So far, I’ve had the pleasure to participate in and represent Muscle MLK at the first two track meets of The Christie-Phoenix Insurance Victoria Run Series.
This run series welcomes runners of all levels and ages. It offers the opportunity to participate in races that vary in length from 400m to 10,000m on the track. In addition to 4 track meets in the spring/summer, there are also 3 cross country meets in the fall.
Proceeds from the series go to charity. So far, there has been over $12,000 raised for the Mustard Seed Food Bank. This amount is bound to increase as the series continues to grow.
As for entry fees, given the amount of races that you can do with a season pass-it’s a steal! A lot of times, you end up paying more for one race than you do for a season pass in this series. So there is definitely a good bang for your buck at the Christie-Phoenix Insurance Victoria Run Series.
You don’t have to be rich nor fast to be a part of something awesome! I like that.
At the same time, if you want inspiration and excitement, just come out and watch the elites run their long distance events (10,000m or 5,000m) at a faster pace than I do my 3,000m. 🙂
So, here’s how the first two events went down for me…
Meet #1. May 16 2015
Since the Boston Marathon, it was probably the fastest and shortest I’ve run in the last several months. Going from long run training on the roads to track races makes for slightly slower track times. However, I chose to run the 5000m, then 1500m and then 800m (yes, in that order).
First, the 5000m. I thought I got through it pretty well in a time of 19:53. I didn’t leave everything on the track in that race for sure because I wanted to save some energy for the shorter stuff. It was good enough for 1st in my age group.
Then, shortly thereafter the 1500m. Finished it in 5:35, which is not too bad for someone who just ran 5000m only a few minutes ago. I felt myself slowing down. When I first started running, my 1500m time was slower than 8 minutes with no other race before it, so I feel like I have come a long way since then (no pun intended).
Finally, the 800m. By that point, I decided I would be happy with anything under 3 minutes. Finished in 2:53. However, I gotta say, it was a tough 2:53. I think that was the cumulative effect of “racing” so much. The second lap of the 800m was really hard for sure but I was happy to win 1st in my age group.
About 10 minutes later, I couldn’t wait to go to the next one. So much fun and Muscle MLK 🙂
ALSO: HUGE Congrats to Maurice Tarrant, who took the Canadian 85-89 age-group record in the 1500m with his 7:59.56 – over 23-seconds faster than the old record.
Meet #2. May 30 2015
By the time this meet came around, I was super excited! I knew that I won’t be breaking any land speed records, but that doesn’t stop me from having fun. Because, really, this IS the best way to spend a Saturday evening and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
There were some very fast people at this one! They had their own categories. I got to watch Fiona Benson make a big breakthrough in the 800m, where she not only came 1st in front of two Olympians, but also got a huge personal best in the process. Very inspiring to watch!
I raced the open 800m and 3000m. This is definitely a good order of events.
First, the 800m. Although I did a workout earlier that day, I was relatively fresh at the start of the 800m. Finished in 2:36 which felt relatively comfortable and only 2 guys were in front of me. Given that I ran a 2:53 a couple of weeks ago, I was very happy with that.
Then, it was time to run the 3000m. It has been a long time since I did that. Too long. I was dying to run a 3000m. It was super fun before and I can’t imagine it being any less fun now. I definitely enjoyed the run and finished in 11:42, again with only 2 guys in front of me.
I was definitely pleased with being 1st in my age/gender category in both events. 🙂
However, what I love most about these meets is the opportunity to connect with other runners and make new friends. Regardless of your speed, you are guaranteed to have fun!