RACE DAY!!!

So I have a friend that just competed in a Triathlonand that inspired me to get out and compete at something as well so I researched and found an event that just suited me completely and then signed up.

First of all, the event was local. It was held at the Mono Cliffs Provincial Park. It is so beautiful there. I have spent a lot of time there in the past running the trails.

Secondly, it was for a great cause. The funds raised from the event are going towards securing 100 acres of land in the Boyne Valley Corridor which will be used for the Bruce trail.

Thirdly, this is a green event. So carpooling and bringing your own water bottle is strongly encouraged. Everything from the event that can be recycled or composted was. They also had local sponsors there that brought local food and products.

Now for the race information. I have been trying to run as often as I can for about four weeks now and for the most part I have been able to run 6 days per week but I normally only run 4 – 5 kms each time. I researched men’s 8 km race results and found that first place winner had a time of 29 mins. So on Tuesday night I ran my first 8 km and I timed myself and managed to make it in 36 mins. I was very happy with those results but I wanted to see if I could get that a little better but my legs hurt a lot so I didn’t run again until race day. I did however walk the course on Friday to see what I was getting myself into. It was a tough course even to walk. There were a few really steep hills and narrow trails with large rocks in the path but I was excited for race day.

So race day came and I was pumped up. We made our way over to the event, signed in and then waited. I was checking out the other runners to see how I thought I would compare. I figured I would be around half so when it came time to line up at the starting position I placed myself about halfway. As soon as it started it was so crowded that I had to walk until it thinned out. Once we were able to run I still had to wait awhile until I could get to the speed I was comfortable with. I ended up passing 18 people and had a blast. I ran pretty much neck and neck with two other runners. That in itself was a lot of fun. I constantly felt pushed to go faster to either catch the person in front or just fend off the person behind me. I ended up finishing 7th overall at 40 mins and 3rd for my age group. I seriously feel I could have done better if it wasn’t for my poor choice of positions in the beginning. I still wouldn’t have been able to get first though. That guy was 7.5 mins ahead of me. FUN!! I want to do another race in October!!!

You can see my results here if you like. You just have to click "Mono Cliffs Run 2010 Results" twice to be able to see them.