I often try to coerce my friends into running races with me. It’s just so much more fun to wait at the starting point of a race with a friend. You’re both nervous, you’re both excited and it’s definitely a bonding experience for me. And yet, I’m not usually all that successful in getting people to go to races with me!
So imagine my surprise when Zoe of Writing Whimsy not only planned to come out to Toronto for IMATS, but *also* agreed to run a 5K with me the next day. I’d suggested it as a joke – I didn’t actually think she’d take me up on it! But we managed to hype it up to each other and somehow we found ourselves signed up for the Toronto 10 Miler 5K race!
These were the absolute best race conditions I have ever experienced. The race was around 9 am and the temperature was cool but not cold. There was no wind and the skies were clear. The race started and finished at Cherry Beach in Toronto and it was just gorgeous down there. The sun was rising and reflecting beautifully off the lake. And there were only about 200 people signed up for the 5K making it a relatively small group.
It was a 5K so I don’t have a ton to say about the race since it really only lasts about thirty minutes or so. It was easily the flattest course I have ever run (I’ll definitely be back next year!). There were a few bumps in the pavement, but absolutely NO HILLS which was such a blessing.
I’m in the midst of training distances for the Scotiabank Waterfront Half Marathon so I haven’t been focusing on speed runs. And, as I’ve been lamenting THIS ENTIRE YEAR, I’m still an infuriating ten pounds heavier than I was last year, so it’s not like I was expecting to be spontaneously fast.
I did push it for this run though! My first kilometer came in under a 5 minute per k pace but, as per usual, I couldn’t keep that up and my pace slowed over the next few kilometers. I ended up completing the race with a 26:32 finish time, which will make this the third race this year where I finished between 26:29 and 26:32 which is just crazy! I felt good at the end though. I was spent, but I didn’t feel like I was going to fall over and I didn’t get that awful lightheadedness I’ve experienced with some races before. The only thing I did differently this race was carry water with me. I stopped at one water station to drink, but at the other I just ran on through and drank from my tiny bottle at random intervals.
Zoe came in a little bit after me and I was able to capture her finishing with my phone! What a champ, she wanted under 35 minutes and she easily cleared that with a 31 minute finish! I was so insanely proud of her since this was her first race. And I’m fairly confident that she’s been bitten by the racing bug because she’s already talking about doing 7 and 8k races. 😀
This is my last 5K race for the year, and I definitely came nowhere near achieving a 5K in under 25 minutes like I had planned to do at the start of the year. I’m sad I wasn’t able to get there, but I am happy that I at least stayed consistent. I had a pretty awesome 26:10 personal best time during the Achilles St. Patrick’s Day race back in March and after that I stayed solid around the 26:30 mark. It’s not an improvement, but it’s not a horrific decline either! Yay for being stagnant? Haha! 😉
Race Summary
- Finish Time: 26:32
- Pace: 5:18 per kilometer
- Overall placement: 41/208
- Gender placement (F): 18/146
- Category placement (F30-39): 7/40
