Campus to Campus Half Marathon Kelowna, Sunday March 29, 09

Started at 0'dark-hundred with a bowl of oatmeal to go and some good tunes on the stereo to get us (me and my boyfriend Calvin) to the start line. I guess I should have actually "read" the pre-race instructions (where to pick up the race number) because we drove more than we needed to, but there was plenty of time. Calvin drove and I ate (happily) and grooved along preparing for the race.

Arriving at the start line to find Gerry, Trish, Denise, Craig, and Myra, I was happy to see a few familiar faces...we were ALL freezing! Did I mention it was cold?! Ugg...on the heels of Joshua Tree, this was entertaining.

Ok, here we go. Race starts...runners start doing what they do...all is going really well. My HR is where it needs to be to start and I feel good. Cold, but good. Fast feet, stand tall, concentrate on breathing...great tunes on the iPod...sunshine peeking out. Nice start to the course, undulating enough to warm you up and it begins to elude to what is ahead.

The kilometres are creeping by. 2Km, then 3km, then 4km....holy crap, this is going to take forever...HOLD ON!?! What to my wondering eyes should appear, but approaching the 5km mark and the Garmin says 25:15. "Is this correct?", I ask myself...DAMN straight it's correct...I'm freakin' flyin!!! And feeling GREAT! I'm at LBP-5ish and have settled into a great pace.

I hit the 10km mark at a blistering 50:22 and quite honestly could have stopped right there a very happy woman. Not because I was tired, but because I was so pleased with that time. (Um, as an aside, I intend on doing another 10km race and plan on killin' it!) Oh, by the way, the 10km mark is atop a rather large hill...this is not truly a "flat" course, they (whoever "they" are, I really don't know) had to stick one in there somewhere, because, it's just not a race if there isn't a hill. Well, by this time I was at the top and there was no place to go but down...and these long legs come in very handy for cruising downhill. *Coaching Note: Ally needs more direction as to how to maximize the down hills...to be accomplished at a later date*

We hit the lake and I knew it was smooth sailing from this point on. Having run various Marathons around Kelowna over the years, I was very confident in knowing the terrain. I comfortably maintained LBP(which is 164) until about 16kms and then pretty much opened it up. By this point I was on track for a brilliant finish.

Ok, so I'm sure you're waiting for the "dum-dum-dummmm" part of this otherwise "fairy-tale" run...well, kids. Not today. Today was a GLORIOUS day! I ran as hard as I could for the last 5km and finished with my proudest accomplishment as a runner...1:48:25. Not only a personal best for me, but 3rd place in my age-group. My very competitive age-group.

I am NOW a believer. A believer in my abilities as an athlete, in my training so far and most certainly in my coaching. I put in the time, have done the work and am relishing the self satisfaction that I can run.

Happy training!
Ally