Each year, a few brave souls get out on the Seawall for Vancouver’s first big run of the New Year: The Chilly Chase.
This is a great run to start the year off with because there are 4 different distance options, ranging from 5k to a half-marathon. Whether you’re a new runner or a seasoned veteran, there is an option you can use to challenge yourself, or just to set a benchmark to try to improve on over the course of the coming year.
This year, a team of 3 from IF TELUS Garden took on the 10k option to start the 2017 run season with a bang. After meeting up in the morning and beginning the walk down to Creekside Community Centre (the start/finish line for the event), one team members mentioned not being totally sure about tackling the 10k due to having struggled with shin splints in the past. The plan became to check-in at the turn-around for the 5k race and see how everything was feeling before proceeding any further.
Luckily (though not surprisingly), a little bit of focused warm-up for the lower legs helped to prepare his body for the race ahead, and at the turnaround for the 5k race, his legs were still feeling awesome. With that, the team decided to soldier on with the full 10k option.
With a final push, the team ran right past the finish line and all the way to the entrance of the Tap and Barrel, to reward themselves with a hearty brunch. A quick check of the Heart Rate Data from their run during their post-race stretch revealed roughly 1000 calories burned, which naturally the team took as a valid justification to order whatever they wanted off the menu (breakfast poutine and caesars) – they had certainly earned it!
By committing to completing this race at the start of the year, the team set themselves up for success in the rest of 2017. They a) accomplished something great in the first month of the year, b) set the tone for a physically active year to come and, c) established a benchmark to try and improve upon moving forward.
What IF you could?
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Sean Allt, BA, CSEP-CPT, CFST
Professional Training Coach / Product Manager
Innovative Fitness – TELUS Garden
p. 604.974.5942
