Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon 2009

My wife and I at the Starting Line

I surprised myself this year. Last year, I ran the Scotiabank Vancouver half marathon in 2:28:42 (2:23:41 Chip Time) – a respectable time, I think. Granted, my training kind of tapered off the months leading toward the race, and I relied mainly on my stamina from cycling 10 km to and from work everyday. And I also have to say; my fear of failing that day spurred my focus, which enabled me to finish. It was truly a trying but rewarding experience. I think I made it more on sheer will power than anything else, and I ended up paying for it with tensed leg and neck muscles, which later brought on severe neck stiffness and pain. Two months later, I finally saw a chiropractor, which helped relieve my neck pains (yup, I was walking around with a painfully stiff neck for 2 months before seeing a chiropractor).

Anyway, long story short, given the effort I put in the last time, I was fully expecting to finish at around the same time. When I told my chiropractor that I finished a recent 10 km race in 58 minutes, she told he I’d finish in under 2:10 easy. I was like, “Nah!” But the pressure was on. Some things were working for me though. I was training more regularly (thanks Ayu, for spurring me on). Ayu and I took weekly long runs together, up to 8 miles. And though our pace was slow, we were consistent. Also, I know what to watch out for when it comes to my neck.

Race day came, and I focused on the task at hand. My strategy has always been to run behind a pacer (following Frank Shorter’s book). And the race this year was a lot bigger than before. We had sections for runners to start based on their expected run times (last year, it was just one big group). I started towards the back with my wife. And I quickly found someone at a similar pace to me. I started off running closely behind. I’d switch between different pacers, based on whether he/she was too fast or too slow for my pace. And being in a big race means that I have a lot of pacers to choose from.

Me After the Race

I made my way slowly but surely, mile after mile. I thought about looking at my watch, but I refused to think about how fast I was going. I just kept my pace by following my pacer. And even towards the final kilometres, I kept telling myself that there are 20 more kilometres to go. I wanted to avoid speeding up prematurely and falling short at the end.

When the finish line appeared in sight, I was surprised that the time on the clock was still showing under 2:10, just like my chiropractor predicted. I had to dart toward the finish line. There are apparently a LOT or runners in this time range, and I had to weave between the dozens of runners approaching the finish line. And I finished with a gun time of 2:09:29 (2:05:43 Chip Time). It was an awesome feeling.

My wife finished in 2:39:01 (2:35:14 Chip Time). Congratulations, Ayu! Well done!

In the days following, we binged a little. But we felt awesome. My legs weren’t sore (probably from all the training), and my neck wasn’t stiff and painful (thanks to the chiropractor). And now, my wife and I are at a loss on what to race next. We definitely want to do it again. And I guess I’ll have to beat that 2-hour mark. I know that’s going to be hard. But it’s worth going for. And maybe we’ll do a marathon next year.

Celebrating After the Run