The thrill of the race...

The gun has sounded, the times have been posted, the winners have received their medals and congratulations to them.

For me, I'm a winner too, not because I started the race, and not even because I finished it; the thrill of my race was spending time with family during the Tely 10 weekend and connecting with friends and co-workers who were also involved with the event.

I was happy to "compete" for a second straight year, but even happier to watch my sister burn up the course in 82 minutes - you could sense her pride, and rightfully so, I hope she could sense my pride in her accomplishment too.

I was thrilled to watch two co-workers enter the race for the first time after being inspired by our family only a year ago. I waited for them to finish and was honoured to be able to jog with them as they crossed the line for their first, but probably not their last, time.

I was inspired as I ran and walked along side of others, each battling with every step to reach the finish line - want to see courage and determination, spend some time at the back of the pack.

I was moved by complete strangers who stood on the sidewalks along the race course calling out my bib number and telling me "keep it going, you're almost there".

There's a lot more to these events than coming in first, second or third, and if they haven't already done so, I hope one day the "real runners" can take time to soak up what's happening behind them.

"A" for effort...

Compared to last year, this year's training program for the Tely 10 has been, well, horrific.

Today was the last 'long run' before next Sunday's 10 mile race and all told, I haven't run more than 4 miles during any training session this season. I think it's safe to say that I am ill-prepared for next week's event, and a run-walk strategy will be in place.

Looking over last year's journal, I started very weak and got a lot stronger as race day approached; this year, my journal tells the exact opposite tale. Starting in late April, I didn't miss a day for the first few weeks, completed the distances, and even worked on pace until a recurring achilles problem struck me down, just as core mileage was being built. Those few weeks have really cost me. I noted in my journal today, "...looking for divine intervention."

Still, though, I can take pride in the fact that I stuck it out and while I might not have run as often or as long as I would have liked to, the effort was there evidenced by the frequent training sessions starting soon after getting out of bed just after 5:30 on a number of mornings. While I don't expect to be faster than last year, I look forward to the event and sharing the experience once again with family and friends.

And really, my result next Sunday probably won't affect the world rankings.