The races continue.

 The Friday before the race it was sunny and warm and so at the last minute I bought a bib from a friend who was injured and unable to run. The morning of the race it was anything but warm and certainly not sunny. This wasn't my best run as I struggled with both the cold and the running. I may have walked a few kilometres this morning. 

Another great run with Brad! 

On the Friday night before the race I asked Skylar if he might be willing to run a ten k with Mama (me) on Sunday. While he hadn't trained, he was heavily  involved in sports and lets face it, I run really slow. Skylar was up for the challenge and agreed to run with me. One km into the race he commented that it was very difficult for him to run so slow. "Could we run a bit faster please?".  Somehow he managed to stay at my pace and together we sprinted over the finish line. I was so proud! How many grandmas get to run with the grandsons? 

Next the Coutts / Ashley clan travelled to Kelowna to participate in the BMO event. Jenn and I enjoyed the 10km race, while Randy and Skylar took part in the 1/2 marathon. Again I was so proud of Skylar for running his first 1/2 marathon at 12 years of age with a very respectable time of 2 hours 6 minutes. 

 

When Lori put out a call for someone to keep her company at the Disney World half marathon for some reason Randy thought I should go, and so I did. With little to no training it was the slowest race I have ever run, but then again it was a beautiful warm morning with lots of entertainment along the route. Disney characters lined the path and running through Magic Kingdom was truly magical.  Another really fun run followed by an afternoon at the park.  We even did space mountain twice.

 The Calgary Marathon is the longest running marathon in Canada, celebrating 50 years of racking in 2014. This year Skylar ran his own race competing the 10k in 57 minutes while Jenn and I enjoyed the 10kmrun at our own slightly longer pace. It was a gorgeous day in Calgary for a run!  

While really out of order from a timeline perspective I did try one sprint triathlon with Randy's support back in 2010. A 500 meter swim, which I struggled through the entire distance.  Really I am not a good swimmer and did not enjoy one minute of the swim. Then a 20km bike ride, where  I rode my mountain bike. Getting off the bike my feet felt like bricks. They were heavy, they hurt and didn't want to bend properly, so the first 3k of the 5 k run was painful and slow. Crossing the finish line I was proud of myself for just finishing.  Might stick to running in the future though.  

The running becomes addictive!

This was the first race I ran totally alone. While I did the half Randy completed the full marathon. I was getting stronger and enjoyed the event.

Melissa's in Banff was a tough run for me. The wind worked against us during the first part of the race blowing sand from the golf course into our faces. At times I felt like my legs were moving forward but the wind was pushing us backwards. It was hard going and not so much fun but we were on pace. Once we got out of the wind we encountered the hills. For more than five km we ran straight uphill. All I wanted to know was where was the turn around point  so we could start running downhill and finish this darn race. Randy was not impressed with my performance that day and crossing the finish line was simply a relief. Certainly not the celebration I hoped for but then again another race accomplished.

 

If you are a runner in Calgary, you get comfortable running in the cold and occasionally the snow. The night before the Calgary Police race it snowed all night. The snow and slush was so deep it felt like running through deep sand on the beach. Plus it was very icy. Running down the hills along Glenmore reservoir was extremely icy. Fortunately I only fell once but didn't hurt myself. It was slow going and Brad entertained numerous runners as he kept pace with me. I think he could have run the race in half the time if he had been on his own, but we had a lot of fun together.

In  2011 I ran my first and to date only full marathon. Unfortunately Randy broke his ankle in February 2011 and wasn't able to train with me, but I was lucky enough to meet two amazing ladies that ran with me every Tuesday & Wedneday evenings and Sunday mornings. It is their friendship and support that kept me committed and motivated through the training program. They will be friends for life. Randy healed in time to run the race with me and together we completed the full marathon with a smile and sense of pride. 

The Energizer Night Race was my best run ever. Running at night with headlights to show the way 1500 runners lite up the path. It was so much fun and I felt strong thru the entire run. Jenn completed the 5k comfortably and was waiting for us at the finish line, ready for a beer. It was a great night! 

 

Once again we were Vegas bound. This time we would be running down the strip at night. Randy dressed as Elvis and Jenn and I both dressed as his backup singers.  A blonde Afro wig and Black sequinned tops and shorts covering our running tight we looked hot and kept warm. It was a riot as spectators yelled hello to Elvis and Chris, dressed in his polyester blue suit and cowboy hat, cheered us on at several locations along the route. Truly the most fun I have ever had during a run. The next morning Jenn, Randy and I all got two dice tattooed on our legs as a memory of running the 1/2 together in Vegas. 

The history of my running adventures!

As I start to think about what to save, what to pack away and what can I carry with me as we enter into the next chapter of our life's, travelling the world to work, I am reminded by the mantra of Peter Welsh. Peter states that if you actual use items or have them displayed in an appropriate manner, keep them. Otherwise determine whether to sell, donate, create an appropriate display or send the item to the garbage. 

So when looking at my collection of racing bibs and medals (yes the medals are why we run), I knew an appropriate display is what is needed. Maybe I should capture my journey on my blog or on Facebook or both?

For years I had thought that running a marathon by the time I reached 55 was something I wanted to achieve. All it would take was getting started with a good pair of running shoes, a lot of motivation, a solid training program and time. So in August 2009, I signed up for a 10k runnung clinic with the 

Kensington Runnung Room. I now had a good pair of runners, motivation and a great program. All I needed was dedicated time and I was confident that being part of a clinic would help me schedule time for my training. Enrolling in the clinic was the start of a great hobby, lots of challenges, the occasional set back, frustration, a few tears, tonnes of fun and several new friends I will cherish for life.

My first race was October 2009. Starting at Eau Claire and running along the river path it was a cold morning and 10 k felt like a very long ways. However as we crossed the finish line I felt an amazing sense of accomplishment and was motivation to keep on training.

 Somehow while sitting in an Internet cafe in Thailand, skyping with a Randy, we realized we would be in Las Vegas during the "Rock & Roll" 1/2 marathon event. What better place to run my first 1/2 marathon?  Minutes later we were registered and committed to the race. 

 After 2 days of touring, eating way to much, going to an eleven p.m. showing of Cirque du Soleil "O" and getting hardly any sleep we were up at 5 a.m. Sunday morning preparing for my first 1/2. 

We had thought it would be warm in Vegas, but had been sadly mistaken. It was minus five and we had to purchase pants, hats and mitts for the race, replacing the shorts we had brought to wear. We finished the race and went directly to the airport for the flight home. I was fast asleep the minute I sat in my seat and didn't wake until we touched down in Calgary. A truly amazing weekend!