2002 - 2003
I returned to Ontario "for a year or two at the most" after living for ten years in British Columbia. I felt very lost, very lonely, and spent a whole lot of time wondering why the hell did I just do this !?!?!? One of the few positive things going for me at the time was that I now lived within walking distance of a great fitness club. Since I was lacking both a job and a social circle, it was perfect timing for me to become a fitness club member - I had nothing else! Slowly, through aquacize, using a treadmill, and lifting weights on a regular basis (and thanks to Covert Bailey's "Ultimate Fit or Fat" book), I shed a lot of weight. This helped me to start feeling much better about my "temporary" move and myself. I also noticed that I was no longer spending time in the pool, unless it was to swim a few laps, because my new focus was on what was happening on the treadmill - both my speed and my duration were increasing, and I was "running!"
This is when I would make one of my craziest decisions in life (as if moving away from B.C. to Ontario wasn't crazy enough!). I was scheduled to fly back to the west coast to attend a friend's wedding in the spring of 2003, and because I was feeling so good about my improved fitness and lost weight, I decided that I would participate in the Vancouver International Marathon. I would fly in to Vancouver, visit for a few days, participate in the big city event, visit with more friends and family, attend the wedding, and then fly back to Ontario. This is how I ended up participating in a half marathon as my very first race!
Unfortunately, too much time has passed, so I cannot offer definitive answers to the questions I pose to myself today, such as, "what on earth were you thinking?!?!", and "how clueless do you have to be to think you could suddenly run 21K+?!?!" I know that I had no concept of being able to run a 5K or a 10K at that time. I certainly was completely ignorant about training programs and did not possess 10% of the knowledge I have since acquired! It is open to conjecture.
But the fact remains - I did it ...!! I did not quit! I FINISHED that crazy race!
Adidas Vancouver International Marathon 2003
Bib #10969
3:13:48
... and I have never regretted doing it. This story deserves its own post, so I am not going to reflect on all the details here. Suffice it to say, as blissfully ignorant as I was to the training and fitness behind a 5K or a 10K run, let alone a half marathon, this first race still ranks high on my life experiences scale, and probably deserves much of the credit for where I am today with my running than anything else. After finishing my first official race in Vancouver, I once again left my beloved west coast for the reality of my new life, and decided that I should probably join a Learn to Run Club!
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