running for mum

Today was the 2012 edition of the Run for the Cure - a 5K run/walk to raise money for Breast Cancer research and treatment. I signed up a couple of months ago and this morning I nervously paced, waiting for my support team (husband and boy) to drop me off near the start line.

nervous, at home

This week, the hardest part hasn't been the physical preparation, it has been the emotional impact. I've had a big lump in my throat all weekend. This year's T-shirt says - "who are you running for?" In my square, I wrote "Diana (Mum)". And today, I did, what at my current age, she would have been unable to do. I ran and walked a 5K course. Because when she was my age, she was in the last stages of her fight to live.

In a sea of pink, waiting for the start

Fortunately I started fairly close to the front, in the jogging section of the start. I ran for the first 5 minutes, slowly, as there was a huge mass of people. Gradually the mass thinned out and I was able to keep to my race plan - 1 minute run, 1 minute walk for 18 minutes. I pretty much walked the rest of the way, running a few more times - in front of the TV studio where my husband works and where he and the boy were camped out ready to wave to me. I ran down the bridge ramp into the home stretch of the run and of course, across the finish line. The only milage sign I saw, was the 4 KM sign in the middle of the bridge. I was completely overwhelmed with emotion, running and walking in a mass of people, running for and with cancer survivors and in memory of those who's lives were cut short by this disease - in a sea of pink. I've been so lucky to have my support team, who donated to the cause in my name and who texted, emailed, called and cheered for me, leading up to today. Thanks to all my cheering section!

I did it!

becoming a runner

It feels so presumptuous to even write that. But that is what I am doing. Or trying to do. I recently joined this online group. I love the name. In school I was that girl, the last one picked for teams usually, who panted her way around, trailing everyone else badly, with my short legs and chubby frame. And at the end of gym class, I always had a glow-in-the-dark red face. Always. I managed in high school, to be one of 8 girls to letter in sports (it is still shocking to me) by playing on the school's field hockey team, playing intramural volleyball and basketball, managing the school's girl's basketball team and competing in track and field - my disciplines were shotput and discus throwing although my coach tried to convince me to be a long distance runner. I hated running in school and for most of my life. I never felt fit enough, never felt natural and never felt the high that others talk about. When I was in my twenties a friend and I trained for and then ran a 10K race and thanks to my slow pace, we came in last. I gave it up. A knee injury (partial acl tear) sustained playing tennis made me even more reticent when it came to sports. And recently, my only activity has been the occasional walk. My doctor wants me to be more active and I want to be more active. I want to be able to run around with our boy, play soccer in the park with him. So when the ads for this year's CIBC Run for the Cure started, it was already percolating in my head that I could/should do something about it this year. As in, get out there and do it. Raise money and run in mum's memory. And then Dara posted about the Red Faced Runners and posted their version of the C25K program (Couch to 5K). So I joined the group and signed up for the 5K, bought running shoes and socks and started the program. I started slowly - it took me 2 weeks to do the first week's schedule. Mainly as I struggled with how to fit in training into my schedule. I've run in the afternoon, with my boy playing on a nearby playground and I don't like running late in the day. So far what works for me in early morning. During the work week this means hauling myself out of bed at 5AM so I can do the run, shower, do morning prep routine and the morning commute to be at my desk by 7. The mornings are getting darker but so far the weather has been fantastic so I'm hoping that by the time the rain starts, it will be habit enough so I will still have the umph to go. This morning I did the last workout of Week 4 - a repeat of Thursday's run as I didn't complete it on Thursday and I managed the whole thing this morning. So I'm surprising myself. So maybe at the end of next week, I will be able to run the 22 minutes. I can. I will. And after the 5K, I'm hoping to continue with running - 20 minutes 3 times a week so I can say, I'm a runner.