Rock n Roll Vancouver Half Oct 23, 2016

I got a message right before the race letting me know a friend back home had passed away so I ended up thinking about that a lot and took exactly zero photos. Oops. Until Marathon Foto had a sale I was a bit stuck on putting this race report together.  So here we go, better late than never!

The forecast is essentially rain of varying consistencies but fairly warm so I decide on long sleeves, skirt and add a hat. I do have more than one hat, honest, but this one is my favourite. Last year I ran a PR on this course but I know I'm not in shape to repeat this time.  It's so beautiful running by the ocean and through Stanley Park, Van has a nice amount of rolling hills to keep things interesting.

I start out with the 2:15 pacer and run a happy 5k before losing them.  It's nice to be in a little pack.  The rain we were getting in the start corrals has now stopped and it's quite warm.  I always feel a difference running at sea level, breathing is so much easier.

The act of running can be so good for your mind.  We reach the ocean before 10k, between the boats in the harbour and the fall colours on the trees it's hard to feel down.

Kev is definitely doing his part to brighten up a rainy day.

At the halfway point I figure I'm running pretty well, then I look at my watch and hell no, I'm about 20 mins off PR pace overall.  Meh, I'll just run.  

As I run through Stanley Park (which is seriously gorgeous as we're surrounded by old evergreens) I realize I'll be done soon and my race will now be defined by finish time.  That seems sad. I do not want to stop running.

I should apologize for my miserable looking race photos.  It was just one of those days when life overtook things.  Sometimes running puts you on top of the world, other days it simply makes things okay.  That's the beauty of it.

I didn't stop for a finisher photo, so here's Kev.  He had a pretty good race, he's remarkably consistent with running which helps keep me going when I have not-good phases!

We earned a crazy amount of hardware over the weekend, voila le spectacular blings!

Vancouver is a beautiful city to run in, if you get the chance I highly recommend it.  If you want to earn the best medals while doing just that, I highly recommend Rock n Roll!

*As a member of Rock n Blog I was given a complimentary Tour Pass for 2016 however all thoughts, opinions and views are entirely my own.