Sandcastle City Classic 10K

[Jwolf]

Sandcastle City Classic 10K (White Rock, BC)
June 9, 2013
Time: 52:59

I decided to enter this race only last week. But even after I registered, I started to have my doubts. I told a friend, “I’m racing a 10K on Sunday, if you can call it ‘racing’. I’m so out of shape.” He said, “No, you’re not out of shape. You’re in the shape you’re in.” I whined, “But I’ve lost so much conditioning!” He said, “Who cares? Race. Breathe. Live.” He was so right. I decided from that moment forward I would no longer compare myself to my former self or complain about lost fitness. Racing was fun, and I missed it.

White Rock is well-known for its hilly terrain. The race organizers of Sandcastle have made it more appealing by designing a point-to-point course, starting at about 100m elevation and ending at sea level. This makes for a fun but challenging course. The first five kilometres are rolling and net downhill. The next four are gradually uphill; just when you are beginning that last third of the race and thinking, “10K races are tough… dig deep… ,” you also have to fight against gravity. The reward is a steady but steep downhill in the last kilometre, finishing at the beach.

My goal was simply to run hard and consistent. I knew that my Achilles would behave as long as I didn’t do anything crazy and kept relaxed on the downhills. I was expecting a pace of around 5:30/km, but I knew if it felt good I could be a bit faster. I did not do much of a warm-up before the race, so I used the first kilometre to ease into my pace. The rolling terrain and slight downhill allowed me to speed up, splitting the first 5K at just over 26 minutes (5:23 for the first kilometre, about 5:10/km for the next four). I was pretty happy with this. The tough kilometres began after that, and I was actually glad I hadn’t closely looked at the elevation profile before the race. I lost just a bit of time on kilometres 6-8 (about 5:30 average), but hung on anxiously awaiting the fun downhill. In the last kilometre I felt like I was flying, and I came over the finish line at just under 53 minutes.

I am so happy that I can now get out there and enjoy racing again. Racing doesn’t always have to be about PBs and age-group placings, as fun as those things are. Racing can be about doing your best on any given day, and experiencing the joy.

[ian]

I am so happy that I can now get out there and enjoy racing again. Racing doesn’t always have to be about PBs and age-group placings, as fun as those things are. Racing can be about doing your best on any given day, and experiencing the joy.

Well put. It's too bad that it often takes an injury for us to put running into this perspective.

Meanwhile, congratulations on the :59, always a sign of a race finished well.

[purdy65]

Nicely Done Jenn!

Love the perspective!

[Habs4ever]

Race. Breathe. Live.

Congratulations Jen. I'm glad you found joy in the fact you were "just" racing.

[orleansrunner1962]

Sounds like a perfect day! Happy you were able to enjoy it!!

[Stampie]

Meanwhile, congratulations on the :59, always a sign of a race finished well.

This!

Congrats on having a fun & enjoyable 10K on a familiar course for you. I could hear the joy in your post-race texts to me yesterday. A celebratory coffee is certainly in order.

[temporun]

good run. You ran an almost even split which is good considering the second half is the more challenging than the first. Must feel good to finish with a sprint on the last kilometre. Glad you enjoyed yourself.

[Hammie]

congrats - sounds like a great day!

[runJrun]

Sounds like you are in pretty good shape to me I love that you're this for the love of running, that is what it is all about! Great advice I need to follow, thank you for the reminder!

[lorei]

Sounds like a fun race! Glad you felt the joy again!!!

[RobW]

Great to see that you've completed your 2 most recent 10k races pain-free and without any setbacks. The latter completed 90 seconds faster so you're well on your way towards full recovery and more joyful running!

[Robinandamelia]

You did fantastic! What a huge confidence booster I'm sure. Your friend's advice was bang on as well. Congratulations....

[purdy65]

Great race Jenn! You and I are learning the same lessons. It's not always about the PB. Running strong, free and happy is what it's all about.

I can see how meshing your running with your other triathalon activities is really helping you keep injury at bay!

[Jwolf]

Thanks everyone. Lisa- you got so excited you replied twice .

I am glad I had a good race but the recovery has been much harder than I expected. Not the Achilles- that's fine- but the rest of my legs! I should be ready for a very easy run today. It has made me question how wise it is to race on such low running mileage, though. This tri- training is pretty tricky.

[HCcD]

Another race, Jen ??

Nicely done ...

[5km]

Congratulations. I'm glad you had fun! Well done.

[grimskot]

Congratulations Love your friend's advice, and your response to it.

[scrumhalfgirl]

belated congrats!

[Ken B]

Excellent race, Jennifer! Congratulations!

[barebuns1]

Congrats on another 10km, Jenn