Someone I know always has a story to tell you. She really believes in ardent socializing (or “networking”) and perhaps lives vicariously through other people. We were kicking back after dessert and the topic of the upcoming Sun Run (10K) race came up and who would be participating and burning (600) calories to burn off the dessert? I had to timidly raise my hand–we are ready to go for 5K, just not so sure about the back 5.
She added with great relish that a mutual acquaintance of ours is doing the Sun Run 10K then continuing to run all the way to New Westminster! Depending on the route, it will be a total distance of 23 to 32K, while 10K is already distance running for an average mortal!
Oh yes, I nodded, immediately knowing the circumstance. Our colleague must be training for the Vancouver International Marathon in early May so the mid-April Sunday long-slow-distance (LSD) runs are 23-32K long! I’ve been in the position of marathon training and wanting to do the Sun Run but not do only 10K on a Sunday, thus have to add-on instead of quitting at 10K and noshing on brunch with fellow Sun Runners.
The follow-up question was by which route do runners reach New West? Well, there’s a “trail” for cyclists, runners, rollerbladers, walkers, etc. that starts in east Vancouver around Commercial-Broadway Station and runs kind of along and under the Expo Line Skytrain track. I’ve done that route a couple times in my heyday of marathon training and it’s a tough one.
The short conversation reminded me of the where marathon training and running has taken me. I’m not a show-off so in front of a group, I was not going to monopolize conversation and mention that our running route from the West Broadway store at times also goes to West Vancouver and around Richmond when we needed to get out those 23-32K runs. Touring the city on our feet power.
And I thought to myself that if I moved to a different city, I would take up running again to get acquainted with the city in a way drivers, pedestrians, and even tourists don’t know it.