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!

Sporting Life 10km 2015: Race Review

It depends on how you look at it to determine whether this race was one of the best I've experienced or one or the worst.

In terms of running, this race was one of my worst. I set out with lofty goals as the course is a fast one with a fast atmosphere and lots of downhills to stretch the legs on. Last year I got my 10k PB of 47:20, also the first time I broke 50. So that shows you how well last year went. I was ready for that this year. I was setting a lofty sub 45.

The weather was hot, humid and hazy. I believe the car was reading 20degrees when we drove into the city, and with a humidex of around 27. I was wearing a tank top and shorts (and couldn't have worn less). I was hot before I started running. I started in the red corral, the sub 45 min corral. The people were intense and competitive and took off right from the start.

I started out strong and tried to maintain but slowly began to slow as I heated up fast. There was not a breeze to be found. I make sure to drink and dump water at both water stations (which I usually would just skip). My 5km split had me at 23:14 (4:38/km). My original goal of a sub 45 quickly became a PB (sub 47:20) and at this point it was still doable. Then the wheels fell off. My second 5km took 25:53 (5:10/km) finishing at a 49:06. Within the last km I saw 3 people sitting on the side of the road, the final, about 200m from the finish was passed out of the side of the road with a volunteer running toward her. It was HOT and I was starting to feel dizzy. In fact, as soon as I finished and stopped running I was fairly certain I may pass out or throw up (as I also witnessed someone do) but I put my hands on my head and steadied myself as I walked toward the medals and water.

At least I beat my time from a few weeks ago when I ran the Toronto Yonge Street 10km which is the same course. That day I remember being cold after the race and had to stop for a coffee. Wow how things change.

But here's where things turn around, where one of my worsts becomes one of my bests. I knew I'd get to see the faces of one of my students and his brother who fought cancer and won. The Sporting Life 10km hosts 25,000+ runners and is a primary fundraiser for Camp Ooch, for kids with cancer. I've learned firsthand through these boys how great Camp Ooch is as it allows kids to be kids and have great experiences and not just the children with cancer but their siblings as well. Camp Ooch puts on frequent fun events for the kids like most recently they went to Ripley's Aquarium. So cool!

My students are like children to me. So getting to receive my medal from my student was so much fun. As I wasn't feeling my best I went through to the water (drank 5) and food and came back. By this point the boys were over the medal thing as they only had a few people they wanted to see. So I played tag with them and ran about. They are the reason I participate in the Sporting Life 10km. They are the reason the event itself runs. Not personal bests (though they are nice), not medals or bananas or anything else. The kids.

It was also a fun event as I've recently helped my very tall cousin get into running so it was his first major running event. He really enjoyed himself and can't wait to do his next! The love of running is best shared.

I wanted to stop in the sporting life store to get a momento. I think the boys were shocked how quickly I was in and out.

Also, had to get a post run dollar drink (large diet coke) and I may ALSO have gotten a medium iced coffee because they are only a dollar, all summer. It's all I wanted after I ran :)