This is Leslie Spit in the spring. It did not look like this on the weekend.

After sleeping the day away on Saturday, I woke up on Sunday ready to tackle the 32k I had on my schedule. I was determined to get it all in, especially since I cut my long run in New Orleans short. My friend Kendal is running the Bluenose half and had 17k on her schedule so we decided that I would run to her house, we’d run 17k together and then I’d run home.

Because I missed my hill run. I decided to run up the Don Valley and tackle Pottery Road Hill — yikes! Once that was complete, I headed to Kendal’s, feeling strong.

Our pal Kate joined us too, and the first 5 or so km with them went fine. But then, I started fading. I couldn’t sustain the pace we were keeping much longer (although I’d like to believe if I only had 17k on my schedule, I could have kept up) and Kendal and Kate creeped ahead of me. Nothing wrong with that — I was just glad Kate was along and could keep Kendal company.

After we completed Leslie Spit, we parted ways. It got cold and I got tired. The run was a challenge from here until home. Such a challenge that I had to stop at Cherry Beach, buy some water, and rest for five minutes. But I made it home in one (painful) piece.

Considering how much harder this run was, mentally and physically, than Around the Bay, I’m looking forward to getting a few more 30+k runs in to boost my confidence. I don’t want to fall apart like I did here with 7k left, knowing it’s actually 17k left. That would be brutal.

The run: 32.1k in 3:52:34
The route: