My first half

Two half marathons in, two 8k races and countless solo and group training runs and I'm still not sure if I can call myself a runner. Do I qualify?
My oldest sister is a runner, in fact she is headed to Costa Rica in a couple of weeks to do a six day stage race with The Coastal Challenge. And my Dad used to head out for a 'jog' once in a while. So I wouldn't say running is in my genes or anything.
But it's an impulse. I love the motion and the idea of it. I may not love every run I complete but I do love when you receive the silent nod or acknowledgement from another runner you may cross paths with. And the looks you get from non runners is hilarious, especially on a day that may be less than ideal weather wise.

I ran my first half marathon in May 2009 in Vancouver. I had trained with The Running Room clinic in Victoria, and found it much easier to run with a group and to have a set schedule that I actually looked forward to. I took the ferry over from Victoria and met my sister who was running her first full marathon, so we were both nervous as we prepared for the next days adventure. We lay around in the hotel room and ate, and mused about how long our combined running distances was. 63.3 km is a long ways!
The next morning our Dad met us in the hotel lobby, and we walked down to the starting line together. My Dad and sister wished me well as the half distance runners started a half hour earlier. Standing alone amongst thousands and thousands of other runners was an odd moment for me. Not very often (okay, never) have I taken on a challenge such as that one, and I am prone to giving up halfway through a project or hobby because of boredom, or because I thought I would fail. There I was at the starting line, or somewhere near it anyways, with my water belt on, my chip secured to my shoe, and off I went.

The first ten km went by fairly easily. I saw some of the girls from my running group and we chatted for a bit, congratulating each other and eventually they dropped back, or went ahead on their own. I had to pee, of course, but the line ups for the toilets were long and slow so I thought I'd just wait.
The big hill was looming in Stanley Park. We had done a lot of hill training and I felt confident but not happy about a hill at this juncture in my run. But this turned out to be my strongest point as I passed a lot of people who decided to walk the hill, and once at the top there was a real bathroom there with no line up so I took a couple of minutes to forget about what I had done so far and focus on what was next. Running down the hill we only had about 6km left which I told myself was just like a quick training run. I saw my Dad with about 3 km left and that was just awesome. He said the finish line 'was just around the corner.' Sure Dad! Don't let anyone tell you that the .1 of the run isn't anything either! The final kilometers were tough, and I was struggling. This would be the longest I had run ever, and my so called form was getting sloppy. Then I ran by Willie Mitchell from the Vancouver Canucks as he tried to cross the street with his dog and his lady friend. The team had just lost the night before in a playoff game so he wasn't in a super good mood but I was just so shocked to look up and see him, so all I could think of to say was "Hey Willie!" and he responded with an automatic "Hey how you doing?" I said, 'oh you know, just out for a run' That humorous chat got me through the final stages of the run, and then I saw the white dome of BC Place, and the finish corral.

I did not expect it to be that emotional. I've never been happier to see a finish line really. I smiled hugely as I heard the crowd cheer everyone on and picked up the pace and I ran my little heart out straight across the finish line. 2:22!!! I burst into tears immediately. Couldn't see straight. I had finished something that I had worked so so so hard for, something I never thought was even in my reality, and I had seen it through. Someone put a finishers medal on me, someone else gave me a space blanket, and then I heard my Dad. I looked up to see him frantically trying to take pictures and hold on to two lab puppies who liked crowds a lot. I stumbled over, not worrying about stretching or recovery but just trying to see through my tears. He gave me a huge hug and asked me how it was and said congratulations and all I could blubber was "I saw Willie Mitchell!"
I made it home and was exhausted and happy and proud. I can name the emotions I had at the finish line as relief, as in 'gosh I'm glad that's over', pride in that I actually finished something, and a sense of empowerment. I can and did run a distance that most can't. Or won't. And I couldn't wait to do it again!
I ran the Oak Bay Half in Victoria exactly 3 weeks later, which is too soon for a beginner runner and just a little bit nuts actually. I finished 3 minutes faster, was just as emotional coming through the finish, but the run was much much harder.

Tonight my new half marathon clinic started, once again with the Running Room, and I saw a bunch of old friends that I had a chance to catch up with while we ran the first easy 6k run. It was great. I felt at home, even part of a community. So yes, I qualify as a runner, I'll allow myself to be labled as that.
So get out there. Even if it's just a run around the block, or for 10 or 20 minutes, you never know, you might actually enjoy yourself!