The Shamrock ‘n Run Race (5km)
One Full Step Towards Stroke Recovery
I did it! The Shamrock ’n’ Run Race — one full step towards stroke recovery and boy, did it feel good.
This was my first race after the stroke. It’s a small local race set up by Try Events and it’s not too huge, which seemed a nice mellow entry. I chose the 5k course, which is pretty good considering I couldn’t walk very much one year ago. Looking back to the first months after the stroke, I was so scared that I would never be able to race anything of any size ever again.
I started with a training plan in January 2023 with the goal of doing the Shamrock ’n’ Run Race (5k) in Burnaby, BC, on March 12, 2023, one year exactly after the stroke. I truly believe in small steps every day.
The Race circles Burnaby Lake with different routes depending on the distance. For the 5k, we did part of the lake at the northern end. The 7 mile course goes around the lake and the half marathon goes twice around.
Here is the map:
Getting ready for the race:
And off we go! I started solo towards the back, ridiculously pleased to be racing given what happened in the past year. Check out my smile!
I tried to keep my heart rate below 160 but didn’t succeed. I felt pretty fresh by the end, though! Kept it steady and didn’t race (too much).
My chip time was 31:58!
My ridiculously large smile in the beginning was matched towards the end. I was pleased, my friends. It's amazing what the brain/body can do.
