5 posts tagged “race”
After a threat of first 90%, then 30% chance of precipitation, race day morning dawned perfectly cool with a mix of clouds and sun. Not a drop of rain was in sight. (Thank you, Vancouver!)
Shane and I left the apartment just before 6 a.m. to head to the race start (on the other side of downtown). We drove over to park in Shane’s work lot, as it’s located right next to the Skytrain, which we planned to take the rest of the way (my monthly transit pass allows me to travel with an extra passenger on Sundays, woo!). We arrived at the starting line around 6:20, giving us plenty of time to use the Port-a-Potty and stretch.
The half-marathon group lined up as we got closer to 7 a.m. (the official go time for the race). We jumped in around the middle of the pack, both of us feeling a lot of nerves at that point. I was anxious about running my first half-marathon; Shane was feeling the pressure of meeting his ambitious time goal (1:45). But soon we were flowing with the massive, 6,000-strong crowd toward the start. We wished each other well and set off on our individual journeys to The Black-Eyed Peas “Pump It” blaring over a pair of gigantic speakers.
I felt good from the beginning. All the time spent tapering (not to mention the pure adrenaline of finally running this long-planned-for event) gave me an extra bounce in my step as we moved into the Gastown portion of the race. I thought maybe I was running a bit faster than my anticipated 2:15 pace time, but I didn’t know for sure. (Nor did it really matter; my primary goal was just to finish.)
Around the 10km (or 6-mile) mark, the route followed the seawall leading into Stanley Park and then hopped up on the road that circles the park (Park Drive). This was when I started to feel nervous again, as the infamous Park Drive hill to Prospect Point was coming up. Prospect Point is essentially the highest point in Stanley Park, and veterans of this half-marathon will tell you this long, steep climb to the top is intensely challenging (especially being located in the middle of the race).
Thankfully, since Shane and I had done a training run on this hill, I was able to reach the crest without any issues. It also helped that some amazing spectators were lining the road, yelling encouragement at the top of their lungs (supportive words can do wonders for tired legs). And the downhill on the other side? That was almost worth the pain of ascending (almost).
Soon I hit the 10-mile mark and began running along Beach Avenue. A large crowd had gathered by English Bay Beach to cheer us on, so that was a nice boost. I definitely struggled as we entered the last 3km (about 2 miles remaining). My calves were burning like they’ve never burned before, but I knew we were close, so I pushed through the discomfort. And sure enough, soon the end was in sight.
If you’ve never experienced the finish line of a race, it is simply incredible. The enthusiasm from the assembled crowd and the pick-up in pace by just about every runner out there is electrifying. I flew through the end, crossing the finish with my arms held high and cheering as loudly as my tired lungs could handle. I recently heard this moment described as empowering, and I couldn’t agree more. I felt like I could take on absolutely anything.
Shane and I met up within minutes of my finish, both with the AWESOME news that we had done better than we’d hoped. I managed my first 13.1-miler in 2:05:24, ten minutes faster than I expected to be (holy shit); Shane broke his half-marathon PR by nearly six minutes, completing in 1:43:12 (well under his goal). Hell yeah!
We then made our way back to Shane’s work to shower up - a logistical decision made because we had reservations in the restaurant just above Canada Place at 11:30. This particular place - Café Pacifica in the fancy Pan Pacific hotel - is known in Vancouver for its extravagant (and yes, expensive) brunch buffet, which we were eager to partake in.
After logging the longest distance I’ve ever run, that food tasted fucking delicious. There were freshly-squeezed juices, assorted pastries, salads, fruits, sushi, dim sum, stir fry, salmon and sole, bacon and sausage, (every kind of) meat and potatoes, omelettes and eggs Benedict, and the most beautiful dessert spread you can imagine. We lingered there for a couple of hours, taking our time through four (yes, four) separate buffet trips. It was a wonderful way to end what was truly a spectacular morning.
And - as you might expect when everything goes so perfectly according to plan - it wasn’t long before we were discussing when we might want to train for another half to do it all over again.
EDITED TO ADD: Click on the pictures for descriptions!
This weekend, Shane, Jon, Shannon, Carrie, Joan (see picture) and I headed out to Green Bay, WI so the boys could run in a "Valentine’s Day" race. It was a whirlwind trip out and back (we spent nearly as much time in the car as out of it), but worth it for the good food and great company.
These are some pics from our excursion; more from this trip (and other recent events) can be found on my Facebook page. Three cheers for digital cameras!
Tisha’s Stats
overall place: 2235 out of 5094
division place: 282 out of 847
gender place: 1039 out of 3106
time: 1:41:27
pace: 9:47
chip time: 1:37:49
Shane’s Stats
overall place: 1068 out of 5094
division place: 160 out of 422
gender place: 687 out of 2016
time: 1:29:20
pace: 8:35
chip time: 1:25:42
As it turned out, we both missed our ultimate time goals, but believe me when I say it didn’t matter. With the weather setting its own blisteringly hot, record-breaking PR, we were both just happy (and proud) to reach that 10-mile finish line. And as with all running events, the joy of accomplishing this race goes far beyond anything the numbers will tell you - which is why we're sure to be back for more.
Special thanks go out to my mom, Jon, Shannon, Carrie and Soopa for coming out to support us! We loved celebrating the end of this months-long journey with you (and that warm caramel pecan roll).
On Sunday, Shane and I went to see “Race: Are We So Different?”, a current display at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Its appearance here in the Twin Cities marks the official premiere of this exhibit, and it will probably become more well-known in the years to come. Various locations across the country have booked “Race” through 2012.
The overwhelming message, as you might guess, is that we are not so different. The variations that make us LOOK dissimilar (skin color, yes, but also things like eye color, height, etc.) are less than *one percent* of our entire genetic make-up. In fact, if I remember correctly, human beings have the *least* amount of genetic variation in all of the animal kingdom. How fitting, then, that I walked away from this exhibit having caught the "common" cold!
And yet, despite our similarities, race still holds tremendous power over us, particularly in the U.S. To understand that we created this concept, that we divided our species into these arbitrary color categories and assigned stereotypes to each (nearly all of which, as the presentation carefully points out, have no scientific basis), stereotypes that continue to cause social disparity today – it’s a truly disheartening statement about humanity as a whole. Because it means the more powerful among us CHOSE this path. At one time, the possibility existed that our collective history could have been written without the idea of race at all.
But the past can’t be undone; race, at this point, can’t simply be “uncreated”. The question now is how we move forward. What are the options for improving our situation? For instance, as the exhibit asks, do we change the U.S. Census? Do we create an expanded list of racial groups people can check off? Or do we allow folks to write in their own term to describe their race? What are the costs to eliminating this part of the census entirely?
These are just a tiny fraction of the questions that were circling our heads as we left the exhibit this weekend. I’m curious to know if any of you have an opinion on them one way or another.
