Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

"I will run and I'll run and I'll be ok"
- DMB, "The Stone"



Running training has been a little bit crazy on the good side lately. I'm not quite sure where this sudden onset of me being a "good" runner came from, but it's been here for a while now and doesn't show any signs of leaving. Maybe it's the trails I ran all summer. Maybe it's me caring that much more. Maybe it's just general overall improvement.

Whatever it is, I am most definitely running harder, running better, running faster, and I am for sure a whole lot stronger!

And it's pretty great. This past Monday, Steve and I met in the cold rain to run from the Runner's Den to the gazebo on the Bayfront trail and back for a 9k'ish tempo. We averaged a pace of between 5:15-4:45/k the whole run, and it didn't at all feel uncomfortable... if felt awesome!

It's such a great thing when you are able to realize what you are capable of. I never thought I'd ever run a marathon, let alone finish one. I never thought I'd ever run 3-4 long distance races a year, let alone put in the time and training required just to get me to the starting lines. But here I am, nearing the completion of another 13 weeks of training for my 3rd half-marathon, coming up on November 7th.

Once you realize what your body can do, you adopt a whole new appreciation for it. Training for races of the distances I tend to run (21.1k, 30k, 42.2k...), you come to appreciate your legs when they are shin splint-free, or when your toes aren't bruised and blistered. You tend to appreciate just a little bit more waking up at o'clock's that come after sunrise. You appreciate days when you do not smell like a sweaty old sock, or when you don't have to rush home to gobble up a peanut buttered bagel and out the door to run for 6.

At the same time, all of the things I've mentioned here are the very things that I LOVE about running and keep me addicted. Not just these things, though... so much more. A lot of the additional things I love about running actually have not a whole lot to do with the act of running itself. Of course I do love the feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction following a great run. I also love pushing myself to my limit for that day, and surprising myself a lot of the time. But aside from that, there is more. I love the camaraderie I have been able to develop. Most immediately, Julie, Breeann, Steve, and Kathy are the people who externally motivate me to get my ass to the Den (or wherever we're meeting that day), lace up, and get moving (usually at a very fast pace, especially when Kathy's there!). We've become such great friends, but we probably wouldn't have if it weren't for our sport. That's what's amazing about running... It brings so many different kinds of people together, from all different walks of life. That's something to behold. I've been so lucky to meet an amazing array of people through running, from teachers to business people to students to lawyers to nurses to doctors to store owners to free spirits just wanting to live unbound to anything. It's amazing.

Running also brings it's athletes to amazing places. You can run anywhere and everywhere, and that is something not all sports can offer it's participants. All you need are your running shoes, a bottle of water, and the determination to start and to finish. That's it. It can bring you to amazing spots you never knew your city held. Running the trails out of Ancaster this spring and summer opened my eyes to how lucky we are to have in our backyard.... Beautiful, luscious forest trails, littered with wildlife, beautiful brilliance. And challenge.

Road 2 Hope is approximately 5 weeks away. I am running the 5k on Saturday, November 6th, and the half-marathon on Sunday, November 7th. As the days dwindle (37 to go!), and along with it training (hooray for the tapering period!), I find myself growing more and more excited to inch up to that starting line and blast through the finish. I am aiming for a half-marathon time of 1hr 50 mins to 1hr 55 mins. This will be a challenge for me... it will require a pace of 5:15 for 21.1k, and my fastest half-marathon was only 1hr 59 mins, in Mississauga this past May.

But I believe I have a good chance at this. And, if training continues the way it has been moving these past several months, I will be well on my way to meeting my Boston by 2014 goal.

What makes YOU happy?