Fellow Team Running Free (RF) athletes Brian, Lindsay, and David got me to the race so early that I had time to grab my “second” breakfast at Tim’s. My first breakfast at home that morning just wasn’t going to sustain me until the end of the race and I didn’t want to be tempted by the fast food joints along the way. It was a cool morning and as we huddled in Copps we found more Team RF athletes and got pumped and ready to race.
My goal for ATB was to ultimately finish and to use it as a long training run for Mississauga. For some reason I had a very difficult first 10K and doubts of not finishing definitely crept into my thoughts but thankfully the next 20K wasn’t half as bad. I loved the fact that the race has grown so much; it felt like a party the whole way with 5200 runners & walkers. The big hill at 25-26km is always a welcome because it means you only have to go downhill from there to the end. The finish line inside the Copps was also a treat – you don’t have to wait outdoors to cheer on your fellow runners.
Final finish time 2:42 – not a personal record for me but definitely close to my goal of 2:40 that morning. This is definitely one of my favorite races and it’s the only race that I plan for every year. I’ll definitely be at ATB in 2008 and I’ll be running for the silver medal (sub 2:30) – it’ll be my birthday wish since the race is scheduled on my birthday.
wow, congrads!!