The 2017 Maritime Race Weekend has come and gone. Many runners, decent weather and even beer were to be had. For the second year in a row I decided to Pace Bunny the event, helping others get to a goal finish time. I opted for the 10km 45 min duties again this year, just like last, though this year i was all fit and not slightly injured, which made the day even nicer.
So while I said nice weather, it was a bit humid, and that meant the heat level felt a lot higher than usual. Some runners that pushed really hard certainly felt it. Still, it wasn't raining, or windy and therefore, I was happy.
I started the day with a warmup run with Craig and Stacey (more for them than for me), then settled into the start line area to allow people to find me, should I be there goal running pace.
Soon we were off and I fell in behind the fastest runners, making sure they had a clear exit (the start is a bit crowded and tight). Once we made it to the street, everything opened up and I soon got into a good pace and rhythm.
Immediately I begin chatting with my runners. The start of a race is often the worst part. By talking and laughing we keep the effort level a little subdued, this allows them not to overdo it and burn out fast. This is a flat and fast race except for the 1 decent hill at the 3 km mark. So keeping everyone in check is ideal for a fast finish.
Unlike last year, I managed to hold a good crowd around me for most of the race. By the worst of it (the hill section) I had a great crew of 5 runners keeping pace. Then by around the 6.5 km mark, the first took off. By 8 km in the next took off and finally I was all alone. My little ones had gone on to glory, but I was happy to finish solo.
But it wasn't over there. Back out I went and found my buddy Jon in the half marathon, pacing him to the finish. Then Shane and finally a whole host of others, eventually clocking in over 25km of running for the day. It was a great time, and I look forward to putting the ears on again soon.
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