Run for l'Arche 2013 Half Marathon

This year is to be a full marathon, so I set my sights on a half-marathon run in March to get an early start on the season. I had been doing 5-7km runs a few days each week as part of my commute during the winter, but I scaled it up in February to get ready for the race. One foggy morning I did a 15km training run from Shouldice Park to Fort Calgary in -9C weather, which resulted in a very frosty beard.



Race day was perfect. It was about -5C, sunny and hardly a breeze in the air. The course along the Bow River was all part of my regular commute and flat, so I didn't have to fight any hills. I turned on an audio book and settled into a rythmn, slowly building speed into the second half of the race. The result was a personal best of just over 1h 40min. I tried to speed it up some more near the finish line but my quivering hamstrings said no.



Both my family and a pancake breakfast were waiting for me at the finish line. We enjoyed the food in the warmth of the Eau Claire indoor playground. Then I went back to work. I have to admit, the race and food was more fun than working.