“We will remember this moment.”
That’s what I told my sister on Sunday morning, at the three-quarter mark of a 33K training run along the beautiful shore of Lake Ontario. The run had started almost 3 hours earlier, at my parent’s house in
My father met us twice along the route, offering water refills and once – unaccountably – an umbrella. The second time we crossed paths, he was sitting in his car, doing a Sudoku and listening to music. We chatted briefly while I topped up my water bottles and begged him to meet us at the finish line with steeped tea from Tim’s.
Then we took off again, tackling a few small rolling hills along the bike path. A stiff breeze blew gusts of gentle, refreshing raindrops against our cheeks. I was struggling a little until, travelling on the wind, came the motivating sound of … rockabilly? Mary and I glanced across the path to the road just beyond, and there was my Dad, tracking us in his car, blasting out Carl Perkin’s “Gone, Gone, Gone” on the car stereo. With one eye on the road, he was coasting along, waving his arm out the open window and grinning like a maniac. That’s my Dad – always our most enthusiastic supporter. Though I was dog-tired, it all crystallized into one of those transcendent running moments that makes me love the sport – and love my family even more.
When I reached run’s end at my sister’s place, Dad was waiting with the tea and fresh orange juice. My sister’s friend from across the street, a yoga teacher, was standing out in the front of the house chatting and he led me through a few stretches. Then it was back to my parent’s place for lunch.
After that, it was time for the real endurance test: a night out with The Shoes. The wedding we attended was beautiful and it was great to catch up with my husband’s wonderful extended family. It was a cocktail reception, so there was lots of standing. Definitely a high heel PR. Here are the famous shoes:
Unfortunately, there are no family photos, because my husband and kids got dressed a little later than me (it’s a long story). You’ll have to trust me that I was accompanied by the three best-looking guys at the wedding.
Here’s the long run summary.
Distance: 33K
Time: 3:32:44
Pace: 6:27/km (not fast, but I felt fabulous afterwards)
Calories burned: 2,417
Calories consumed at the wedding: Don’t want to think about it
So that’s it. I’m in a slow taper now, until race day. This morning, I ran 23 and a half kilometres and logged a respectable 5:50/km pace but I really had to work for it.
Check out this incredible clip of Carl Perkins performing Gone, Gone, Gone and see how many famous musicians you can recognize in his band:
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