This month, I had decided to again review and rewrite my goals. We're officially 5 months into the year (where is the time going?) and I decided it was a great time to add some new goals in. This month, I've decided to try to explore more of Nova Scotia, since I've lived here my entire life and there's still places Kirk and I haven't gone yet. To start, we went to Evangeline beach, a cute little beach close to our apartment where the tides are so high, you can either walk a kilometre out on mud, or there's too much water to even see any ground. We ended up there when the tide was in, and it was all the way to the stairs.

Also as a big goal this month, my boyfriend Kirk and I decided to go all of May sugar free. So far were on day 7 and haven't broken down and eaten any sweets. This challenge is pretty difficult because I constantly crave sugar whether it's chocolate, cookies, froyo.. Etc. It's also hard because families at work always bring in treats to leave at the nursing station, and we almost ALWAYS have goodies on night shift (gotta make shift work more bearable right?).

Some of the reactions I've gotten upon declining sugary treats are funny, others concerning. The main response is "oh I could never do that for an entire month" or "um why.. You're crazy.." Also got "so basically you're just going to eat vegetables all month?!"

Let me clear one thing up, when we said were giving up sugar for one month, that means no processed or fake sugars. No donuts, no ice cream, no pop (at all. Diet is just as bad if not worse), no candy. Fruit is FINE. I'm tired of everyone being so afraid of eating fruit "there's too much sugar" and then going and eating a fricken Big Mac (etc.). Fruit is natural, fruit helps with metabolism and to keep you regular, fruit can prevent heart disease and stroke, even some forms of cancer. Fruit is delicious, eat your fruits!!

And now we're off to start the drive to Fredericton, NB for our race this weekend! Race recap will come after.

Happy trails, 

The Rural Runner

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Sometimes things just don't work out the way we want them to. Not everything can always go our ways I guess, because what fun would life be if it was always easy? (Trick question.. That would probably be great.) anyways, without the shitty things that happen, and the road blocks along the way, we wouldn't learn or gain anything. (I will explain the point to this later on.. Keep reading!)

I've been training for 3 months now for the Hypothermic Half marathon, January 17, and last week (stupidly) thought I would be working, so I convinced Kirk (well.. not really convinced cause he's always down for a gruelling/long run) anyways, I asked Kirk if he would like to do the half marathon with me a week before instead (plus were both pretty broke so saving $80 was another argument for running it early).

Either way, I was feeling pretty disappointed that I couldn't make it to the race (Ps.. I found out that I'm not actually working, opps.. We're still will not be entering though, were poor haha). So we figured we would go and run the same route we would have been taking during the race!

Luckily the entire trail was clear except for some snow half way (for about 6km). The temperature was fairly mild at only just below 0, so it was the perfect day for a long run.

We packed the camelbak, stashing Gu and shot bloks, did a quick warm up, started the tunes and our tracking watches, then we were on our way.

We maintained a pace around 6:00-6:30 The route was absolutely gorgeous and winded past multiple lakes, all while remaining completely flat. A great trail for PRs!

We hit the 10km mark at just over an hour, which was exciting because I was hoping to finish in under 2:30. However, shortly after was when my hip pain started (again, ugh) and we hit the first section of unpaved road with snow/ice. Neither of us had spikes and it slowed us down quite a bit, keeping our average pace at around 7:00/km.

We reached the turn around point and walked for the first time for a minute while we quickly ate some chocolate Gu, drank water and continued on our way (Btw, having a camelbak is a lifesaver).

Kirk was really pushing me near the end, we ran our quickest km of the entire half, at around 6:00/km.

It was so painful, I may have told Kirk he better run fast cause I was gonna catch up and kick his ass.. Haha I can't be held accountable for the things I say while run-suffering.

We finished the 21.1km at 2:33:58.

At first I was slightly disappointed that we didn't finish in under 2 and a half hours, like I'd hoped, but then I realized, there's 1 of 2 ways I can let this affect me. Either I can see it as a failure (pretty shitty way to look at it..) OR I can use this positively, and learn from it. I know more about my limits now and what kind of pace I can currently maintain for long distances, and also, I now know that I'm fully capable of emptying the tank with a couple fast kilometres toward the finish line.

You're always capable of more.

We can either take our struggles and find a positive within them, or ruin ourselves with stress over the negatives.

For this (non competitive) half marathon, I am going to look at the positives:

- even though I wasn't able to race the actual half marathon, I still ran the same distance and route anyways. After all, why put 3 months of hard work to waste?

- I got to spend 2.5 hours with my amazing boyfriend, enjoying (almost) every minute ;)

- I learned even more about my long distance running ability.

- I beat my original half marathon time by almost 30 minutes!! Yes, you read that right. A half hour PR. How can you not be happy with that? Especially since the races were less than 4 months apart. Which tells me that I've obviously made some serious improvements on my pace!

- after realizing we burned off like 1700 calories.. We went and got Izzy's bagels.. Our tradition and obsession (except for relish veggie burgers.. Can't beat it!). The Runger was real.

Overall, it was a great run with a lot of positives! Also, it added fuel to my fire and I will complete my next 21.1km run in under 2 and a half hours.

I'm coming for you next year, Hypothermic Half!

But for now, on to training for my first ultra, April 30 in New Jersey!

Stay positive friends,

The Rural Runner

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The past week I've been spending time with Kirk and his family in Cape Breton. There's no better way to spend the holidays than with family. I baked some vegan cookies before I left to bring with me, since I hate showing up empty handed if I'm staying for a bit.

I found an awesome vegan eggnog spice cookie recipe and decided to give it a try. Original recipe here. I love it when websites offer vegetarian alternatives!

They didn't spread out as well as I thought.. Opps. Had to flatten them with a fork.

Kinda look like timbits, YUM!

The finished product was a hit!

I stayed with Kirk and his family for a few days and had an amazing time as always. I love Cape Breton and plan on living there eventually.

Of course while I was visiting, Kirk and myself went for a couple runs.

Our first run was 8km on the Ceildh Trail. It's old an old train track trail that runs for hundreds of kilometres along the Western Coast of Cape Breton that's well maintained and (for the most part) sheltered by trees. It's also pretty flat, so it made for a good run.

Zoom, zoom!

Of course we also found some obstacles to play on.

Some day, I plan to climb across this entire thing.. Ninja warrior training!

The next day we did a quick 5k up the mountain and back down, which really made me realize how much I need to start adding hill training to my workouts!

It was a much more difficult trail than I normally train on.. With a couple technical climbs and some rivers to cross. We go until we reach a hunters cabin hidden in the woods, then turn around as our half way point.

It was a great week away and I love spending it with Kirk and his family.

This week we're planning on spending time in the valley with my family over Christmas, and fitting in our long run tomorrow on Xmas eve! My longest distance ever - 24 km (cause we're all festive and shit). Stay tuned for a recap.

Merry Christmas friends,

The Rural Runner

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Monday - this week starts out with a basic 8.05km run, an easy 6.4k and finish with the last 1.6k at a faster pace.

Tuesday - today was my first progression run, starting with 3.2k at an easy pace, then 4.8k increasing the pace as I went. The last 1.6k was cool down. I ended up doing 10km instead of 9.6 just to round it off and the run went fairly well, finishing with a time of 64 minutes. I posted about this run earlier in the week.

Someday soon I'll get my 10k to under an hour! I'm so close it's driving me nuts!

Wednesday - today's run was another 8.05km run at a steady pace. I also worked for the Remembrance Day parade today, and ended up with a couple HUGE blisters on my heels from my dress uniform. This unfortunately led to me to not being able to run for the rest of the week because I lost so much skin. Talk about sad panda :(

Thursday - today was scheduled for cross training, and I took the bike for a spin because it didn't bother my heels at all. I also posted about this workout earlier this week, and really enjoyed it so I will definitely be biking again!

Friday - another 8.05k run was scheduled for today.. That didn't get done :( stupid injuries setting me back. On the bright side.. It could be worse.. Skin heals pretty fast luckily!

Saturday - today was supposed to be my long run of the week - 16.1km. That didn't happen.. My heels were still pretty bad.. I could feel my heart beat in the blister so I figured it was best to give it some more time before pushing it or making the injury worse. Not running for 4 days takes a lot out of you mentally when you know you're supposed to be training but just can't. But.. It's always best to heal first and not risk it though. So I sucked it up and waited to run.

I did however do a workout today to make up for my lack of exercise..

3 rounds of:

- 30 triceps dips

- 30 push-ups

- 30 squats

- 40 crunches

- pull ups to failure

My upper body is still sore!

Ps new under armour pants! They're crazy comfy and kept me warm on my run Sunday.

Sunday - each week, this is my rest day. This week however, I was feeling guilty about not running for what felt like ALL week, and figured if I put some blister pads on my heels I would be okay to run.. So, to make up for the long run I missed, I did the 16.1k that had been scheduled for Saturday.

I was so happy to finally get back out there, and the weather was cooperating perfectly. My mom even came along biking beside me! We chatted the entire way and it was wonderful having someone to carry my water and snacks, hehe. I maintained a very steady pace around 6.30 km, without stopping once to walk.. Which is huge for me, considering normally whenever I hit anything past 8k I need to slow down for a minute. That's an hour and 45 minutes running without walking and I was pretty darn excited!

We did however stop for a minute when we hit the halfway point, so mom could find a bathroom and I could chow down on a vanilla flavoured Gu.

I always think it's a good idea to try out whatever you'll be using race day.. before race day. This goes for everything.. Supplementation/nutrition, sneakers, clothes.. Everything. Planning ahead and doing a run through, so you will be prepared on race day, is always a good idea.

The Gu went down easily and caused absolutely no problems with my stomach (happily surprised about that). And I actually enjoyed the flavour. The texture is a little weird.. It's thicker than pudding. And mine was a little cold because of the outside temp, so I think that made it a bit tastier. After I ate it, it wasn't like a had a huge jump in energy, but instead I was able to maintain my pace without feeling tired or having a crash, which was great. I'll definitely be continuing to use these in the future.

I also was able to practice on some obstacles while waiting for mom.. 18 days until the Miami Spartan race sprint! Must be prepared because I do not want to do any 30 burpee penalties.

Yes, I am also somewhat of a child when it come to playgrounds. Can't help myself!

Once mom returned, we were back on the trail to finish our run/bike. I know I'm still slow, but I'm so happy with my improvements so far! Even though I'm sad I wasn't able to do the entire 49.9k scheduled this week, I'm glad I didn't push it with my injury. During the long run on Sunday my blisters didn't even bother me since a had the bandages on so now I'm ready to make up for lost time!

This week coming will be my training week 4.. Things step up a notch now and I'm due for 62.8km for the week. I'll be posting later in the week about my schedule.

Until then,

Keep training friends

The Rural Runner

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This morning I woke up with full intentions of getting out of bed at 630 and hitting the trails early for my 12.9km run. Let's be honest, I always go to bed with such great intentions and plans for the next morning. If only I had the same amount of motivation throughout the entire day as I do when I'm laying in bed at 10 o'clock. I always set my alarm early and end up pressing snooze. Then pressing snooze again.. Then more than likely pressing it a third time. This is why I have to set like 12 alarms to ring every 5 minutes just to wake up for work..

And I'm totally the person on the right..

Anyways.. This morning I turned off my alarm and crawled back into bed (like usual), and while I was laying there, I was thinking.. (Mind you, this is a mere 7 hours after setting the alarm for a morning run in the first place, thinking it was a brilliant idea):

It's too early.

I'm too tired.

It's cold out. And this bed is so warm.

My hamstrings are too tight.

I'm too grumpy.

I have too much to do today.

Etc etc..

An accurate representation of myself this morning. Whine city.

Literally every excuse possible was running through my mind as to why I shouldn't/couldn't run. But then I said to myself.. "Self, what the heck are you doing! Get out of bed and go running! Right now is the only time you have all day to fit it in and that's why we sets the alarm (I say in a golem type voice). So get your ass up and dressed, we're leaving!" Yes, that's literally how I talk to myself sometimes.

Anyways, I get out of bed and reluctantly got dressed, knowing it was for my own good and that I wasn't going to win an argument with myself. I set out on my typical route, which felt very weird considering I typically run in the afternoon. According to my training schedule, I was due 12.9km so obviously I wa going to run 13.

Srsly.. Run circles to make that shit even. #OCDprobs

The run started out fairly well, I was maintaining a 6 minute kilometre (this is pretty good for me, don't hate). My goal for the run was to maintain my pace and do 13 km in under 1:30. Totally do-able.

When I left the house I had been wearing a long sleeved shirt and a wind breaker, plus long pants (stupidly assuming it was colder that it actually was). I ended up getting super hot a couple kilometres in and decided to ditch the long sleeve. Half way through stripping (while running mind you) I managed to get my shirt up over my head only to notice and older woman walking on the trail was looking at me like I was nuts (haters gonna hate). I chucked the shirt (okay just kidding I folded it neatly and tucked it in a hidden area with shelter.. Like I said OCD) and continued on my way.. Feeling much lighter and breezy. Continuing on the trail, I realized it was the exact route I had taken when I developed my stress fracture in August. This was encouraging since I was feeling great so far, and am fully healed from that very shitty injury. I went 0.5km further than I had that day, turned around and continued onto the second half of my run. Only 6.5 km to go at this point.

About 2km further, I started to feel VERY tired, literally exhausted. Normally I don't get this at only 8-9km into my runs.. And I had eaten oatmeal before I left (my go to preworkout!), so I was feeling discouraged. I cut back my pace and continued at a slower one that I could handle (around 7 minutes a km.. Basically felt like walking to me). Looking at my timing.. I was at 56 minutes with 5km to go. With this pace I knew I wouldn't make it in time to reach my goal. This made me pretty disappointed..

There I go being a grumpy little shit.

And then I realized.. There will be shitty days and there will be amazing ones, but the thing is, there will always be more days and more attempts and I will get 13km done in less than an hour and a half, one day. My PRs that I strive for, train for, and push myself harder for.. They will always keep changing. What's my fastest? I don't know, because I haven't run it yet. Without these crappy awful shitty runs, there wouldn't be the great ones where we accomplish our goals. We need to embrace the losses just as much as the wins. Today taught me that maybe it wasn't my day, and I didn't hit my goal time or even come close, but I have to get back out there and be stronger than I was this morning. I'm going to improve, learn from it and get faster. Without a struggle there would never be growth, and today I sure as hell struggled! Sucking ass just gave me more motivation for my future runs, and I will push myself and do my best at the race on Sunday because I know I'm capable of more.

Oh and yes, I picked up my neatly folded shirt on the run back.. Safe and sound :) 

Long story short..

Embrace the struggle friends,

The Rural Runner

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As some of you may know, I'm currently training for my second half marathon. I'll be racing the hypothermic half in Halifax, January 17, 2016. I started my training 12 weeks before the race, and am currently on week 2. Not going to lie, week one was actually somewhat of a struggle. I had typically been running about 3 times a week and amping that up to 5-6x a week proved to be much harder than I imagined. I was feeling it at the end of the week. However, I took my rest day on Sunday and just like magic, felt amazing for my 8.05km run today.

Sometimes I stop to enjoy the beautiful country view! And take a selfie..

The pace was easy for about 5km, with the final part at a faster pace. My legs felt great and overall it was a wonderful run. Even after only a week, I am noticing a significant increase in the amount of time I can run without having to slow to a walk, which makes me super excited! Even managed to do some obstacle training during my run (can never be too prepared for the Miami Spartan races in December)!

Yes.. I use farm fences as obstacles.

Tuesday, tomorrow, is 9.65km. Starting with a 1.6km warmup followed by a 4.8km fartlek with 4 minutes faster and 1 minute slower pace, and finishing with that last 3.2km as a light cool down. This is different from last weeks fartlek, which was 3 minutes faster pace and 2 minutes at a slower pace.

Wednesday's run repeats the run from Monday (8.05km at an easy comfortable pace). 

Thursday is different this week, it's not cross training, but instead am easy 4.8km run to get some distance for the week and build a base, as the kilometres will be increasing next week.

Friday's run is 6.4km, 4.8 at an easy pace and the final 1.6km at a faster pace.

Saturday is a 12.9km run (same distance as last weeks longer run). The pace is easy, with it maintained throughout the run.

Sunday is scheduled for rest day.

However, since I have a race on Sunday, I will be switching around the schedule a little bit. The long 12.9 kilometre run will take place for me on Friday, followed by rest day Saturday (for the day before the race), and switch the original 6.4 km run from Friday to Sunday. This works out well because the race is 7km on Sunday so I'll still get the mileage, just at different times and a half kilometre more.

Super excited for this race this weekend, because it's a relay race and I get to do it with my friend Erika and my boyfriend Kirk! The relay is 21km with teams of 3, and each person completes a 7km leg. It's called the lucky 7 relay and is 7 laps around Citadel Hill. I've heard good things about this race, apparently it's a lot of fun, and there's free breakfast after.. So it's a win-win!
Update: Heres the race recap from Lucky 7 Relay.

Happy running friends,

The Rural Runner

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Recently, the temperature has been dropping, and the winds have been strong. Running in the wind can not only have an effect on your time, but also can cause a significant core body temperature decrease, especially with the crisp fall air. It's important to layer up so if you are feeling too hot, you can take off your top jacket and leave the base. This week, I've been wearing a fleece jacket or windbreaker overtop of either a tank top or tshirt. For bottoms I'll wear a pair of running tights or if the temperature is mild, cropped leggings. I also like wearing a ball cap with color, to help increase my visibility (sometimes I wear too much black haha) and keep control of my sweaty mess I call running hair. Here's typically what I've been wearing this week for fitness gear (and yes, I may be a slight brand whore.. Nike is my love!)

I strongly believe that even though you're being active.. You can still at least look cute doing it ;)

What's your favorite fall running outfit? How warm do you dress when the weather starts to get cold?

Stay fashionable friends,

The Rural Runner

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After officially deciding to run the hypothermic half marathon coming up in January, I realized it was probably in my best interest to start a training plan, instead of just winging it. Normally I don't have a plan for my runs until like an hour before when I say to myself something along the lines of "hmm I think I'll run 8km today!" As some people always say "failure to plan, is planning to fail." Or something like that? Basically I needed some help in the run schedule department..

I have a goal of a sub 2 hour half marathon on my mind and would love to accomplish that. Therefore, I started looking into possible training plans. I recently learned that Nike plus has a coach option (I wonder if I even live on this planet sometimes haha). I figured this was pretty convenient since I already use the app to track my runs.. So I might as well have the same app tell me how far and how fast to go. I entered in my race details, estimated my current fitness level (intermediate) and just like that had an entire 12 week training schedule made and customized for me. Nike plus is a great app for keeping track of runs, PRs and even challenging friends (add me - MisLyns)!

The plan increases in intensity each week, up until the peak week of training. There is often a cross training day on Thursdays and includes a rest day on Sunday's. Cross training days are great to improve endurance and maintain fitness, all while helping to decrease risk of injury (weight and resistance training is perfect for this too). Some days are easy runs where as the next day is commonly an interval run or fartlek (frequent variation in pace, today mine was 3 minutes faster pace followed by a 2 minutes slower pace). Fartlek training can help with conditioning, and I find it makes my runs go by faster.

The distance of the runs vary from 1 shorter run (around 4-6km), mixed in with a couple medium runs (8-12) and one long run a week on Saturday (16+km). Each week the distances increase, averaging 50-60km total every week.

Monday was week 1, day 1 with an easy 4.8km run. Great start to get the legs stretched out and ready for today's fartlek. Today was an 8.05 km interval run. It took me 50 minutes for the full run, warm up and cool down (I'm not the fastest, but this program will help to increase my speed). Day 2 of the training plan went well and felt good.

Tomorrows run will be the same distance, except an easy pace, so I'm going to change up my route to keep things interesting. Thursday is cross training, and I plan to do an upper body day with the weights in my basement (I haven't really lifted since my bodybuilding days.. So this should be interesting). Friday is a 6.4 km run, easy pace for 4.8km, followed by a faster final 1.6k. Saturday is my first long run of the training plan, and will be 12.9km. I'm looking forward to this comfortable paced long run. Adding distance is important to build up to that final 21.1 km half marathon that's my goal, so hopefully I can complete this run with a similar pace that I'm hoping for on race day. Should be a great Halloween run! Sunday will be my first rest day, and I'm sure it will be well earned.

After the day off, week 2 starts with another 8.05 km run of easy 4.8km and finish with the last 3.2km at a faster pace. 

I'll be posting updates every week as I continue with this program.

How's your training going? Do you prefer the longer easy pace runs, or shorter interval training runs?Are there any races you're working towards? Let me know!

Keep training friends,

The Rural Runner

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We've all been there, in a rut, unsure where to go or how to move forward. Sometimes just the motivation needed is goal setting. Having something important to you as a goal to work toward is a great way to push yourself to get shit done. Constantly writing down or seeing your goals will put a renewed perspective on what's important in your life. I have many goals that I keep written on notes saved on my phone. Once or twice a week I'll read over my personal goals to refresh my mind on what I want to accomplish, not just with running and races, but with life as well. Everything you do should be an investment into your future. If you're putting in work and are not gaining anything from it, then it's time to do some reevaluating. Goal setting can be just what you need to wake up everyday determined and motivated.

Here are some of my tips on setting goals:

1. Make them realistic and attainable.

Sure, I would like to be the Queen of Canada.. But we all know that's not gonna happen, nor is it realistic. Having goals that you can accomplish gives you that little push you need to work harder and actually achieve it. I'm not saying make the easiest goals ever, because what would be the point, but instead, make it hard enough that you have to work for it, but it's still attainable.

2. Write it down and keep it organized.

Having a written record of your goals will help you to keep track of them. When I write down my goals, I sort them into long term and short term goals. This helps determine potential deadlines and decide what I want to accomplish within a year or what I want in 2, 5, 10 years etc. My goals that are more easily attainable, such as running a sub 25 minute 5k or only eating meat on Mondays.. These are included in my short term goals, where as a sub 2:00 half marathon or full vegetarian diet would be on my long term list. These are things that will take a bit more work but that can definitely be achieved. Other things on my long term list are races like the Disney marathon, where I know it's not just training involved, but I'll have to save money for a while to be able to afford to travel there.

3. Review your goals at least each month.

Going over your goals is a great way to notice any changes you may want to make or any new goals you want to add. This also helps remind you of where you need to go and what you need to work on to accomplish your goals. For example, seeing my goal of running a marathon internationally, reminds me how important it is for me to save money.. and maybe I don't really need to buy those cute shoes if running that marathon is the bigger picture and my long term goal. Keep focused and on track by refreshing your memory of your goals every month or so.

This is me at the top of Cape Split, had a goal to run the entire hiking trail (just over 16km). This was my first long run. Foggy eh! It's high up just off the water with a magnificent view of the Bay of Fundy (when it's clear skies) and is a gorgeous hike up through dense forest and vegetation.

Funny how I thought 16 km was the longest run ever, where I now have a long term goal of a 50km ultra run. This is why it's so important to review your goals, especially when you accomplish one, so you can move on to bigger things.. Keep making new goals and never stop improving.

4. Work for it!

You're not going to accomplish that sub 2 hour half marathon by sitting your ass on the coach day in and day out! If you know your goals, you've written them down and reminded yourself why they're important, now it's time to put in the actual work. You don't get better at running hills by walking them.. So get out there and climb that damn mountain and accomplish your goals.

This is my dad and I on my graduation day, it took 4 years of hard work to get my nursing degree, but it was definitely worth it. This was such a proud moment in my life, knowing all that hard work paid off. There were times where I having a rough go and thought I would never accomplish my goal and graduate from university, but I stuck it out, embraced the struggle and pushed on. Keep your goals in sight and put in that work, eventually your dreams will become a reality.

Keep setting those goals friends,

The Rural Runner

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Last weekend I had the opportunity to run my first half marathon through the rolling farm hills of rural Nova Scotia. I've been running for quite a while now and have had the Valley Harvest Fest half on my bucket list for a few years. However due to different circumstances each year, I never ended up being able to make it. The race is nearby to my hometown in the Annapolis Valley and is held yearly during thanksgiving weekend. Every year when I'm home to visit family on this weekend, I would see the runners passing by, being cheered on and hope that the next year I would be able to make it. The year before, I tried to enter and was too late as the race was sold out!

This year was though, I made the commitment during the summer to finally attend, and registered WAY in advance. Somehow, I was also able to convince a couple friends to join in on the race festivities as well!

The months passed, the leaves changed colour, fall was finally here and so was thanksgiving weekend. The night before the race was spent celebrating Thanksgiving with family and stuffing our faces with Turkey, veggies and of course.. Stuffing!

The next day after loading up on plenty of carbs the night before, race day was finally upon us.

It was a chilly morning, fresh crisp air and clear skies. The perfect day for a run. My boyfriend Kirk, my friend Erika and myself all met early at Acadia university to warm up and prepare ourselves for the race. (I'm in purple, Kirks in the middle and Erika in green - no we did not plan on matching, ha ha). 

We lined up shortly behind the 2:30 pace bunny and waited for the gun shot to go. Excitement was rushing through me (with a mixture of nerves too). 

Due to circumstances out of my control (more on that later), I was unable to train for 6 full weeks before the race. The fact that we were about to run 21.1km in a row was very daunting. At this point, the furthest I had ever ran was about 16km.

After waiting for this day for basically 3 years though, I knew that I had to run, or live with the regret of missing the race again this year.

The countdown ends and the race begins, marking the first steps of the race. We start off with a steady pace, on track with completing the race within 2 and a half hours, or less. We hold this pace for around 8km. Around this point, I start to feel a familiar sharp pain in my left hip joint. We continue on with running until the pain was bad enough that I needed to walk. You can see where the pain started on the map, and where we had to walk in red.

Lost a lot of ground and time by having to walk, but sometimes preventing further injury is more important. We slowed down the pace by a lot, luckily Kirk is very patient, and this race was for fun for us, not time... And we stopped to take cute selfies!

It didn't matter how much pain I was in.. Or even if I had to crawl across that finish line.. I was going to finish the race that had been on my mind for years.

Running with my hip hurting so badly was almost unbearable, however, being able to run through such a scenic route did make it much easier, especially since I had such great company! Look at him, not even breaking a sweat, haha.

We ran by farms, fields of corn and cows and a gorgeous view of the basin. Then, after over 2 and a half hours, we finally made it to the last stretch of the race. Exhausted but also elated from finishing the race, Kirk and I crossed the finish line together. Look at that big smile!!

To me, just being able to finish the race with someone I love and no injuries, (we hope.. Seeing a chiropractor next week!) meant the world to me. It was such a fun weekend spent with friends.

Erika continued on when me and Kirk slowed, to beat her personal goal and actually passed the 2:30 pace bunny (way to go girl!!). You showed that bunny! Here's us reunited after the race.

The finish time really doesn't matter to me (although I am glad we still made it plenty under 3 hours). I've already caught the race bug and will be registering for the hypothermic half marathon put on by the RunnersRoom that takes place in January! My new goal for this race is under 2.5 hours (and to not eat it on the trail that will more than likely be COVERED in ice and snow - gotta love Nova Scotian weather, eh!)

Overall, it was such an incredible experience and I had an amazing time. The race was really well organized (props to the coordinators and volunteers!) and the race swag was great. We got awesome fleecy blankets as well as bright yellow wind breakers (what kind of race gives out such nice race kits?!, love it!). The medals are so pretty too. Well worth the wait and will definitely be returning next year to race again. 

For now, I'm going to enjoy some relaxed fall running, and heal up for my next race.

Happy running friends,

The Rural Runner

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