My plan for the Vancouver Half that is just over a week away is pretty simple… HAVE FUN!  No time goal, no pressure, no running until I want to throw up.  There will be sightseeing, high-fiving, maybe even some picture taking.  When I feel like picking up the pace I will, and when I feel like walking, I’ll do that too.  I’m not going to worry about negative splits or conserving energy.  I will just run for the fun of running because yes, even though it isn’t always the case, running can be fun and sometimes I need to remind myself of that.  A few days after the marathon I realized it wasn’t my disappointing finish time that bothered me most, it was the fact that I missed the “high” of a race, that rush of excitement that makes you feel like a kid again.  To a certain extent I am still in recovery mode from that day, so I know there is no chance of a super fast half.  But that isn’t the point of this race.

The run should be beautiful and the course is a net downhill but with a “bump” in the road so to speak.

See that bump near the end?  Doesn’t look like much on an elevation map.  However, this is what it looks like in real life:

I think I will probably feel this one on the way up, particularly so late in the race.  But the view will be amazing and the bridge is commemorated on the race medal:

I’ve not been training for this race.   I have had a few fun runs though and have managed to do a 10k and 14k as my “long” runs.  I’m hoping to get one more of those in before race day.  June, along with December, has always been a low mileage month for me.  As a teacher there are just too many things to do at this time of year.  Any run I get in is a bonus.  And now that the marathon is complete, I am enjoying treating myself to some junk food and am just not prepared to give it up for this race.  So essentially, I am not doing anything “right” for this race… except getting excited enough to have a smile on my face whenever I think about it.  🙂