Resolution Run

This is me bundled up just before the Resolution Run… Can you see the excitement in my eyes? Really… because I can’t! There isn’t snow on the ground… but take my word for it… it was sub-zero temperatures outside!

I don’t even make resolutions… so honestly I don’t know why I signed up for a race called the Resolution Run… ok I do… I’m an adrenaline junkie and the race could have been called anything and I probably would have signed up for it. Plus… I’m slightly addicted to running, love the pre-race energy in the crowd and honestly… I really enjoy passing people in races (it’s a guilty pleasure that I’m not proud of… but at least I own up to it).

Truth be told, I thought a 5K run would be a fabulous way to end 2009… well that was until the morning of the race when it was -15C and I realized I probably should have went out for more than 1 run in the last two weeks to get my body adjusted to outdoor running again (or running at all for that matter). By the mid-afternoon I had gut rot… proof that I probably shouldn’t have had a filet-o-fish and a diet coke for lunch… not quite a meal of champions (or even athletes for that matter)… but my son begged me to go to McDonald’s for lunch and I caved… oh and we shared a smores pie too (and it was gooooooood) *grin*. A protein shake probably would have been a better choice on race day… but the closest drink to a protein shake that I’ve consumed in the last week was a rum and eggnog! New Years Eve Day was a worldwind… from 9am until the minute I had to leave for the race I had errands and appointments all day! I didn’t even know if I had the energy or desire to go for a run in sub-zero tempatures… even though it was only 5K.

I won’t lie to you… I was toying with the idea of not going to the race… but then I got a text from my friend Mary. She was hyped for the Resolution Run because it was going to be her first race… she texted me that I was going to “eat her dust” at the race… this made me laugh… I love trash talk… but I couldn’t believe she had the nerve to trash talk ME!!! Heck I taught the girl how to run! Actually, I loved that she had the guts to taunt me (but I would make her pay by running those little legs of hers so fast until she begged for mercy [insert evil laugh here])!

Less than 4 months ago Mary wasn’t even a runner… she signed up for the Learn to Run clinic that I was instructing at the Running Room, attended clinic and Running Room practice runs each week… also trained on her own… and now she is running 5K races (in the winter I might add)! Once I heard from Mary… I knew no matter what the weather was going to be New Years Eve… that I wanted to be there for Mary in her first race… to run along beside her…. and in the end I’m glad I did because it was the best part of my day.

The crowd was large, the organizer had to send us off in waves since the city streets weren’t closed for the Resolution Run. The race started with the 22 minute group leaving first… I teased Mary that we should run with them… she looked at me with disbelief… but knew I was joking by the evil smirk on my face! But then I said… “for real… we are running with the 28 minute group”… she thought I was nuts… she expected to finish this race in 40 minutes… I shook my head and told her to get her iPod on her favorite song because we were about to take off with the next group. She had a look of fear in her eyes… but honestly I knew she could do it… otherwise I wouldn’t have suggested it. I’m not cruel… I didn’t want her to be passed by people in her first kilometre (how demotivating would that be)… but I’ve seen her run for 3 months… she’s fast and always at the front of the pack in the running clinic… I knew that was the group she should be with. So we did… we caught the tail end of the 28 minute group and Mary held her own (and we passed people… which is always fun… and I know she felt good doing it too).

In the end, the Virgin Mary (this was her first time afterall) finished her first 5K race with an amazing time of 30 minutes and 30 seconds. I was so proud of her and I can’t think of a better way to end this decade than running with a friend like Mary! It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling to see tears well up in her eyes as she crossed the finish line… I remember that feeling from my first race only a couple months ago. Mary’s family and boyfriend were there to cheer her on and give her (and me) big hugs. Ahhhhh I love races… there is no happier place on earth than the finish line!

I also got to see 3 of my other students run across the finish line and I was so proud of these ladies… this was their second race since they finished the running clinic with me 3 weeks ago. Seeing them at the race reminded me… this is why I like to teach people how to run… because it’s a fabulous feeling to open someone’s world up to running and to see them become passionate about running and enjoy it as much (or maybe even more) than I do.

In Photos: Michelle Kempton & Mary Kelly
pre-race	post-race