Refocused

On Saturday August 10th 2013 I had the great honor of meeting the one and only Kathrine Switzer.  Kathrine Switzer was not only the winner of the 1974 NYC Marathon, but in 1967 she broke the gender barrier by becoming the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a numbered entry (5 years before women were officially allowed to run).  About 4k into her marathon a race official realized that a woman was running in his race, ran after her and tried to rip her numbers off of her.  Mrs Switzer was kind enough to autograph a copy of the below picture for both myself and Alana (mine is already framed and hanging beside my treadmill).

Famous picture I had Kathrine Switzer sign for Alana

It was surreal listening to Kathrine Switzer speak about her experience in the 1967 Boston Marathon.  I was lucky enough to be able to speak with her after she got off stage.  She autographed the picture for myself and Alana, she autographed her book for me and she asked if I had ever completed a marathon.  "Not yet, I am working on running my first half marathon next year" I told her.  How exciting to share my goals with a running legend. A pioneer in women's sports. She signed my book with "Melanie - Remember, the marathon is the reward, but the real VICTORY is the process".  Such an inspiration.  She gave me a hug, we took a picture together, and we said goodbye she made sure to tell Jarrod to "make sure you keep her on the roads". Needless to say, she far exceeded my expectations.

Now that the triathlon is over I have two goals I am focusing on.  The first of which is to complete a 5k race in under 30 minutes in 2013.  The next is completing the Montreal Oasis half marathon in September 2014. 

I know that the including long runs in my training plan at least once per week will be crucial to my success, especially for the half marathon, I have decided to join Alana in the Boreal Running Club.  I will be submitting my registration form on Wednesday.  I am super excited to be officially part of a team, but am also nervous about my ability to keep up with the rest of the members on the Saturday morning long runs.  My first long run will take place on Saturday August 24^th.  Wish me luck!