Race Recap: Sporting Life 10km

After the race!

This is my 3rd year running the Sporting Life 10km and first time running the same event for the 3rd time. Sporting Life is such an all-around great race and one that I intend to participate in year after year as long as I can. Here's why:

Great course
Great cause
Great Atmosphere
Well Organized

When you sign up for the race the early bird cost is $40 and you get a $35 sporting life gift card as well as a discount code for New Balance. I've never done a race before that essentially pays you to run it. Speaking of which, if you raise $250 for the charity sponsor Camp Ooch, you get reimbursed your registration cost!

Mostly downhill the course runs down Yonge Street and has so much to look at. Just shy of 7km the course turns west and zig zags slightly until it runs over a beautiful bridge where you cross over the train tracks and have a great view of the CN tower. It then turns and runs down below an overpass and over the finish line. It has a tracking mat at the halfway mark which is neat to compare the first half to the second half of your race.

With runners in the 10's and 20's of thousands it's such an incredible feeling to run down a major city street with fellow runners. You almost feel like you're moving as a group, as if you're a small part of something much bigger than yourself. Of course, there's so much truth in this as the event supports Camp Ooch, a camp for kids with cancer.

No person should have to endure what cancer does to a body, to a spirit, to a family. No person let alone a child. I've learned first hand the every day impact of childhood cancer on a child, his brother and his parents. It was Mr. Rogers who said, "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'" Even though childhood cancer is scary, places like Camp Ooch and the people who run it bring light to the darkness, they are the helpers. I've heard about the constant events and special moments they create not only for the children who have cancer but for their siblings and parents as well. I will continue to support this fantastic organization.

In the past the event struggled with natural congestion that comes from 20,000+ runners but over the years has refined the process so well that it all runs (in my perception) seamlessly. I add in the bracketed disclaimer as I run in the first corral and therefore when I cross the finish line, get my medal, water and food I am not battling the bulk of the participants. However, I can see from the way they've continued to tweak some locations of medals and other after party items that they are further improving the event year after year. The best choice they make is colour coded corrals being released at least 5 minutes apart to relieve congestion on course.

This year the weather was ideal. It was cool, about 6-8 degrees. They pushed the start time to 7:30am which was early, but a better chance of cooler temperatures ideal for running. No rain, slight breeze. Being one week after a half marathon PB and unable to walk proper for the bulk of the week I didn't know what to expect. I took my GuChomps and decided to give it what I had. Right from the start my watch was off so I decided to switch to the second page of my Polar M400 and manually mark my kms as I passed the markers. This is a plan B strategy as it truly only gives me pacing feedback at each km marker so if I'm slower than desired all I can do is try to improve for the next km. I'm basically running blind other than that brief feedback. Running by feel doesn't really work either because who knew what these legs would feel this close to a half marathon PB. I did notice the side pain pretty soon in which made me make a mental note that I need more cardio in my life (harder runs, hills, something else). I miss going to my bootcamp class, it was the best cross training.

Unflattering race photos

I was pleased to cross the half way point at 22:58 (my 5km PB is 22:50) but the second half didn't go as well with my blind kms (2 of them being over 5min/km) and then crossing the finish at 47:37. My personal best was on this course two years prior at 47:20. I wasn't mad to be 17 seconds off a PB, in fact I was pleased to be so close to it as it's been a long time since I've gotten anything close. It gives me hope for a potential at a 5km PB in the future. I ran strong and I felt pretty good after. When I got to medals and saw my boys, time somehow didn't matter in the least. I am blessed as a teacher to teach some of the greatest kids. One of them has watched his younger brother battle and beat cancer and for the past two years their family has handed out medals. Getting my medal from them means more than any other moment of this race.

Getting my medal  from these two sweet boys

I grabbed my water, gatorade, bagel, banana and stood in line for some clif bars. I thought about the new juicy blister I had brewing on my right foot below my big toe and how this would be the last race these running shoes would run (just bought my next pair the day prior). The after party area is always a great time with high energy and lots to do and see.

My boyfriend Mark has now officially become my personal spectator. After doing a top-notch job last weekend at the Goodlife Toronto Half Marathon I knew this weekend would be no different. I had a great plan that we'd park at the start, he'd see me off then subway down to the finish line.

I'm in my corral and he's on the outside because there was security ensuring only red bibs went into the first corral

Well, I thought it was a great plan. Last year I ran with my cousin and his friend. We had no spectators and we subwayed back to the start line after we were done so it seemed like an easy thing to do. What I didn't think about this year was that the race was now starting half an hour earlier (the subway doesn't start running until 8am on weekends). So Mark unfortunately missed me finish and the two of us set off walking towards one another and met up somewhere on the waterfront. Even when I have terrible plans he still goes along with them in order to support me. He's pretty great.

After the race all I wanted was an iced coffee from Mcdonalds. Yum! Though I am not a "mother" myself I still call myself a dog mom to this beautiful fluff ball!

My Zoe girl

Overall I chalk this year's Sporting Life 10km up as another great success! I can't wait to sign up for next year's event!