When I first started with the club I kept hearing all the race talk, Tely 10, Huffin Puffin and Cape to Cabot etc.. With each new running goal that I set and achieved I got confidence to take on another. So I thought Cape to Cabot that sounds like a challenge I'll put that on my bucket list, at the very bottom of the bucket.
Fast forward to registration day 2014 and I'm all pumped and can't wait to register and even talked Andrew Tobin into doing it with me, only 400 spots so the rush is on before they are all gone. YES, there are 400 people wanting to register for this insane race and they always end up with a wait list; go figure. So I happened to be at the mall all in a panic when registration opened, phone was ready to go, hubby was on the computer at home ready to go; my girls are eating pretzelmaker so as not to disturb this important event. So many people tried to register at one time that they crashed the system; I know insane right. Speaking of insane, I get a bit crazy when its race day registration especially when races are capped. The mall trip gets cut short, I have to go home to see if I was one of the lucky ones that was able to register. Whew, I made it, now for the fun part to begin....training. Let's see if you like those hill repeats now.
That year brought a lot of training for me - Half Marathon, Tely10 and then right into Cape to Cabot. A month before the race I found that the longer runs were leaving me limping with severe shin pain and on my last 18K I couldn't walk without pain for three day's. So here comes the multiple doctor visits, the pleading to my GP to send me to anyone that's gonna tell me what I want to hear. You don't understand I said I have a race in 4 weeks I can't be injured but "Nooooo" all I got was you really shouldn't run. Pffff what do they know anyway, I was like a child throwing a temper tantrum; health professionals must really dislike Runners. Finally my husband said I think you should listen to all the people telling you it's not okay to run; you need to make the decision so that you can mourn the fact that you're not able to do it this year - he's a brave man, I give him that.
Hats off to all those that did run it in a hurricane though - ROCKSTARS!
After months of therapy and ortho appointments I was finally able to get back to running and Cape to Cabot was always in the back of my mind. When the 2015 C2C race chatter started again a new rule got created in my house "NO Cape to Cabot talk." I guess I was told. :(
I was apprehensive in signing up again as I didn't want to be disappointed if I couldn't run. On registration day I was up two hours before it opened still pondering if I should register as I still wasn't fully recovered. I reasoned with myself that the Tely10 was done and I felt good afterwards and I was registered for the Huffin Puffin Half, so why not. Decision was made, I just couldn't talk about in my house. LOL
The closer the race day came the more excited I got that I was actually going to get to do it this year. Now I didn't finish the race in 1:18 like Ed Durnford but I finished and that was my goal. That race was the most physically and mentally challenging race I have ever done and I learned so much about myself from it that in the end it was worth it. The moment I ran out of Shea Heights and could hear all the people cheering was the moment I realized Holy (bad word) I just ran from Cape Spear, I became overwhelmed. Kudos to Colleen Sager for helping me through the hardest 10K ever, you rock! The fact that I still had Signal Hill left could not have dulled that moment and when I got close to the top of Signal Hill and could hear the best cheerleading group ever cheering me on, I knew I could do it especially since they had beer!
Will I do it again? We'll see, I do know that the feeling of accomplishment was amazing and throughout the day I had several moments of "what did I just do" and felt like crying I was so happy. Crossing that finish line and having my family there to greet me was fantastic, after all they put up with all my running craziness :)
I would just say that if you ever have this race on your bucket list, you won't be disappointed. Anything is achievable and if at first you don't succeed, try try again.
Happy Running :)
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