First thing’s first: I need to do more races in Canada. It’s not just that I have an unhealthy, unrequited love for the true north strong and free, but there is something really satisfying about their races. Granted, when you show up to a race in Canada, you feel as if you are in the big slug category — the depth of the talent of the runners is quite deep. But alas, I was not a slug. There is little fanfare. To start the race, a guy yelled “Go!” To end the race, you simply crossed the finish line to cheers of the crowd. No music, no announcers. It was low-key and actually quite nice.

As for the actual race? My goal was to run 9-minute miles. The weather was good for it, but the course was not. It was pretty darn hilly with significant hills at Mile 5 and Mile 7. The end result? I 1:36 and change time for an average pace of 9:40. Most importantly, I battled the negative thoughts in my head, trying to counter them each time with something positive.

My pre-race thoughts including my happy dance:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK2nlf2TVKw&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

And now, the post-race recap:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZniRslrMoU&hl=en_US&fs=1&]