So many races to recap!

What a summer it's been! I was incredibly busy with work, training and racing that I neglected my blog and haven't posted since May 12.

Since that time, I have done 11 races, so there is lots to catch up on and lots of pictures to post.

First up, was the Ottawa Race Weekend 10K. To be honest, I don't think I would run it again. The route along the Rideau Canal was gorgeous,  but there were far too many people running to make it enjoyable. The road was too narrow for the nearly 9,000 runners who were struggling to keep up with their pace bunny and trying not to trip on the runner in front of you.

Pretty decent medal for an hour's work!

Next up, Girls on the Run 5K. This race was adorable. The guiding principle is empowering young girls and helping to promote self-esteem and confidence. The race took place at Downsview Park in Toronto and included newly paved paths and some good hills. Parking was free, as well. The best part was receiving my race medal from a tiny little girl who couldn't have been older than 4. Her smile was huge as she held out her hand with my medal dangling from it. I crouched down so I could say thank you. She was so excited to be at the finish line handing out medals to everyone. So cute!

Chuggin' along to a 27:32 finish.

June's next race found me in Perth, Ontario for the Perth Kilt Run, the world's largest kilt run. Nearly 2,000 runners took to the streets in all varieties of kilt - though I must say, my Thompson tartan was the best! This event was quite a celebration, with Highland dancers, great Celtic music and various games and contests. The race began with the runners being paraded to the start line. It was an awesome sight to see 2,000 people in kilts! The fire department had a spray station that I was greatly appreciative of - who knew running in a wool skirt would get so warm?!  The race route saw us winding through the streets of Perth and continuing through the golf course. Bagpipers were even placed throughout the race, which was a real treat. In the end, a 47:19 finish for me and a kilt pin to hang on the wall 'o bling!

Finishing strong in my awesome kilt. 

Canada Day in Ottawa brought me to a 5K race with one of my friends from work, Kate. It was great to run with someone for a change! Kate and I set a goal of 27:30. I was still recovering from vertigo so the run didn't go as smoothly as planned. But, Kate was an awesome running buddy and didn't mind the two walk breaks I had to take. We ended up finishing in 26:37, nearly a minute faster than our goal, so ultimately, both of us were pretty happy with the time!

It's tough keeping up with someone with much longer legs than mine!

July 29, 2012 found me driving to Gananoque to run the I Ran Gan 5K. For a small race, it was well organized. The race ran through downtown Gananoque and a mostly flat terrain. Nothing too remarkable for this race, except for the laser-engraved wood medals. Cool concept and a new take on the finishers' medal!

My super-cool laser-engraved wood medal.

August brought a flurry of races beginning with Canada Running Series' Toronto Ten-Miler and 5K. My Mum came down to Toronto with me to cheer me on. The race started and ended in the Distillery District, a place I have never been to. I was hoping for a good time, so I lined up relatively close to the front. Though not a super hot day, parts of the race were along roadway beneath the Gardiner Expressway and in the shade! My only complaint is there were some really shitty parts with tons of potholes and tar snakes. For a runner like me who routinely rolls an ankle mid-race, this was a bit scary. I spent more time getting dizzy looking down to pick "safe" spots to step than I would have liked. Ultimately, I paced myself to a 26:24.6 and was happy with the result!

Another piece of hardware for the medal rack!

Two weeks later, after a week-long business trip to the Arctic, I drove to Toronto in the middle of the night. I arrived in Toronto at 6:30am, picked up my race kit and T-shirt and then went to take a power nap in my car. The Toronto Women's Run is fun because the course is in Leslie Park, a treed park with serene pathways and lots of shade. Firefighters man the water stations and you get chocolate at the end of the race. You don't have to ask me twice if this is a race worth doing. Firefighters, chocolate, medal. Enough said. Regardless of the 20 minutes of sleep I got before the race, I clocked in with a respectable 55:03. 

Definitely worth the 4.5 hour drive and 20 minutes of sleep.

I made good use of my trip to Toronto by signing up for a 5K in Owen Sound the next morning. The Bayshore Race is an awesome small-town race with a good race kit and nice course. The only problem is they only give medals to top-3 finishers in each age category. I knew I'd have to be fast, but based on the results from previous years, I was convinced I could run top-3. I ran the 5K in 26:03 - the fastest time of the summer, and only a few seconds slower than my PB of 25:57 in -10 degree weather (I'm not exactly a warm-weather runner). While enjoying a free, post-race massage, my Mum broke the news that I came 4th. No medal for me :(  My age category was extremely competitive...and I was far off the 3rd place time. Back to the track for some 400m repeats!

Grinding through my fastest 5K of the summer to a disappointing 4th-place finish.

My sister and I decided to race the Yorkville B&O 5K run. Great course, fantastic medal and nice race kit. My biggest pet peeve at races is walkers and new runners lining up at the front of the pack. What the hell are you thinking?! When the race caters to elite runners like Wesley and Tarah Korir (they finished the race in 14:05 and 16:56 respectively), you know you're in for a fast race. When the gun went off, the real runners were mired in slow newbies and a bunch of soccer moms out for a Sunday stroll with their girlfriends. Good on them for getting out there, but do they really need to line up at the front?! A word of advice to new runners: if you know you're going to run-walk the 5K and intend to finish over 30 minutes, save everyone the hassle of weaving around you and head to the back. 

Kim and I finally shook loose of the walkers at the 300m mark and paced out the first 2K at a 4:45 pace. Kim had an awesome race and came in with her fastest-ever 5K time - 27 minutes flat! I ran a 26:03, identical to my time in Owen Sound a few weeks before. Overall, it was a great race and the blingy-blingy at the end was well worth it!

TWs with our awesome race bling after two solid finishes!

Happy trails, fellow runners!