Vancouver 1/2 Marathon, Honest!

My timing chip did not work so I do not have an official time but I did complete the Vancouver 1/2 Marathon on May 3, 2009.

I came in a about a minute before a friend who finished in 1:39. My watch said 1:40 but I stopped it only after I realised my chip did not scan.

I am really pleased with my run. My goal was to hold 5 min/km or less. To reach that goal I planned to run 5:15/km the first half and 4:30-4:45/km for the second half. Yes, a negative split. I did it thanks to having a watch that measuring pace! I definitely start to fast! The watch kept me on track.

I had a great run. The weather was perfect and I felt quite strong. This event served as preparation for the Half Iron I will be doing in early June. It is a great confidence booster to know that the race went well, was relatively easy and that I still like racing! Of course if you saw me the day before you would never know. I was pretty nervous. None the less the butterflies disapeared the minute the gun went off and I was able to focus my attention to the task at hand.

I was able to share the day with Bob, my husband, and Liv my 5 month old daughter. It was such a treat to see them on course and at the finish. I received so much support from Bob to get ready for this race. I would not have been able to train without his keen interest in not only my training and well being but his flexible work schedule that allowed for his child care time with Liv during buisness hours.

He had great bonding sessions with Liv while I ran and swam my way to preparing for this race. I know that new Dads say it is emotionally a tough go for them the first 6-8 months while Mom is the prime care giver and babe only has eyes for Mom. Bob has been confident in the knowledge that Liv loves him just as much as me. Liv lets him know every day with that giggle and smile she gives to him. He knows that being an infant means needing Mom a bit more just because he cannot breast feed. I have expressed milk so A) I can get out but B) the second hand benefit being that Bob can provide the ever important source of care and love that only feeding can really result in. The bond that occurs during just the simple tasks of care giving, such as feeding, diapering and snuggling is so important to BOTH parents. Mom needs to be able to let go and Dad needs to be available. We seem to have figured this part out so far. Liv has benefited from having both of us as the care givers and loving parents.

Needless to say my focus on training is not the same now that I am a mom. I must say that my training schedule is sparser then in previous years but my sessions are focused and effective. I have been able to get back to a few training sessions with friends . It is such a bonus to train with friends! They are motivating and well just plain fun to be with! I am looking forward to witnessing my ability in the upcoming races:

May 18th North Shore Sprint Triathlon

June 7th Oliver 1/2 Iron

I am keeping busy being mom but have managed to fill the spare time with volunteering at the food bank every two weeks, coaching 4 athletes, teaching 1 fitness class per week, volunteering with the Whistler Tri Club as race director and assisting wth the Kids Tri Camp every Wednesday.