A few days following the Tannenbaum 10K, Dave Emilio from The Toronto Beaches Runners Club announced that they were holding a 'sequel' race for those that were not able to make the previous week--and for pretty much anyone that just wanted to join in for the fun. Given that there was a 10K on my running calendar for the same day, I thought, why not run it there?
During that week, Toronto experienced an early and significant dump of snow on the city. As I walked to the start through slush and snow, I wondered what the trail would be like. A group of about 15 of us gathered at the start, introducing ourselves, joking and taking photos. We started out as a chatty group that slowly spaced out as the kilometers progressed. I was incredibly impressed to find the trail clear of snow and ice. There were a few puddles and mud spots along the construction zone on Leslie which muddied my shoes and my dog buddy's paws, but overall the conditions were excellent compared to the rest of the city.
Keeping my pace slower than the week before I was able to maintain it throughout with the exception of the half way point when I slowed to have a couple Honey Stingers and water. As I approached the finish I could see that some of the group had already finished and cheered as I crossed the finish. As each person finished, we turned to join the group to cheer the rest as they crossed. I think we were all just as excited to cheer on those that were getting their medals as we had been for ourselves the week before! It was a good feeling.
During that week, Toronto experienced an early and significant dump of snow on the city. As I walked to the start through slush and snow, I wondered what the trail would be like. A group of about 15 of us gathered at the start, introducing ourselves, joking and taking photos. We started out as a chatty group that slowly spaced out as the kilometers progressed. I was incredibly impressed to find the trail clear of snow and ice. There were a few puddles and mud spots along the construction zone on Leslie which muddied my shoes and my dog buddy's paws, but overall the conditions were excellent compared to the rest of the city.
Keeping my pace slower than the week before I was able to maintain it throughout with the exception of the half way point when I slowed to have a couple Honey Stingers and water. As I approached the finish I could see that some of the group had already finished and cheered as I crossed the finish. As each person finished, we turned to join the group to cheer the rest as they crossed. I think we were all just as excited to cheer on those that were getting their medals as we had been for ourselves the week before! It was a good feeling.
Besides races, I had never run in a group environment before. This was likely the closest to a running club run I had experienced. While I didn't chat much beyond the start, it was neat to have other runners ahead as an incentive to keep up as well as runners behind pushing me to keep going.
One of the biggest surprises since I started running has been the running community. It seems that there is a friendly, welcoming, accepting and motivating gene in every single runner I meet in person, wave to on the street or on chat with on social media. While I am extremely proud and happy to be a runner for the health and fitness aspect--I am also very pleased to be a part of the community because of these awesome people--and to hope that I carry that gene as well!
One of the biggest surprises since I started running has been the running community. It seems that there is a friendly, welcoming, accepting and motivating gene in every single runner I meet in person, wave to on the street or on chat with on social media. While I am extremely proud and happy to be a runner for the health and fitness aspect--I am also very pleased to be a part of the community because of these awesome people--and to hope that I carry that gene as well!
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