The Puppy Run (5k) virtual race didn’t play out quite as we had planned when Alasdair, Ailish and I signed up back in March. Instead of me running it at Ailish’s pace, she ended up biking it at my pace because of a not-yet-healed basketball ankle injury. And instead of racing it, I ended up using the 5k run as a bit of a recovery run, after the 1/2 marathon PB I achieved the day before at MEC Burlington Race #3.
But first, Alasdair and I went for a 51.5k bike ride, came home, changed into running gear, and headed out the door (in separate directions), me with Ailish trailing on her bicycle.
We planned to run/ride along a local paved trail, the same place I ran my Pi Day 5k in March (my first virtual race and a 5k PB).
Since I ran hard the day before in my 1/2 marathon, and biked 51.5k just before this 5k run, and hiked 90k in 8-days from May 5-12, my legs were a wee bit tired to start with!
I expected to run at a pace of around 7 min per kilometre, but actually ran a bit faster than that.
Ailish stopped along the path to use the monkey bars and climb a fitness ladder.
In the end, my recovery run Puppy Run 5k took 33 minutes and 8 seconds, for a pace of 6 min 38 seconds per km (a full minute per km slower than my 1/2 marathon pace the day before).
After the run, Ailish was inside the house and asked, “What is that THING on the stairs that looks like an old mop?!” Turns out it was Alasdair’s old stuffed dog called Puppy. Picture coming soon.
The Puppy Run 5k, put on by FitFam, was very well organized. We registered in March and received our race kits in the mail long before race time! We chose to run on May 23, but runners could run or walk (5k, 10k, or a 1/2 marathon) any time between May 20 and 23. “The Puppy Run” Facebook page and @thepuppyrun Twitter account gave runners the opportunity to connect with one another. Times were easily uploaded to the race website, and prizes will soon be awarded (for best kid photo, best shirt photo, fastest time, etc.).
We will definitely do another virtual race!
Kyra On The Go 