Haunted Hill Run

At Halloween our family took part in the Bolton Rotary Haunted Hill Run. This event has become an annual tradition for our family and this year marked the first year my entire family was able to participate - even baby Irelynn got in on the action. For a complete race review you can check out my blog from last year: http://creativelyk.blogspot.ca/2016/11/haunted-hill-run-race-review.html

The first event of the day was the kids 1 miler. So originally I envisioned us all finishing the race together (one big happy family)...but that's not exactly how it happened -ha! We stood together at the start line but when the gun signaled the start of the race Hudson took off before I could even wish him good luck. He finished the run in record time and took pride in knowing he had beat every single member of our family. Georgia finished strong not far behind. Even Irelynn received her first race medal as I pushed her across the finish line in the running stroller. Last but not least little Jack came around the corner with Dad at his side. Jack insisted on running the entire race by himself, dressed in an airplane costume and rain boots. He was officially the last kid to finish the race but regardless it was such a memorable moment for our family...there he was looking as cute as ever, struggling to run in his boots but determined to finish without any help, and there cheering him on were all of the participants, their families and the event coordinators. When he finally did cross the finish line he gave me a big hug and told me he was tired - it was one of those mom moments I'll never forget.

Following the kids race, the 5 and 10k events started right on schedule at 10am sharp. All morning I was feeling excited and eager...the weather was perfect and I felt well rested after taking most of the week off in order to recover from my half-marathon the Sunday prior. Despite my enthusiasm I was exhausted by the 8k mark and almost stopped to take break. That's when I decided to give myself a little mental pep talk, which was just enough to push me through the final 2k (it also happens to be the toughest part of the run!). I struggled on the last hill but finished fast through the final straightaway. Although I didn't break my previous record, I finished 3rd female overall. I was very excited considering my training had only begun 6 weeks prior and baby Irelynn was still only 3 months old. It definitely gave me the motivation to start considering my next big race early in the new year! I'm currently making the final arrangements in order to register - big goals ahead!

The best part about this run is being able to do it with so many friends and family members...and of course the fact that the start line is literally just around the corner from my house (I have no excuse not to run it). This year was great because I encouraged quite a few families to come out and join in on the festivities. I also had the opportunity to catch up with some fellow runners, as well as meet some new ones. I'm always so inspired by others and their running accomplishments...it's they who set the standard towards what I'm always trying to achieve.

Here are some photo highlights from the event, courtesy of all the wonderful volunteers who took the time to capture these moments...