Race #83 - Great post-race buffet at the Galley Patio and Restaurant (Hypothermic Half Marathon)

This was the first time I ever ran in the Hypothermic Half-Marathon. First of all, I would like to thank all my friends at the Running Room for your support in my pursuit for 100 races. The Hypothermic Half is a Half-Marathon/Full Marathon series across Canada organized by the Running Room. These races are community events where participant numbers are around 100 - 500. This event comes with a decent amount of swag. Each participant got a Running Room backpack (which retails at $59.99), a bib, a medal and a post race buffet. 

   The event features a double figure 8 loop starting at Jericho Sailing Center. It is pretty hard to find a location to host a race that is perfectly 21.1km, so that made sense to me from an operations perspective. The weather was thankfully very good and the skies were partly cloudly. On that note, the course was very beautiful, which definitely made it more fun to run considering that it was a repetitive loop.

   When the event finished, my favourite part was the post race breakfast buffet. It is not very common to see at an outdoors athletic event that uses ceramic and have a sit down place for food. The Jericho Sailing Center has a really nice restaurant that overlooks English Bay. The food selection and post race buffet was spectacular. From freshly baked croissants to sausages, eggs, waffles, hash browns, bacon and fruits, this is definitely one of the best post race buffets around. I am definitely fan girling around the fact that we get ceramic served food. I didn't eat too much though since I am not usually that hungry after a race, but I did have some food :p

Race #82 - MEC Vancouver Race One

The biggest thing about MEC events is the price. If you buy the season's pass, you can get all of their races for $12, or else each race is only $15. That is unbeatable in terms of the price on the market. I think MEC does not actually make money on this, but for them it's more of a marketing thing to bring people into their stores. That said, you get what you pay for when it comes to these MEC Events. A big reason why many events and races cost more is because there are huge overhead costs to running an event (insurance, permits, food, venue prices, staff, timing, swag and etc...). It's analogous to how there are budget airlines vs traditional airlines. There is a varying degree of how much is spent per event too from the organizing perspective. In terms of what is provided for the runners, the MEC events are more on an economical scale. But for many though, that is all they need. These races also don't support charity and they tend to rely heavily on their staff versus investing time and effort into volunteers. But hey, sometimes you don't need all that if you just want to race and nothing else.

Nuun Hydration

Bathroom Lineup

   The start and finish line areas of this race is pretty barebones. It has all the bells and whistles that a start/ finish line should have, such as an arch, some portapotties, coffee and bananas. KIND Snacks and Nuun Hydration was also there. They also had However, the choice of start/ finish was interesting as it was on a muddy field. The usual run for the washrooms before the event happened (I have plumbing issues too - anxiety...what do you expect? haha). As I mentioned before, because this race relies on staff, they have a strict schedule they stick to. They will shut down package pickup and registrations on time and they usually won't make exceptions. They send the staff to the various points on course.
     The course was a loop around the seawall, starting and finishing at Devonian Park. The loop is a classic for many events that want a 10km distance (this is a certified distance by BC Athletics for other events such as the VFAC's Summerfast 10k and other races). It is gorgeous on a beautiful day to run around the sea wall, but on a day that's pouring rain and windy, it can be rather cold. That said, I enjoyed myself. Nothing better to wake you up than a cold shower right? I also enjoy the event because I got to catch up with many people from the running community whom I adore very much <3
   Overall, I would definitely run the races again because the selling point is the really cheap race entry.

Race #81 - Steveston Ice Breaker 8km and Steveston Bakery

For those have been following me along my journey (thank you so much <3) knows that I am trying to complete 100 races before I am 25 in attempt to raise awareness for mental and liver health. For the next 20 races, I will make an effort to post about the race/event experience (for now, it will be on vantraveller.com, but I will probably migrate that to my own website down the road).

Lots of finish line food

Race #81 - Steveston Ice Breaker 8km and Steveston Bakery 

Holy Wind! I think nothing explains the concept of how jet streams work better than today. The course was an out and back from the docks near Steveston eastward along the water and then back. The reason why it reminds me of jet streams is that when an airplane is flying on a jet stream, it's so much faster than when it's flying against it. It's the reason why planes fly faster one way (the way that's in the direction of the jet stream) versus the other way (against it).

Croissant from the Steveston Bakery

   The day started with one of my best friends and I driving to Steveston, the wind was blowing like haywire. When we arrived, the community center wasn't opened yet, so we waited outside for a bit until they were open. Once it was opened, we quickly grabbed our race packages. The race packages itself was nothing too noteworthy, all it included was the race bib, pins and some coupons for New Balance. After we got our packages, we went on a hunt for food (there were no pre-event food besides water, so we had to wait until after the race yet we were starving).
   During our hunt, the Steveston Bakery was open... and what a CUTEEE bakery that was. Since it was early in the morning, the seating area were full of seniors and they were just the most adorable people. They were super curious about our race bibs and the race and we began chatting. The owner was super personable and nice too. If there is something that tugs at my soft spot, it's the small family owned bakery feeling. I can tell that everything was made in house and that they took a lot of time (probably up at 4AM making it). I ended up getting a small cheese croissant and boy that was good. The cheddar cheese inside that croissant and the fact that it wasn't overly greasy really gave it a good touch.

The insides of the Steveston Bakery, it was so cute <3

  Soon after we finished at the Bakery, we headed back to the Steveston Community Center where we changed and then left our non-running clothes in her car. The event also provided bag check, but we thought it was easier for us to leave it in her car.
   The actual start line was a few blocks from the Steveston Community Center (which was were the pre-event package pickup and post-event celebration). It was definitely a bit far in-terms of the relative distance from the start line/ finish line and the event celebration site. However, I can understand given the nature of where the start line/ finish line is (such as the availability of space and weather) that it would be hard to house all the festivities and food there.
   The event didn't have a start line arch this year (I'd imagine they would have it otherwise, but the wind today was CRAZY. 40km/hr+ at least. . he event was also self seeded with a mass start, but most people had no problem finding their place in the starting chute.

The start / finish line of the Steveston 8km

   The course itself was pretty in the sense that if the weather was good, the water on the south side was gorgeous with the sun rising. However, with the wind, it was hard to keep my eyes open. On the first 4 kilometers, it was VERY DIFFICULT because of the wind. The course was running eastward and the wind was moving westward. There was a lot of resistance running into the wind. The moment that I passed the 4 kilometer mark, it was amazing to feel the wind push me forward from the back.

Post event door prizes

    The course's elevation change was not that much besides small inclines here and there. Overall, you can call this race a flat race. I had a fun time running the race (I have an over active imagination, so I definitely felt like I was an airplane). It took me about 34 minutes to run the 8km (which wasn't the fastest... but the thing I learned about racing is to just try your best on given conditions on the day of the event). Mind you, this event draws out track athletes, so be prepared to see a faster crowder than your average community race. The finish line was fun though, I stayed for a bit for people I knew to finish, and to give them high 5's.

Post event food

The walk from the finish line to Stevenston Community Center was slightly cold. I was cooled down already (because of sweat), so the few hundred meters we had to walk to the Community Center was cold (and the wind didn't help). That said, the food at the Community Center was amazing. They were able to get people like Subway, Boston Pizza, KIND Snacks to sponsor. In addition, they also had fruits and muffins (made by the lady who owned Steveston Bakery!), coffee, water and krispy kreme. The food part was spectacular and very well done. The other part that was cool was the number of door prizes there were. I was surprised how many prizes they had (I won a MEC race series ticket). Overall, this was a cute community race. It brought together volunteers from the community and the Kajaks and I love that about this race.

Tips:

• Weather can be unpredictable because of the date of the event, so be prepared. 
• Make sure to plan transport, if you cannot drive here, I would imagine it would be harder to come here via public transit, especially on a Sunday morning.
• Register early. The earlier you register, the cheaper it is. 

Vancouver Sun Run Guide 10km (Tips / Review)

This might be a bit of a deviation from what I would normally post, but I guess if you are in Vancouver, the Sun Run is a must do. Not only is the Sun Run the largest 10k race in the world (and this year (2014) because it's the 30th anniversary, the record is definitely going to be broken again).  Personally, I've been running in the Vancouver Sun Run for about 7 years now. This is going to be my 8th year at the run and there are things I discovered over the years that I wished someone would have told me, that I would like to share with you. I've organized it into sub-sections, if you are just looking for tips on race day, please skip "Registration" and "Preparing for the Run" Section

Registration
Everything starts with registration. If you have more than 10 people that you would like to run with, you can choose to sign up as a team. That said, each person will still have to pay the individual fees. What I recommend is signing up early because there is an early bird rate that you can get.
  After you finish registration, about 3 days prior to the Sun Run. An event called the "Sun Run Fair" will be held. Where if you have signed up as individuals, you must go to pick up your race package/t-shirt. The Sun Run fair is usually held at BC Place (if you signed up for the Youth/School or teams, you must pick up your package from the team captain).
  At the Sun Run fair, the sponsors are usually there with freebies that you can grab and also some information about their products.

Preparing for the Run
   If this is the first time you are running in a 10km race, I would like to say welcome. If this isn't your first time, still, welcome :D. First and foremost, before starting a new exercise routine, check with your doctor if you are suitable for running. Specific conditions to be aware of is if you have a history of heart problems, fainting spells, I would recommend checking up with you doctor before hand. Running is a very heart healthy, but heart stressing activity, so it's a good idea to always do a health check before hand (better safe than sorry right?). That said, when it comes to training, there are usually really good training manuals online, and I would say one of the best is found here on the Sun Run site: http://www.vancouversun.com/2012sunrun/pdf/InTrainingGuide2012.pdf
   For locations to run, please visit my sub blog "Journey to a Marathon" (Please note this section is still undergoing construction)

Day of the Run
   Even though 10km is not very long (compared to things like a marathon which is 42.2km), it is still considerably difficult, depending on your fitness level. One thing to keep in mind is to make sure you have a good night's sleep before the run.
   Because the Sun Run is such a big event, the streets are usually jam packed with people. If you are with a group of people, be prepared to lose sight of your group. What is a good idea is to define a point, like maybe a location at the finish line where you can all meet. It is a better idea to meet at the finish line as everyone's pace is different, and also the finish line is a location that everyone must cross, so it's likely not to be missed.
   Everyone will meet at the start line, which spans West Georgia Street. The racers are divided into waves depending on your estimated finish time during registration. They have to do this to avoid having too many people running across the start line at the same time (with 66,000 people wanting to cross the start like all at once can be a scary sight).
  Personally, I don't think there is a difference about getting to the starting line/start section earlier because there are so many people and it's so packed that often, it's difficult to find a spot. The real thing that matters that the timer starts once you cross the start line and stops once you cross the finish line. So really, there is no point in trying to push your way across walls of people in the start section to just get a head start. The start will be the same for everyone and it's relative to when you cross the start line.
  Make sure you pack light or not bring too much stuff with you. Running with alot of things can be uncomfortable. One year, I brought my entire backpack with stuff from school and while I was running with it, I literally felt like a camel in the desert. They do have a $5 bag check service for people that would like their things transported to the finish line. But... I would still recommend saving that $5 and just brings less things (also with less things you are less likely to lose stuff).
  Before the run begins, there will usually be music and people leading stretches on stages. Stretching maybe a good idea before starting the race, but it depends on personal preference. Personally, I find that when I stretch before a work out, my muscles aren't warm enough so the stretching doesn't really have much impact versus stretching after the work out.

During the Run

From the Vancouver Sun Run's website

   One of the biggest mistakes that I find people doing is usually at the beginning, once they cross the start line, they will run as fast as they can and then burn out at the 2-3km mark. They hit the point where lactic acid builds up in their legs, and then the rest of the 10km feels like a drag. What I recommend is to pace yourself at the beginning.
    Somethings that you can also do is run in intervals (if you aren't accustomed to running the full 10km distance), where you run for something like 2 minutes, and walk for one. The course will start off with a down hill from the start until you reach the turn on Denman street. It's very easy to run too fast here because you are going down hill and you feel invincible with the wind in your hair.
   The route will turn and continue on the boundary of Stanley Park. Once you turn onto Beach Avenue, the scenery is very nice as to one side you have trees and the other side you have English Bay. The route down Beach Avenue may feel abit long because you will see over a kilometer ahead of you with no turns.
    The most difficult part about the Sun Run is the 20 meter climb from the Beach Ave to beginning of the Burrard Street Bridge. When running this part, you might feel like you are not moving anywhere (but you are). The sweet thing is that this part is very short, and once you are up the bridge, you've made it past the steepest climb of the route.
    One the bridge, you will be able to get a stunning bird's eye view of everyone running on Beach Avenue. I would say this is a picture worthy moment! The rest of the route will navigate through the West Broadway area, and passing by Granville Island on the way. There will be lots of people cheering you on. You will continue all the way until you reach the Cambie street bridge. The end is near, and you can see the finish line at BC Place. Here, if you still have the energy, many people will speed up for the finish line. Last year when I ran, I kept a steady pace (because the Cambie Street Bridge will still have a climb (to get on the bridge)), until the ramp down from the bridge. Then I sprinted across the finish line. It is your own preference as how you would like to run, but besides being safe, it's also a matter of not feeling bad after the run because you pulled a muscle or cracked something.


Hydration
    Throughout the route, there will be many water stations too. The thing about water stations is that you won't need to bring your own water bottle (you can if you want because everyone's need for water is the different, and you may need more). One thing I have to caution about is over drinking water and causing an imbalance of electrolytes in your body. This is a very serious problem that is often over looked. Many people think "I'm running alot, so I should be drinking tons of water to compensate". It's very hard to tell if your body has too much water or not enough, but usually when you are thirsty, it's a sign that you need water. Hence if you are not thirsty, don't go chugging gallons of water. Also, know the signs of hyponatremia (symptoms include (but not limited to): feeling dizzy, confusion, fatigue and etc... for more info, please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyponatremia
    That said, many sport drinks are offered at the run too. These sport drinks have alot of sugar content and not to mention artificial colouring and calorie count. I would recommend being conservative when drinking these sport drinks. They do contain electrolytes that you need when you run, but you obtain electrolytes from food or even just adding pinches of salt to water.
 
After the Run
   When the run is finished, give yourself a pat on the back. You've accomplished something that is not easy to do. That said, be aware too. Make sure you don't just stop at the finish line and you have let yourself time to cool off (it's better for your heart). This is also a good time to stretch as stretching will help reduce muscle fatigue on the next day.
   Here, there will be food and things to eat inside BC Place. I would caution about eating too much because many people, after running, will think "Because I have burned all these calories, I can eat as much as I like". In fact, depending on your speed and finish time, you may burn as little as 400 to 700 calories during the run. They will give you food like protein bars, bagels, and fruits at the finish line. But things like bagels usually contain a large amount of carbohydrates (which you need but not in excess). It's important to eat, but becareful about overeating. I think I read in a book that this is called "compensation eating", and you will gain weight as a result.

Most Important thing of all of these tips is to have fun, and enjoy yourself!
   Anyway, it's back to studying for my exams for me. I am not a professional runner, but I've done the Sun Run a few times and is training for a Marathon so I hope my insights can help you have a better Sun Run experience.