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!
Congratulations!! That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you, and very impressed by those stats. (I really should pick up running again!)
Thank you so much!! 🙂
Congratulations, that’s an impressive accomplishment!! You must be very proud!
Thank you 🙂 I am so glad I got to finish it 😀
Great job, crossing the finishing line is all that matters. When I was 45 ( 20 years ago 😄) I was in a 1/2 triathlon and I was last one over the finish line. I was just happy I finished too!
Wow 1/2 triathlon. This is so brave of you! Way to go! And yes, crossing the finish line is more important. It’s so rewarding! 🙂
I only did it once that was enough! Congratulations enjoy you success.
Once but a big achievement 🙂 Thank you!
Congrats Mate. I am so proud of you for getting out there and getting moving. Crossing that finish line was the best
Thank you so much 🙂 ❤ And thanks for the support and encouragement during my training 🙂
Always here to cheer you on any time. my next challenge is in September
Thank you! Much appreciated. 🙂
Nice! What’s your event in September? You’ll rock it! 😀
It is a 6 kilometer walk, I would love to break my pb which is 1 hour 10 minutes
Oh nice! That’s a really good time. You can do it!
Eek, well done!! 😀 That’s some crazy elevation, phew! How do you deal with any stiffness, etc. afterwards? I usually just suck it up and walk it off until it goes away, haha, but there must be a better way to recover more quickly?
Lol good point. I actually felt surprisingly well. A lot better than I thought. I find that walking helps a lot with recovery. 😀
That’s some achievement! Congratulations! I’d say that you’ve probably earned the right to kick back and relax for a while, but you’re probably out training for your next event already 😉
Thank you 😀 LOL I actually have bootcamp tonight haha 😀 I did rest for three days though. I am still a little sore but otherwise feeling ok 🙂
What an amazing achievement, now you know you can do anything!! Well done.. 😀 X
Thank you 🙂 ❤
Yay for you!