"(Wo-oo)
We're halfway there
(Wo-oo)
Livin' on a prayer
take my hand and we'll make it,
I swear"
Yay! I'm happy to have ran my sixth half marathon of the year on Saturday. I'm officially at the halfway point!
The Scenario
Saturday, June 23rd was the Mogathon. There were many people who were important in Heather's life who participated in this event. Right before she passed away, I promised Heather that I would make sure that her mom got back into walking and taking care of herself. Barb had been so busy tending to Heather and caring for her that her own well-being had gone by the wayside. At the beginning of the month, Barb went to Calgary to walk 10 km with her nieces and other family members as they participated in the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada Spring Sprint. Their team, Heather's Hustlers, raised a whopping $15,145.00!!! Barb registered for the 5 km event at the Mogathon.
Kristen Vanderkooy (who had also ran the 10 km in the Brainfreeze and the Saskatoon Police Service events) had planned to run her first half marathon at the Mogathon......but her plans changed when she was able to get pregnant!!! No wonder she found the 10 km in April a bit sluggish! So, Kristen and her friend Caroline Hilbig (who also ran the 10 km in March) joined Barb in the 5 km.
Lori Barth was also a good friend of Heather's. Kristen had introduced them. Together, Lori & Heather went each year to a Flames hockey game (Heather was a bit of a fanatic....not to mention her infatuation with Robyn Regehr!). Last month Lori ran a full marathon. While she trained for the Calgary Marathon, she raised $16,971 for the Alberta Cancer Foundation in honour of Heather. Last weekend, she came to Saskatoon to run the 10 km.
Penny Bourassa used to play soccer with Heather and she works with Kristen. Penny has ran a couple full marathons and this was her first half marathon since having her baby. It was really nice to meet Penny, her husband Wade and their little boy Ryder.
Three of my soccer teammates were also registered to run the half marathon. Staci Heinbigner, Terra Dyky & Alicia Turner completed their first 10 km together last month at the Saskatchewan Marathon and decided to keep going and check the half marathon off of their bucket lists.
So, together we met up with the other runners Saturday morning at River Landing. Mother Nature finally decided that we'd had enough rain (thank goodness!) and she sent us blue skies and sunshine....maybe a little too much sunshine to comfortably run a half marathon. When we arrived at the race site around 7:30 a.m. the temperature was already up close to 20 degrees Celsius! I applied my sunscreen and donned a headband to try to keep the sweat out of my eyes. I chose to wear my shorts and the lightweight tech shirt I had received in my race package.
The Event
This was the 4th annual Mogathon. It is an event that offers a distance for everyone! It is sponsored by Mogamobile and organized by a team of volunteers. Proceeds from each registration go towards prostate cancer diagnosis at St. Paul's Hospital. As well, proceeds go towards the Children's Wish Foundation and the SPCA.
The Mogathon is one of my favourite events because of it's atmosphere. It is a larger event with 48 results for the 30 km event (26 individual runners, 11 mixed teams, 8 female teams & 3 male teams), 112 registrants in the 21.1 km half marathon, 367 runners completing the 10 km, 220 in the 5 km and 184 in the 2.1 km family run. I think what sets this event apart from other fundraising events for me, is that somehow they manage to make the day fun and family-friendly without compromising the credibility of the event within the running community. I feel like it has aspects which make it appealing to almost everyone.
If you're not a runner, there's the No-K beer run where you can purchase a couple drinks and relax by the river and still contribute to the charities. If you have a family, they have all kinds of fun activities for the kids. There is everything that River Landing already has to offer, including the beautiful spray park, plus they had a bouncy castle, face painting & the 2.1 km family run. On top of that, there was the option of enjoying the post race BBQ that is sponsored by Mano's (all registered participants receive it as part of their entry).
As a runner, I really appreciated that the Mogathon was well organized. The route was really well marked and the volunteers and road marshals were enthusiastic and supportive! I also really liked the funny and encouraging posters that were spread out along the way. I knew that I wouldn't be able to remember them when it came time to write this (I have a horrible memory for jokes too!); but, the one I can think of said,
It's probably a 'had to be there', but I thought it was funny!
There was a drink station almost every 2 km and the groups that were sponsoring them were dressed up and having fun!
The half marathon course gave me a chance to run a portion of trail along the East side of the river between Circle Drive and University Drive that I haven't run in a couple years. I enjoyed the route for the most part with the exception of one little turnaround that took us up into a residential area near the end of the course. Similar to the last little loop at the Sask Marathon, this one had a negative impact on me mentally at that late point in the run.
If you're not a runner, there's the No-K beer run where you can purchase a couple drinks and relax by the river and still contribute to the charities. If you have a family, they have all kinds of fun activities for the kids. There is everything that River Landing already has to offer, including the beautiful spray park, plus they had a bouncy castle, face painting & the 2.1 km family run. On top of that, there was the option of enjoying the post race BBQ that is sponsored by Mano's (all registered participants receive it as part of their entry).
As a runner, I really appreciated that the Mogathon was well organized. The route was really well marked and the volunteers and road marshals were enthusiastic and supportive! I also really liked the funny and encouraging posters that were spread out along the way. I knew that I wouldn't be able to remember them when it came time to write this (I have a horrible memory for jokes too!); but, the one I can think of said,
"Steps to running a marathon
Step 1: start running
Step 2: there is no step 2"
It's probably a 'had to be there', but I thought it was funny!
There was a drink station almost every 2 km and the groups that were sponsoring them were dressed up and having fun!
The half marathon course gave me a chance to run a portion of trail along the East side of the river between Circle Drive and University Drive that I haven't run in a couple years. I enjoyed the route for the most part with the exception of one little turnaround that took us up into a residential area near the end of the course. Similar to the last little loop at the Sask Marathon, this one had a negative impact on me mentally at that late point in the run.
As I had said prior to the race, the swag bags were brimming with goodies. I'm really pleased with the shirt. I probably won't get much use out of the other stuff (my sensitive little piggies won't allow me to wear flip flops, lol!) but I do appreciate the effort. I have to say though, after crossing the finish line I was disappointed to receive a flashlight on a necklace rather than a medal. Don't get me wrong, I think they are totally cute for the family run and even the 5 km and 10 km events. But after running the 21.1 km of the half marathon or (GASP!) the 30 km for the participants completing that event, I felt like the flashlight was a bit cheesy.
The Mogathon is a great event and I will definitely be back in years to come with my family!
The Excuses
My only excuse for this run was the beautiful weather! It was HOT! Taking the temperature into consideration, I didn't aim for a specific time for this race. Even in cooler temperatures I struggle to stay adequately hydrated, so I was more focused on finishing safely than getting too wrapped up with speed.
However, the Mogathon team did a fantastic job of providing Gatorade, water and ice water sponges at every aid station along the route. I was SO grateful for those sponges! I allowed myself to slow at every station where I took a cup of each Gatorade & water and then accepted the water filled sponge and squeezed it down my back. It was so refreshing and kept me from overheating. I still ended up dehydrated (have I mentioned that I sweat profusely!), but I was able to finish my run strong and feeling good in 2:08. While that is two minutes slower than last month, I'm still very pleased with that time (if I hadn't taken the time to stop at each aid station, I have no doubt that my run would have been way less enjoyable).
However, the Mogathon team did a fantastic job of providing Gatorade, water and ice water sponges at every aid station along the route. I was SO grateful for those sponges! I allowed myself to slow at every station where I took a cup of each Gatorade & water and then accepted the water filled sponge and squeezed it down my back. It was so refreshing and kept me from overheating. I still ended up dehydrated (have I mentioned that I sweat profusely!), but I was able to finish my run strong and feeling good in 2:08. While that is two minutes slower than last month, I'm still very pleased with that time (if I hadn't taken the time to stop at each aid station, I have no doubt that my run would have been way less enjoyable).
The Best Part
I've spent the last few days mulling this over. Last Saturday was a really great day and I'm finding it tricky to identify what set it apart for me. But, I think this is the first event that I was really able to approach with a sense of calm.
I felt prepared and ready for a great run. I wasn't worried about how many layers of clothes I needed to wear....easy, it's going to be HOT choose the thinnest layer possible! I was feeling healthy and fairly well rested. I was confident that I would complete the run and my new energy chews would help me finish with gas in my tank. I wasn't worried about finishing in a certain time. When I planned these events, each one has a different goal or meaning for me. The Mogathon was never about achieving a fantastic time, but rather having a fantastic time. Everything just came together seamlessly and I was relaxed and able to just enjoy the energy of the Mogathon.
Another reason that I enjoyed myself so much, was that I had great people to share the experience with! I know I've said it before, but nothing tops the camaraderie and sense of accomplishment that comes from setting a physical goal & achieving it. I LOVE the mutual support and being able to share in my friends' successes.
The start times of the different distances were staggered throughout the morning. This meant that when we lined up to start the half marathon, most 10 km & 5 km runners hadn't arrived yet. However, my cousin Becky and her husband Barry didn't realize this; and as a result, arrived at the race site extremely early for their 5 km run! I am thankful for their mistake, because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to bump into them! It was nice to have a few minutes to catch up.
Staci, Terra & Alicia started running and trained together all winter. They came up with a plan, scheduled a weekly run and together they increased their distance. Because it took them some coordinating to organize a day to run that suited all of their busy calendars, they ended up training in all sorts of weather conditions.
I was happy to be able to join them two weeks ago as they tackled their longest long run of 12 miles. I was a bit disheartened when I woke up that Saturday morning and the sky was overcast and grey, but I had committed to meeting them and I needed to log my miles. Rain had threatened my events in April & May and I had thought it would make for a miserable run. However, shortly after the four of us started on our way, the rain started and continued the whole time we were out.....and it was FUN! By the time I met up with my family at the rodeo parade (we cut it close and there was no time to stop at the house to freshen up) I looked like a drowned rat....a very happy drowned rat!
So the girls had put in the time & effort, fought a couple injuries and they arrived at River Landing nervous, but ready to tackle their first 13.1.
I made sure to take the time to stretch my legs & warm up a bit. After a pre-race visit to the porta-potty the four of us exchanged one last nervous high five and then we lined up for the half marathon start.
I popped my earbuds in and it didn't take long until I found my groove. As, I've said, the spectators and volunteers were all full of energy and that combined with the quirky signs and the frequent aid stations, made this run go by relatively fast. I struggled a bit around the halfway point of the run when I hit the stretch of trail that goes by the University campus and the hospital. This is the same area of the path that I haven't been on in quite some time. I had forgotten that there were quite a few inclines and it was also very exposed to the heat. I was SO happy when I looked up and saw my friend Jadah and her daughter Lauren! They had come out to cheer and they were right where I needed the encouragement the most!
After heading back across the river over the Broadway bridge, the course turned back near the start/finish line. I had familiarized myself well enough with the route prior to the race, so I knew I wasn't done yet....but still, having the finish line right there was a bit of a tease. It just so happens that there is a commemorative tree planted for my husband's Grandma Cowan planted right where I could see it from this point. You may remember that I mentioned Grandma Cowan earlier in the year, when Uncle Bob and I ran the Hypothermic Half together. We lost Grandma in the Spring of 2006 to Leukemia. It's funny sometimes how little things can make such a big difference, but seeing that tree gave me the push I needed to tackle the last 5 km of my run.
As I looped back around and up the hill past Grandma's tree again, I kicked it into high gear and headed for the finish line. I felt great as I crossed it and right away I saw Kristen, Barb, Caroline, Lori and Jodie.
They had all successfully completed their runs/walks and were enjoying the post-race candies and fruit. Barb walked a couple loops with me as I brought my heart rate down. I wear the necklace I gave Heather when she was my maid of honour as I complete each of these runs. Barb also has a special necklace that she wears that holds a charm of Heather's fingerprint. It's just our way of keeping her close.
We visited a bit and took some pictures and then they were on their way home to relax. It was perfect timing, just as I made my way back to the finish line Terra & Alicia were on their way in. After they crossed the mat, we ran back and joined Staci to encourage her as she pushed through the pain of a sore IT band to finish less than four minutes later. They did it!
Staci and I took some time to cool down and stretch out our legs and then we joined the girls and their families at the Mano's post-race BBQ. It was nice to be able to sit and talk about the run and share in their happiness and relief of finishing a half marathon. All three of them say it was a bucket list item that is nice to have ticked off....but we'll see, I bet they'll be back for more!
I felt great as I headed home with the radio cranked. Saturday was also Owen's soccer tournament. I had missed his 10 am match, but was able to make it back and get showered up in time to get to the second and third games. Again, I am thankful for the support of my husband and boys. Myles was thrilled to have my flashlight medal, especially once Owen received his fancy soccer one!
Kristen had invited us to join up back at her place for an evening BBQ. It was a really nice to get together with everyone including Hugh & Barb and Heather's brother David and sister-in-law Trina. The evening gave us a chance to celebrate everyone's day of running, the halfway point of my project and mostly we are so excited that Kristen is pregnant!!! She and her husband Matt are expecting their little one toward the end of December. Cheers, to new life and to everything that parenthood has to offer! Heather would have been THRILLED!
I am excited that this half has put my 2012 total distance to date over the 480 mile point! I'm looking forward to the second half of my runs. Now I've got 4 weeks to get ready for The Moose is Loose Trail Half Marathon on July 22nd in Edmonton.
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