Back to the Spring Run-Off

What a beautiful day it turned out to be!  I haven't done this race - the High Park Spring Run-Off - in a long time.  I think it's been 10 yrs.
Ya I'm smiling now.  but that finish is a killer!
Usually the weather is a bit chillier than the 6 deg C it was this morning.  I could feel that it was warming up.  It was shorts weather for sure.

Lots of people were overdressed.  It's fine at first but then you overheat and your body has a hard time recovering cuz it can't get rid of the heat.

I talked our good friend Marika to do this.  Maybe she'll get the bug and want to do more.  This isn't an easy race.  The hills are killers.  But it's in the park, it's so close, every year it's a toss up on what the weather will be like.  Could be cold.  Could be raining, could be snowing or there's still SNOW on the race course.  I've seen it.  It sucks!
But it's the first race of the season.  I used to do it all the time.  Then i got tired of hauling my ass out for a cold weather run.

But today is one of those days that makes you glad you are alive and outside.  Spring is here and luckily for us the ground wasn't muddy.
We even ran into Molly and her brother who kinda reminded me of Tresa's godfather.  All SLOs look the same.
Eventually the family tree all goes back to the same roots, i guess.

I found Tresa and Marika soon after i finished and headed to the start of the 5K.  There they go, head down...looking to crush it!  I couldn't believe how nice the day was.  But I had to head home to get the car and pick up Kieran from Sloveska Sola and he'll probably want Pho.

I wasn't nervous for this race at all.  I knew it'd be hard, i didn't really think I'd come close to my old race times.  So I didn't expect much.  But I managed myself very well.  I was pleased with how i did.

I did the usual warm up for the first 1km.  Didn't get ahead of myself. Made sure i was comfy.  Saved my legs for the 2nd half.

Surprisingly the first hill wasn't too bad.  I remember breathing hard in prior years, but was ok today. Kept the pace doable, cuz it's only 1/2 over at that point.
It's the 2nd half people fade.   I drank some gatorade at the 1/2 way.  Which i spit out cuz that stuff gives me cramps.

Luckily it didn't affect me other than in my head.  I managed to keep it steady on the downhill by the cherry trees I let gravity help me out.  I saw the 7KM marker and started to pick up the pace slightly knowing that the last 300m is on that killer finishing hill.

At first I was thinking to just cruise up the hill.  But there was this lady in yellow that just took off from the bottom of the hill.  And I thought, i'm not doing repeats so might as well leave it all out there.  So i stayed with her sprinting up the hill.

I could feel my head wanting to explode, but not.   That salt tablet they gave me at the end of the race was bitter!  I had it in my mouth for a few mins thinking it was going to improve but it didn't.  Never going for those again.  Maybe I just needed more water?

Glad i didn't puke.  It's okay.  I get pancakes at then end anyways.  It's for the zoo i think.  I bought them when i registered.  It was for a good cause. I like pancakes.  They were good and warm.  I remember 1 year they had burritos.  They were disappointing.  Glad they had pancakes and syrup too.

Almost forgot about this.  Tresa sure knows how to make a run worth it.  Right out of the book of David Lee.  This is what duffle bags are made for.  Ignore the "please only take 1" sign and the odd looks you get when your bag is dragging on the ground.  When it gets to that point he brings a cart.

I didn't even see the bars.  I did see the cookies I think?  She brought back some yoghurt too.  I was pressed for time since I had to pick up Kieran from school, so I didn't look too diligently.  My eyes weren't as big as my stomach.  Since I just ate the pancakes.