The Pride and Remembrance Run marks my racing anniversary. It it was exactly two years ago that two very good friends of mine invited me to do the Pride Run with them. Ever since then I’ve been become an avid race-goer and couldn’t be happier!
This was my third Pride Run and it’s one that I don’t necessarily always look forward to. The course is seemingly (impossibly) ALWAYS uphill. There’s a sharp decline where the water station is, but somehow the rest of the damn race always feels like you’re on an incline. 😐
It starts in the heart of the Gay Village in Toronto, heads out to Queen’s Park, laps it twice and then heads back in to where the Start Zone. While I may not love the course itself, the finishing section is always hugely uplifting and everyone always seems to be in great spirits. The finish line is one of the best I’ve ever encountered – the crowd is always loud, always excited and always full of energy. I love, love, LOVE finishing the Pride Run to so much excitement. It’s an enormous mental boost.
I felt great right out of the gate, and my first few kilometers were fairly speedy. I hit a nasty wall around the 3k mark and slowed down a good thirty seconds per kilometer. Not pretty. I also, once again, walked through the water stations. Ugh. I really, really need to stop doing that, it’s murdering my speed. But all I can think during the race is how much I want to drink that water!
Thankfully, as soon as I hit the 4k marker, I put on the burners and kept telling myself “It’s only 800 more meters. It’s only 700 more meters. It’s only 600 more meters.” I misjudged my timing a bit… when I hit 25 minutes in, I could SEE the finish line and I convinced myself I was only 60 seconds away. I kept up my pace, but I ended up being 90 seconds from the finish line… which clocked me in a 26 minutes and 29 seconds. A whole SECOND faster than my Rat Race a week and a half ago. DAMN! I had been really hoping to hit just over the 26 minute mark. Alas no. I’m okay with my time. I’m not elated, but I’m okay with it. I’m still twenty seconds slower than my best, but I was also twenty seconds faster than last year on this same course, so at least I’m improving!
And that’s it for my races until the fall because it gets too damn hot in Toronto during the summer! I’m planning on doing a 10k in New York City in September, and I’ve already registered for the Scotiabank Waterfront Half Marathon (October), but I’m still off my goal of being sub 25 minutes for a 5k so I’ll need to find something else towards the end of the year to race!
Race Summary
- Finish Time: 26:29
- Pace: 5:17 per kilometer
- Overall placement: 638/1322
- Age group placement (Female, 25-34): 73/247
- Gender placement (F): unknown