Please note to your left the lovely image of Ains, Ty and I completing the Manitoba half on Sunday. Yep, you read right, I ran in the Manitoba half on Sunday. I didn't have any previous plans to run this one at all, but with Ains and Ty planning on running I just couldn't miss out on the fun and had to register. And I was super happy that I did. The weather was fabulous, the course was amazing (flat, flat, flat) and I got to run the entire way with two of my favourite people in the whole world! Although I wasn't sure how this bod was going to hold up pounding the pavement on another long run, I must admit it didn't feel all that bad considering I just left if all out there in the Calgary marathon just 3 short weeks ago.
This was my first experience with the Manitoba marathon, and I must say that I was impressed. Very impressed. Nice work, Winnipeg...you sure know how to put on an event! The Manitoba marathon is the second biggest in Canada with 15 000 people competing in the full, half, and relay distances. I enjoyed it so much that I just might consider the full for next year. I am always in awe at the amount of volunteers and man hours that must go into putting on an event of this magnitude, so hi-5's to all who donate their time to ensuring that crazies like us get our endorphin fix whilst running the course on race day.
A quick comment about the heat...wow. It was H-O-T. And humid. We saw a couple of people go down in the half. My parents saw someone collapse in the stadium just meters from the finish. And I would not be surprised if they pulled a lot of runners off the marathon course simply due to the heat. Running in the heat brings a whole other dimension to race day. Not only is it physically taxing, it plays with your mind too. Personally, I enjoy running in the heat and humidity, which will come as no surprise to those who know me well, but its definitely not for everyone and can be dangerous if you aren't careful to replace your fluids and electrolytes when need be.
Anyhow, I was glad to have done a half since I haven't done one for a couple of years. It got me excited for the half that I've signed up for in October. Very excited, in fact. Now if only I can hold back on the training for a few days. In my immune-suppressed state I seem to have contracted a bit of flu. So its rest for me for a few days until I'm 100%...or at least 90 or 85...and then I will be off and running once again!
And one more quick thing...please note this lovely tidbit of info highlighting the importance of REST. An old dear friend of mine forwarded me this link and I think its worth a read. As a matter of fact, I'm going to read it again for the first time just to remind myself how important rest is to the training. And then I will sleep. Good night. https://secure.cbe.ab.ca/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/for-a-better-workout-try-sleep/
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