May 17th is one of my favorite days of the year in Halifax. This day marks the beginning of spring in my opinion. Haligonians come together for the start of the running season to host and participate in the annual Bluenose Marathon.
I woke yesterday morning to a rainy and cool morning. "GIDDY UP", I said to myself when my alarm went off "LET"S GO GET 'EM!". Off to the races I went....literally!
I met up with my running buddies, and we headed for the race. What a blast! I thank Halifax for the intertia.......keeping all of the runners going through a beautiful race that took us all through many km's of historic streets, through the greenery of the Point Pleasant Park, along the waterfront and dockyards.
I had 3 goals with my race yesterday, and I am happy to say I made them all.
1. First and foremost, make it through the race alive. DONE, that one was easy. My wonderful Medtronic glucose sensor and insulin pump combo allowed me to know at all times where my blood glucose level was at.....I was able to approach each water station and know with confidence if I should drink gatorade or water, if I should take a carbo gel, if I needed a bolus or a stop....... It was such an ease to not have to worry about what my blood sugar was doing during a long race. I could actually focus on my running like all the other racers!
2. Finish in under 2hr30minutes. I ran the half marathon, so that equals 21.1km / 13 miles. I finished in 2hr21 minutes. Not a stellar time, I certainly did not win the race, but I met my goal of under 2hr30 minutes. My time result made me very happy, and later in the summer I will set a goal to shave a few minutes off that time, aim for less then 2hr15minutes!
3. My third, and most important goal, was to finish the half marathon before any of the full marathoners finished their race (How do they run that fast!?!?! They obviously are not short like I am!!!). The lead marathon runner finished in 2hr35minutes.....which is an amazing time (WOW), but still more then my time.
A success! Felt great!
Thanks Halifax!
