Going the Extra Mile...

Seek to do good, and you will find that happiness will run after you...
~James Clarke

Once I make up my mind to do something I like to put measures in place that will cement my commitment :-) Registering for the Bluenose 5 km event, my first ever running event, was a huge step for me, but only the beginning. It now wasn’t enough to run only for myself; to have a goal to work towards. To continue to put one foot in front of another and never miss a training run. I knew instantly where I could find the inspiration to cross that finish line on May 20. It would come from being part of a very special team, running for a very special cause - Team Love4Gambia and our team captain Erin.

Love4Gambia is an ongoing fundraising campaign to support the Nova Scotia-Gambia Association’s HIV and malaria prevention, landmine injury prevention and child rights promotion programs in The Gambia, West Africa. Erin is a fellow nurse, a seasoned runner and courageous humanitarian that took on a monumental challenge in July, 2011. She (and her supportive team) ran across an entire African country in extreme heat and humidity, all to raise money for this worthwhile charity. A total of 424 km in 17 days!!! Yes, you read correctly. The equivalent of running a half marathon every single day!!!!

All of us that followed her progress were completely inspired. So now I'm not just running for myself - to prove that I can, but for a bigger, better purpose. To make a difference in the lives and health of children and youth a world away. Please visit my personal fundraising page and support me as I run for Gambia. No donation is too small!

Gotta Go... I'm Running Late...Literally!

Make A Run For It...

I've always found that when you take on a challenge - new diet, new exercise regime, etc. the more people you share it with, the more likely you are to stick to it - the whole accountability thing :-)

Decision to run made, I found myself at our local Running Room store reading the brochure on the Learn to Run Clinic. I had heard that this program offers support, education and that it builds up your running gradually. This sounds reasonable - a veritable support group for newbie runners. I like that. As I start to look around I find this place intimidating. The racks are filled with (very small) running clothes and strange accoutrements - gels, bodyglide, nipple protectors? What kind of store is this???

I turn to go, clutching the brochure (damp now from my sweaty palm) but encounter a clerk (tall, slim - definitely a runner). I find out that the next clinic is a mere 10 days away...and I ask the dreaded question: Can I learn to run at age 45? He tells me that the oldest person to complete the Learn to Run program was a 78 year old woman…
78!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In an instant all my excuses and doubts seem ridiculous, and this nameless, faceless women (33 years my senior) instantly becomes an inspiration. So much so that when I return home I register for the Bluenose Marathon 5 km event – before I can change my mind…

Gotta go. I'm Running Late...Literally!

Running Out of Excuses...

The decision to undertake this (monumental) challenge was a difficult one. Although I love the gym and exercising, I have NEVER been a runner. EVER. In fact I used to dismiss running as being "too hard on your body". This is from the women who did hard-core, intense Kettlebell classes that left my entire forearms bruised (and I wore them proudly) and brought me to the edge of losing my lunch many, many times.

Running, in my head, has always been an unattainable goal. Something that others did - younger people, those with more physical & mental strength than I have. I think that as I saw runners run, I saw the end product - thin, athletic types, running full speed in the midday summer sun - no way, not for me, I thought. In retrospect, underneath it all, I was envious. To be able to pull on your running shoes, load up your favorite music and take off. No gym required - only the open road. When I took my graduate degree I became friends with three fabulous women who were runners. I used to listen to their stories - their tales of half marathons, running hills, and this almost global camaraderie among runners. I dismissed it as never being possible for me...

How could I possibly run with my foot problems? At that time I was about 2 years post-op fasciotomy and calcaneal spur removal & still suffered foot pain. Plantar fasciitis, extremely flat feet that pronate, and bilateral calcaneal spurs. That sums up the state of my feet...However, at the end of February, 2012 I threw caution to the wind and decided to just try it. If I did everything I could to mitigate the feet issues, then maybe, just maybe I could become a runner...better late than never...

Gotta go. I'm running late...literally!