How I Won the Ottawa 1/2 Marathon

Alanna & Russ' Wedding (May 18, 2014)

I had run the Ottawa 1/2 Marathon twice before and it proved to be a very nice course through the streets of the nation's capital and along the Rideau canal. My first attempt was mediocre at best, with a final time of 2:02, walking most of the last few miles, and a bad mood that left me annoyed at the  cheering fans misting us with water on a hot day. My second attempt was a significant improvement, finishing in 1:46, a personal best at the time, and a much better mood! However, I still struggled in the last few miles and a desire to conquer the Ottawa 1/2 Marathon remained.

With us being in Ottawa for our friends Alanna and Russ' wedding a few weeks ago, and with Christina being in the wedding party, I found myself alone on Sunday morning. Anticipating all the eating and drinking that would occur later, I decided it was a great idea to participate once again in the Ottawa 1/2 Marathon.

I started slow, determined to finish strong, and took in the sights of the city and its thousands of tulips in full bloom for the annual tulip festival. I felt sluggish at first but kept a good pace and continued to pass my competitors. With about 5 miles to go, along the canal, something magical happened. All of a sudden I felt so light and fast. I picked up the pace and caught up to several other runners. Then, out of nowhere, a cyclist started pacing me. He stayed slightly ahead of me, making sure I continued to pick up speed, and would look back at times to make sure I was still with him. With about 2 miles to go, I had more to give so I surged passed the cyclist and waved to thank him. This is the moment I had been hoping for. The street was lined with people, I was feeling great, and all of a sudden I realized that with half a mile to go, there was no one else to catch. I had done it. I crossed the finish line, broke the ribbon, ran back to my hotel, and went on with my day!

As you can imagine, in reality, the story was a little bit different. The race weekend was actually the week after we were there. My competitors were families, strollers, dogs, and fair weather runners. My cyclist pacer was a 5 year old boy who just happened to be going the same pace I was. Finally, there was no finish line and cheering fans. However, I had a nice 7 mile run that day and I did feel light and fast. On those days when running feels effortless, it is so easy to lose yourself in your thoughts. Sometimes you think of people. Sometimes you solve work problems. Sometimes you win races!

This is why I run.

Free Therapy

Let's do this! (April 2012)

Moving to the United States from Canada was one of the easiest decisions of my life. I had already established my career as a paramedic and was quickly developing an expertise in training and development. Christina had now completed her PhD and it was time for her to establish her career so down we went with our U-Haul full of furniture and clothing, and car in tow.


Although the decision to move was easy, living down here has been anything but easy. Many challenges have emerged related to things such as credit scores, work authorizations, unrecognized Canadian credentials, income tax, and so on. Separately, none of these issues have been significant. Over time, however, the constant reminders that "you are not good enough down here" have taken their toll. Despite being self-confident, I now often find myself doubting my abilities and experience.

Marine Corps Marathon (October 2013)

In addition to Christina's constant support, running has been a bright light through this struggle. Running has been a distraction from my professional difficulties. Training has allowed me to set personal goals when work and school progress has been blurry. My improvements and achievements as a runner have given my self-confidence a boost by highlighting my ability to reach my goals. Finally, new running friends have filled the void of those coworkers, close friends, and family that we left behind. My mom describes running as free therapy and many other runners often characterize it as such. Perhaps it is no coincidence that at a time in my life when I feel I have struggled the most, running has become a more significant part of it.

Friends running Pike's Peek 10k (April 2014)

Professional and personal struggles will come and go. In those difficult times, running can be that much needed escape. For me, it made me realize that I should not measure my success solely on my professional achievements. I am also happy to know that my blog has recently influenced some friends to run more, which has helped them through their personal challenges.

This is why I run.