was absolutely freezing (the temp was only several degrees) so decided against waiting in another ridiculous line-up to have my post race picture taken (you know I must be cold if I forfeit a photo op) and slowly made my way out of the secure zone in search of section S (for SMF), where we had all agreed to meet once we were done, and the location of my hoodie.

Within a few minutes I was reunited with a very tired support crew (but they did manage to have a drink and share a tuna sandwich while we were running…poor things) and not long after that D and Conny.  It wasn’t long after that when I received a congratulatory call from my baby and she filled us in on all of our times as well as the predicted finishing times for Colin and Barry (you have got to love a tech savy teen). We were all a little surprised at our times, and not pleasantly either, all of us felt like we had much quicker runs. Hell, I didn’t stop for the free beer because I didn’t want to mess with my pace, kinda wish I had now.

Even with a hoodie I was still freezing so the ladies and I decided to head back into the bedlam of the Mandalay Bay and get the rest of our gear.  The crowds didn’t even bother me this time, because it was warm.  Finding gear check wasn’t nearly as difficult this time and the line-ups for the bathroom at that moment were almost non-existent, we even managed to find a central spot on the hotel floor (it was so much better than being outside) to call our own as we waited for the rest of the group to join us.

As Barry’s predicted finishing time approached, we headed back into the cold, and now rainy night to give him a bit of love.  All I can say is thank goodness for our cell phones as we may have never found him because he had been directed into the hotel after he came out of the secure zone.

Once we were together, it was a mad dash or as quick as you could possibly move after a run like that back to the hotel so that we could shower and make our 11:00pm, yes 11:00pm, dinner reservations at PF Changs.

And what a meal…two orders of lettuce wraps, nine other dishes, plus a bowl of white rice and a bowl of brown rice. We started out so polite and then it just became an all out feeding frenzy, there may have only been a morsel or two left over!  In true PF Changs fashion, we were totally taken care of, really, where else would we go to eat after an event like that?

We moved fairly slowly back to the hotel, but I still had enough in me for a wind sprint across the casino.  I know that I totally had an unfair advantage (like running 13.1 miles less than Colin), but I was wearing heels.

So would I run this event again? No.  The ½ marathon route was fantastic and I was fortunate enough to start early enough so didn’t encounter many of the issues (no water, no food, no space blankets, no medals, etc) that thousands of others did, but there were just too many people.  And after hearing that the race organizers have plans to up registration to 60,000 participants next year before rectifying this year’s problems, I may not run another Rock N’ Roll event, but given my late night annihilation of Colin across the casino floor, a stiletto dash may be in my future.

Will I return to Vegas?  Abso-freaking-lutely, but on a different weekend.

Thanks to my fam, my running fam, Las Vegas, coke finger, Fat Burger, the guy from Langley, Miss M’s sparkly spectator cup, D’s gang signs, 867530ni-ee-ine, gingerbeard, cut-out Soraiya and Chris, maraschino cherry stems and even risotto girl for a 90^th birthday weekend (that I think we actually forgot to celebrate) that I won’t soon forget.

A ‘Lil Bling

Thank you to the organizers of the Energizer Night Race for enabling those of us that did not stay for the medal ceremony to still receive our placement medals. Big thanks to Miss Marnie for picking up my 40 year old bling!

Big shout out to Mr. Colin McLean for placing 12th overall and 2nd in his age category…BFD!

Cold November Rain, I Mean Snow

When the snow started falling on Thursday night it didn’t make me happy. When I awoke on Friday morning to several inches of it I got a little cranky, it was just too early for winter and all of its debauchery. But after I made my way out of my driveway I found that the snow was exactly where it was supposed to be for once; on the grass, in the schoolyards, on the mountains and not on the roads, which made for a fantastic running weekend.

On Saturday, the ½ Marathon Training Clinic got to pull out their winter woolies and headed out on a beautiful run through Pitt Meadows and across the Golden Ears Bridge. Joining us for our adventure was Kathie from Peninsula Runners who is also the Race Director for the Golden Ears ½ Marathon and 10km, coincidently the race that we are training for. Not only is this a local race (and everyone receives a medal), it supports local programs, giving 100% of net proceeds to the School Meal Program in the Langley School District and Friends in Need Food Bank in Pitt Meadows – I love that!

I think that this run went down in the books as one of those memorable runs (and stretches) that will make us think back and say “ahhhhh”.

Sunday was equally chilly and surprisingly sausage free. The Speed Clinic hit the track for 60 minutes of caterpillar, 400 metre repeats and cadence turnover drills. Not quite “ahhhhh” but still very effective.

How did you spend your weekend?

Energizer Night Race Vancouver Recap

In preparation for our upcoming night race, a group of us decided to sign up for the Energizer Night Race.  We could test out fueling during the day as some of us have never even run at night, it would be a true training run.  You know when an idea sounds really good at the time, and then the time comes and it makes absolutely no sense and just becomes ridiculous…that’s how Saturday night felt.

We left Maple Ridge and it was snowing/sleeting/raining and also windy.

It could only get warmer as we headed towards the coast right?  It did not.  The only thing that changed was that it got darker.

As we approached Stanley Park I vocalized that I would be ok with not running the race at all, Soraiya immediately agreed.  Why on earth would we want to get out of the toasty warm vehicle?  Really, heated seats, great tunes, heated seats.  Our driver got a little snappy setting the record straight that he would not drive all this way for us not to run.   I guess we were running.

Part of our registration fee included an Energizer 4 LED Headlight (and a Brooks running shirt, nice but a little small fitting), so with our headlights assembled and strapped to our heads our driver dropped us off near the start line and we went in search of shelter.

I have run quite a few crappy weather races, but the weather on Saturday had to be the worst I have experienced.  I can take the rain, I can take the snow but the one degree slush that was being blown sideways at us just made me miserable.   Fortunately for us we found an unmanned tent just behind the start line and were able to take cover while we waited for the race to start.

Soraiya and Conny were running the sold out 10km race, the rest of us waited too long to register and were running the 5km race.  At this point the $13.32/km race entry fee seemed like a much better deal after all, my race would be over that much sooner.

Somehow our motorcade split up during our drive in, but as Soraiya left to line up for the start of the 10km race she found Conny, Colin and Chris and directed them to where I was hiding.  Their timing was perfect, just as they arrived we watched the sea of headlights go out along the seawall while singing “Blinded By The Light”.  Our race was to start 15 minutes later.

It seemed like no time at all until it was our turn to line up.  Chris and Colin were both wearing garbage bags (I didn’t get the memo) I was jealous, but they assured me that they only looked warmer than they really were, LIARS!

Our race started precisely at 5:15pm, and thank goodness because I don’t think that I could have stood there a moment longer.  My legs were still fairly fatigued from my long run the day before, so the only time goal I had was to get it done as fast as I could as I knew that my warm and dry down jacket would be waiting for me at the finish line.

We started at the front of the group so although it was fairly dark it was easy to start at a good pace.  I lost Colin and Chris almost immediately ahead of me, but quickly found my own rhythm and mastered the placement of my headlight so that I could see where I was running.  I was surprised how much light came out of my headlight, I was also surprised how the darkness affected my depth perception as I seemed to find every ankle deep puddle.

The run itself was pretty surreal, although I was running with 1632 others, the seawall was so quiet you could hear the waves hitting the shore.

As I approached the 5km turnaround point I could see the frontrunners coming toward me.  Even with the headlights it was pretty hard to see faces, the only reason I recognized Colin was because of his glow in the dark jacket.

My Garmin screen was completely blank (a new feature that now happens when it gets wet) as I hit the turnaround point and I had no idea what my time was (oooo look at me running naked).  I was feeling great and surprisingly warm so I continued to keep my same pace, that was until the 10km front runners passed me.  They seemed to run so effortlessly and served as just the motivation that I needed to get me to the finish line.

Somehow, the group of runners that I was following veered off the seawall and ended up on the sidewalk on Beach Ave which was covered in wet leaves making for slippery conditions.  One of the volunteers had to guide us down a grassy embankment and back onto the seawall.   We runners can be so stupid.

Coming into the finish shute was fantastic, I had just enough kick to come in strong.  As I rounded the last corner I could see my fam (and my down jacket) cheering me in and as I crossed the finish line Colin and Chris were there with big high fives.

Because of the staggered starts, it wasn’t long before Soraiya and Conny crossed the finish line.  Soraiya’s face was so cold from the weather that when she started talk it was like she had been to the dentist and her mouth was frozen, oh we all enjoyed that!  Conny came in feeling fabulous and was all smiles, but her celebration had to be put on hold until we got back to the hot tub because we were all too freaking cold!

Looking back now (warm and dry) it was a great event and this whole milestone birthday worked for me as I placed first in my age category!

Thanks to the event organizers for a one of a kind race and to wonderful volunteers for keeping us safe…we arrived alive.

Shopping Fail…Almost

I like to treat myself to a little somethin’-somethin new to wear on race day, even if it’s only a pair of socks.  But when the race is billed as a “mud crawling, fire leaping, extreme run from hell” I am thinking that my little somethin’ should be fiscal, dark in colour and fire retardant.  So today I visited the thrift store.

I have to tell you that I thought that this would be easier.  I know that it is going to be filthy and possibly part melted by the time I will be done with it, but I didn’t want just any old thing, it still had to be somewhat cute.  I flipped through several racks…too short, too long, absolutely not, too white, some Lulu (yes, Lulu)…I did find an awesome pair of leopard print spandex shorts, although they were a size too small held them up and I got the ‘really Mom’ eye roll, I huffed a little, and returned them to the rack (only because of the muffin top factor).  And I went back to the drawing board.

When I got back home I decided to have a look in my own closet to see if there was something that I might be able to use.  I did a major closet overhaul last year, but there are always those several items that you hang onto because you just never know when.  Finding a shirt that I was willing to part with was not a problem, a green tank from my first year of trail racing.  Now for shorts; I pulled everything out from my bottom drawer. I found a green pair of Lulu clam diggers that I think I may have only worn once, but too much green and they are just all wrong. I kept digging and I found them, also Lulu, but black, at one time I had loved these shorts, they were kind of running/swim shorts, a little on the long side to what I wear now and they do not pass the stink test…excellent!

So with my race outfit chosen, and at zero cost, for the first time in my race history I will be buying my reward after the challenge is complete!

Mud Sweat Beer

Mud, sweat, beer and a viking hat…how can you go wrong?!  I’m not sure how you would train for this baby, I don’t really know if you can and I am soooo in! There is even a half price race entry on Groupon today ($50 value for $25).

Here are the event details if I have got you thinking:

• Saturday August 6th, Whistler Blackcomb
• 3.07 hellish miles
• $50 CAD until 11:59pm* on Sunday, July 10, 2011
• Waves of up to 500 participants will start in waves every 30 minutes from 11:00am – 4:00pm
• www.warriordash.com

I don’t think that I will be buying a pretty new outfit for this one.

Seattle Rock ‘N’ Roll Report

This past weekend was a big weekend in my running community, the Seattle Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon and ½ Marathon was on Saturday and the Scotiabank ½ Marathon was on Sunday. Originally I was to Rock ‘N’ Roll the marathon, but injury (there I said it) sidelined my final four long runs so instead I Rock ‘N’ Rolled the ½ marathon.

Wanting to beat the dreaded Seattle rush hour traffic we started our trek Friday morning. We arrived at our hotel with only one extra loop around the block (Seattle has lots of one-way streets), checked in, freshened up and went in search of the Expo where we would pick up our race packages. Before leaving we asked our concierge (or at least I thought he was) how to get to the Expo and he said that there were things to do in town other than the marathon, like the Avatar: The Exhibition…huh?

Unfamiliar and a little frustrated with the city’s public transportation system, we got back in the car and fought rush hour/Mariner tailgate party traffic to Qwest (pronounced “quest” for idiots like myself) Field and the Health and Fitness Expo.

The Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon Series is the most organized racing event hands down, yes, even more organized than mine. We posed on the red carpet, checked in, changed races, changed corrals, picked up our schwag, all in less than 10 minutes, giving us plenty of time to take in the rest of the Expo.

The official race shirt was a little plain, I was also disappointed because it is navy blue. Race Organizers around the world, nothing goes with navy blue other than navy blue. If you want people to wear your race shirt go white, black, red…anything that you can pair with black pants, black and navy blue don’t work.

There was plenty to see and sample at the Expo; protein bars, juices, pain relievers, recovery drink and deodorant. No Sugar Ray sightings this time, but you never know who you might see.

Continuing with the Rock ‘N’ Roll theme, we decided to have our pre-race dinner at the Hard Rock Café. We sang a little Britney Bitch, harmonized with Spandau Ballet and hair tossed with White Snake. The food was good and our waiter rocked.

You would think that being in Seattle with a Starbucks on nearly every corner, finding an after dinner decaf wouldn’t be an issue. We were shocked to find out that Starbucks closed at 9:00pm and that they only brew decaf in the morning.

We moved from coffee withdrawal to pre-race breakfast. We hit Walgreens and then found an IGA right in the middle of downtown Seattle. It was like it was meant to be; bagels, fruit, plastic cutlery, even single serving sized packages of almond butter, we were good to go. With the bagels divy’d up we headed back to the hotel and retired to our respective rooms.

Attaching the timing chip wasn’t nearly as stressful as it was in Vegas, even after a glass 2 glasses of wine. I laid out my race outfit and everything that I would need for the morning and was in bed for 10:00pm.

I don’t think that I could have possibly had a worse nights sleep, it wasn’t a noise or comfort issue, it was just me. And with slightly less than four hours of sleep it was time to get up. Thank goodness for coffee and Visine.

We had heard that some friends that were also racing left their hotel at 4:30am. Why so early we thought? The race started at 7:00am, we were less than 20km away (most of it freeway), so we met in the lobby at 5:50am took a couple of pics and piled into the truck with our anonymous driver, a little over capacity.

At 6:20am we were a mile away from our exit, and the freeway came to a complete stop. Hmmm. We could see other vehicles unloading their runners who were now walking down the side of the freeway and down an embankment to join a sea of other runners who were also walking. We were well over capacity, had no idea where the start line was and were under the watchful eye of Washington’s finest, we decided it best that we stay in the vehicle and follow the map and the traffic.

The race started at 7:00am and we had only just exited off the freeway.

At 7:25am we finally made it to the racer drop off point. Leaving only a PBOP (ask Colin) we left our patient and anonymous driver and joined the sea of people, who were also late to the start line. Along a couple of walkways, under an overpass and we were exactly where we had seen the sea people from the freeway…SMF!

Through a McDonalds parking lot, an industrial area and finally we could hear the music. We wished each other well, sang a verse or two of “Life Is A Highway” and instead of going out with corral 8, instead we joined corral 30.

My race plan was simple, hydration/walk breaks every 30 minutes and a PB.

With so many people ahead of me, I spent the first hour weaving, stop-starting, with no real pace at all. I had been running along the edge of the roads/freeways/train lines so by 1:15 the outside of my left foot had started to bug me, and not from my injury either, it was from the camber of the road. I tried switching the side of road that I was running on, but it didn’t help much.

Running along Lake Washington was quite beautiful and made for a great distraction. There were so many encouraging spectators along the side of the road with fantastic signs.

• Best signs: “Chafe now, brag later” (that seems to be my running story lately) and “It’s not sweat, it’s your fat cells crying”.
• The worst:  at the 5km water station read “It’s not too late to turn back”. Placed  at the 18km point of the ½ marathon or the 40km point in the marathon it would be ironic and somewhat funny, but at the 5km water station…fail.

The 9.2 mile mark was the ½ marathon/marathon split. I knew I easily had another 4 miles in me, but another 17? After 8 weeks of second guessing my decision to pull out of my marathon training I was finally at peace with it, and happily veered to the left with the rest of the ½ marathoners.

Just past the 10-mile marker we were able to see our first glimpse of downtown Seattle and also when I ran up on a familiar smiling face. I knew that several of the ladies from Lululemon Coquitlam Centre were running the ½ marathon, but thought that the chances of actually seeing one of them in the crowd of 28,000 was pretty slim. It was so awesome to see Mariah. We chatted for a few minutes and then started talking time goals (nothing like doing math to get you through those last few miles), Mariah’s time goal was in our grasp so away we went.

As we entered into the downtown core the streets became lined with cheering spectators. I had lost my GPS satellite in a tunnel earlier and wasn’t sure if what I was reading on my watch was completely accurate but I knew that the end was very near. We passed along a road that I recognized only by smell of the hotdogs from the day before (they smelled so good the day before, today they made me feel nauseous). We as we rounded the corner I could see the finish line, I love that feeling.

After 13 of these, you would have thought that I would have already learned everything that I needed to know, turns out that lucky 14 taught me a few new lessons:

1. Don’t expect to PB when you show up to a race 52 minutes late.
2. Stick to black bottoms unless you want to look like you pee’d yourself…why did I have to relearn this lesson?
3. It is what it is. Forget about what could have been or what you think should be; appreciate what you have, what you can do and do the best with it…no regrets.
4. Carry ID. Even free race beer requires picture identification.

Congratulations to my running family and everyone who ran this weekend, we rocked! Big woo-hoo for Barry completing his first ½ marathon. So proud of Conny, Colin and Soraiya for running the full meal deal. Thank-you to all of the volunteers for keeping us safe, fueled and hydrated and also to my family for putting up with me especially since May 3rd.

When our group ran the San Francisco Nike Women’s ½ Marathon in 2009 we made a pact to run one destination race per year. Although this trip did require entering another country and three hour car ride I am going to say that it was more of a road trip than a destination. Who’s up for a night run in Vegas, say December?

Rock ‘n’ Roll Flash Mob

Check out the flash mob from last weekend’s San Diego Dodge Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon…

If there is another planned for Seattle, could someone please send me the choreography video? I am Dance Dance Revolution champion at my house.

Vistas 2011

It has been said that good decisions come from experience, and experience comes from bad decisions. Whether or not I learned from my own experience or Daryl’s, thankfully I did not attempt to defend my title yesterday at the Vistas Race (retiring as a champion, even if it was in my own mind), returning this year only as a spectator.

When I arrived at the race Starbucks in hand, because that is part of spectating, I met fellow runner/last year’s race winner at the finish line, also with coffee in hand and Conny’s hoody over his arm.

There was a strange yet wonderful smell coming from the food area, I would have to wait to find out what it was until the racers came in because RACE FOOD IS FOR THE RACERS AND THE RACE VOLUNTEERS. This is a bit of a pet peeve of mine, hence the boldface and caps. Food is ordered and purchased for a race on a per racer basis. If you have ever been one of the last few racers to come through a finish line only to hit the food tent to find scraps and mushy pieces of fruit that nobody wants, and hear from a non racer how good the chocolate chip cookies were or how juicy the watermelon was, you know exactly what I mean. Rant done. One of the main reasons why I bring my own coffee to spectate (that and also because Starbucks is much better).

The sun was shining and music wasn’t half bad as Colin and I waited for the racers to cross the finish line. Here they come…

Although the age categories were wide, top finishers did receive medals this year.  Race results have now been posted here.

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the Vistas 2011 run.

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