The Bluenose and Cabot Trail....Nova Scotia is an Awesome Place to Run...

Last weekend I was registered to run the Bluenose Half Marathon in Halifax. I love this race - I've done the full twice and was happy to return this year. It is such a great race - awesome city, mega energy, community support, great volunteers and superb organization. What made it especially meaningful to me was that my daughter was running her first half marathon and I was really looking forward to that. Of course, the middle aged runner has a middle aged body. I had been struggling the entire week prior to the race with pain in my great toe of all places. Had a lot of pain and hoped that it would resolve prior to the race. Unfortunately, it did not. I finally went to the KV After Hours clinic the Friday before the race because I had been limping around all week. Thought maybe I had a fraction in my toe. "Well, doc, what do you think it is?" "Oh, you have quite an inflamed joint there....hmmm, osteoarthritis, I think"....I was happy to hear that there was no injury but very unhappy to hear it was something from which a middle aged person would suffer :o(



Long story short - I filled my naprosyn script, deferred my race to next year and cheered my daughter Siobhan in her very first race. She came in under 2 hours - awesome race. That's her with the great form on the right. She says she'll never do another one...hahahahaha...I said that too! She's hooked.

My good friend Claire ran her first full marathon in Halifax too. I so admire her choice for her first race. Halifax is challenging - it's not easy and it's not a walk in the park - Pt. Pleasant or otherwise. Here's to you and your gutsy decision Claire!

Cabot Trail is an Incredible Experience

I had an opportunity to join all all women's team - the Fredericton Femmes Fatales - to run in the Cabot Trail relay this past weekend. If you don't know anything about this race check out the website: http://www.cabottrailrelay.com/ This 24 hour, 17 leg relay takes you around the famous Cabot Trail in Cape Breton. Great fun, great scenery and fantastic athletes - it was an amazing experience and one that I hope to repeat next year if I am still living and able. I ran leg 8 which was quite an easy leg, certainly in comparison to the rest. Hope to challenge myself next year - maybe do 9 or 10. If you want an idea as to what the legs are like the website describes each of the legs and offers a graphic representation of the elevation of each but you cannot appreciate this until you actually see it and drive it and run it. What a blast! Kudos to the organizers!

We don't have to venture far from home to experience great races!

The Middle Aged Runner