By the time I reached Union Bay I was greeted by the sun rising over Denman Island. A co-worker and her husband stopped by the roadside in their car to take video and cheer me on as I made my way out of town heading toward the Buckley Bay ferry terminal. At the Petro Canada gas station there another co-worker was waiting, who would run with me to the 25 km half-way point where I turned around. Being just past the 1/2 marathon distance when we met up my legs were starting to feel "the burn." The hard pavement at the side of the road gave me a good pounding. At this point it was encouraging to have someone else along to help push the pace.
Not long after the turn around, as I approached the 30 km mark, I stopped to listen to the sea lions barking offshore. They seemed to be cheering me on. I recorded them on video (see below).
The weather continued to be pleasant throughout the morning as I made my way back to Courtenay. After running 5:55 I was at the edge of the city, the 50 kms almost complete. The busy intersections of the inner city slowed me down as I had to wait for traffic lights to change. By this time many people were out and about in their cars doing their Saturday morning shopping. I made it back to my house after a 6:28 run, happy to be able to take a warm shower.
The next morning my legs felt like cement as I came downstairs to the kitchen. I had several high protien recovery drinks over the next 24hrs. The Hoka Clifton 7s did their job well. It only took me 2 days to recover. By Tuesday I was able to do my normal 75 minute forest trail run. Many thanks to those who supported my charity run for Soldier On - we exceeded the target amount of money we hoped to raise.
The next Saturday, my legs were feeling good and the weather was nice so I decided to do a 4 hour mountain trail run near Cumberland B.C. for Soldier On. Below are some video clips I took. I followed a route close to the Cumby 25 km trail layout.
