Running

In June, I decided that I was going to start running. I was searching for a way to get more "me" time and also a way to get healthier. This seemed to be my answer.

So in the middle of June, I started running 4 or 5 nights per week after the kids went to bed. It has worked out nicely, as I have managed to increase my endurance, I have an opportunity to leave the house and clear my head, Andrew has an opportunity to be at home by himself for a while, and I have shed many inches off my waistline!!!

It was a bit difficult during our Lapland trip but I did manage to also keep up my intense running schedule, for the most part. It was a motivator to keep running, though, because if I ever stopped for a minute to rest, I'd be eaten alive by mosquitoes!

On August 31, I participated in my first race. It was the Midnight Run Helsinki and I ran it with 9000 other runners. It was only a 10km race but it was through the downtown core of Helsinki and began around 9pm. It was interesting to run in the cobblestone streets, as I was paranoid I would twist my ankle, but luckily I survived and ran a personal best time.

At around the 8.5km mark, I thought to myself that "I will never do a half marathon", ha ha. We'll see how my training goes in the spring. I enjoyed the race but I'm not sure if I have the willpower to pace myself when I am surrounded by competitors - my first km in the Helsinki Run was 4:11, which is an insane pace for me.

For now, I will be happy with my progress so far. I'm not feeling extremely ambitious about competing in longer distances but perhaps I will sing a different tune once my MBA is completed and I have more free time in the evenings.