Mission Accomplished

As I started to write today's entry, I automatically wanted to announce my finishing time; however, I won't. Rather, I will say that today I ran the Toronto Half Marathon stronger and faster than I anticipated.

I need to thank a few people for supporting me during this race. Firstly, I would like to that inner voice of negativity for keeping quiet the entire route (definitely a first). My sister's never-ending support receives great gratitude: she travels over 3 hours to attend each of my events and cheers me on along the route. When I finally made my way on to University Avenue from Wellington, there she was arms waving high in the air with cheers of encouragement and excitement. Her energy displaced my fatigue and I powered forward towards Queen's Park. Enormous thanks to Steve for offering to be my paparazzo with my pup, Iniko, in tow. And finally, a huge thank you goes to Dave (bib 6744), a solitary stranger met whilst running along Rosedale, for the engaging conversation that made reaching the finish line seem effortless.

I was in great spirits for this race. Familiar faces of former running partners cheered me on along the route (Rob, Neil, Richard, Joanna) or ran beside me for brief chats before continuing on with their pace (Maureen).

The week leading up to the race entailed lots of carbs, a few light runs, and lots of water. This was the first time I ever carb loaded and hydrated throughly for a race. The day before the race, I accompanied friends downtown for a casual walk-about: we picked up fresh pasta and filet mignon at St. Lawrence's Market for that evening's dinner before collecting my race kit at the Sheraton Hotel. We ended the day with a leisurely stroll through Kensington Market before meeting my sister at the bus station and heading back to Clarington. I took my Enbrel injection before bed, set aside my Singulair, Flovent, and Indomethacin anti-inflammatory medication for the morning, and stuck a sticky note to the fridge to remind me of the peanut butter and honey slathered bagel. I had slight pre-race jitters and could not settle into bed until 11pm, but the excitement I had when I awoke fueled me through a spectacular day. Stay tuned for pictures.