Fitness Swellness: Sporting Life 10k 2015

Sunday I ran the Sporting Life 10k race (I think it’s the fifth time I’ve run this race, I’ve lost track!).

I normally haven’t been very sore after running a marathon other than the first time I ran one, but after last week’s Toronto Marathon, I felt a little more achey than usual, which made stairs a little bit tough for a day or two. I normally would’ve fit in one or two short runs in the week following before this 10k race, but I had a busy day Wednesday and was out of town with a busy itinerary Thursday and Friday. So I ended up not running at all, but that didn’t really faze me. I could tell my body could probably benefit from the recovery time.

Because I was out of town, and perhaps because I’m still somewhat disappointed with my Toronto Marathon (although I got so many kind messages and congrats, which helped cheer me up), I didn’t focus very much on this 10k. I knew I hoped to PB but knew it was a long shot given the fact I’d essentially have to run the pace of my 5k time trial with Nike but maintain it for twice the distance, which I didn’t feel was likely. My heart felt like it was going to explode during that time trial. Just typing this and I can feel the sensation of it about to burst through my ribs.

Add to this that on Sunday, thankfully it wasn’t raining (there had been a 60 percent chance of rain) but the weather was very warm. 18C and humid.

My friend Sasha of SoSasha.com and I planned informally to run beside each other, even though I assured her she would be faster than me. We were together til about 4k and then I slowed down. I was already feeling wiped out and was so terribly hot and sweaty. And I just couldn’t push myself more. I didn’t want to feel that intense pounding of my heart in my chest, to be honest it was a scary feeling during that time trial.

At the halfway mark, if I were able to maintain the same pace, I believe that would’ve been a personal best time (I haven’t broken out a calculator to be sure, but I think it’d be sub 47 minutes)…but just like last week’s marathon, I was confident I would be unable to maintain the pace for the last half. Dripping in sweat, and not drinking very much water as I was trying not to stop running, I was very much defeated by the heat. And my splits reflect that.

I ended up finishing in 49:51, which is nearly the same time as in 2013. Last year, I finished in 47:51 so I was hoping to finish this year in 45 or 46 minutes. But I’m fine with my time. This year, I don’t really feel my body or mind was as ready as it has been in the past to race again. And after having attended a barre class Monday night, I can definitely tell that my legs at least a few days of rest now after this 10k — I pushed my body hard in the last 8 days. In fact, in the photo here where me and Sasha are jumping, when I landed, my legs were so worn out and exhausted that I actually collapsed to my knees when I landed (thankfully, I didn’t hurt myself, just scraped one knee slightly).

As for the race itself, it is much better organized in terms of starting in waves and the finish no longer becomes a bottleneck the way it used to when it ended in Fort York. However, I felt there were far too few water stations along the route. And after crossing the finish line, it was a significant walk until reaching water and Gatorade. I felt lightheaded and considered sitting on the grass until I felt more steady, but I was frightened I’d make it worse and would end up possibly needing EMS help, so I made the long trek to water and gulped down four tiny cups and several Gatorade cups and devoured two bananas. This rejuvenated me, thankfully, and I went to find my friends.

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I now have three weeks until my next race, the Run for Women 10k, and then the Nike Women’s 15k and then that’s it for racing this summer. As for the fall, right before this race, I was talking about likely racing the Detroit Marathon, but when I felt miserable during the 10k, and thought “I paid good money to put myself through this torture??” I started to reconsider a fall marathon…but I’ll probably soon forget all of this and my type A personality will have me kicking off marathon training in the next few weeks…

Leave a Comment May 12, 2015

Fitness Swellness: Race Report: Sporting Life 10k 2014

I consider my forte to be endurance rather than speed. So I surprised myself yesterday in the Sporting Life 10k.

I hadn’t put too much thought into my race since my main focus this season was Around the Bay 30k at the end of March and the Toronto Marathon last week. This 10k race I added mostly because I decided to take part in the media team Nike Canada had put together to help raise money to send a kid to camp (Haven’t donated yet? You can donate here!)

I don’t think racing so close to completing a marathon is very wise, but I did it two years ago and it went fine. In fact, it was the same two races, the Toronto Marathon in 2012 followed one week later by the Sporting Life 10k and I ran a 10k personal best.

Since I’ve done very little speed training this season, and my recovery from the marathon has been slower than usual (I can still feel tightness in my legs, I’m guessing because I walked less than usual last week), I didn’t think I could PB yesterday. My fastest for 10k is 49:50. I expected to finish in about 52 minutes.

The weather was just about right — a little too warm for my taste during the actual run (I tend to prefer cool temperatures); thankfully my outfit of a tank, shorts and arm sleeves was just the right gear (I took off the sleeves a few kilometres into the race).

Since I didn’t collapse in my experience two years ago (not joking — I fret about how wise it is to run 10k after a marathon and have all sorts of horrible visions of my body just giving out during the race — so I held back a bit in my 10k race in 2012) I just decided to go hard. I was pretty sure I could maintain about a 5 minute pace if I felt good, sometimes faster, sometimes slower, for the entire 10k. I hustled, and it was difficult. Remember, me, the one that is not a fan of speedwork.

The race has been greatly improved since the first time I ran it. The corrals are nicely timed apart, so no more bottleneck at the race finish area. (One complaint — people in the first red corral who have no business being in the red corral–red corral  means you think you can finish in under 45 minutes–saw way too many slow folks sporting a red bib).

As I crossed the finish line, I knew I had run a PB but wasn’t sure by how much. And my iPhone wasn’t having network issues so I was unable to search for my time. Thankfully, my running buddy texted me congrats and looked up my time for me. That’s what good running buddies are for! She understood how important it was to have this info ASAP.

47:50.

Exactly two minutes faster.

When I ran 49:50 two years ago, I honestly thought, “Well, that’s it, that’s my 10k personal best for the rest of my life.” There once was a day finishing under one hour for 10k was huge for me. So to complete this in 47:50? That blows my mind. My fastest kilometre? A pace of 4:10. I didn’t think I was even able to run a whole kilometre that fast. I finished 77th out of 1, 495 women in my category.

And now, this has got me thinking…”Can I qualify for the sub 45 minute corral next year???”

I think if I focused on speed training, I could. I really could.

And so the running craziness continues!

Next up? A few weeks of recovery, which’ll include some easy runs. Possibly a short race in three weeks. Then months of training for the Chicago Marathon will begin.

Leave a Comment May 12, 2014