10 Mile Hamilton Harrier Boxing Day Run

Christmas is done. Friends and family have left. And I still desperately miss Mark.

Today I ran the 10 mile Boxing Day race in Hamilton today. The temperature was perfect at about the freezing mark. Zero is a good temperature except at the start. Waiting to run is cold.

The course was just a bit slippery in places but overall, it was an excellent course.

The race started at 11 which is a bit awkward. To eat a full breakfast or not.

My calves were still sore from a workout I had done with my personal trainer, Taylor Beech. . But within half a mile, they were all stretched and not a problem.

The race was crowded to start like most races. My first mile took almost 9 minutes. I could not get past people (but I do like to start slow). At about the 3 mile mark, the crowd was thinning out so I could run the pace I chose. I was feeling good.

At 5 miles, we were next to the lake. Beautiful but a bit cold when the wind blew. And a bit icy in spots. I was feeling fine but thought perhaps 10 miles was a bit long. I was also thinking "this is Canada - what are we doing runing in miles?" (10K is shorter)

But mile 6, 7 and 8 clicked by. I sped up to try to get a better time. I continually passed people. One at a time. With just 2 miles to go, I repeated "I can do anything for 15 or 16 minutes". So I pushed.

In the end, I finished in 1:21:50 or about 8:11 per mile. I use the Power of 3 goals when I run. One of my goals was to beat 1:20 but one was to beat 1:25 so I accomplished that. One was just to finish.

I use this Power of 3 goals in business as well. In many things I do I set 3 goals. One that I know I can do and a couple that are more of a stretch. Achieving one goal helps prompt more success in other goals.