Join Me at the New Toronto #Waterfront10 Race

I am excited to announce I will be a pacer for this new 10k race happening in Toronto on Saturday, June 25th, 2016!

I have ran and paced with my friends before, but I have never been an official “pacer/pace bunny”. I’m super thrilled to be given the opportunity and also a little bit nervous because now I will have other runners who I don’t know following me in my pace group and depending on me to take them across the finish line in 65 minutes. I can’t screw up or disappoint them. The pressure is real here. I know it’s just a 10k race and I normally finish in average of 55 minutes but it’s something else when you have runners, some probably new runners, depending on you.

So if you’re in Toronto on June 25th, sign up for the #Waterfront10 and join me and my pace team at this exciting new race. I promise this will be fun and we will take you across the finish line with a smile and maybe a few laughs too. 😉

Race

Thanks to Canada Running Series I was fortunate to attend the Race Movie Premiere last night. This movie is AMAZING! If you’ve never heard of Jesse Owens, you need to google him and watch this movie.

“Race” is a biopic about Jesse Owen’s fight to become an Olympic legend at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. It’s about courage, determination, racism and friendships. This movie will inspire you and also give you a history lesson. I learned quite a bit throughout this movie; it’s sad to see how life was back then for minorities. I’m glad times have changed and Jesse has received all the recognition he deserved, even if it was later on in his life.

Race actors Stephan James and Jason Sudeikis were also in attendance for the Toronto premiere. Sorry for the dark quality. The light was off and the flash pictures were blurry.

Fun fact about me: I was a track athlete and hurdler since I was 10 years old. At 13, my Coach/PE Teacher signed me up in the 3,000 meter event for Track and Field. I was not a long distance runner and I hated running more than 400 meters or 1 lap around the track. I was furious and upset he had signed me up without my consent. His reasoning was: he knew I could do it. So I ended up running the 3,000 meter anyway. I probably came close to dead last, I can’t really remember. All I remember was crossing the finish line and collapsing into my friend/teammate’s arms. He knew I didn’t want to run the race so I am so thankful he was there to catch me fall. He brought me to a shade and fed me water. I think I was dehydrated and had sun stroke. I don’t remember much or how long I was lying on the grass in the shade. All I know was I did not run any long distances after that. Well… up until I started running again in 2012. But thinking back, I miss those track days. 🙂

 

Picture above: Jesse Owen’s famous record breaking long jump at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.