Thank you for running such a great clinic and for being so unfailingly encouraging every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday and with all the positive emails sent our way.

Looking forward to the next clinic to get trained for Baastin, baby!

Your great advice from the clinic about sticking with our race plans was, I think, key for me. So I fast walked for the first 10K; there was another woman going at about my speed who made a great pacer. As the distances were posted in kilometres, I figured that I needed to do about 9 minutes/K to finish at my target time of 2:50. I found that I was able to consistently finish each K at about 8:45, so I made the 10K by just under 1 hour, 30. At that point, I began walk/running, walking 1 minute, running 2 -3 as I did in training.

The course was really lovely, as you probably know. It wasn't long before we got to the turnaround point at 13K. I made 15K in 2H 2minutes. After that, reaching the 21.5K finish didn't seem so far. I wanted to run as much of the remainder as I could but I had to keep pacing myself. The volunteers along the route were amazing, out on every corner banging pots and rattling shakers and shouting encouragement. One family even had their boom box set up outside their house playing the theme to Chariots of Fire!

I was pretty sore and tired by about 18K but ploughed on. Then, just after the 1K sign, I rounded the corner and there was Alistair, having finished his 8K, taking pictures and assuring me that the end was near.

From there to the finish, I tried to jog without stopping. But my hopes of a Simon Whitfield-style dash to the finish line evaporated in pain and fatigue! I stopped to walk for a few seconds along the final block, then managed to jog the rest of the way in. Just in front of me was an 80 year old woman doing her umpteenth half. A little later, an 86 year old woman finished her marathon in world record time of 4:36. Pretty inspiring.

I finished in 2:50 - faster and further than I've done in training because of the extra .5 K on this course. I was thrilled, because I had absolutely drained the tank as I crossed the line.

Amazingly, my knee (where I have recently been getting some pain on the joint line) didn't bother me at all. (The other great thing was that although I felt much thirstier than I ever did in training, and picked up Gatorade at at least five of the water stops, I didn't have to make any bathroom stops en route. So the body seemed to be working pretty efficiently).

Sharon came in at 2:31, her 9th half and 3rd this year alone. So she was happy too.

So now, the question is: will I do another one? There is no doubt it's a thrill to accomplish the challenge of finishing that distance, so much more of a challenge than a 10K. If I did another one, I'd want to try and finish closer to 2:30, so I'd need to train for longer, right? For now, I'm looking forward to the 10K seawall race in Stanley Park in a couple of weeks time. Maybe if that seems just way too short, I'll start thinking about the next half.

Thanks so much Laura for making the clinic such a great, fun experience.

I just got back from Victoria. It was my 3rd marathon and my 1 year anniversary from my first marathon that I ran in Kelowna. I am very happy to say that I did well (3:14) and that I qualified for Boston. In fact I have already signed up! It's been my goal since hearing about it from the NSA runners that have participated at that event.

The weather was perfect, cool slightly overcast and dry. I made one rookie mistake where I bought new shoes prior to the race and they were not broken in yet. So I had a couple of doosie blisters on one foot at the end of the race. But other than that I felt pretty good. I wore my NSA shirt and noticed quite a few of us out there for this event. Dave Horsfield whizzed by me towards the end yelling at me to pick it up. That helped me getting up the final hill but there was no way I was going to catch him. It proves that experience wins out again (I think this was his 72 marathon!).

Anyway I just wanted to thank you, Keith, Jenn and the run leaders for all the hard work and support that you provide in the clinics. I am surprised at how far I have come in such a relatively short time and it all started just over a year ago with signing up to my first running clinic with NSA.

It’s race day in Victoria and still dark outside as we get up. I check weather forecasts on the computer and get conflicting information. One site says the current temperature is 4 degrees, another says it’s 6. Either way, both values seem too cold for running in shorts. I hate to feel of tights constraining my legs, but tights it will be today!

Our hotel is right on the course, just half a kilometer before the finish line. As we walk towards the parliament building to meet other NSA runners at 7:00 AM, I wonder how tired I’ll be when we run by the hotel a bit later this morning. As we approach the fenced area before the finish line, the sun raises just enough to hit clouds on the horizon. The twilight is beautiful and lends a sense of drama to the event. This is my first ever Half Marathon. My primary goal is to finish – my secondary goal is to hopefully finish in less than 2 hours.

We meet only three other NSA runners at the parliament building, which is kind of disappointing. I expected a larger group. We drop off the backpack with our recovery drinks and warm cloths. Then we walk over towards the starting line. I’m starting to get slightly nervous and doubts start to nag my brain. Am I dressed too warm? Were the two power bars I had for breakfast enough? Do I have to go to the toilet once more? I’m not a morning person. Although I have no troubles getting up early, my body takes much longer to wake up than my mind. I take a Clif shot block with caffeine.

The speaker entertains the crowd. As we approach gun time, the crowd starts moving forward. I start running a few meters before the starting line – and off we go! The day before, Irene and I took he organized bus tour so we have a pretty good idea where the course is leading us. I’m starting slow because of the crowd and because I did not warm up at all prior to the race. Soon we are in the Inner Harbor, and turn into Johnson, where a long and gradual incline awaits us. The road is wider here, which makes it easier to pass slower runners that started ahead of us. My GPS watch tells me I’m running about 9:30 miles. My heart rate is a few beats higher than I like. Maybe the heart rate is higher because of the tights, or the vest is too warm, or maybe just the excitement of being in the race. Not much I can do other than watching it and pacing myself.

I pass the first water stop at about 4 km without taking on any fluids. As we head for Beacon Hill, I take another shot block and then stop for water at the second water station. I just can’t run and drink from a cup at the same time! We’re about 45 minutes into the run and my body is starting to feel warm throughout. My pace is picking up as we run along the beach to Clover Point and along the Cemetery. I’m a bit surprised to feel my ankles and calves tightening due to the slope to keep water running off the road. The road feels like traversing an incline that lasts forever. My body tells me to watch this and I choose to run closer to the center of the road – where everybody else seems to be running too. I pass the halfway point in less than 1 hour. Now, the question is can I maintain this pace or will I slow down toward the end.

I stop at the next water station, eat some Sharkies and walk for a couple of minutes towards the turn-around point. My heart rate dropped rapidly during the walk and slowly starts to rise again as I run. My pace has picked up significantly: 7:00 to 7:30 minute miles on downhill sections, 8:30 to 9:00 minute miles uphill. Three quarters through the race, I know I’ll meet my 2-hour goal comfortably – if nothing bad happens. My body feels good but I’m still feeling my calves. As I make it up Beacon Hill, my heart rate increases to the point that I’m starting to feel a slight pressure in my head: Time to slow down. I take a walk break and drink the rest of the electrolyte drink I carried in my fuel belt.

When I start running again, I’m about 3 km from the finish line. The tension in my calves is irritating but not painful. I’m starting to worry about the possibility of cramping and decide to go slower – but not by much: My GPS shows pace values between 7:15 and 9:00 per mile. As I’m trotting along, doubts are creeping up on me. Some of them are about this race, others about whether or not I really want to run a full marathon. As I get closer to the hotel, adrenaline seems to be kicking in and it’s now all about the finish line. Two corners later, I can faintly hear the speaker at the finish line. One more bend, and I can hear him more clearly. He says something like “We’re now in the last 5 minutes before the 2 hour mark -- an important goal for many runners.” No kidding.

As I enter the fenced area before the finish line, I see the clock ticking: 1:56:34 … 35 … 36. I didn’t pay attention at the beginning how much after gun time I crossed the starting line. All I know is that I will finish in less than 2 hours. I don’t remember if I smiled crossing the finish line. I was tired but not exhausted, and happy I met both my primary and my secondary goals. Then, I realized I had forgotten to stop the clock on my GPS watch. When I stopped the watch, it showed 1:54 something. Hmm, how much time has passed since crossing the finish line? A minute? More? I receive the medal and remove the chip, then wait for Irene who shows up a few minutes later.

We get our backpack with the recovery drinks and the camera, then go to the food area, and finally take some pictures with the medals in front of the parliament building. On the way back to the hotel, we cheer on the runners that are still on the course. Back at the hotel, I check www.raceheadquarters.com and they already have preliminary results available. My chip time was 1:53:08. I’m certainly happy with this time -- but I can’t keep myself from wondering how much better the time would have been if I’d ran in shorts…

Irene and I started running a year ago in the Walk/Run clinic for beginners. It’s amazing how far we’ve come in such a short time. Our next goal is the 2009 Vancouver marathon, maybe with some other timed runs in between. But first, we’ll rest out legs for a couple of weeks!

Thanks for all your help -- these clinics do work!

Race Day - October 12, 2008. I was ready & pumped to run my second Half Marathon on this cold but beautiful Fall morning in Victoria.

I positioned myself next to Ruedi my husband at the 1:45 hrs wave when Iheard Laura's strong voice in my head: "Remember, you worked your ass off in the last 18 weeks in training. Don't blow all your steam on the first half of the race. Be smart and do a reverse split!" Okay, Laura you are so right, for the first 10k I will run with my brain the rest with my legs and my heart.

Moving back in the crowd, I spotted a pace bunny with pink ears that had 2hrs written all over. This is good, I'll just follow him.

I'm looking at my pace calculation sheet with a finishing time of 1:59 when the lady standing next to me says "You are serious about this!" I look up and see a bald woman wearing a black T-shirt with a pink ribbon imprint. Obviously a breast cancer survivor. The energy coming from her was unbelievable. As the wave was moving faster towards the starting line -- the race had officially started -- I wished her good luck, always keeping a close eye on the pace bunny.

3 km into the race my pace bunny had disappeared, gone, nowhere to see! All of a sudden, the bald lady is passing me, shouting: "Are you on schedule?" "No!" I say, "But who cares? I feel great!" With a big grin on her face, she continued on.

After about 12k, I was ready to pick up the pace. I could not believe what I saw at 18 km -- the ears of my pace bunny were flopping right in front of me! I caught up to him and told him how happy I was to see him again and that I had lost him for 15k. "Good for you!" he answered, "But I'm slightly behind schedule!" What? Behind schedule? No way! Iwaved "Good Bye!"and I took off, crossing the finish line in 1:58:14 -- my personal best!

Of course, I'm proud of my accomplishment but I could not have done this on my own!

Thank you Laura, Jenn & Femina for transforming me into a Runner.