First Half Vancouver
Not my first half marathon, but the first in a long time
This past Sunday I raced my second road half marathon, the First Half Vancouver (I realize this is a confusing name considering this is not my first half.) The last time I ran a road half marathon was twelve years ago.
I was 21 and quite thrilled I had dipped under two hours for the Silver Strand Half Marathon, a dead-flat course beginning on Coronado Island in San Diego and finishing in nearby Imperial Beach. I had started running a few miles at a time earlier that year and had heard that top females could run under 90 minutes on a course like this. One day I might get there, I remember thinking, though the idea of running faster than a 7-minute mile average for more than thirteen miles was baffling. The fastest mile I had ever run was a 6:30 and that took everything I had.
Turns out, I got there and all it would take is running 32,000 miles over the next decade!
Pre-Race
Heading into the race, I wasn’t nervous about the distance nor the goal I was going for (sub 1 hour 20 minutes) but I was anxious about running in the elite category. I had been given an entry after competing for Team BC and had a previous trail half marathon to my name, which meant I just barely made the cut-off to qualify for this elite spot. I’m used to starting near or at the front of the pack at trail races, but road races have always appeared more intimidating to me—the gear looks sleeker, the warm-ups more intimidating (what are these leg swings? why so many strides just before the start? why is no one wearing any clothing?). We were even given a special warm-up room, which I will say was a bonus as I could wear warm layers until the start and could leave my items in the room. Earlier in the week, the forecast had called for temperatures in the low 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-7°Celsius) but the day had warmed up to right around freezing. Cold, but fine for running.
The Race
A few days before, the course was changed to an out-and-back in order to avoid icy conditions along Stanley Park’s Seawall. I wasn’t sure if this would postively or negatively impact my race, but I figured that everyone would be running the same route so it really didn’t matter. The course now left Yaletown, did a loop around BC Place and Rogers Arena, traveled along English Bay, past Lost Lagoon, and into a few miles of Stanley Park’s Seawall (the part that wasn’t icy, I suppose) before doubling back and returning along the same route. Though dubbed Canada’s Fastest Half Marathon, this is not the fastest course and has several substantial hills (by road running standards) and some sharp turns.
I lined up a few rows from the front, not really sure of where I’d fall pace-wise amongst the group of elite runners. We’d been given an elite start list and I knew my fastest time fell toward the slower end of that list, so I figured I would try to position myself closer to the back. As soon as the race started, that disappeared and it was madness. The roads were more narrow than normal due to snow that was still piled on each side, and I tried not to clip another runner as everyone avoided the still-icy patches. I glanced down once or twice, saw a number in the mid 5-minute range, and tried to keep an open mind. Could I hold this? Probably not. But I figured this energy would steady out and tried to find a group of runners to attach myself to as we passed back by the start and headed down toward English Bay.
5:33
My coach had suggested that I aim for 1:16 pace for the first 10K, which sounded both reasonable given my recent workouts and simultaneosuly intimidating. In theory I knew I could probably hit that time, but I’d also never held a 5:48 minute pace for more than a 5K before—and this was more than four times that length. Whenever doubts started to arise I pushed them down and concentrated on how I felt, which was steady. Just steady. My breathing didn’t sound particularly labored and while I was working hard, the pace also felt within my realm. I hit the first 5K in 17:29, but didn’t think much of it beyond noting the time.
5:49, 5:47
Over the next few miles, I found myself going back and forth with a few women. Each time we went up or down a hill, I’d pass them; each time the course flattened out, they passed me back. Eventually two women passed me around mile five and I knew I couldn’t go with them—I wasn’t suffering, but trying to speed up to match them would risk me blowing up at the end of the race (or so I felt.)
5:44, 5:42, 5:44
At the 10K mark, I was excited to see 36 minutes flat—a 10K PR by several minutes for me! My legs were still feeling okay, though I was eager for the turnaround. We climbed another hill, another man coming up beside me and telling me “we’ve got this!” although he took off ahead of me at a pace I couldn’t muster. I could see that I was getting closer to another woman in front of me. A few minutes later I passed her.
5:46, 5:53
At mile 8, I found myself wondering if I’d be able to continue at this pace for another five miles. I took a caffeinated Precision gel, hoping that this would help me muster some energy. A half mile later, I passed another woman. I had no idea where this placed me, and I wasn’t thinking much of it beyond trying to use other runners as motivation to hold steady to my pace.
5:45, 5:54
As we rounded back through Lost Lagoon, I heard cheers from several BC runners I know and it made me all the more grateful to have moved back home to place where the running community feels small enough to have this kind of support, despite being in a big city. I was motivated to keep pushing.
Shortly after, I saw Nick in the distance—he had rented a bike so he could pop out at several places along the route and cheer me on, too. Another welcome sight!
Around this time, I noticed another woman come up beside me. She looked powerful and I wondered if she’d try to challenge me toward the finish.
5:47, 5:42, 5:47
We were on the final mile now and it was then that I realized we’d have to run back up the hill that we’d run down near the start. This was my strength, I thought, and knew that if I were to create any kind of gap on her, it would have to be on this hill.
5:53
Somehow I mostly maintained my pace going up and then I was on the final stretch with another man maybe ten seconds ahead of me. I didn’t know where the woman behind me was, but I was focused on trying to get as close to that 1:16 mark as I could.
In the final few hundred meters I felt like my lungs still had something to give but my legs were at their max—I was right at the cusp at which it seemed possible my legs might just give out, right before I crossed the finish.
But then I was done, crossing the finish in 1:16:17!
I ended up placing seventh female, far better than I expected as I had gone in worrying I didn’t have the speed to run in the elite field at all. It’s exciting to have good results, but the greatest thrill continues to come from exceeding my own beliefs about what I can do. While I wasn’t focused on lowering my half marathon time over the last decade, the byproduct of trying to get faster at longer races has helped me improve my speed at shorter events, too. Far beyond sponsorships and podiums and media, it continues to be extremely satisfying to chip away at what I might be able to do in the sport, with the goal of seeing where my potential lies. Twelve years into running and I feel like I’m still discovering where that is.
Does it really take 32,000 miles of running to get here? Luckily no, considering the majority of that training has not been focused on optimizing my road speed but on getting faster on trails. However, speed is speed and improving my running economy across the board has made a difference across all distances and terrain. Focusing on half marathon-specific workouts over the last six weeks was incredibly helpful and while I could have run around 80 minutes without it, I don’t think I would have had the fitness nor confidence to take several minutes off of that time.
Post-Race
Following the race, Nick and I ran a few miles together as part of my cool down. We also ran into several Team Canada friends who had also run the race. Afterward we warmed up with tea that was being handed out (you can tell this is Canada, because where else would you be given black tea from a kiosk that says “Britain’s Best Tea”?) and then headed over to Granville Island for Thai soup and then to peruse two of our new favorite bookstores.
Up Next
Now it’s time to switch focus back trails, with Chuckanut 50K about five weeks away. Eventually I’d like to come back to the half marathon distance and see if I can lower my time further (I’m confident I can on a faster course), but for now I’m excited to train on the Chuckanut course with Nick.
Congratulations, you're amazing. Good luck at Chuckanut 50k.
Congratulations Jade! Thanks for the race report; it looked like good weather for winter!