I needed that!

Today, I had an amazing 10K run on my own. After running with great friends all week, it was actually a little lonely today and I wondered how I would manage. Then, after the first KM or so, I realized how important my “ME” runs truly are to me. I was able to do plenty of reflecting on how great my week has been and how lucky I am to have the friends that I do. I was able to look back at a few races that I’ve done (the good and bad ones) and also look towards my upcoming races. While running on the sidewalk, I tried to visualize how different these next two races are going to be with regards to the type of terrain I’ll be running on (rocks, trails and river crossings).

I realized today how much I truly loved trail running and in a weird way, I think that the fact that I struggled with cramps in Mississauga was a blessing in disguise. Had I reached my goal at that race I would have been consumed with trying to do better at my subsequent marathons and though I loved the training, I also didn’t have much balance in my life at that time.

I truly believe that things happen for a reason and I have been brought back to trail running because it is something that I truly enjoy more than any other type of running. I also just found out that I’ll be having company with me during the ITT race in August and that will make the drive there more exciting and we’ll have great stories to share on the way back.

This weekend I’ll be running in the trails again (20-23KM’s) and then I’ll be helping to pace a good friend who will be running in the Whitby ½ Marathon on Sunday. I think I’m more excited about that race than any I’ve done in quite some time, because I love giving something back to the sport that I love and also helping out someone who encouraged me to teach a Learn to Run Clinic.
Good luck Maureen……I’ll try to keep the talking to a minimum!