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| No truer words have ever been said... |
That is the number of kilometers I've run since I started tracking my runs on my Smartphone on June 27th of this year. Not too shabby. It's interesting to see how I've evolved as a runner over the past 5.5 months. My weekly mileage was about 25-30K when I started tracking, now I run 40+K per week. My average pace at the end of June was 8:30 per kilometer, now my pace averages around 6:30 per kilometer. My long run in June/July was 7K. My longest run to date is 12.5K. I would be further along except I decided not to add any more mileage until my half marathon clinic caught up to me.
Being able to track my progress like this makes me feel like I'm truly a runner. I have some running goals. Not just the half marathon or full marathon (hopefully in fall 2013), but other goals like running a sub 30 minute 5K. I think I ran one last week with my half marathon clinic, but I mean an official race one. Haven't done that yet. Perhaps I will register for a 5K early in the New Year to see if I can get an official sub 30 minute time. Running that race would be challenging, 'cos I'd have to run hard for the entire race. No slowing to drink or take walk breaks. Just full on running like I do every Wednesday and Thursday with my half marathon clinic. It's not easy to do, but I feel really strong when I run fast. It's tempo running for me because I can't comfortably talk. The people I'm running with are usually running their comfortable pace. I'm huffing and puffing along, but at lest I know I can do it!
800 kilometers is far. That's about 500 miles for my American friends. That would be the distance from Hamilton, Ontario to Virginia Beach. We drove to Williamsburg last summer. That was the catalyst for my whole lifestyle change. Not being able to do anything with my son who was three at the time. And although it only took me 12 hours to drive there, I have run that distance in a mere 5.5 months. I am proof that you really can do anything you set your mind to. Remember me as the former 290 pound couch potato!
This has been a week of merry. I've taken out a client for a Christmas dinner...to the Mandarin (Chinese buffet) again. I frequent that establishment waaaaaaaay too much! I'm not gonna lie, I'm getting real tired of eating at the Mandarin. But since meals with clients isn't about what I want, I must endure! There are Christmas treats all over the office. And everyone has chocolate within arms reach. Sitting in supervision today and staring at my supervisor's bowl of Lindor Truffles was fun. You need to have iron clad will power to work at my office. The table in my work pod is where all the treats are kept. They are literally right behind me. I just need to turn my chair and I can have an assortment of nuts, mini cupcakes, and chocolate panettone. I got a little over friendly with the Cashews today and had to physically remove them from the area. We are no longer on speaking terms.
Yesterday was a special day. I met my birth mother's sister (would be my maternal aunt) for dinner. It was the first time we met and I was looking forward to it because I can't help but remember that this time last year, I was Christmas shopping for my birth mother. I knew she was coming to Toronto for Christmas, and we met on Boxing Day for lunch. It's when she met my son and husband for the first and only time. Anyway, getting to meet her sister made me feel closer to her. I still can't believe that she's gone and it hurts that I had so little time with her. I only met her for the first time in April 2010. It almost feels like the last couple of years was just a dream. Even though she's gone, I keep her in my heart. That is where both my mothers are and where I get my strength from when I feel weak.
