Scotiabank Half

This is going to be short, but not because of anger or frustration, but just that time is seeping away from me...

The half was what I was hoping for, for about 16k. Looking back at the Garmin, I was on pace up until that point. Even through 17k, I was still on 1:15 pace, but in the last 4k, man it got ugly. Heart rate dropped, no strength in the legs, eyes starting to cross. Not even the vision of Lauren and Simon could get me to move my legs any faster.

The finishing time was 1:16:56. That time is about 5 minutes faster than the Oak Bay half, but about 3 minutes slower than what I was hoping for. As I have said, I am not frustrated or angry, just accepting of it as where I am right now. I know that in my workouts I am running faster than I have before, but it has not yet translated to longer distances. Maybe I should focus on 800m races for the rest of the summer? Last year, before the injury, I had a HUGE base, coming off of an ultra in Iceland and a fall marathon and then the build for Boston. But since Boston, I have injured my foot twice, six months apart, which effectively took me out of running for 6 month of the last year as I healed. It is time for me to rebuild my base and continue to have fun running. Without any goal races until October, I will be able to do that without any concerns about being fast at a particular time.

And for those that are following my running more closely, you will recognize that there is no goal race in August. I have made the difficult decision to miss the ENDURrun again this year, although this time it is by choice and not due to injury. With the move back to Victoria being made on August 1st, and then needing to get a teaching gig over there, leaving Sonja and the house and the new kitten for 10-12 days is not something that I want to do. I LOVE the ENDURrun and will be saddened to miss seeing all my friends there this summer, but with our budget and the necessity and desire to be in Victoria, it just isn't in the cards this year. However, every winter, it is the thought of Bob training that gets me out the door for the long, cold, wet runs in preparation for the ENDURrun. I will be following closely every day and I will be in contact with the runners, but this year my place is in my new home.

I would remiss if I didn't mention that many of my VFAC teammates had AMAZING races and I am proud of then all for it. It is honestly an honour to be part of a club with such great runners who are great people.