PEAK CONQUERED!

Hello everyone!

My big race “Seek the Peak” was this past Sunday, June 14 and… I finished!!!! 😀

16 km
1250 m (4100 ft) elevation gain (including “Mother Nature’s stair master”, the Grouse Grind)

Starting from Ambleside Beach in West Vancouver and ending up at the Peak of Vancouver, Grouse Mountain.

I cannot describe how exhilarating, scary, difficult, exciting, and rewarding it was.  I have never done anything that hard in my life.  It was not only a physical challenge but also a mental one.  A couple of times I was almost ready to throw in the towel but I just kept repeating in my head to take one more step.  One more step was bringing me closer to the finish line.  Just one more step.  It was an incredible experience and I am so happy I did it.  When I was close to the mid point and the hardest climb of the race I thought: “What the *&#$@ was I thinking signing up for this?!” (pardon my French, I never speak like that) LOL  I even thought at one point that if someone came to me at that moment and gave me a choice between continuing or having a third c-section, I’d probably choose the c-section. HAHAHA

When I reached the finish line, I couldn’t feel my legs.  My whole body was in denial.  My mind was racing but it was also empty.  I felt so small and humbled.  Yet, I felt grand and on top of the world.  I wanted to sit down but the adrenalin was telling me to stay up and walk around.  I was thirsty but my stomach was so tight there was no space for a single drop of water.  It was the most gruelling and yet amazing experience ever.

I finished with the last 50 people (out of 360 people total).  I ranked 65th in my age group.  It took me 3h 28m.  The winner did it in 1h 22m. 😀  The most important thing for me though was that I crossed the finish line.  That was my goal all along.  I’ve been thinking about this race for 12 years – ever since it was organized for the very first time I’ve wanted to do it.  And after having 2 kids in 2 years with 2 surgeries (in 2012 and 2013) and having trained for only 8 months … it felt extremely rewarding to reach that goal – the finish line.

Thank you for your encouragement and for following my progress and training posts 😀

PEAK CONQUERED!

Start line at Ambleside Beach

I’ve never been happier to see a windmill in my life 😀 Top of Grouse Mountain. It meant the finish line was very close

PEAK CONQUERED!

Race course. (My GPS says it was 14 km but the reception wasn’t very good when I ran into the woods so it’s not entirely accurate. The length is 16km.

Elevation gain 1250m (4100ft) Starting from the ocean and ending up at the top of Grouse Mountain.