Happy Diabetes Awareness Month!

Okay, so I've left this a little late, but I'm getting it in just under the wire. November is Diabetes Awareness Month so ... happy Diabetes Awareness Month! 

In recognition, I've pulled an old running journal entry out of the vault. I ran my first marathon in 2009 with Team Diabetes in support of the Canadian Diabetes Association and chronicled that experience mostly through notes on Facebook. Below are the text and images from that entry. Enjoy!

On a side note, is it just me, or did anyone notice that there an awful lot of charities vying for attention in November? Prostate cancer, anti-bullying, diabetes awareness. All worthy causes, but it makes it difficult to appreciate them fully when they're all so crammed together!

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Marathon Update: October 12, 2009

It's official. I've run a marathon! 

Screen shot from Garmin Connect of the Royal Victoria Marathon course and my stats on October 11, 2009.

It was a record-breaking year for the Royal Victoria Marathon, with sell-out numbers for both the Half Marathon and 8K road race, and the total number of participants at a staggering 12,492! 

The entire weekend was extremely well organized, with lots of activities for participants to enjoy. On Saturday, Matt and I went on a bus tour of the marathon route and, that evening, we attended a Carbo Gala Dinner at The Empress, where running emcee legend Steve King hosted, and icons Dick Beardsley and Rod Dixon gave special presentations. 

On Sunday, the weather was crisp, cool and sunny - perfect for running. And Victoria is such a gorgeous city, it's no wonder that it's considered one of the top 10 destination marathons. 

Because my expected finish time was over five hours, I requested an early start. This meant that I was up before 5 AM to be at the start line, in the dark, by 6:30 AM. Yikes! But there were cyclists guiding everyone along until the sun came up, and plenty of enthusiastic volunteers along the route, cheering us on. 

Victoria loves its marathon, that's for sure. 

Here are my official results from the big day ... 

Gun Time: 5 hours 27 minutes 54 seconds 
Chip Time: 5 hours 27 minutes 41 seconds 
Overall: 2,384 out of 2,611 
F Group: 979 out of 1,122 
F 20-29 Division: 153 out of 166 

While I haven't decided if I'll run another (maybe ask me when I'm able to walk again), this was definitely an experience I will never forget. I ran over 1,024 km during training, which took who knows how many hours of my life, and raised $2,090 for the Canadian Diabetes Association. 

Thank you again to everyone who supported me throughout this journey: friends, family and Team Diabetes included! 

P.S. Donations to the Canadian Diabetes Association and my fundraising campaign can be made until December 11, 2009. If you have not yet donated, please visit www.teamdiabetes.ca to make an online donation, and invite others to do the same.