Army Run... ish

On September 19th, my Mom, older brother and I walked the Army Run. Mom doesn't run and I've been really trying to limit my races to avoid injury, so walking sounded like fun.

Sunday morning dawned sunny, yet crisp. There was little wind, but it was pretty chilly in the shade. My family met us at our place, only blocks from the start line. The three of us walked over and lined up with the walkers. My Mom had never participated in an event of this size, so it was really neat watching her take in the whole experience. She was so excited about the free t-shirt, the timing chip and the pace bunnies, of all things.

The soldiers fired the gun—which was as loud as a cannon—to start the race. We all jumped out of our skin and started moving forward. It took us about 10 minutes to get to the start line and then we were off!

The route was a little different this year, owing to the fact that the Terry Fox Run was the same day and used part of the previous year's route. The walk took us through downtown Ottawa, past some major landmarks like the Parliament Buildings, the Rideau Canal and some beautiful scenery.

All along the route there were military bands, like this one: the Blackwatch pipe band and the RMC Cadets band. There was also another band at the start, but I wasn't able to see which one it was.

The walk itself took us about 55 minutes. It was a great morning for a walk and it warmed up nicely. We chatted all along the way. And I think my Mom may have been bitten by the running or walking bug... she was asking me all about the Couch to 5K program. I really enjoyed just spending the time with my Mom and my brother. And we were certainly thinking about our little brother, Matt, who's got less than three months left in Kabul. We're all really excited for him to come home!

Next thing we knew, we were done, had our dog tag medals and a snack. Here's some of the post-race fuel they were giving out! Pretty neat stuff eh? Though it's mostly sugar and carbs... not much in the way of nutrition. I haven't tried it yet and I'm saving it for after a grueling run when I'm craving a treat.

And finally, here's the post "race" photo of us in Confederation Park. After this we walked down to a restaurant where my husband and Dad were holding a table for us. I treated myself to some very tasty french toast for brunch.

I'd definitely do the Army Run again... it's got a great atmosphere, it's not as insanely crowded as our Race Weekend events in May, and it's super well-organized. I love the route, too. I highly recommend it!