Dear Tatang Hermawan,Every year since 2001, I have been participating in the "Vancouver Sun Run", a 10 km run sponsored by newspaper Vancouver Sun and the HSBC bank. The Vancouver Sun Run was started in 1985, and now well into it's 22nd year is the largest 10 km event in Canada, and only second in North America. No doubt with over 50 000 participants in 2006 was the largest ever. The route begins at downtown core at the corner of Georgia and Burrard Streets, continues through Stanley Park, then follows the shoreline of English Bay and finishes outside BC Place Stadium. This year will take place on Sunday April 15, 2007. As usual in the morning the whole blocks of downtown Vancouver and part of Stanley Park where the run is conducted will be closed to traffic except only to emergency vehicles.
I joined the North Vancouver Running Club (NVRC) when I started running in September 2000. There are many running clubs in Vancouver, but I chose NVRC because they are better organized. They practise 3 times a week, but I usually join the Sunday morning practise, because it suits me better. I practise my run during the week on every other day around my neighbourhoods for 45-50 minutes. We are not all runners though, depending on the skill and endurance of individuals, from walkers only, walkers and runners only, and runners only. I usually join the walkers and runners only, it means we walk and run alternately, each week progressing to become full runners by April, a 3 1/2 months training. First week in January starting with run 1 minute and walk 5 minutes, repeating that run/walk ratio 1/5 for 50-60 minutes practise time 3x a week. It keeps progressing to the following weeks from run/walk ratio of 1/5 to next stage of 1/4, 2/3, 3/2, 4/2, 5/2, 7/2, 10/1, 20/1, 22/1, 25/1, 40/1 and 50/1 by April. At ratio of 50/1, run 50 minutes and walk 1 minute, we will be able to beat the magic number of 1 hour time for the 10 km distance. But I could not keep up with the progressions, by the time 25/1 run/walk ratio, my legs and lungs start complaining, so 25/1 kind of my maximum. I often join the runners only group, but only as stragglers always behind with 1 or 2 others. There will be stretching up exercises before and after the run to prevent muscle injuries. The total practise time will be about 1 1/2 hours. My best time for the Vancouver Sun Run was 62 minutes for the 10 km distance, that was when I ran for 54 minutes (actually 2x27 minutes), and fast walked 2x4 minutes. We usually practise our run in different location each time to make it more interesting. So everybody meet at the scheduled time and location. We practise in these locations regularly: Lynn Headwaters Regional Park, Capilano River Regional Park, Ambleside Park, Seymour Demonstration Forest, Bridgman Park, Mosquito Creek Park and Kirkstone Park. Every year after the Run my legs felt sore without fail. The first year I have to take off sick from work for a couple of days, and took me 1 week in total to have my legs back to normal. But now I am used to it, even though after the Run I still feel sore, after 1 day my legs will be back to normal again.
There are many other races other than The Vancouver Sun Run. Some of the members went to Victoria to join the 10 km race there, or to Kelowna, or to Seattle in the States, to Los Angeles, or even to Hawaii. They combine it with their vacation times for sure. I join mostly the one in Vancouver at least one other race a year. I like the "Pacific Spirit Run" in mid May, "Coho Run" in mid September, "Turkey Trot Run" mid October and "CIBC Run for Cancer" in mid October. I follow very closely with great interest the "Vancouver International Marathon" at the beginning of May each year. It is a 42 km marathon that attracted runners from all over the world. No it is not for me.
