Race Recap: Canadian 10k Championships
Less than two weeks ago, I raced in the elite field at the Canadian 10k Championships. It was one of the most incredible race experiences I’ve ever had so I thought I would write a race recap to share and for myself to look back on. I’ve run a LOT of races of the years, so that’s a powerful statement!
I already had a busy spring racing schedule with some lofty goals set for myself. I ran a 50k trail race, where my goal was to place top 3 to gain direct entry into the UTMB World Finals; and I ran the Boston Marathon. As I wrote that last sentence, it seems like that would be enough racing to fill an entire year for me. However, it was only April, I was feeling healthy and fit, and I had the racing bug. I’m not sure exactly how I found myself on the webpage of the Canadian 10k Championships but the next thing I knew I had submitted an application for elite entry.
I didn’t have a 10k time to apply with (I used my previous half marathon time) so I didn’t have high expectations of getting accepted. To my surprise, less than 24 hours later I received a response from the Ottawa Marathon Elite Coordinator granting me entry into the 10k championship race! I was totally surprised, grateful, and honoured. But I still wavered in my head: I had already done a few race trips this year and I hadn’t been training specifically for the 10k. I talked it over with my partner, who always supports me and encourages me to follow my heart and chase my dreams so unsurprisingly, he said I should go for it if it was something that excited me. I texted my Mom, who grew up in Ottawa and had the marathon on her bucket list, to see if she might be interested in joining. Like her daughter, she has a rubber arm when it comes to race trips and she was quick to say yes.
I didn’t need any more convincing and the next thing I knew, my flights to Ottawa were booked. The more I looked into the race and the weekend, the more excited I got. I hadn’t realized it at first but the elite women started 15 minutes before the men and mass start, which really puts a spotlight on the women’s race. How cool is that?! Then I found out that a lot of the friends who I met at the Canadian Half Marathon Championships last year would be racing in Ottawa too - even better!
Being only one month after Boston, I tried to piece together a few 10k specific workouts. I think I got one or two in but my confidence wasn’t super high to hit my goal of a sub-37 10k. There were a lot of unknowns: this was my first 10k race in 12 years so I wasn’t sure how to pace myself, what the race would feel like, or how my body would respond.
Fast forward to the race itself, which took place at 6:15pm on Saturday, May 24th. Nervous energy took over the elite tent as we all gathered before starting our warmup. The weather was cool, unlike a typical Ottawa day at this time of year. Nice for racing, but tough to stay warm before the race. I set off for a warmup jog with a few other gals that I knew from the half marathon championships last year. We all commented on how we felt a huge degree of imposter syndrome being in the same race as Olympians and Canada’s fastest 10k runners. We calmed each other down by assuring one another that we all deserved to be there and we would all race strong. We knew that we’d have this group of friends to support each other no matter the outcome of the race.
Just after 6pm we got escorted out to the startline, which was lined up with spectators for as far as we could see. Given that the half marathon and full marathon took place the next morning, the crowds for the 10k race were phenomenal. After the National Anthem was completed, we took our spot at the startline. As I type this out, my stomach relives the butterflies that I felt in that moment. Suddenly, we were off.
About 75 women comprised the elite field, all of whom’s goal would be (likely) to run under 39 minutes. Rather than fixating on my watch and specific pace for this race, I tried to latch myself onto a pack. Two of my (very fast) friends, Elaina and Alyse, were part of a pack of about 7 women. I hung out at the back of this pack. Elaina is someone who I’ve looked up to for a while and her impressive racing splits is something I aspire to be like. I knew she wouldn’t go out too fast and would run a smart race. But I also knew her goal was ~1 minute faster than mine.
However, I knew that if I got dropped by this pack right away, I would likely be in no man’s land for most of the race. So I tried to hang on, aware that I was going slightly faster than my goal pace but also aware that I was leaving room for myself to surprise myself and exceed my own expectations. So I went for it, admiring Elaina’s calm and steady stride as she led this small pack of incredible women.
I stuck with this pack for around 5km until we went up a little hill. At this point, I didn’t want to push too hard and I felt that I was crossing the line of an unsustainable effort given the amount of race we still had left. I slowed down a little bit and lost most of the pack. I leap-frogged with another couple gals for a few km until I found myself running solo for the last 3km of the race, which also happened to be against a headwind. These are the kms that I slowed down the most but I still stayed mentally engaged and finished with a time of 36:33. I was ecstatic with this time and with my effort. Even though my splits weren’t perfect, I felt as though I raced well: I had nothing left to give by the end of the race but I also didn’t blow up. Huge win in my books!
I left this race feeling extremely satisfied but also hungry. I think I fell in love with the 10k and am intrigued to see what I might be able to run if I train specifically for the distance and allow myself more of a taper going into it. I don’t have any more 10k’s on deck right now but I’m taking suggestions for future 10k races that are PB friendly!