Nickel City Parents: CIBC's Run for the Cure, Sudbury, Ontario

As far as "races" go this is about as non competitive as you can get. It is all about the fund raising, and the PINK. In Sudbury, we had a gorgeous, sunny day for this run. It was a little chilly this morning, frost on the windshield, but perfect running weather.

I was surprised there were not more people dressed up. There was a face painting booth, but makeup does not look that great when it is streaming down your face. I saw some people dressed up like Marie Antionette, and company. Otherwise, it was a group of people looking for a short 5km run/walk to help raise funds for breast cancer research.

This was my first "race". I have been running for years, but the past two summers, it has become a daily activity. I upped my distance this year to around 6km, which I finish anywhere between 38 to 35 minutes. I have been told you run faster in races. Probably trying to keep pace with other runners, or overtake some, or catch up to those who pass you. I ended up with an annoying cramp about halfway through; my right rib was killing me. I managed to breathe through it, but I do not normally get cramps while running.

I also do not normally run at the pace I ran. The route had some tiny hills, but enough to slow me down a bit. My regular running route is flat. No extra stress at all. I was passed by a few people, and I also passed some runners. The fastest runners were already at the front of the pack when the race started. The fastest male did it in 16 minutes. The fastest female in 21 minutes. The fastest three under 12 kids all came in before me. I came in just over 25 minutes. I probably could have pushed a bit harder. It kind of makes me want to try some other races. No wonder people keep doing this. It's addicting.

My biggest issue was probably not having my iPod with me. I was also running faster than usual, and I did not feel as though I could stop, even though I desperately wanted to when my cramp was at its worst. It was only 5km, and I run more than that daily. I would have felt like a failure had I stopped for a break.

I was running with my friend Theresa's team (Women In Science and Engineering, WISE). Everyone did awesome, and I think everyone ran faster than they expected to run. We also raised a fair bit of money, considering we didn't do hardcore active canvasing for money.