Joining JP's Team!

I signed up to run the Ottawa Half Marathon last December and I thought I would just run it for myself. But then I met Jean-Paul Bédard during a fun run with Black Toe Running in Toronto, and I decided that I wanted to be part of #JPsTeam. Read on to find out why!

Run a Half-Marathon: CHECK!

Personal goal of completing a half-marathon before my Masters graduation: DONE!

I'm writing this a week after the actual race day and I'm still feeling the runner's high from finishing my first half-marathon. :) I've been looking up races, checking out prices and thinking about my 2015 running goals. This is completely different from my approach to running this past year, where races were only semi-planned/something that I stumbled upon. But before I run off on a tangent (!!), I'll do a mini recap of my feelings on this race (my first "big city" race experience).

Race day outfit!

I'm Running My First Half-Marathon as a Charity Run!

2 month placement abroad, followed by a month long family vacation and I can truthfully say that I need to get back to the "world of the living". The amount of relaxing this summer was much appreciated, and I am now ready to find a new sense of direction. Those who know me well will know that I always like to be working towards a goal of some form. I can't stand to be unoccupied! Without classes (bye bye student life!) and still on the hunt for a job means that I'm in a limbo. My brain has needed the past month to recuperate and readjust to this new state of affairs, since it's something I've never experienced. Now I'm slowly regaining the motivation to move onto starting the next chapter of my life, starting with tackling some personal goals.

Before flying off on vacation, I buckled down and registered to run my first half-marathon. I did this so that I would not give myself any excuses to not do it and because I like signing up for things early so that I get to feel all the anticipation that comes with racing (oh, and because of early bird fees!). In fact, this half-marathon was on my mind for much of my vacation. As my running shoes walked around the other side of the world/country with me, my mind was gearing up for this new long distance that I've challenged myself with.