Niagara Falls Women's Half Marathon 2014

Last Sunday I ran my second Half Marathon!! The Niagara Falls Women's Half was the one I ran in 2012 also and loved it just as much this time as last.  I love it so much that I am going to do it again next year.

Over the last few months I have trained and prepared and it was so exciting when it finally arrived.  I trained through the cold of winter and the warmer temperatures of spring but not the heat.  Race day dawned at about 14c which isn't too hot.  By the time the race was done the temperature according to my dashboard was 27c  which is about 20 degrees hotter than most of my training runs.  It sucked but I had to keep moving so I did.  My pace slowed a lot and I walked  a lot more in the last few kilometers than I would have liked but sometimes you have to do what it takes to get finish.

One of my favourite things about this race is the crazy energy of the whole thing.  The organizers and voluncheers (that's what their shirts say) are super supportive.  The organization is amazing and the fun is all around.  From drum lines to harpists, flowers in port-a-potties to fancy hand soap this race has it all.  I am so happy to have run it two out of the three years it has been run.  I look forward to next year and the fun it will have then.

Next on deck for me will be the Niagara Falls International Half in October.  Last time I ran a half, two years ago, I was just done at the end.  I took the recommended two weeks off, which turned into 3, then 4 then a half hearted attempt at getting back at it, then a break then a year of off and on running.  Last fall I decided I was getting back out there and not quiting this time.  I started this adventure to get healthier and won't quit now.  So this weekend, after just a week off, I decided to go for a short run.  It was tough but felt great by the end.  I'll take it easy this week but then it's go time.  I'm going to push myself over the next few weeks and work on increased speed, I'm going to stick to my long runs and come August I will be building my distance again and training for October.

May Update?  Nothing too exciting to share.  It was taper time so my mileage was a bit less.  I ran 84k in the month of May.  My weight stayed about the same and I went to the gym a few times.  I slacked a bit because I was tired and wanted to focus on the race.  Now that it's behind me I'll get back to the gym more and work a bit better on my eating.