Leaving for Italy

I am on my way to Italy in a few minutes!  I have never been to Europe before and am so so so excited.  I am pumped for the run, which is Sunday May 3rd at 10am, for traveling, sightseeing, and eating - oh the food!  YUM!  Thank you for all of your support and love.  Keep checking back for updates on my great Italian Adventure!

Times Colonist 10 km - 1:05:56

I started a learn to run program in January 2008 in order to prepare for the TC 10 km.  Last year my time was 1:11:09 - one hour, eleven minutes, nine seconds.  This year the TC 10 km was on April 26th, 2009 - exactly one week away from my first half marathon.  I stood at the start this year overwhelmed with emotion.  I thought about how far I've come in one year.  Since I have been training for distance and not speed I thought my time may be a bit slower this year.  Was I wrong!  I finished this year at 1:05:56, almost 6 minutes faster than the year before!  I am extremely happy with my time!  I learned a lot this morning that I can take with me for my half marathon.  

1.  Start slowly - don't get too caught up in the excitement - you will need energy later on!

2.  Take a walk break before you feel tired.

3.  Run hard at the end - harder than you thought possible - finish strong.

What a beautiful day in a beautiful city.  I felt blessed running in the early morning sunshine breathing in the salty sea air.  I love Victoria!

$8050

As of today the fundraising total is $8050!!! WOW!  I am filled with so much gratitude and love for each and every person who has supported me along the way.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your generosity, support, kindness, compassion and love.  We are supporting so many people in our community living with and affected by arthritis.  Thank you.  I would not be here without you.  

"If we have the opportunity to be generous with our hearts, ourselves, we have no idea of the depth and breadth of love's reach." Margaret Cho

20 km run

Today was the last long run before the half marathon.  20 kms.  I had not run in two weeks.  Kevin was concerned I may injure myself.  I know my body and was confident I would decipher it's whispers.  The run was fabulous - until 17 km - when I encountered what they call "the wall".  Now, I have heard of the wall, but never encountered it.  It is the moment during a run where your legs feel like 50 pound weights have been tied to your ankles, you can't breath and you feel like you can not move forward a single inch.  I saw the wall in the distance.  I thought I could be sneaky and avoid it.  I walked a bit to rest, took sips of my Gatorade, mentally pictured my success, closed my eyes for a moment to regroup.   I opened my eyes and smacked right into the wall full force.  My body lay in a metaphoric heap at the base of the wall.  I considered ending the run.  I could not go on.  Or could I?  I looked for a way around the wall and realized the only way to overcome it was to go over it.  I reached up and dug my fingers into the wall hauling my beaten body up inch by inch.  Fingernails broke off, blood, sweat, tears...it was ugly.  I reached the top and threw myself over the top.  I crashed to the ground on the other side laying in another metaphoric heap, surrounded by a cloud of dust.  The dust cleared, I was alive.  I overcame "the wall".  I picked myself up and finished the last 3 kms of my run.  I did it!  YAY!  I got home, stretched, stood in the shower hosing my legs down with cold water, had a shower, took some aspirin with built in muscle relaxers (thank you Linda!) made the best turkey sandwich of my life and crawled on the couch.  I am glad today is over, proud of myself and so excited I leave in 10 days for Italy!!!!

"The long run is what puts the tiger in the cat." - Bill Squires

Mom

My Mom is truly the most amazing woman I know.  I am so grateful to have her in my life.  Every kind, generous, thoughtful bone in my body is because I have her as such a wonderful role model.  She has always been such a source of inspiration and strength for me.  My greatest hope is to one day be as wonderful a mother to my children as she has been to me and my sister.  This whole training and fundraising journey is because she is my hero.  Thank you Mom for all that you do and for giving so much of yourself to every person in your life.  My Mom is doing really well and has started on a new drug for her Psoriatic Arthritis called Enbrel, which is an injectable biologic drug.  So far, so good.  Thank you to everyone for your continued support, well wishes and love.  And Mom, I will be thinking of you every single step of my 21.1 km run on May 3rd - an early Mother's Day present.  I love you with all my heart xoxo

2 weeks

In 2 weeks I will be on a flight from Vancouver to Amsterdam en route to Italy.  I have to admit I have gotten a little comfortable in the past two weeks and perhaps a bit overconfident.  I have not been running nearly as often as I should be.  I have one more long run - 20 kms - to run this Sunday and then taking it easy from there.  I am looking forward to this Sunday's run.  20 km.  Wow.  I just registered for the Times Colonist 10 km Sunday April 26th.  My goal for last year was the TC 10 km.  It felt amazing to complete that run.  I can't even imagine the emotions I will feel on May 3rd after the half marathon!  I am so excited for my trip I am barely sleeping.  On that note...my pillow is calling my name!