Hatley

Yesterday was the Hatley Castle 8K.

After talking with Paulie the night before, he convinced me I should race... and I'm glad I did! I keep forgetting what the 'runner's high' is like, and I'm reminded with every race I enter.

The course is notorious for showing no mercy on the steep climbs and rolling hills. Heading for the start line, I was beginning to question myself if this was a smart decision... but it was a little late to be backing out then --too many people have already seen me.

Hoping to run under 40 minutes, I crossed the finish line at 41:04 - which isn't a bad time for me. I was thinking sub 40 was a little unrealistic. But, on the plus side, I got a calf massage at the end!! And total bonus: my masseuse was pretty dang cute.

Today, my body feels pretty good! I'm pumped.... I have no aches, no pains! Perhaps I wasn't pushing hard enough.. !? I must say, I gave it a pretty hard effort on the last 500 m stretch. There was a fleeting 2-3 seconds at the finish line where I thought it was possible I could have met my '09 goal, and puked. Sigh... It vanished pretty quick, though.

I'm hoping to get into a regular running routine to get myself into better running shape. I'm looking into joining a running team. A little ambitious, I know... but all those runners from PIH, Westshore, or Running Room are so fit and look so damn ripped. I'm hoping I can hold off from my regular junk food binge - wish me luck!!

I've also given some serious consideration to running some longer running races. The Merville 15k is coming up... and maybe even a 1/2 sometime this season.. ? I suppose that would mean that I have to be doing some longer training runs... I'll keep you posted on how/if those go!

Meanwhile, here's a picture of me from the race:


Keep fit and have fun!

J