Well, I did it.

The weather was perfect.  The energy was amazing. I was ready.

Once I got downtown, I ran into some of my running friends 🙂   We had a chat before they went our for their 10k.

I went into my training with the A/B/C plan in my head.  A: Go for my best time. B: Go for my best time when I am not my best.  C: Don’t die and finish, lol.

I went with my Plan B, and decided to hang out with the 2:15 Pace Bunny and see how it went.

I was concerned, I won’t lie.  Not running the last few weeks of training really had me worried.  Thankfully my PT and RMT told me I would be okay.

I was okay.

I felt good.  I met a Twitter bud Shelley while running along Agricola Street.  My body was feeling okay. After the first 5kms I went a little bit ahead of the Pace Bunny, but kept close enough to hear when we would take our walk breaks.  I stayed out front until Point Pleasant Park and “the hill”.  I wanted to walk it, mostly because I know when I hit my wall, and if walking that hill cut into my time, I was willing to save my legs to get me through until the end.

I caught up with the group on our way out of Point Pleasant and tried to stay with them as much as I could.  Shelley and I met up again and we hung out for a bit until her knee got angry with her and she told me to soldier on.

I soldiered.  I walked when I needed to.

I was treated to a dance and a hug by my friend Tab who was out there cheering all the runners on South Park Street 🙂

I chugged along until I hit the last couple of kms.  I then ran into my Twitter friend Sherry who was volunteering at a water station. She ran with me until the corner of Citadel Hill (thanks girl!).  Then I walked a bit, because this is “almost the end”.   It’s downhill.  Then the slow painful incline of Brunswick Street, lol.

I hoofed it down Cogswell Street, heard someone yelling my name (later found out who that was – another social media peep, Chantal!), and got down to Brunswick.  I took a short walk break.  Then started running again.

Not too long before the Finish Line I heard a familiar voice coming up beside me.  Shelley had made it!  We ran across the finish line together 🙂

I am lucky to have a good Sherpa Team waiting at the finish line of every race.  My Mom and TeenThing 🙂

This race, as rough as it was for me the last few kilometres, reminded me why I love to run.

So very thankful.

@crazymamaruns