Bluenose Lifemark 5K: Race Recap

This isn’t so much my race recap as it is my trainee’s though I was in fact there and I did get a medal for it. Truthfully when I heard about the give’r twice option to add the 5k to a race I was going to do on Sunday anyway I registered for both and then sent a text to my mom to see if she wanted to join. But my sister was expecting around then so she was probably out. Sad face. About an hour later my stepdad texted and said he’d like to do it with me and would I help him train for it? Hells yes! I’ve mentioned on here before that I would like my mom especially up her fitness game recently one because I love her, two because I want to keep her and three because left over teenage me still likes to see her irritated. So as soon as he was in so was she, babies be damned! I immediately started writing a Couch to 5k companion guide which I swear will be available shortly (maybe) focused on completing the program with and without health concerns.

You can read a bit about their journey mixed in with my half training updates like this one but if you want to follow the whole journey just do a search for half update and they should all pop up. They mostly followed the advise in that upcoming training guide and totally followed their c25k apps but as any runner knows training isn’t always a straight line as planned. My mom suffered a twisting knee injury early on that sidelined her for three weeks and complicated her big trip to Ireland but she toughed it out but was a few weeks off ‘run 5k’ in her program on race day. My stepdad completed the program the Wednesday before race day so he was ready to go. And my stepsister, who flew in to surprise her dad the night before, ran a 10k the week before so she was good! So here’s how it went for everyone!

A but about the race: Bluenose is broken down into two days with the 4k kids run and 5k run on Saturday afternoon and the full the half and the 10k on Sunday morning. This was the 15th anniversary so they added a 15k option on Saturday too. East coasters are warm friendly people who make almost anyone feel welcome in any circumstances and Bluenose is all that but it’s also a serious running event. Around 6000 people participate each day so it’s also a big event. For more info check out the half marathon recap from earlier this week.

Parking and weather: While it was about 16 Celsius and sunny Saturday, spoiler alert it was NOT on Sunday so conditions were pretty much perfect. Not to be an arsehole but given the speed my trainees were moving at I decided to dress for a walk. We originally planned to take two cars in but honey skipped for work at the last minute, sad face, more on that later. But since he didn’t come we were all able to squish into one car. That also meant my stepsister’s boyfriend had some big shoes to fill. We got there an hour early and parked no problem at Scotia Square and all headed over to lot 6 where team brain tumour was set up. My mom had already picked up out kits but I had to get my t-shirt for the 5k. We were all concerned about parking on Saturday more so than Sunday but it turned out not to be an issue but plan ahead and arrive early. Halifax is famous for its parking problems!

Course: Not quite as scenic as the longer options on Sunday but the course does take you deep into the south end which is the pretty historic end of the city. You run by all sorts of centuries old mansions and around citadel hill and finish with a view of the water and the town clock. Despite my trainee’s protests it’s a pretty flat course with only two gradual and short hills with a total elevation change of 51 m.

Cheer squad: Mike had some pretty big shoes to fill since my Richard is usually designated sherpa for the day. I was all you don’t have to come but when it came down to it I really missed having him there even though it wasn’t my moment. My sister’s whole family also came down to the finish line to cheer their baba and sort of grandpa on and that includes a newborn and a 1.5 year so it’s no small task. There weren’t as many cheerers on the streets and there would be on a sunny Sunday event but there were a few and the crew from lifework at the aid station really gave it their all. I made my mom go up and give them high fives because I didn’t want her to miss out on any part of the race day experience. To be honest it was good, hard, tough workout for her and she was way more malleable to suggestion than she would be on any other day. I really missed honey being there and I told him so and give him a hug as soon as I got home.

Logistics and support: I’ve never run the 5k at bluenose before unless you count the time I bandited a small portion, barefoot and in a full length evening gown as the maid of honour to my sister’s wedding which you can read about here. It’s really well run and there are never any complaints there. Some of the brain tumour aspect of it could have been improved but they’re not exactly in the running game after all. I did fundraise for them, over $1800, so I definitely wanted to wear my shirt on Saturday and I would have Sunday too but the weather didn’t allow it. The logistics there could benefit from a runner helping out. There is one aid station on the course with water only I think.

Race goals: All I wanted to fo was to be as supportive of my trainees as I could possibly be, mostly my mom since trainee two had his daughter with him for that. My mom however had the goal to run the whole thing. Was is a great idea, no but I know the lady well enough to give up hope of changing her mind quickly. It was a bad idea for a combination of two reasons. First she was weeks out and at least 15 minutes away from the ‘run 5k’ step in her training plan and she was dealing with a partial bum knee so pushing it was ill advised. My stepdad wanted to run the whole time but he had done twice in training already.

Swag: Bluenose shirts are defiantly that fancy synthetic fabric but they seem to hold sweat and heat in. I wore the cotton brain tumour shirt and the bottoms from joe fresh kids for the next day. You got a little reusable Scotiabank bag, themed race day bib clips (yeah no more holes) and for the two race option a (double double) a Tim Horton’s gift card. But the medals for this one always kick butt. Since I did the two races I got two medals. In case you’re wondering yes I did wear them all day Sunday!

Results:

Time: 44:17 (slowest 5k ever)

Overall: 1582/1793

Gender: 985/1151

Category (F 30 -39): 263/299

Shoes: Asics Gel Cumulus 19

My stepdad did in fact run the whole thing just a head of my mom and I who took about 3 100 m walk breaks. We’d all already registered for the FREE Michelin Tire Trot on June 9th. In the three days since they’re registered for the 5k at valley harvest and the PEI marathon! I think it’s safe to say they got bit by the running bug and that’s a success in my books any day.

Looking back: I wouldn’t have done a whole lot differently based on results. The fact that two legit senior citizens can get into 5k shape means you can do it too. I’m glad they started slow and stayed dedicated the whole time. I would probably run it again if there was another give’r twice option and family wanted to run the 5k. I wanted the trainees to run a few hills before the race but they preferred to stick to the flat trail. I would have liked them to run a few more before hand but other than that no regrets!