21 kilometers later...

I can't believe that I haven't written in 2 months...

Well, I finally ran the half marathon on Sunday. I'm not sure what I was expecting to feel afterwards. I was definitely exhausted and had that feeling of knowing I had nothing else left to give. It was also somewhat surreal that I actually did it. It was a bit of a far off, almost mythic goal for me and I wasn't sure I could run over over 2 hours straight...but here we are.

I woke up a little after 5 to catch a bus into Toronto and all I could think of was the insanity that accompanies waking up while it was still dark and cold to go run for a couple of hours. However, as the sun rose, it was apparent that it was going to be a beautiful day. Clear skies, shining sun...there wasn't more that I could ask for in terms of the weather. It was funny because I wound up missing the mass of runners going across the start line because I was waiting in line to use the washroom. It was incredibly odd to be starting the race with noone around me and it was almost settling when I found myself in a mass of people again.

As for the rest of the race:

Start Line: Started running in the opposite direction after missing the gun start by 10 minutes. Fortunately someone sent me in the right direction after I ran about 10 meters.

Km 1-4: Feeling great. I was actually running faster than normal but I think that was the adrenaline.

Km 5: Monster epic hill. Miraculously, I kept running throughout it.

Km 6-11: Still feeling okay but definitely not moving as fast. Still, there is something most epic about running towards the CN Tower and seeing it get progressively bigger.

Km 12-16: I feel like death. I ponder why I decided this would be a good idea. This part of the race was off Yonge Street and there weren't nearly as many people cheering so there wasn't quite that race atmosphere on this stretch. Also, my hands and jaw started to cramp up, which was a little freaky. My hands had cramped sometimes during long runs in training but my jaw never did. I might need to see a doctor about that at some point. Also, Power Gels are disgusting.

Km 17-19: Things started to feel a little better once we were back in the downtown core. I'm still slow but not in pain.

Km 20-21: I decide to pick up my pace with 2 km to go...big mistake. I settle back into my pace and decide to only run hard when I can see the finish line...because I wasn't sure it was going to arrive. I cross the finish line and I get a medal, as proof of my insanity.

I think I ran the half mostly to prove to myself that I could do it and I did have that nice sense of accomplishment at the end (amidst the leg cramps). However, there's that part of me that wonders how much faster I could be if I trained harder (and didn't have to apply for residency in the midst of it). I'm in the process of suppressing the Type A part of my personality that wants to do this again...but faster. I am fairly content with being a bum for the better part of this week as I get into my obstetrics rotation before I start to get too ambitious.