Crying at crossfit...

Yup, its true.  I cried today at my very first real crossfit class.  How's that for tough, eh?

After finishing our on ramp introduction earlier this week Krista and I planned to go to our first real crossfit session this morning.  I'm not going to lie, I was feeling pretty nervous about it.  I found the introduction sessions to be really hard and was worried I'd just be too wimpy and totally out of place in a real class.

I was definitely kinda wimpy but I didn't feel out of place at all.

The group of people that come for the 9:30 class have been there a few times during our introduction so I'd chatted with a few of them before.  A super nice bunch of women and it made that nervous newbie feeling go away a little bit to see familiar faces.  We chatted a bit while we warmed up on the bikes and then it was time.

We all gathered down on the floor and our instructor ran through the warm up for us.  It looked something like this:

• 200m row
• Dynamic stretching
• 2 mins of double under (skipping) practice
• Mobility stretches
• 400m run

When we got back from the little run we gathered again and he went through the actual workout of the day...

My very first official WOD

I had checked it online earlier this morning so I kinda knew what we'd be in for (yay, no squats!)  It was great to have the instructor go through it all and give us some tips and pointers and ways to modify if necessary.  Although they had some weights specified for the kettle bells and wall balls, I knew I'd be going just a bit lighter.

We were going to start the wod and see how far we could get in 5 mins then take a 3 min break.  Then we'd start all over again and see how far we got in 7 mins and then take another break.  Lastly, we were to do the entire thing for time.  Yikes!

They counted us down and boom! we were off on the rowing machines.  So far so good.  Then it was off to the skipping.  I'm not a bad skipper but those double unders are tough.  It's basically getting the rope around twice in one jump and it's tricky!  I can do them but just barely and certainly not all 50 in a row.  I modified a bit but definitely gave it my best shot.  

Then came the kettlebell swings.

And then came the tears. :)

So as you know, I have to be very careful with my back because of all of the previous injuries.  It's weak and limited and just not the same anymore.  I could tell right away that I was doing something wrong however because after only a handful of KB swings my back was killing me!  I swore I was going to snap my spine off at the hips every time I swung down with the kettlebell.  Thankfully the timer saved me and it was time to rest.  I wiped away my little tears and sucked it up.

The second time around it all went fine until I hit the kettlebells again.  I tried my best but it hurt so bad.  I ran over and grabbed a lighter bell hoping that would help.  But it didn't and by then I was kinda choking back the tears because it was hurting so much.  

Crap.  My first day and I'm already crying.  Awesome.

I called the instructor over and through my wimpy tears asked him what I was doing wrong.  I wasn't quite holding my posture correct and squatting with my legs enough.  He showed me the right way and sucked back the tears again and thanked him.  Oh, and I apologized for crying.  Ha ha.

The last time around I got through the rowing and the skipping and then it was time for the kettlebells.  I was really careful to watch my form but kept the lighter bell.  And what do you know, I got through them.  No tears.  Phew!

From there the wall balls were super hard.  Then we had to do these things called feet-to-bar but since I couldn't crunch high enough I did something more like knees-to-awkward-crotch-height to at least get started building some strength.  I'm pretty sure I looked like I was in a birthing position hanging from the bar but whatever I got them done.  The final thing was 10 assisted pull ups and I think those were my best exercise of the day!

We then got to record our WOD time on the board but I forgot to look at the clock so this was my entry...

"I finished!! (forgot to look at time)

So in the end, I survived.  But yes, I cried.  And I'll probably have other days where I might shed a tear or two in pain or frustration.  But already I can see how the culture and camaraderie of crossfit inspires you to work hard no matter how fast or strong you might be or not be.  It was a tough workout today but I feel great having completed it.

I felt so good I even snapped this geeky pic in front of the board...

And then this even geekier pic of Krista and I in the parking lot.  These are our "we survived" faces and I'm not sure which picture is worse.  Nice, eh?

In other news we're heading up to the cabin for the long weekend and I have my very last long runs before Run for Water planned.  Yikes!  It's just about a week away!  Can you believe it?  I was pretty proud to see this article about the Run for Water ultra in our Vancouver Sun newspaper the other day, check it out!

Oh and don't forget to enter my giveaway for 1 of 4 Color Me Rad race entries for anywhere on the tour!

Have you ever cried at crossfit?  Or maybe at some other workout?

35 things to do before I turn 36...

One of my favourite online-to-real-life friends Cori did something really cool for her birthday last year.  She posted a list of 36 Resolutions, one for every year of her birthday and I just loved the idea.  And since I pretty much love everything else about Cori, I'm going to borrow her cool idea and write my own version of it for my 35th birthday today.

So here it is...

I downloaded Instaquote today, watch out!

1.  Run a sub 2-hr half marathon
2.  Complete my Run for Water ultra with a smile on my face
3.  Have coffee with Cori
4.  De-clutter my craft room
5.  Get over my fear of box jumps at cross fit
6.  Learn how to use my DSLR
7.  Get professional family photos taken
8.  Let go of the rope while wake-surfing
9.  Do more speed training with Solana
10. Plan a local Twitter/Blogger meetup
11.  Run a trail race
12.  Think about another tattoo
13.  Consolidate my botched attempts at transferring files from my PC to my MAC
14.  Buy more groceries from our local farm market
15.  Find a favorite local butcher
16.  Teach the boys how to ride their bikes
17.  Actually finish my book club book each month!
18.  Clean out the garage
19.  Find a goal marathon for 2014
20.  Earn my runDisney Coast to Coast medal
21.  Run in costume at least once
22.  Work on the boys' baby books
23.  Write an article for the Running Room magazine
24.  Lift more than just the bar at crossfit
25.  Instruct or co-lead another Running Room clinic
26.  Find ways to be more charitable
27.  Ice skate with the boys
28.  Run another race with my seester
29.  Take a family vacation with just Hubs and the boys
30.  Have Christmas in our new house
31.  Volunteer at some races
32.  Pay for the person's order behind me in a drive thru
33.  Run a sub-30 minute 5k
34.  Go on a special date with each of the boys
35.  Update this list regularly

Okay, okay, so some are goals, some are cool, other are kind of lame and a couple I may have just lifted directly from Cori's list (thanks Cori!)  But I think this will be a fun little thing to keep track of during the year and hopefully it will help me remember to make time for those little dreams that always fall to the back of our minds.

As runners we all make lots of goals but have you ever done a resolutions or dreams list like this?

Do you want to be RAD this summer too?

In the past couple months I've been lucky to host several giveaways from running companies who donated products to help out with my fundraising campaign for Run for Water.  It has been such a treat reviewing these products and getting to share them with my running community.  And of course, the donations generated by each of these giveaways are so greatly appreciated!

I have a couple rad things left to giveaway and today might be one of the RADDEST.

Any guesses what it might be?  Maybe these pics might help...

Anything coming to mind?  Maybe a couple more...

Maybe you've heard of a little race series called Color Me Rad?  It's a crazy little 5k held in cities across Canada and the US that makes everyone smile by spreading colored cornstarch and good cheer!

As you can see from the lovely photos above I ran Color Me Rad last year in Vancouver and it was an absolute blast.  Definitely a must-do for your summer racing calendar.  I had so much fun there last year I decided to contact them and see if they'd be willing to donate a race entry I could maybe giveaway as a fundraising incentive.  I guess the folks that work for the franchise are a pretty fun and generous bunch because they immediately agreed and not just that but they offered me TWO race entries to giveaway.

Cool right?  Well not as cool as what happened next: I emailed back right away to thank them for their generous support and they offered up TWO MORE entries in honor of my Run for Water Ultra!  That's right, I've got FOUR race entries to any Color Me Rad race on their calendar!

I am beyond excited to be able to share this with all of you.

You don't have to donate in order to enter the giveaway, however, in order to honor the spirit in which these race entries were donated, I will be awarding extra entries to all donations made to Run for Water.  It is still astounding to me that just $35 is enough to provide someone in Ethiopia with clean water for life and it clearly shows how even the small donations can add up to make a huge impact.  Please consider donating even a few bucks to support this amazing cause and help change someone's life.

As an extra thank you for your support, two of the four winners will be drawn exclusively from the pool of entries earned through donations while the other two winners will be chosen from ALL entries.  Those are fantastic odds if you want to give a couple bucks and have a ton of RAD fun this summer!

The giveaway will end at midnight on Sunday, May 19.  Please have a look through the fine print below before entering:

1.  Giveaway open to residents of Canada and the US

2.  Winners will receive a promo code to be entered at time of online registration

3.  Promo codes are good for any race listed on the calendar that is not yet sold out

4.  Previous and new donations will be honoured, please enter the name under which you donated so I can confirm.

5.  All entries will be verified

6.  Color Me Rad generously donated these entries to be given away as donation incentives, no review was required but any opinions expressed in this post are my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A tale of two runs...

Crossing the finish line of my marathon last weekend was officially the start of my taper for Run for Water.  The big day is only 12 days away (eek!) and the next two weeks will be all about resting and preparing for my very first ultra marathon (those words still kind of freak me out to say!)

As with any taper, my mileage will be dropping quite a bit but when your taper is for an ultra, "dropped down" still seems like high mileage to a first-timer like me.  I'll be keeping up some distance but definitely not pushing it or building any further in the next two weeks.

For this past weekend, I had back-to-back long runs on Saturday and Sunday.  Saturday morning Krista and I were up at dark o'clock for 20km.  It'd been awhile since I'd run so early and it was definitely a bit tough to drag myself out of bed so early.  Thankfully once I got downstairs and started making breakfast I perked up a bit.  Still had to convince myself I was happy to be heading out at 5:00am though...

Do I look convinced?

The run was pretty good actually.  A very unimaginative double-loop of a 10km route I'd done before.  Quite a few hills but the weather was warm and we chatted the distance away anyway.  Afterwards I was off to a surprise spa appointment for Mother's Day which was an awesome treat after a long run.

All relaxed at the spa

Sunday we planned to head out early as well, but not quite as offensive an hour.  I met Sarah down at the Running Room and we headed out at 6:15.  Unfortunately the weather changed over night and it was pouring rain when I left the house.  Sarah convinced me to shed a few layers though and I'm so thankful I did because it actually barely rained on us out there!

Mid-run bathroom break pic!

We planned to run 25km but as the run continued on we talked about maybe cutting off a short loop at the end.  I was tired from the back-to-back and undoubtedly still a bit from the marathon a week earlier.  That and I started having visions of a very delicious and indulgent donut after my run.  Not in any way a "whole food" but heck it was Mother's Day and if Momma wants a donut, Momma's going to have a donut.  And not feel guilty at all.

All done and sweaty...

We ended up clocking in at 23.5km and for the record, the donut was amazing.  The rest of the afternoon was filled by a few hours at the new house and then a lovely, late afternoon nap!

This week I have a couple short runs on the schedule and then some mid-distance runs on the weekend.    This coming weekend is a long weekend so we're going to be up at the cabin which is pretty hilly terrain.  Seeing that it's my last weekend before Run for Water, I may opt to shorten the distances a bit in lieu of the terrain but we'll see how I'm feeling.  More than anything, I don't want to wear myself out in the week before the ultra.  My training is technically done and if rest will serve me better then a resting I will be!

How much do you typically rest during your taper for a big race?  Do you ever change your taper plans to take more rest?

Oh and stay tuned because I'll be posting a little Rad surprise a bit later this afternoon...

Would you rather: Running Edition

It's Friday and I was having trouble thinking of something funny, informative, inspirational or otherwise worthy of writing about today and I'm coming up blank.

So I'm sending out a huge thanks to Ashely at ratherberunnin.com for posting this:

Yup, she put together a little game of "Would you rather...?" and I'm going to have a little fun this Friday afternoon and play along.

So, here goes!  Would you rather...

1.   Never watch TV again or never run again?  As much as I'd miss my good friends at Grey's Anatomy, the Food Network and Mayday (that crazy plane crash show on Discovery Channel) I'd honestly rather never watch again than give up my running since my running helps my back feel better which means less pain for me.  TV makes me happy but I can't say it makes me feel better.

2.  Run 100m/hr or fly 100m/hr?  Since I'm pretty much afraid of flying I'm going to go with run at 100m/hr since it's harder to fall out of the sky that way...

3.  Only be able to walk and not run or only be able to run and not walk?  I don't think it would be terribly practical to only be able to run so I'd probably go with walk...

4.  Have to give up running for a year with the promise you'll BQ or never be able to BQ but be able to run as much as you want?  Duh, the latter since that's kinda real life for me anyway!

5.  Be injury free and a slow runner or a fast runner with constant injuries?  My car accident pretty much made sure I've already got built-in injuries that are never going away so when it comes to my running I'd much rather be a slow runner with no injuries. Oh wait a sec, that's already mostly true!

6.  Be a barefoot runner or wear shoes all the time, even to bed?  While shoes in bed would be extremely weird, I'm kind of scared of barefoot running...

7.  Hydrate during a run with mayonnaise or wasabi?  How the heck did Ashley come up with these questions?  But seriously, mayo all the way!  Mayo on burgers, mayo on fries - that's the stuff that dreams are made of!  I'd probably bathe in it if I could...

8.  Run with your eyes closed or run with your ankles tied together?  I'm pretty sure the latter is nearly impossible but there are some amazing athletes without sight and it'd be pretty cool to be that kind of awesome...

You can read Ashley's original "Would you rather?" post here...

How about you?  What would you rather do?

Two more days of crossfit...

This week we had two more sessions of our crossfit 'on ramp' program at Hybrid.  One more to go and then we're ready to start joining in on the actual classes.  Yikes!

On Tuesday we did something called the Freshman 15.  I think it's a standard crossfit workout so you might be familiar with it.  It was basically our first taste of a real WOD (workout of the day) and was a series of about 10 exercises, each completed 15 times.  (When you get stronger you get to do the same thing but 30 reps each called the Dirty 30!)

Holy crap.  It was hard.

I can't remember the exact order and I've probably forgot a few of the exercises or got their names wrong but this is kinda how it looked:

• Box jumps
• Kettle bell swings
• Walking lunges
• Barbell shoulder press
• Assisted chin-ups
• Back extensions
• Knees to elbows
• Wall balls 
• Double unders

It was tough!  The box jumps were scary, the kettlebell swings were hard on my back, the lunges were okay, the shoulder press was heavy, the assisted chin-ups were barely 'up' at all, the back extensions killed my sore marathon quads, I couldn't get my knee anywhere near my elbow, the wall balls were pathetic and I just barely managed to complete 15 double unders.  The exercises themselves aren't that difficult but all in a row and I wore down quickly!

And then today was pretty much the day I've been dreading since I first even considered trying crossfit - our intro to olympic weightlifting.

Let's just say I won't be pursuing olympic weightlifting as a goal anytime soon!

It was hard.  Actually, let me rephrase that.  I don't think the exercises themselves are actually that hard but when you have limited mobility through your lower back, shoulders and thoracic spine like I do, it was hard.  I've been very open with our trainer about my history but today definitely pushed the limits of what I think I am capable of doing safely.  Needless to say, it was very challenging.

We started off with a warm up that probably would have sufficed as a full workout for me!  We did short sprints on the upright ski machine followed by medicine ball throw downs and did three set of a specified number of reps.  I was pooped and then it was on to be taught proper weightlifting technique.

Our trainer Riley did a really great job with this.  We started off with long broom-handle-like sticks to practise the movements.  Starting first with a hanging snatch from above the knee, to a hanging snatch below the knee and then a full squat snatch.  I could tell right away that my shoulder and back mobility was going to be a problem but I did the best I could.

He then brought out 33lb barbells with no weights and had us practise with those.  It was definitely harder and I just about laughed out loud when he gave us the 42lb bars to try.  This was too heavy for me.  Anyhow, after lots of practise with just the bars it was time for the actual workout.  30 squat snatches with 5lbs added to the 33lb bar.  It doesn't sound like much weight but I felt like I was trying to lift a bar with an elephant hanging off either end.

I honestly tried the hardest I could but I really struggled with these lifts today and felt just a bit out of my league.  These lifts were basic but for me and my messy back they were really tough.  As with many things, I struggled to lift with the correct muscles and ended up feeling a lot of the strain through my lower back.  I could totally tell when my technique was correct because it was easier to complete the lift but it's tough getting things just right.  I asked if I could elevate my barbell a bit off the floor and that helped relieve a lot of the strain so maybe my height plays into my form as well.

This whole lifting aspect of crossfit is definitely going to take me awhile to get the hang of.  This is one place where I definitely can see how my injuries have altered my ability to do things that should be do-able for the average person.  I'm just not the same anymore.

Anyhow, I'm home now and although it took me about twice as long as my partner, I got those 30 snatches done and I'm happy with that.  I'm doing a little bit of reading here now too and have come across a couple resources that have mentioned snatches, especially full squat snatches, can be difficult for people with limited thoracic, shoulder and back mobility or even just people who are tall.  So perhaps I shouldn't feel so bad that I found these so difficult.

It's probably going to be a lot like running, I need to be careful, I'm going to be slow, I'm going to finish last but I have to find the confidence to just be happy and proud that I'm doing it at all.

If you do crossfit, how did you find your first few sessions?  Was it tough or am I just kind of wimpy?

Race Report: BMO Vancouver Marathon

It had already been an amazing weekend with both Friday and Saturday filled with good times and good running friends.  I still had half the weekend to go, I hadn't even run the marathon yet! Thankfully I was able to get a great sleep on Saturday night and although that 3:45 am alarm came quickly I felt good when I woke up.

My morning was pretty uneventful, which was surprising because I was worried I might be nervous.  But I wasn't.  I'd spent so much time wondering and worrying about this race in the weeks prior that I had none left for race day.  Phew!  My pre-race breakfast of 2 eggs over easy, turkey meatballs and leftover veggie stir fry was delicious and after a last look around to make sure I had everything, I headed out to meet up with Solana and her family.

On the drive in Solana gave me her "Believe I can" ring to wear for the day to give me a bit of extra inspiration and I gladly put it on since I knew it would help...

When we got to Queen Elizabeth Park I started to get excited and maybe a touch nervous.  We picked a spot to get settled and hung out for a bit.  We were early enough to see Solana's mom and our other friends doing the half but then we would have almost an hour to wait for the marathon to start.  So what else would good running bloggers do?  Take pictures of course!

My running ladies: Leana, Krista, me and Solana

And some new ones too! Me, Monique, Solana, Jess and Candice

Solana, Me and Jackie!

I even got to hang out with Russ from
my Goofy team!

It was a really nice way to lead up to gun time.  We visited, warmed up a bit, people-watched and of course, used the bathrooms.  Thanks BMO for providing such lovely bathrooms!  I grabbed one last selfie before I had to get ready for real and send my backpack back to the car with Solana's husband.

Now is that the face of a confident
marathoner, or what?

I waited on the sidelines until my brown corral moved it's way up and chatted with a few other runners.  Before I knew it, brown had caught up and I found Alanna in the crowd.  We chatted a bit as we continued moving toward the start and then suddenly it was our turn to go!

I was super nervous about the start of the marathon course because I had read that the first 4-5km were a bit up and down before you had a chance to find your rhythm.  Looking at the elevation profile I thought the first 15km looked like they could be kind of difficult but I was pleased to find that the hills didn't seem too big at the start and it wasn't hard to settle in.  Phew!  First big concern behind me.

Everything continued on pretty good for the first while.  My biggest goal for the day was to go easy and not risk aggravating my calf injury or accumulating any new injuries.  I thought a lot about my breathing and keeping an easy stride.  It was such a pretty morning too, it wasn't too hard to just sit back and enjoy the run.  By 9:00 am however, it was already scorching hot and that was just a little bit crazy.

Somewhere in the beginning, feeling good

I was familiar with most of this course so I liked that I could count off in my head whereabouts we were.  But on the same hand, that made me get nervous as we neared my second big concern of the race: Camosun hill.  The BIG hill on the marathon course and I was dreading it.  It was definitely long but luckily I had a walk break fall right before we started up and I just put it into autopilot and chugged along.  I ran alongside a guy in a full plush Barney costume and I thought that at least I didn't have it as bad as that guy - before I knew it we had climbed the hill and I was thrilled!  

We wound our way over to UBC from there and this was a really pretty part of the course.  This is a horrible picture but this guy was dressed up as Will Ferrel doing the infamous "More cowbell!" skit from Saturday Night Live and man, this guy made me smile for several miles beyond...

I was happy to reach UBC because I knew that we had a super long downhill portion coming up (Scotiabank Half Marathon anyone?).  I typically love downhill but with my calf injury hills had become a bit tougher.  I was worried it might bug me and was so thankful when I turned down NW Marine Drive and found I could open it up a little.  It was awesome.  I felt like I was flying, strong and steady, all the way down to the beachfront at the bottom.  It was a real confidence booster just before the halfway mark.

I broke down at this point and visited the honey bucket (which I have only ever done at one other race) but I figured 21 more km was a long ways to go when you had to, well, go.  It was somewhere around here that I had taken a look at my phone and saw that Solana had dropped and would be waiting for me somewhere along the course.  I was sad she had to drop but it was awesome to know she was there waiting and it definitely helped get through the Kitsilano stretch of the course which was flat but in full sun and hot, hot, hot.  This was where I started to get tired.

Just after 26km I met up with Solana and it was such a welcome sight.  I wanted to stop and hear all about her race but I had to keep moving.  I took an extra walk break for a quick visit and she made sure I was good, had everything I needed and gave me some encouragement.  

Solana snapped this one as I approached
her around the 26km mark

Until now I had been feeling really good.  I was definitely getting tired but none of my injury aches or pains had bothered me at all.  I was shocked.  I was starting to feel tight in my hip flexors and bum but I couldn't believe that my calf and hamstring were feeling fine.  I was so happy.  Tired, but happy.  Next up, my third big concern of the day: Burrard Street Bridge.

I love running over bridges.  However, I don't love running up the approach of a bridge 30km into a marathon!  I knew it was going to be tough so I dialled up my tried and true hill climbing song - So Whatcha Want by Beastie Boys - and trudged on up knowing there was a glorious km or more of slight downhill waiting for me on the other side.  There were some great spectators right at the end of the bridge and this was my first cry of the marathon.  They were happy and proud tears though so it was okay.

I'm pretty sure there are some tears
behind those snazzy Maui Jim glasses!

As if it hadn't already been scenic, this is where the course really got beautiful.  After the bridge we ran along the waterfront and even though I've seen it a million times, just could not get over how lovely our city is.

I knew that I had what would be the toughest part of the race coming up soon.  My fourth big concern of the day: the seawall.  Probably the most beautiful but it was the last 10km of the course and from what everyone had told me this can be the hardest.  I don't really remember from Disney since I think I was delirious the whole way but I was worried that if anything, this would be where I'd start to unravel.  I knew I had to stay focused and just get 'er done.

Thankfully Solana popped up right at the start of the seawall and conveniently, right as I was filling my face with jelly beans and candy from the last water station.  She jogged along for a sec to make sure I was okay and off I went.

The seawall is perfectly flat and just so unbelievably beautiful so that definitely helped in the last stretch of the race.  But I was tired.  Not in any pain, but tired.  Muscles were stiff, some were sore and I could tell I was getting a little blister on my left foot.  I repeated a few of my favorite songs through this stretch and tried to get lost in the scenery.  I was reminded so much of Disney because this was where there were times where I couldn't see a single person around me who was actually running.  There was a whole lot of zombie walking going on but I felt good to be keeping my pace.  Slow is still a pace, right?

The landmarks around the seawall are a bit deceiving and seem closer than they are.  With every corner I kept thinking that I had to be getting close to the finish but it was always just a few more turns.  I pretty much lost it when I ran through the Canuck Place mile and every motivational sign made me bawl.  The guy at the water station kept saying, "It's okay, you're almost there" but little did he know I was just feeling overwhelmed by my emotions.  The sign that really got me was the one that said "You're stronger than you think" and it took me quite awhile to catch my breath and stop crying.

Thinking back to this sign made me laugh and that definitely helped me get focused again...

By this point I was somewhere around 39km and I knew I only had about 20 mins left to go.  I started to text my husband and my friends to let them know where I was.  I could almost taste the finish line.  But, I still had my last big concern of the race to get through: the finish chute.  Doesn't typically seem like a concern but I remember from last year the final stretch turns off Georgia and onto Pender and has the slightest uphill to it.  I remember it sucking after 21km so I was worried it would suck even more after 42.

I was so tired by the time I made the final turn I had no choice but to crank my best running song and just grind it out.  I knew where Hubs would be but just couldn't spot him and because my music was blaring I didn't hear Solana and Jillian screaming at me either.  I had my eyes on the finish line and just wanted to get there.

And I did.  4:59:36.  Awesome.

I was so happy.  So happy to have finished, so happy to be feeling good and so happy to have taken 80 mins off my last marathon time.  My injury didn't bug me and I think I ran a good race, a smart race.  Most importantly, I realized as soon as I was done that I'll be okay for Run for Water.  It might not be pretty but this marathon proved to me that I'm going to be able to do it.  Success!

It took me awhile to meet up with Mike and everyone else but eventually I did and didn't waste any time diving into my snack bag and ripping into the chips...

We hung around for a bit while I caught my breath and stretched.  We had a chance to catch up on each other's stories and find out about how everyone else had done.  It was a tough day out there for everyone but it ended up being a great day and I don't think that goofy smile left my face for hours.

The boys and I enjoying
the post-race snacks

The day was tough but just such an amazing one for me.  I had spent so much time in the past few months worrying about having been injured and whether I'd be able to make it through any serious distance on my modified training.  It was such a relief to find that my body not just survived the distance but did absolutely fine with it.  Yes I was tired and yes, more training would have obviously helped but I ran a smart race and got through it with flying colors.  I was elated.

However, I really need to stop picking marathons that end up with crazy heat waves on race day!  First Disney and now Vancouver!  Ray Zahab watch out, I'm going to run the Sahara next!  Uh no, definitely not.  But running my longest races in such challenging conditions has really shown me that I guess I am stronger than I think.  I've used positive thoughts and mental focus to get me through tough things before and it really seems to have prepared me for marathon running too.

There are so many amazing stories from Sunday and I had the chance to spend some wonderful time with both old and new running friends.  While some of my friends reached their goals and others had to put their goals on hold for another day, every single one of you was with me for every mile of that marathon and I just want to say thanks for being there and helping me get through it.  Training is a huge part of it but not a single step would have been possible without the support and encouragement from my friends and family.  Thanks guys, I love you.

Believe I can?  You bet!  And I did.