The Sun Run

I am still hurting from Sunday's Sun Run.

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I tore my left achilles tendon or calf muscle five weeks ago. Doctor's orders to stop training for the run and to rest. Betty continued with her runs, but going no further than 6K.

So it was with heavy hearts that Betty and I decided to walk the 10K course this year just to get a lay of the land—to see how difficult the two bridges and hills were. This is a new course. I wore runners, walking pants, a long sleeve Coolmax top, sunglasses, and had my camera bag with me.

It was a glorious day, warm, windless, the nicest weather so far this year. Even though we signed up in the joggers division, we lined up with the walkers, behind the joggers, runners, fast runners, and the elite groups. For the past few years participants have been starting in staggered waves, unlike the 1997 Sun Run (our only other Sun Run), thanks to the adoption of timing chips. This gave me ample time to realize that all was not lost.

I decided that Betty should run. To go for it and do me proud. That it would make me happy. She was reluctant to leave me behind, but at the starting line, 55 minutes after the first wave, off she went. Her time was 61 minutes, 10 minutes better than her 1997 performance. That's a really good time given that we had arrived with no intention of running and expecting to clock in at 90 minutes to two hours. She could've no doubt run a sub-60:00 had she had me along to pace her, worn a chronograph, and started in an earlier wave to avoid all the purported runners who ended up walking and littering the course.

As for me, I ran the first 2K with Betty, the last 2K, up and down the lengths of both bridges, and in between. I walked the rest. It amounted to an interval workout: run, walk, run, walk, etc. My finish time was 74 minutes, 3 minutes slower than 1997, but pretty impressive given that I walked half the course, and ran the other half in street clothes and with a camera bag. My calf/tendon held up to the punishment but my knees hurt in a bad way (probably my poor biomechanics).

I bought a New Balance jacket and a Timex heart monitor watch at the post-run booths in BC Place Stadium. We then made our way to Robson Street to do some shopping. Joy MacPhail walked past me on Georgia Street.

I produce a lot of lactic acid, especially in the thighs, after an intense workout whenever I resume that activity after a month or a month-and-a-half hiatus, as is the case here. And thus the current agony and limp and extensive use of elevators. The knees still hurt too.

I ended up not taking any pictures. I'll check the official photographer's website to see if they have good shots of us worthy of posting here.

Betty barely broke into a sweat. She said that our regular training runs are more strenuous. This bodes well for next year.

[Updated. I've included a photo, the dude with the sunglasses and pants, top middle]