2016 Glencoe Icebreaker 10K: Race Report

Sunday was my favourite 10K race of the year – the Glencoe Icebreaker 10K.

The course is challenging and the post-race brunch is amazing.  This year we lucked out with clear pathways and beautiful sunny skies.  We’ve had such lovely spring weather lately that there was no ice to be seen!

I arrived at the Glencoe Club just after 8 am.  This gave me a little bit less than an hour to hit the bathrooms, say hello to friends and get in a good warm up.  My goal for the race was to push hard and come in under an hour.  Under 58 minutes would be even nicer!

I lined up near the start line to hopefully avoid a bit of weaving as people would try to settle into their pace.  I still had to dart around the odd individual but I found myself running on my friend Nola’s heels for the first mile and a half.  She seemed to be in a rhythm and the pace felt like that perfect combination of comfortable and hard.

We turned on to Mission Road and started to climb up…gaining about 60 feet in 0.4 miles.  I lost Nola here as I tried to keep my effort on the hill in check.  Once we started to descend I picked things up and enjoyed the boost that shedding elevation gave my legs.  I hit the 5K mark in about 29:03.

My legs were getting tired but I tried to zone while my tunes played.  When that tactic didn’t work I told myself that my toes were feeling great and to focus on that.  I kept my effort strong and continued to push hard all the way to the finish, crossing the line in 58:04.

That was hard!!  Afterwards I made my way inside the Glencoe Club and lined up for the delicious breakfast spread.

Pastries, muesli, yogurt, fruit salad, potatoes, ham, sausages, scrambled eggs and waffles.  Plus a host of delicious toppings for the waffles!

I didn’t luck out with any draw prizes, but was a terrific day.  I was really happy with my effort and it was great to catch up with friends before and after the race.  Thanks to the race organizers for putting together a wonderful event!