My Second Post and a Little More About ME!

So, I left off yesterday having completed my first 10k. My thought process at that time was...
If I spend a year at 10k and get comfortable here ... then I'll consider doing more... After all, I'd spent about a year at 5k. My last 5k of that first summer remains my Personal Best (PB)...

However, a number of the marathoners came back from Ottawa, I overheard them talking and there was just a certain something about what they had to say. I thought... gee... I could do that. Run Ottawa, the Marathon, in my hometown, on my birthday!

I had until then been wavering. My friend Rosina (we met in the 10k training and ran the same pace) was doing a Team in Training event in Iceland. She wanted me to train for the half with her. I wanted to get stronger and more confident at 10k.

Well, the words of those marathoners took hold. I soon agreed to join Rosina in summer training ... and it was a hot humid summer to train! She headed off to do her event. I headed off to do mine: the Half Marathon in Montreal.

My mother walked and I "ran". For the record, Mom was only 20 minutes behind my "running" pace.

I had missed a few weeks of training, my grandmother had passed away, work, and a race that was 5 weeks earlier than the training group had planned. I did face a few challenges along the way. However, the feeling of doing the final loop on the oval in Montreal was incredible! I never had imagined myself as an ATHLETE! I am old enough to vaguely remember the Olympics in Montreal. What a thrill to finish inside the big O!

I still hadn't shared my plan of doing the marathon. I guess I wasn't sure that I could pull it off. Or perhaps I wanted to test my body with longer distances first.....

The fall of 2005, I completed: Montreal, Toronto, Niagara Half Marathons...

I started thinking that maybe this running thing wasn't so crazy after all. Maybe doing a marathon was attainable....

stay tuned for more.....

My First Post and a Little About ME!

So, I've thought for some time... why don't I put a few words down from time to time... share my thoughts, journeys and useful tidbits... with no further ado: DAY ONE!

Blogging seems to cover so many things for so many people. Random thoughts, life experiences, recipes, tips ... I'll just have to see where mine will go... follow me on my journey.

A little about me. Mostly about my relationship with running.

I love to travel. If I could spend every day on the move I might just! A rolling stone gathers no moss and all that!
In 2004, I began a new journey. I joined a Learn to Run clinic. I had friends who were like the newly converted - they just wouldn't let go of how wonderful running was for them... GRRR. Well, if you can't beat them... JOIN THEM! So, without telling them... I started this 10 week clinic at the Running Room in the Beach. I figured if I hated it, I was done, if I enjoyed it we'd have some common ground... I made a commitment to attend every week (even though one of the clinic nights was on my birthday). At the end of 10 weeks, about 20-30 of our group did our "graduation" event the Toronto Challenge - a 5k event to support seniors.
Well, I was hooked. That summer, a number of my "new running friends" &, I did several events. Most of us stuck to the 5k.

A new wrinkle in the road appeared and it was time to change jobs. I moved from the world of motivational speaking to working at the Running Room.

I started with that location in the Beach, then moved over to High Park. While there, I met many people and decided to move up to the distance of 10k. Who knew this running thing would be for me?

May 2005, I did the Nike 10k Run T.O. on the island. How exciting!

Then, I heard from a number of people I had met about their experience running the Ottawa Marathon.
..... more later.