I Did It!

So, the Sun Run has come and gone. I am proud to say that I completed my very first Vancouver Sun Run and that I will be doing it again next year! AND im actually excited about it. 

I will tell you, looking back on all my fears and self doubts, they all seem so silly to me now. As the day got closer and closer, i tried to think of every reason why I couldn't go. I wasnt ready, i was going to be last, I was going to be the fattest person there, I was going to embarrass myself... the list goes on and on. Isn't negative self talk just the worst?! The day before the race, I was in Vancouver, in our hotel, and i just layed on the bed in a ball and cried, i told Brent i just couldn't do it and that i would just cheer him on from the sidelines. He refused to let me quit. I decided i really needed to change my thinking or the whole weekend was just going to be miserable for the both of us. I thought of my clients who i work hard to motivate each and every day, knowing that i was going, and having to tell them that i decided to back out, and realized how I would look in their eyes if i gave up without even trying. I thought of all my friends and family who knew i was going and what i would have to say when i didnt run. Then i thought of what i would think of myself..... being more disappointed in myself for not even trying and i finally told myself to suck it up and just do it. There was going to be almost 49,000 people, so there was no possible way that i would come in last...... right? 




Fast forward to the day of the race.... We are up at 630am so we can get into downtown Vancouver with lots of time. When we arrive, i am absolutely overwhelmed and amazed at how many people there are. I mean, i know that there is 49,000 people attending, but when they are all together in one spot, its simply overwhelming and amazing. You are put in groups before hand depending on your 10k speed, so all the super fast people are at the front, and they go right at 9am when the race starts. Thats usually where Brent is when he did the Sun Run in the past and could have run it 3 times before I was even finished, but this time, he is doing it with me simply for the enjoyment of it, not to see how fast he can complete it in. 




Brent and i had a goal for me. I was going to run for 10 minutes and walk for 1 minute and do this for the entire 10kms. We started off and as we reached 10 minutes, i felt good so i kept going. 20 minutes is coming up and im still feeling pretty good so i continue one. 30 minutes..... then 35 minutes and still no walking. I realize that 5k is only a few minutes away so i decide that i will run until 40 minutes or 5k, whichever comes first..... i come around a corner and BAM! The biggest hill i have ever seen in my life! Im at 42 minutes and i know that the 5k mark is at the top of that hill, but i just couldnt do it, I had to stop. The entire 10k took me 1 hour and 29 minutes...... Our goal for me was 1 hour and 30 minutes so i did better than I had expected and I was happy with that. The feeling of pride I had in myself when i crossed that finish line was unimaginable and I had no idea i could ever feel like that. And to have my husband with me as i crossed was even more amazing. I will never forget what he said as we finished and he looked at me and said, " I am so F$%*ing proud of you".....  I will never forget that and there is noone else I would rather have been with as I crossed that finish line. He is my inspiration!! 

 So now I will look forward to next years Sun Run and I wont fear it like I did this year. And you never know...... there has been a bit of talk about a half marathon in my future.... my distant future, but definetly in my future... Wow, who knew?!