Loose Leaf Runner's Blog

A few months ago, I applied to be a pace bunny for the West Van Run Summer 5k. The event includes a mile race followed, about 20 minutes later, by a 5k. Runners can run one or both races. My initial plan was to race the mile and then run the 5k in 40 minutes, a pace easy enough for me that I hoped I could use the 5k as a cool down. Running that mile every year had become a tradition for me since the first race had been opened to runners under the age of 40, in 2013. I was looking forward to it and hoping to get back to a time in the low 6 minutes. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of doing an intense gym workout three days before the race. My hamstrings were still sore and tight, and so I had to take it easy for the mile race if I wanted to be sure I could actually run 5k after. Running a Mile for Fun It was quite a unique experience to run, and not race, a mile. I chose to take some pictures and videos on the way, cheer for friends, smile and wave at spectators, and run alongsi