I made it! It was really tough but completed all 15.5km, and I raised $300 for the Good Friday Appeal with the help of some really awesome friends!

 

I had two personal goals for this run (other than raising some dough for a good cause):

1) complete the run in less that 2 hours; and

2) not feel crappy at the end.

 

I'm stoked - my official time came in at 1 hour, 57 minutes and 6 seconds! That's an average pace of 7.33 over the full distance. It may not seem that fast, but it wasn't that long ago that I'd struggle to keep that pace for 2km, let alone 15.5km!

 

That being said, it was hard. Really hard. I'd decided to take a walk-run method, and take a walking break for a few minutes at every drink station which were at about every 3kms. I was feeling good until about the 8km mark. After that every km just seemed longer that the last, until the final 1.5km felt like 5km. It was a little disappointing I walked so much in the last section of the run, but I'm still pretty proud of my time.

 

As for not feeling crappy? I felt pretty good at the end! Saved just enough juice to run across the finish. Then, lots of water and an apple. 

 

Then, I took a turn for the worse and, yes, blew apple chunks all over the grass in Alexandra gardens. My second goal was an utter failure - I was much sicker than last year. 

 

I'll also just mention one highlight for me. I really appreciate all of the volunteers that make this event possible, and I know that it is a long tough day for them too. So, I like to make an efforts to give them a big smile, maybe a high five, and cheer them on when they cheer for the runners. I also feel like the boost to my mood that comes from forcing a smile helps me to keep going. Well, at about the 5km mark another runner come up behind me and said "Wow, I'm running with you! You've got spirit!". We ran together for the next few km, until her knee gave her some trouble on a hill. It just felt really great that someone appreciated my effort, both in running and in staying cheery throughout.

 

As always, It was a great event and a lot of fun!

 

I've kept my fundraising open until the 20th of April, so you can still contribute by clicking 'Donate Now' and making a secure online donation!