Wow things have really picked up in the last little while. I have been in several schools in the past couple of weeks speaking for Clean Air Champions. I had a very lively bunch of youngsters at Shoreline Community School. I’m always pleasantly surprised by the creativity of kids. When we had a brainstorming discussion about what they could do to incorporate sustainable transportation one kid blurted “you could ride a shark!” This made everyone giggle, but the point of the matter is that kids think outside of the box! I like it.

I also had the chance to do a glorious race in Vancouver called St Patricks 5km. This was the weekend after the Bazan Bay 5km and I was more than ever determined to show that there was more in me than I had shown at the Bazan Bay. I took an entirely new race prep approach and did fairly vigorous training the three days leading up. I was totally in the zone on the start line and shot out the front of the pack with the guys. My goal for this race was to run it under eighteen minutes which is something I have never done before. Every second of the race was a push to get to the finish as fast as possible. It was so rewarding coming over the line and looking up at the clock while still seeing the number seventeen. Yes! I did it. 17:52 is my new record.

This race was probably one of my favorite events ever. The organizers did such a fantastic job in all aspects. The awards were done in an Irish Pub afterwards and there was music, dancing and even a costume contest. I may also be slightly bias only because my blood is Irish, but everyone at the event seemed to be having an absolute ball! Oh, one other funny thing is that they had lucky charms on the finish line, with milk. Not exactly a vegan, food conscious athletes dream but I can appreciate the hilarious idea!

This weekend I’m off the Seattle to give a short speech at an eco conference down there. My next race is the Time Colonist 10km, which I am so looking forward to. Will do my best to update soon!