With My Dad ♥

I went jogging for the first time since my 1/2 marathon today! My dad and I first wanted to run 10km but ended up not having enough time. Instead, we ran 5km which was still fun! I really like running with him cause we both have the same pace and I like to run fast. It was a lot of fun and now I just can't wait to run the Colour Me RAD! That will definitely be so much fun!

SUCCESS!!!

Wow, what a wonderful race! I seriously had a great time. There's not a moment in the race where I thought about quitting. I didn't even stop to walk one single time throughout the race. I also didn't suffer as much as I thought I would. The only time where things were really hard were at the 20th km when we had to run up a big hill. Otherwise, I had such a good time that during the race, I didn't even notice the time passing by. But when things did start to get harder like when running up hills, I just thought about Olivier. What I was going throught at that moment could never be any worst than what he has been through in his entire life. And I know that he would like to be in my shoes if he could. What I was doing was nothing compared to him and what he had ever been through. Just thinking about that was enough for me to go on even stronger. There was also a point in the race where my iPod played Fix You, by Cold Play at the exact moment when we had to go up a big hill. It's so amazing how this song is so powerful and helps me go through so much every time. It made me think so much about Olivier, too. All in all, I'm just happy I didn't have to suffer as much as I thought I would. It was just so fun. It was even better that I met my goal of running under 2 hours! I ran in exactly 1:58:04.7. For someone who didn't complete more than 1/3 of the program, went through a hip injury, an ankle being twisted at soccer and only running 12km at the most, I should surely be proud of myself! My favourite part of the race was at the beginning on the starting line on the bridge. I thought it was such a good way to start a 1/2 Marathon and I was so happy to be there with my parents. Speaking of which, my parents also had a lot of fun. So did my aunt and uncle! The day was even better since everyone had a good race. I even remember having enough juice left to even sprint for the last 200 m! I really hope most of my other races will be as easy and enjoyable as this one. What made it enjoyable was the temperature. It was never too hot, or too cold. It was great not having to worry about the temperature because I know I have a lot of trouble running in the heat. Now, I can only think of one thing. When's going to be my next 1/2 Marathon? I honestly can't wait to run another one! It would be great if I could run another one so I could raise even more money! But even if I don't, I know that 1070$ isn't so bad for someone who wanted at least 500$. Even if 1070$ doesn't change a lot in Olivier's life, just knowing that it made a little difference is satisfying. I also don't just want to become someone who just gave money to him for a project. I want to be someone who talks to him and his family every once in a while to get to know them better and to get updates on how they're doing because I really do care about him! I know that if I were him, I'd like someone to do the same for me. For now, all I know is that I have met all of my goals for my project so far. That just makes my day! We'll just have to see what comes next. Now it's time to turn the page.

                                                                  At the finishing line!

The Day Before The 1/2 Marathon

Wow, what a journey! All these little moments put together that happened before brought me to this big one. Surprisingly, I'm more happy and excited than nervous. I really just can't wait to run tomorrow! I know I will have tones of fun, I know I will suffer, I know I will have to push bounderies that I have never pushed before, I know I will cry, smile, but I also know that in the end, it'll be all worth it. I know I will be so proud of myself and after that, I will want to run other 1/2 marathons for sure. I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow but no matter what, I know that at least one person's life will be affected positively. Olivier, this one's for you.

Only A Week Left!!!

I had a pretty good week! I ran two other times with success; one 7km and one 12km. I think after running these two races, it really convinced me that I could run the Montreal half-marathon. It's crazy to look back at my whole journey and the obstacles I had to go through. All I can say is I'm very proud of myself and it's a good thing that I never gave up. Now, I can see that all my efforts were worth it. For example, I ran my 12km at a 5:20 pace. It went very smoothly and at the end, I wasn't even that tired. I think I would be able to run at a 5:40 pace for my half-marathon which would also make me reach my goal of running under 2 hours! Also, the fundraising has been going very well. I thought I would raise about 500$ but I'm already at 595$ and I know there are other donations that I just haven't recieved yet. Plus, I will me running other races until March so I know that I can raise a lot more. For this last week before the race, I will take it very slowly and try not to think too much about it. But, I have to admit, I really am excited to stand on that starting line on Sunday morning.

Woohoo!

I can't even express how happy I am! I ran and completed a 10km yesterday night. I even promised myself not to look at my watch during the run so that I wouldn't stress with the time but still ended up running with a 5:30 overall pace. There is not one single part of my body that hurt either. Also, near the end, I wasn't even really tired. I could've easily continued with the same pace for another 10km. It really makes me happy to know that I will most probably be able to complete my half-marathon even after my whole injury situation. Can't wait to go out and run again tomorrow!

Back On My Feet

It's been so long since I last updated my blog. Between school, hockey, soccer and many other things, I haven't taken the time to let you people know what has been going on very much. First of all, not so long ago, my mom and I watched the movie Spirit Of The Marathon. It's a movie about different types of runners who all take part in the same marathon. But, some runners are Olympics runners, one is a mom, another likes to run alone, another is a Kenyan who once held a world record and there's also an old man in his late 60s who runs with his daughter. Anyways, you get the picture. So it's nice to see how running can be for anyone who choses to take part in it. It's a very inspiring movie and I think every runner should see this movie at least once in their lives. Looking at my mom with tears in her eyes from time to time was also very touching. I knew right away after having watched that movie that one day, maybe soon or in 30 years, maybe slow or fast, I would run a marathon.

Other than that, I have started running again with no pain. I remember going two times, running 3km and everything went very smoothly. I also ran again today, 5km with my mom with intervals. At 2km, we had to accelerate at 5:30 per km until we hit 3.6km. Then we just continued running at a slower pace for the remainding 1.4km. It feels really good not having any injury. I'm very happy it's over with and I can just continue training without having to worry about everything. Now that I know my running is ok, I really have to start raising a lot more money for Olivier and going around a few stores or restaurants in Chambly. That's the next step because my half marathon is on it's way!

Good News And Bad News

I had a soccer game yesterday and my hip didn't hurt at all which is amazing! I was so happy and I couldn't wait to write about it on my blog! But, obviously, something bad HAD to happen to me. During the game, I jumped in the air to hit the ball with my head and fell down on my ankle, completely twisting it to the point where I couldn't even move it. I stayed on the bench for a few minutes before going back on even though it still did hurt. After that, I had a hockey practice and today again, I had a hockey practice. My ankle constantly hurts but I know it's something that will fade away soon enough so I'm not too worried about it. At least I know my hip is getting better!

I Won't Give Up

For the times where I really felt like running but couldn't, I biked instead. Each time, it would give me at least an hour to listen to my music and think about many things like how school was starting soon, etc. I actually did enjoy these moments I spent with myself, but I always thought it was quite different from running and never really enjoyed it as much. I biked 26km two other times since the first and I still never really found joy in that activity. For me, it was just like spending an hour, sitting on a chair, listening to music. Except for your leg muscles, nothing else is really being pushed. And I like to push myself!
After going to the physio Tuesday night this week, he told me things were getting really better. He even looked impressed with the progress that had been made and said I could run again! Oh the joy! After hearing that, right away I planned when exactly I would go and how long and where... The next morning, I woke up slowly, ate a good breakfast then put my super woman costume on and zoomed out of the house. I was smart enough not to push myself too hard and ran for 2 minutes, then walked for 1, alternating like that the whole way through for 3km at a slow pace during 19 minutes. I was so happy and in my mind I was already thinking of all the things I could write on my blog when I came home and how happy I was! At about 300m before I would hit 3km, I started to feel something, not pain, but something, in my hip. Right away I remembered how my mom told me to be careful and stop immediately when it hurt. I finished the run but after that, as I walked home, I started to feel something more and more growing in my leg. Not too much, and it wasn't pain, but I knew that if I had continued, I probably would have went back to square one. I walked all the way home and through the park on the corner of our street where I could see my mom, all happy, waving at me with a camera in her hands. She told me from far that I should run in order for her to take a picture of me in motion for the blog. I just shook my head and right away she knew I wasn't too happy. At that moment when I took off my shoes, I just couldn't hold back my tears. I was just so disapointed that after the hard work and exercises that I had done, nothing had seemed to improve for me. My mom called the physio and her friend who had gone through a similiar injury, but far worst, and talked with them to see if it were normal that I still felt something. It turned out that it was and that I shouldn't get discouraged. It was hard not to after thinking about the little improvment that I seemed to had made. I even had a soccer practice that very night and could still feel something in my leg. It was maybe at a 2 on a scale of 1-10. It has discouraged me ever since and I haven't gone running again. I'm just so scared that it gets worst or that I have to start over again. It really takes away the pleasure of running for me right now. I really badly wished I had never had this problem. But, I'm not giving up. Olivier hasn't, so why should I?

Olivier Gingras

I realize that I still haven't talked about the day I met Olivier on my blog yet. I mean, I've been so busy with friends, my injury, soccer and everything around me that I would always tell myself that I would leave it to the next day, then the next, then the next. All this time that I've been pushing this project aside and not raising any money, Olivier is still there, in his chair, exactly the same as when we left him. I feel so bad when I think of all the times I could've worked on my project but didn't. I realize now that the summer is almost over and I haven't even acheived half of my goal yet. It's time for me to wake up!
As I am writing this right now, I can feel my hands shaking a little and my heart beating faster when I picture the first time I ever saw him. We entered his house and he was in his wheel chair, sitting next to his brother who was playing video games. His mother greeted us with a big smile and seemed very happy! We walked into the house and sat down on the couch. I'm pretty sure at that moment I was looking at Olivier, shocked. He is literally a prisoner of his own body. I couldn't picture myself being where he was. I don't even think I can spend a day like that. We talked about my project and also a little bit of everything and anything. At some point, it's just as if I forgot he was the way he was. He is such a joyful human being, smiles all the time and can even laugh at himself and his whole situation. I really don't understand how he can be so happy after all that has happened to him and I admire him so much for that. I don't think I could ever be that happy if something like that ever happened to me.
We had a look at his room and he had this machine that could carry him into his bed. He also had a special bed to make sure he doesn't develop bed sores. Also, his whole room was adapted so he could easily move around with a bathroom also adapted for him. Obviously, without all of these adjustments, Olivier would not have been able to live with his family and would have lived in a hospital for the rest of his life. If Olivier and his family wouldn't have gotten the help from the foundation of "Les Gouverneurs de l'Espoir", he would not be living with his family at the moment. He would not have as much moral support for sure. I think it's enough that he has to deal with being quadriplegic for the rest of his life that being away from your family all the time is too much. Remember what I said earlier about him being such a joyful and happy person? Do you think that would have been possible if he wasn't living with his own family right now? I don't think so.
When we left his house after about 2 hours of talking, everything I did, I thought of Olivier and how he couldn't do any of it. He couldn't do the simplest things that we do on a regular basis. For example, just opening a car door, changing a song from your iPod or simply walking. It's just so unfair. Meeting Olivier Gingras made me want to become a better person and not having to worry about the little things and enjoying life, especially. You never know what can happen at any moment. It only took one bad dive to change the rest of his life. It motivates me that much more when I do my running or activites and I find it hard and want to give up because I think of him and how he would probably give anything to be in my shoes at that moment.
Some lyrics from the song Fix You, by Coldplay, I feel describe this exact situation and I would like to share them with you.
"An the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
...
And I will try to fix you"

Physio

I've been to the physiotherapist again Tuesday of this week. He said things were already getting better and I should be able to run soon enough if everything goes as planned! I also have to do some new exercises that he gave me to do, twice a day. Apart from my injury, my mom and I have talked about how I could run a half-marathon, but also run a few other races here and there like 5 or 10 kilometers. It would give me other oppourtunities to raise money and it would also make my project last much longer throughout the year. It isn't exactly sure that that's what I'm going to do but we might look deeper into that thought sooner or later.

Hot Summer Day

What a wonderful day to be working out! Although I can't run for 2-3 weeks, I can use my bicycle! I did 26km and it was just so smooth and fun! I wasn't with my sister like last time but, I did have my music which is always a plus. Even if it wasn't so hard on my cardio, it was hard on my legs! I'm pretty sure I developed some muscle ;) Here's a picture!

Updates!

I have quite a bit of things to tell you today! First of all, yesterday I ran 4km. Surprisingly, my hip still didn't hurt so much! Maybe a 2 on a scale of 1-10. On top of that, my mom had suggested that I shouldn't look at my watch too often so that I wouldn't have to stress with the time so that's exactly what I did. I also continued running 5 minutes and walknig 1. I ended up running at less than 5:30s per km... Maybe it was too fast but I really went with my feeling more than the speed. I also knew that if it hurt, I would have to stop. So, later on in the day, I went to my first appointment with the physio. He is or used to be the physio for the Montreal Alouettes. It didn't take long before he understood that the problem is that I play so many sports and always use the same muscles in my legs that they are getting too tired. Therefore, I have to develop other muscles so that it's not always the same ones that work and get tired. He gave me one exercise and one stretch that I have to do both 2 times per day. It already seems to be going in a good direction but, I'm not aloud to run for another 2-3 weeks. I'm strongly considering doing the Oka half-marathon instead since I would then have the time to complete my program. For now, I'm not sure exactly but we'll see how it goes. Here are some pictures of a little something I did today!

YES SIR!

This morning, I ran 7km. I can also say that my hip really didn't hurt that much! Running 5 minutes and walking 1 minute really does help I think. My final time was 42 minutes which means I ran quite fast. The worst part is, I didn't even look at my watch too much! I really just went along with my feeling and it turned out pretty good! Maybe now I can continue my program, but conitnue the 5 minutes of running and 1 minute of walking until my injury is completely gone. Overall, I was really happy about this morning and it shows me that there is still some hope!

One Step At A Time

After realizing that the injury would never just fade away, I ran my 4km today at a very slow pace. I also ran for 5 minutes than walked for 1 minute the whole way through. I'm pretty sure that helped a lot since my hip practically didn't hurt the whole way through. It was encouraging to see that even if I am injured and can't run at the same pace as I usually run, I can still just run to continue on with my program. I never want to completely stop running because it has become a part of my daily routine and what can I say, I just love it! I was watching the women's trialthlon in the London Olympics today and deep down inside of me I was like, hey, I would really like to do that one day. I love running and even though biking isn't the thing I love the most, I still do enjoy it. I also took swimming lessons when I was younger. It would be the thing that I would have to work on. I think I just enjoy pushing myself a lot. I like to be put into positions where I have to go beyond my capacities. But, the thing is, I don't necessarly want to compete in the Olympics or not even compete at all. I just know that one day I think I would like to participate in a triathlon. Maybe not an Iron Man ;) We'll see!

Facing Reality

This project isn't turning out as I had planned. I hadn't planned that I would be injured to the point that I couldn't run more than 3.3km. If you had told me 3 months ago that I would be injured this bad, I would have never believed you. It's so frustrating when the only thing stopping you from running isn't the distance, the weather or because you don't have enough cardio, but because your body cannot allow you to go on. Yesterday, the day after running my hills without facing any pain, I really thought I had pulled through my injury. So, I went out to run a slow 6km with my mom, something I would have been able to do without any problems not so long ago. After 3.3km, as I have mentioned before, my hip really started to hurt again to the point where it was really, really uncomfortable. Back at home, we found some things that I could do to treat my injury. My mom said, "it's going to be ok, it's only a matter of time". But the thing is, I just want to run. I would much rather not have to deal with this sort of thing. It really takes away from the joy of running. It really is unavoidable if I want to get things back to the way they were. The reality is, if I don't treat it now, it won't magically go away. One of the things my mom has suggested me to do to keep my cardio is cross training. I'll be doing aquajogging, biking, etc. Today, to start things off, I have climbed the Mont-St-Hilaire with my friends Genevieve Gagnon. It was actually really fun! We took the hardest path that lasted 4.2km. My hip didn't hurt at all the whole way through, which is good. Once we were at the top, the view was just absolutely AMAZING! Here are some pictures :)

The Hills

I ran my first hills today! Where I am in the program, we had to do 5 of them on 4km. My mom told me before we started that I should do the first hills in the program that I had never done which is 3 hills on 2.5km. So, I started off like that. After my 3 hills, I didn't feel much pain and knew I could continue and wanted to. I didn't force myself, it just happened! In the end, my hip was ok and I didn't even feel so tired. It was just a beautiful way to start off my day with my mom by my side. I love running with her because there never is any pressure and it's just very pleasant. Also, going back to the hills, I actually really enjoy doing them. It's different and adds something new to just running. I also always love some challenge, if you haven't noticed ;) Here are some pictures!

Going Up!

Going Down!

Hot Weather

Yesterday, I had to run a tempo 4km. I really had nothing else to do at all so I decided not to wait for my parents and run during the afternoon, the hottest part of the whole day. OHH MY GOD I WANTED TO DIE!!! I had never ran in such a terribly hot temperature! It was so bad that after 3km, I had to stop. I also didn't want to run another kilometer since my hip did hurt a little. But let's be honest here, the heat was the thing that crushed me. Now I understand why my parents always run either in the morning or at night in this kind of weather. I have learned my lesson!

Back Into Jogging!

After taking a long enough break from jogging, I have decided that from now on, I'm continuing my program. I have taken this decision today after running a slow 4km. It was hot outside but my hip didn't hurt as much as it used to and everything was good. I really feel like after all that time off, it has taken the time to heal enough to let me go on. After my run today, I really didn't feel so much pain and it never once almost made me stop from running. But, there is another thing that happened to me yesterday that was pretty bad. Yesterday morning, my friend and I decided to go to the beach in Montreal. Almost all day, I had this HUGE head ache and I would almost hallucinate at some points. It was really horrible. I thought it was maybe because it was too hot or I hadn't eaten enough but it was impossible. I had eaten very well all day and had drinken 2 big bottles of water, at least. When I came back home, I slept in the car the whole way throught. I also slept from 6:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. when I got back home. I didn't even eat all of my supper, which is rare, and went back to bed at 10:00 P.M., hoping it would all be gone tomorrow. The thing is, it was really stressing me out because I had never had this much of a head ache before and I was wondering if I had brain cancer or something. In the morning, I woke-up and it was already not as bad but I still didn't feel as I usually do. Around 3:00 P.M., after lying on the couch not doing anything, I finally felt good enough to go run outside. I didn't have so much of a head ache during my run and for right now it's not so bad either but I still don't feel 100%. I just hope it goes away and never comes back because I really don't like feeling this way, not being able to do anything. It's also really scary not knowing what's going on inside your body.

Half-Marathon!...By Bike

Saturday, July 28th, my sister and I biked 21.1km. I'm really proud of us! What makes me even happier is that I did it with my sister. Since my sister is more of an artist and me more of an athlete, I would have never imagined us both doing it together. We even completed it in 55:43s which in my opinion is pretty good! Especially since we have both never done as much biking at once. As I mentioned earlier in another post, I don't like biking at all. But, having my sister with me made it much more entertaining since we could talk and laugh! Speaking of laughter, I have the perfect example. At the end of the race, when there was about 300m left until 21.1km, our time was up to 54:40s about. We absolutely wanted to finish under 55 minutes so we started going extremely fast. We were going so fast that when it came time to turn on the bicycle path, we were still in full speed. I stopped so quickly to turn that I almost fell off my bike! I hadn't heard my sister say that we could just continue and take another path. So as of then, we are both on completely opposite paths, LAUGHING so hard and the worst part is, I was alone so people would just stare at me probably wondering what was wrong with me. We ended up doing 21.1km in 55:43s, as I mentioned above. Boy was it a great way to end the race! Overall, it might not have been very hard or exhausting but was better than doing nothing.

Plan B

Well hello! It has been 5 days since I haven't uploaded anything on my blog! So today, I have plenty of things to say. First off, Saturday, I ran 3km with my dad, AND FINISHED IT! Yes, maybe we weren't going very fast and yes, it did start hurting a little bit at the end but hey, I'm just happy to see that things are going in a better direction. The other thing that I feel I should inform of is that I kind of fainted because of a heatstroke on Monday. The funny thing is, it happened after I biked for about 14km. Like, what the hell? I can RUN 14km without fainting so biking that shouldn't have been so hard. The whole story goes like this: My friend, Virginie, lives in St-Hubert. We wanted to go shopping together that day around 1:00 P.M. and I had absolutely no way to get there except by bike. It was about 12:20 A.M. when I left and I hadn't eaten or drank a thing all day. It was also about 35 degrees outside and there were no trees for shade on the bicycle path. I arrived at her house around 12:45 A.M. You realize that's insanely fast, right? When Virginie came to my house after that, it took her 1 hour...I think I went too fast. So to continue my story, as I reach her house and get off my bike, I started to feel a little dizzy. I'm guessing it's normal after pedalling like a maniac for 25 minutes so I ignore it. I come in the house, ask for a glass of water and after that I can't remember a thing. I wake up 5 minutes later, I hear someone say, "call 9-1-1!". I'm soaking wet from head to toe, lying on her kitchen floor with the whole family starring at me. What the hell just happened, I was thinking to myself. It had never fainted before so it was really confusing. After eating some food and drinking some juice, I felt much better. We still did go shopping afterwards even if I had an intense head ache; I mean, anything for shopping, right? But I am very thankful to have been rescued by Virginie and her family. I mean, what would have happened if I would have fainted on the biking path? Now I know it's very important to eat and drink before a physical activity because I seriously don't want that to happen to me ever again, it's not cool. Haha, get it? And now today, I did 10km of biking around Chambly. I have to say, I actually really hate biking. But I am willing to make an effort because I'm never giving up!

Injured

Tuesday, two days after what seemed to be a total disaster, I decided to try and run a very slow 3km to see if I could run without feeling any pain. 1.50km into it, it really started to hurt again. I thought it would maybe go away but I officially stopped after 1.90km. What a complete failure, I thought. I had never been in a position where I literally had to stop running because my body wouldn't let me. I held back my tears and tried to convince myself that things would get back to normal sooner or later. I was hoping for sooner. Then, all of a sudden, it started raining like crazy! I hadn't walked 100m and I was already soaking wet from head to running shoes. To get home faster, I was convinced I could still run a little. I could just hear my mom's voice in the back of my mind saying, "if it hurts, stop". So again, I stopped and walked home. After resting for a whole week now, not doing very much, my dad asked me if I wanted to join him in his slow 3km. Scared to know if it would only get worst if I did, I nervously accepted the "challenge". It was actually not that bad. After maybe 2km, I hadn't felt any pain. But for the last kilometer, I knew that my hip hadn't come back completely to how it used to be. For now, I atleast know that's it's getting better and maybe in a few weeks I can run again, YAYYYY! I also have my aunt's bike which will help keeping my cardio. Shout out to her, thanks Anne ;)

Disapointed

When you try your best, but you don't succeed. When tears come streaming down your face. This pretty much describes my run this morninig. How could I have come this far and now feel like everything is falling apart? As usual, when we run long distances, my mom and I wake up earlier, take the time to eat, go back to sleep to then wake up 2 hours later for our run. 10km is what we had to run today. After 1km, I burst into tears and couldn't take one more step. My hip, where it connects with my leg hurt so badly. It had been hurting for about 2 weeks max, but each time I would tell myself that it didn't hurt enough to stop running. At that moment when I couldn't go on, a load of stress rushed into my body. I can't stop running because it's my project, because people are depending on me and just because I love to run and don't want to stop. What did reassure me was when my mom told me that I could run in another race such as Oka or Grandy. But I'm still kind of upset with this whole situation. As long as I can remember, I never ever gave up. I always endure everything and always push myself to my absolute limit. That scared me a little. For now, we'll see how it goes tomorrow. We also think it might be a good idea to change my shoes. I'll keep you posted on this whole situation!

Run In The Sun

Oufffff! Not easy running when it's 32 degrees outside. Good thing it was only a slow 4km. But, if you know me a little, you probably guessed that I didn't run it slowly. I just can't help it! To me, it felt like I was going really slowly when I was actually running at my tempo pace. I'll try to improve on that!

Eating Then Running = Bad Idea

After spending the day doing plenty of things and coming home too late, my mom and I decided to skip our jog, again. Yesterday, I didn't run either due to my right ankle. It was just better to take a break. Since we weren't running today, I ate a hamburger, 2 bananas, an apple and apple sauce. Then, my dad told me that he was going out for his run and that's what tempted me to go as well. But we all know how you feel when you run with a full tummy. Although it wasn't too pleasant, it was only a 3km and it wasn't so bad. I also finally met Olivier today! I will explain more in depth tomorrow how it was to meet him.

Fort de Chambly

Another long distance is done! We had quite a big group today. My mom, dad and dad's friend all woke up this morning to run 9km. At this point, it does feel like my cardio is getting stronger. The only problem I had today was my ankles started to hurt. I might have to try and run differently because I still have more than half of my program left to do and there's no way I'm stopping! Overall, running is really becoming a big part of my life and I just love it. It is definitely not the last time I'm doing a program for a half-marathon. And guess what? In 2 years, I can run a marathon, watch out ;)

Family Run

Always fun to have a slow 3km! It really allows me to take a break. My knee stills hurts a little so I think it's good that we took it slowly today. It's still a pleasure to have my parents by my side :)

Fast and Furious

I had to run a 4km tempo this morning. It had been really hard lately to wake up early to go run so this morning, I woke up on my own and went for my training afterwards. It was actually pretty hard since I have had at least 2 hours of physical activity for the past 5 days. A soccer tournament, soccer games with my team and replacing in another, long distances and the program, I felt a little tired. When it was done though, I was happy I had done it. I just hope pain in my knee will stop.

Run Girl Run

What a perfect morning to run! Once again, my mom and I ran together. Waking early a second time was hard. I really didn't feel like doing anything this morning. It also didn't help that we had a tempo 4km. But, after maybe 500m, my mom told me that we were running at 5:19 per km. I was thinking to myself like, really? I guess that after all I wasn't that tired! Overall it was a great run and as I've said before, it's always a great way to start off my day! Today, my mom also contacted Olivier's mom, the boy I am running for. We will be meeting on Thursday and I am looking forward to it.

Good Morning

After delaying my two runs this weekend due to my soccer tournament, my mom and I ran a 9km this morning. I think it was one of the best runs I've had so far. We woke up really early so that we wouldn't have to run in the heat. It kind of sucked having to wake up so early because I'm on vacation, but afterwards I felt really good for the rest of the day. When you start off your day with a run, you will most likely have a great day. What I like about long distances is that we get to go farther and see other places in Chambly. Like today, for example, we got to run past the Fort de Chambly and the Bassin. It's also always great to have my mom by my side!

With my Mommy

What a nice day to run a slow 3km! My mom and I maintained a conversation the whole way, which is a good sign. I wasn't tired at all at the end, I could've ran another 3km! Glad to see things really are back to normal. Now I'll just have to concentrate on my long distance for this week end.

Good Life

After running a 4km tempo today, I can proudly say that I started to feel like my old self again. It was just so easy and everything was going great! I even felt like sprinting at the end. We were going at 5:40 per km and it just felt so effortless. Maybe my hard work is paying off! I also set myself another goal to do 60 sit-ups every night, just for fun. It also motivates my mom to do the same ;)

Feeling Better

Ran a little 3km tempo today by myself. The temperature was absolutely perfect! Even if I was supposed to run at 5:55 per km, I felt good enough to run at 5:38. I think that after having such a bad long distance on Sunday, I wanted to prove to myself that I could so better. It went very well and I always like to start my day off with a little exercise!

Long Distance

This morning I had my dad waking me up around 8:45 to go run a 7km. Let me tell you it wasn't easy at all! I hadn't eaten and was still very sleepy after going to bed at 11:00 PM the night before. I think that for the first time I started to wonder if I would be able to complete the program, it was really hard. We were supposed to run at 6:34 per km but ended up running an overall of 6:00 per km which is much faster. It's almost discouraging to see that I haven't improved and I feel like I'm doing worst everyday. Let's hope it gets better!

Slow Ride

After a long day of cleaning up my room, my mom, dad and I ran a slow 3km. It's always fun when you can go out and run and have a nice conversation at the same time without feeling exhausted. After my last race of the week tomorrow, the runs will start getting longer and harder. I'm looking forward to feeling some pain a little more, hahaha!

Here We Go!

I have always enjoyed running. I would participate in some races that my parents took part in and would always get good times or even win first or second place in my age category, without any training. When came the time to decide on what to do for my secondary five personal project, I chose that I would run a half marathon under two hours. But, the idea never felt challenging enough. I knew there was something else I could do. My mother is a nurse at l'Hôpital St-Justine in the intensive care department. She tells us many stories about the patients she takes care of but one of them hit me more than any other. It was a boy named Olivier who is the same age as I am. At the age of 13, he dove into a lake, head first, and instantly became quadriplegic. After a lot of time spent at the hospital, he was finally able to go home. The charity that helped him go back home due to the arrangements that had been made for his wheelchair were Les gouverneurs de l'espoir. I will be running this half-marathon for people like Olivier who don't have the chance that I do. My goal is to raise 500$ for this charity in the hope of changing someone else's life like they changed Olivier's life. So far, due to the end of year exams, I haven’t had the time to keep my blog up to date with my training. From now on, I will do the best I can to write as often as I possibly can on how my project is going. I’m already in the third week of my training with 47km done and overall, everything is great and I don’t regret having chosen this project one bit!