[vancouver]
1:51:33
well world, i did it. above is the 'unofficial' time for my first 1/2 marathon. after training for four months, getting all that milleage in, all i can say that the reward was sweet -- i'm still on a high. i could not believe how emotional i was -- for some reason, i cried at the beginning of the race and i cried at the end. the weird thing was that i wasn't exactly sure why. maybe because of how running can sometimes be a solitary pursuit, and what a joy it was to be with so many people with the same goal. maybe it was because not only it is a physical challenge, but even more so a test of one's mental toughness. during the race, everytime i felt getting a bit weaker, i thought about all the difficult times that i've had in my life, and realized how running for about two hours did not even compare. i drew strength from that -- i did not stop, and ran faster. i revelled in the fact that those who only understand what it means to run a half are those who run along side or have run before you. seeing ryan and grant at the finish line, cheering me on was a bonus too.

from this point forward, 1:51:33 can never be taken away from me -- that is a great, great feeling.

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