Let me catch you up ....
It seems only fitting for my first blog post to provide a brief background on my running life so far.
I hated running. That’s right. Hated. Growing up I would use every excuse in the book to get out of it. I could tolerate it as part of sports – soccer, rugby – it made sense. Later on in life it became the thing you “have to do” to lose weight which to me back then equated “health.” But running just for running’s sake was not for me.
That still held true in 2008. Coming back from 7 months in Swaziland (Southern Africa) I felt disgustingly unhealthy. Correction – I was disgustingly unhealthy. Knowing that since I had chosen a career in international development, I would likely end up overseas again – I knew something had to change. Realizing, for the most part, that running was the only sport that required minimal equipment that ‘technically’ I could do anywhere in the world (minus if I was stationed in a war zone or somewhere very unstable), I (begrudgingly) knew what I had to do.
Not knowing where to start, or even how to start I signed up for the Running Room’s ‘Learn to Run’ clinic online. This provided me with a simple plan online, a coach I could write to with questions and an online community I could suffer with. It was all I needed. So I would huff and puff (and curse) along the shores of Georgian Bay by myself, three times a week. I didn’t like it. But it did make me feel better.
Moving to Toronto a few months later for work, I kept going, and my confidence was building. One wintery Wednesday in 2009 I somehow mustered up the courage and showed up at the High Park Running Room for a free group run. I had never ran with other people before and the thought of it was terrifying. What if the distance is too far? What if I’m too slow? What if I get left behind? Despite all my fears and anxiety, none of these things happened. In fact - I kept up, I chatted with people – and I ran further than I had ever ran before without even noticing. I was hooked.
I ran my first road race in March 2009 – the Achilles 5KM in Toronto. It was scary – and invigorating! As the year passed with the support of the Running Room, I continued to add distance, races and run further than I ever dreamed was possible … and I LOVED IT. In October I ran the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon (21.1K or 13.1 miles). Where could I go from here? I was brimming with ambition and possibility. Shortly after this race however, I accepted a position in Malawi (South East Africa).
So came about the whole reason I started running in the first place. Theoretically, I could run anywhere. And I told myself I would. And I did. I started out strong in Malawi; running by myself, and a few weeks in hooking up with the Hash House Harriers for weekly runs and drinks. However, it wasn’t long before the heat, the dust, the elevation, the negative attention I drew to myself while running and ultimately the laid back lifestyle took its toll. Eventually my dedication petered out. Over the 4 years I spent in the country, my motivation to run came back in spurts but nothing significant.
My return home at the end of 2013 was more difficult than anticipated (see About Me). On a freezing night in January 2014, I showed up at the Yonge Street Running Room’s 5KM clinic. It was time to start over. I ran through one of toughest years of my life. At the end of the year, I decided I would set my sights on the full marathon (42.2K).
After running the Chilly Half Marathon on March 1st, 2015, I found out that my Aunt had lost her battle to ALS. This only strengthened my resolve. I would stop at nothing less than the marathon.
After an injury and a few other hiccups along the way, on October 18th, 2015 I found myself at the start line of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. In many ways it was a surreal experience. The only way I was sure it was indeed happening was the pain that I felt, particularly in the last few KMs. This picture from the finishing chute of the marathon sums up that experience. My long-time friend (and also a marathoner) Luke had volunteered to jump in with me at the 34K mark and run with me to the finish. At about KM 39, I hit the wall and I hit it hard. Physically I was done. Without Luke, I’m not sure I would’ve had the mental strength to keep running. But, he kept talking to me the entire time. This is my absolute favourite photo from the day. You can see how much I am suffering coming into the finish, and you can see Luke talking me through it. It is an experience I will never forget. I could not have had a better person to run me across that finish line. Most importantly through the generosity of friends and family around the world, I managed to raise over $4,100 for ALS research.
This brings my running journey up to the end of 2015 … and where the rest of my blog will start from …
