Rise and shine, after a snowshoe race the night before and 6 hours sleep it was time to make good on my commitment to my running partner Elise. This years Hypothermic Half Marathon came on what looked like a perfect spring day. Blue skies, 3 degrees Celsius and no winds, it was so different from every year past and every other location in the country running it today. (Winnipeg -45C after the WC, yikes!) The course followed the Rivers Trail, a paved multi-purpose path along the Thompson Rivers in Kamloops, so lots of beautiful views to be enjoyed as we ran.
We admittedly had a good race, pacing for the first 15km was bang-on, but I guess when the gummi bears hit the pavement at kilometer 7 it was a sign of rough times ahead. By the 16km mark fatigue was setting in pretty hard for Elise (mom of 8 month little H, and thus sleep deprived and recovering from seasonal cold). Slowing the pace slightly we pounded on down the road cheering the front runners on as they passed us on the final turnaround.
Background note: Elise is my running inspiration. She got me restarted a few years back and no matter how slow my pace, she's been there encouraging, and pushing me the entire way.
My turn to return the favor, 8 months postpartum, this is her first half marathon back on the race scene and I'm going to get her to the finish line come hell or high water, while still having fun.
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| Run Partners (Elise & Icebox) |
Not a PR for either of us, but that's not what this was about. Run buddies are a strange breed sometimes. They are the ones pushing you to go just a little further, telling you how awesome you are when you're trying to hold your guts in and not puke on course, and all the while with your best interests still in mind.
I have a huge community of run friends.....they all keep me going and I keep them going....it's not about the running! Great job Erica and Elise!
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