Friday, October 16, 2009

i finished!

I am back from beautiful Victoria, and yes....I finished my marathon in four hours and thirty-nine minutes. It was the best experience! The weather on race day was absolutely brilliant with the beautiful blue of the ocean serving as a backdrop. My favorite girlfriend and the Babe were there to see me off at the start line and were there in those final few kilometers to encourage me to keep running. Honestly though, I did not have a single hard moment - which makes me think I should have been running faster! Will I do it again? Absolutely!

Victoria itself is a wonderful city and unlike Calgary, where it was snowing hard when we left, Victoria was still resplendent in roses, geraniums, and buildings were covered with blushing ivy starting to turn a brilliant color of red. We shopped, ate, drank wine and walked and walked everywhere.

Now, it's back to reality. Happy weekend everyone.

28 comments:

Thimbleanna said...

Congratulations Raina! What a wonderful achievement. Wow, oh Wow. Love your pictures too!

Renee said...

Fantastic!! Congratulations!!! :)
BC looks gorgeous.

Madre Adoptiva said...

WOW! Congratulations!! You must be so proud of yourself. :)

AnnaVallance said...

Way to go! We love Victoria - it is our honeymoon city.

kosenrufu mama said...

congratulations!!!!! wonderful!!! you are great!!!
a big hug!

Tracy said...

CONGRATS on your first big marathon race, Raina...and finishing is such great time! :o) I'm so glad the overall experience was so positive and that you look forward to training for another one in future. Glad the whole weekend turned out to be a fun one with lots of enjoyment to celebrate. So proud of you!! Happy Days, my friend ((HUGS)) P.S. We're doing some home improvements here so I've not been around as much in recent days--but at least we've not been tearing down walls ;o)

Bohemian girl said...

Congratulations from my side too! How many kilometers is marathon? I wish I had that kind of self control for myself as well.

Bubblesknits said...

Congratulations!!!!

Prairie Girl said...

YEAH! You did it! Congratulations.

Vic is such an awesome marathon! Glad you had such great weather, a good visit and an awesome first marathon experience.

Now you get to sit on your laurels and be proud :)

Woohoo!!!

Mr Puffy's Knitting Blog: said...

You go girl!!! Fabulous finish - sounds like a record breaker to me.

The entire weekend sounds perfect and your pictures, as always, are tastefully done and draw me in. I wish I could walk in your footsteps along these shops in Victoria.

Molly said...

Well done! What a great feeling it must be to set such a lofty goal---and then achieve it..... Congratulations!

Journeying Five said...

congratulations! what an accomplishement!

A Spoonful Of Sugar said...

WOO HOO - what an achievement! Glad you enjoyed your trip to Victoria - looks like a pretty place to visit.

ginny said...

Congratulations Raina.. what an amazing achievement! huge admiration!
wishing you a relaxing weekend x
ginny x

Ally Johnston said...

Awesome work. Well done you.

Rachel said...

Congratulations!! That must feel so great to finish after all your training and injuries this year. And whether you could run faster or not, that time is MOST respectable! What challenge is next for you?

The Blonde Duck said...

Hooray! Kudos for finishing!

Ani said...

congrats! it must have been a lovely run through Victoria...

Linda said...

well done on the run, you have done so well!

t does wool said...

congrats Raina! what an accomplishment!

méri said...

Congratulations, Raina! Glad to see you enjoy your travel!
I enjoy your pictures :)

iknitipurl said...

Congratulations! I've always wanted to run/bike a marathon. Maybe once my ankle heals all the way I can start training!

a friend to knit with said...

congratulations!!
a huge reason to be proud!!!

maitai said...

raina, a huge congrats to you!!! what an amazing accomplishment :)

two hippos said...

congratulations on the marathon!!

Marie-Jolie said...

Congratulations! That's wonderful! I have never run a marathon (and truth be told, I never will) but I admire those who do. :) Welcome back.

Lucette said...

This is a great accomplishment. And thanks for the photos of Victoria. I lived there years ago and loved it.

outi said...

wow, congratulation! i´ve always been thinking of marathon as a like running. hmm..maybe one day..