You never know when something spectacular is going to cross your path. I'm a huge fan of the fall season, in fact, it is my favorite time of the year. I drove up from Chicago to the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon to speak last weekend and en route witnessed the early signs of the change in foliage. My good friend Kathy told me it is either poison ivy or Virginia creeper. It was amazing to see the contrast between the deep red leaves on the vines, and the green leaves that hadn't yet made the change. Once they do, the picture will look very different. I was excited to be in the right place, at the right time. The race weekend in Toronto was fantastic. Two Canadian marathon records were set, with the first male coming in at 2:08 and the female at 2:28 (that's very fast folks)! The course is flat and fast and very well organized so it is easy to understand why so many records are broken in this race every year. I ran the half marathon and was pleased with my time (1:57). It was one more step closer to my target race this season, The North Face 50K Ultra Marathon on October 24th.
Perhaps the best part of my weekend was working along side women's running legend, Joan Benoit Samuelson. She was the keynote speaker at the Pasta Party, Expo and ran the half marathon in an amazing time (1:21). Joan's running resume goes on for miles, and at the top of that list is winning the gold medal in the first women's marathon at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. Twenty-five years later, Joan continues to strive for new goals. She is running the 40th ING New York City Marathon November 1st and aiming to beat the 50+ master's time of 2:53:53. She is a true pioneer in the sport and continues to pave the way for women (and children) in running.
Although my "carrot" this season is the Ultra Marathon, the journey to get there has been chock-full of wonderful moments.
Happy Trials,
Jenny
