It’s race weekend in Ottawa, and I just did a 10K to raise funds for the Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre. I hadn’t done a 10K-run in ages, and it, ahem, showed. (Karate is awesome for fitness, but it’s not the same as running.) But I did it, however feebly, and a dashed good thing it was, too. The sun was shining, the crowds (including Andrea, who was kind enough to wave at me and take a picture – if it’s not too horrifying we’ll post it here) were cheering us along. A great experience. And one that reminds me that for all our troubles and daily frustrations and whatnot, life is pretty cool.
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Andrea is making a mental note: that cheering and taking good photos do not go hand in hand. I was straining to see Brigitte. When she saw me I got excited and yelled a resounding Woo Hooooo! first, before taking a picture. This is what I caught of her then. Sports photography is possibly not in my future. (But cheerleading might be.)
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Brigitte admits: Yes, I’ve got lovely forearms.
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Véronique adds: I was going to say “nice manicure” but forearms work too. Not as sexy but given the circumstances, nice forearms will probably serve you better. In the mean time, I’ll be at the spa…
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Tanya says: But, you see Andrea, this actually isn’t the worst picture as long as you tell people you were trying to get an artsy shot of the gal in the white T-shirt. (Hey, is that one of our shirts?)
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Brigitte is kind of like a comic book super-hero. She writes and edits in multiple languages, and can kick your ass in the universal language of awesome (sometimes known as karate.)
Hey Brigitte, my daughter ran that race too. What was your time? she will want to know, as her kids were sure she was going to win, LOL. She runs for fitness only so no winning times are on the horizon.
I like the comic-book part… My time was 1:06:59, which is nothing to write home about. Back in the day I would do it in 52-53 minutes. But, ahem, “the day” was 10 years ago. I don’t believe I ran more than 5 times in the last year. I do plenty of karate/kickboxing, and I’ve never been so fit in my entire life, but as I say, running is something different and if you don’t do it enough you kinda lose your rhythm.
Oh well. It was sunny and warm and fun, and we raised lots of money for the Cancer Centre. What else can I ask for?
Brigitte,
I ran a minute slower than you but I like to chalk my time up to the sucky water stations, 9000 runners, deaf runners (i.e. iPods) and people who like to stop dead in one’s path. Oh wait, I think that my legs had something to do with my time as well. My kids, as my mother mentioned, were convinced that I would break the world record and score the $100,000 pot; they thought that the extra cash would improve their summer vacation. Nevertheless, when they saw Mommy hoofing it at 9km with thousands of runners ahead of her, the four of them (under 7) decided to take the greatest pleasure in cheering for me by name, Elena, not Mommy. Love the blog and apparently the Bishop of Cornwall was somewhere ahead of us with 52 minutes and change.
OK, one more thought: how about a pro-life run? Would sportstats cover it…
I would love a pro-life run. I wonder if there is a market for it? Imagine a cross-Canada Run for Life. Fundraiser and awareness raiser all in one, and motivation to get into slightly less distressing shape.
My friend Cyril Doll did walk across the country (www.crossroadswalk.org).
I think a huge pro-life run would be fun. We could start small, however, by getting a good team of women together for the next Ottawa race day. Sounds like Rebecca, Elena, Brigitte and I are in, Veronique is on the treadmill so I’ll talk to her… Basically, I think we have about ten runners and I haven’t even thought about it yet. I would not take the pictures.
It would be fun!
Ha! And who’s going to play Forrest Gump?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA1_aw2wAYI
A pro-life run would be a national sensation, even more so than the sponge!
Honestly, this is a great idea.
I actually know a heck of a lot of runners who happen to be pro-life. Some of them are pretty darn good as well. I’m in; it would definitely keep me honest. I know that my husband would run and I would run again unless I happen to be with child… But, if I were to be pregnant, the t-shirt could say: Running: From Conception ’til Natural Death; or Pregnancy: Cross the Line; or Finish the Race. OK, there is way too much opportunity for cheesiness, but I still think that the run could be a great idea. After all, the Ottawa Race Weekend started with 146 participants in the 1970s and had over 35,000 on the weekend. Perhaps a run for life would get a bit more media than a march or walk and would emphasise the youth and vitality within the pro-life movement. Over and out.
Brilliant, go for it you young’uns. I will cheer you on. Wait, my hubby, Elena’s dad would run it too. At 62, he still clocks the miles.
Andrea, just think of how many t-shirts you could sell for a run!