Final countdown...

Today I ran 10.5 miles. Let me repeat that. Today I ran 10.5 miles... as in, consecutively. The half-marathon is next weekend, and at this point in the game I'm as ready as I'm going to be. I had a lot of time to think today - I reminisced about the past 10 months, remembered some of the early races I competed in - back when I could barely run 3 miles, and felt overwhelmed by my accomplishment. One foot in front of the other. Slow and steady wins the race. As cliche as they sound, these statements are my mantra.

I truly believe that with the proper training and commitment, anyone can complete an endurance event. I wish I could convince all of those people out there that think they are not capable that they CAN do it. I am a different person today due to the self-confidence and boundless determination that I've gained from my training. It's a great feeling. Now I'm coming up on the final stretch and can't wait for all of my hard work to pay off. Just one more week to go ....

Vancouver Sun Run!

I ran the Sun Run this weekend in Vancouver. I loved it and hated it. Things I loved: the enthusiasm of the city in embracing this event! Awesome crowd support, organized bands along the route and plenty of water stations, stellar views along an diverse route (city, 2 bridges, etc), running with 60,000 people! Woah! Things I hated: 40 minutes to cross the start line, waiting in line to cross the finish line, and running with 60,000 people! Woah!

This was the second largest race in the world, with a record breaking 59,179 registered runners. My time sucked, mostly due to the walkers and slow runners registering in the incorrect wave. There is nothing more annoying than having to strategically dodge hundreds of people for 5 kilometers! It tends to slow you down. I finished at 68:26, about 5 minutes more than my expected time - but I still did well in comparison to others in my age group and finished in the top 1/3 of women :) Here are some fun photos from the race...

Me and Wacarra patiently waiting at the start line ... for 40 minutes.

The line in front...

And the line behind us...

Here we are - 39:29 - almost crossing the start line!

Around 4k - crossing the Cambie Bridge. Unfortunately I didn't capture the stunning views from the bridge. I was busy running :)

At the 9k mark - heading over the Burrard Bridge. More great views of downtown Vancouver.

Running the last 1k

After standing in line to cross the finish mats, we waited in another line to enter the Expo. Lots of runners, lots of food :) But where is Wacarra???

Bagels never looked so good! I hate that after a big run I always eat all the calories I just burned - I had 3 (hey - they were small).

Yum - bananas!

55,785 people running in Vancouver this weekend!

The 2008 Vancouver Sun Run has broken the participant record this year, with nearly 56,000 people signed up to run! Wacarra and I are heading up Saturday morning, with fingers crossed that we won't hit insane traffic at the border. On Saturday, we have plans to pick up our race packs and have a little fun enjoying the Vancouver night life without a hugely long run to worry about on Sunday. We're staying on Robson Blvd., so I'm sure we'll get some fabulous shopping in over the weekend as well :)

I'll be sure to take tons of photos! Stay tuned!

The first 2 miles are always the hardest.

Another 8+ miler today, much better than last week. I downloaded some fresh music on my iPod which helped break up the monotony. I wish I could've run with my camera today, but I didn't feel like tacking on the extra weight. Here are some shots from after my run.

The parking lot in Madrona where I start my run.

Exhausted but content.

I love my feet. They take me everywhere I want to go and hardly ever let me down. Here I am enjoying a nice stretch after my run. See how close I am to the water? I'm so lucky to live in a city with such beautiful trails. I heart Seattle.

Little buddy is getting old - 11 years! He needs a tune-up real bad. I need to take him in for a check-up before my Vancouver trip in 2 weeks.