Merrython.

This morning Peter loaded the Chariot into the car and I packed up the girls and drove across town to Oak Bay to run the Merrython 10K.  It's a great event that supports the Oak Bay Firefighters, Santa's Anonymous and Runners of Compassion, and it's become an annual tradition for me.  In the past, the race has always been 8K but this year they extended it to 10K to attract more elite runners.  Good move in my opinion, since 10K races always seem to attract more runners than 8K races.  

The Merrython is a challenging course and a heck of a lot of fun.  It starts going downhill for a good long while, flattens out a bit, and then undulates for awhile before climbing a series of hills that range from "slightly uphill" to "oh my goodness, where is the top of this thing?".  When you register you are given a small jingle bell to wear (if you choose), so everyone jingles as they run... which can be a little maddening, I won't lie.  I usually get past it pretty quickly, unless someone's wearing a huge bear bell or some other superfluous clanger; I simply don't get that, it must be hard to run with a cowbell attached to your vest.  It's hard to listen to, that's for sure...

I ran the Merrython when I was six-and-a-half-months pregnant with Sonja.  That was a fun challenge, I took my time, and I finished feeling great.  I ran it the next year pushing Sonja in the stroller.  We did very well and I was surprised to pass people on the uphill portions.  One guys looked at me as we were passing him and asked "Is she pedalling in there?"  I laughed out loud and said "I wish she was!"  

When I ran the race last year, I was five-months pregnant with Haven and pushing Sonja in the stroller.  One of the hardest races of my entire life.  I use the term "race" very lightly; there wasn't any racing done that day, only nonsensical masochism.  I was so thankful that my friend Jenny took pity on me and ran (and walked, I'm not ashamed to admit) with us the entire way.  

This year, with Sonja and Haven both in the Chariot, I didn't really know what to expect.  The race has always been 8K, and I wasn't sure what effect those extra two kilometres would have since I haven't been running long distances with the girls, usually between five and eight kilometres at a time.  But I have an ace up my sleeve in some respects: I live in an extremely hilly area and cannot escape running hills with the Chariot, despite sometimes praying I could.  Indeed, the elevation profile of my regular routes look more like cardiographs.

This morning was cold and the wind on the latter portion of the race was pretty intense and slowed me down considerably, but I ran every hill, didn't walk once and finished feeling really strong.  The girls snuggled together in the Chariot, Haven slept a bit, and after the race they got to have some after-race snacks and see Santa.

A satisfying run makes for a satisfying day.

I don't have any photos from today's race, but here's an older one of Sonja and I running together when I was training for the Royal Victoria Half Marathon in 2008: