Canada Day 5k Recap

I know this is a day late and it may even be a dollar short.  I'll have to let you know if I find that missing Loonie in the couch cushions or not.


Yesterday was Canada Day.  Canada celebrated her 147th birthday.  Last year I started a tradition of running a 5k race.  I run the one in Burlington put on by VRPro.  We run several of their races and like the way the are organized and that they have a nice community feel to them.  Being a Canadian transplant, I'm trying to find my place still.  I get homesick on two holidays, Thanksgiving and Canada Day/Fourth of July.  Neither is celebrated quite like they are in the United States so I'm trying to start my own traditions and take the best of both of them and combine them into a great family celebration.


The Canada Day 5k is a nice flat course along the lake.  It's through a park that then hosts a Canada Day celebration.  I knew I wasn't going to run well because my body was still sore and dehydrated from the swim meet on the weekend.  I did start out to fast and 15 minutes into the race, the wheels fell off.  My muscles just started getting very tight and I knew I was not going to finish well.  I decided to take it easy and just enjoy the run.  The scenery was pretty and there was a nice breeze coming off the lake.  Then I hit the wooded area.  Ugh...that's when the humidity hit.  It was so sticky and the air was so close that it made it hard to breathe.  That's when I started to sweat really badly and my legs started to revolt.  I was feeling very sick due to dehydration. 


I am usually pretty good about adjusting when a race just doesn't feel good, but this one I was having a hard time with.  I had to walk and I haven't had to walk during a 5k or 10k in a long time.  I had to remind myself that everyone has races like this.  Oh was it ever a really long last 1.5k of that race.


I finished and I had a smile on my face.  It may have been a smile that was holding back a string of profanity that would make a sailor blush, but it was a smile.


I drank lots of water over the weekend knowing I would need it and yesterday I drank even more water.  I'm feeling rehydrated and ready to go tomorrow morning for a nice 4 mile run.  The storms have blown through and it will be a beautiful morning to go for a run with River.  Hopefully tomorrow morning goes better than yesterday.


Needing a shot a redemption, I think I'm signing up for a 5k race on July 17th.  I'm still debating this, but I know I will probably give in.  I won't be dressing like this for that race though.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's run!