Wednesday, January 02, 2013

running the world 2012

Last year, I was blessed enough to continue my quest of traveling the globe and conquering the streets of different continents in my running shoes. 2012 saw me landing yet again in one of my favourite places in the world, Vancouver, as well as a brand-new Canadian city, Calgary. Last but definitely not least, I returned to the Land Down Under after a 12-year hiatus to run my sixth Full Marathon in beautiful Melbourne. I am blessed, alhamdulillah  :)


2 MAY 2012 - FALSE CREEK SEAWALL, VANCOUVER
What joy to be back at the place where I did my first-ever non-stop 10K training run waaay back in December 2009! And to have pushed my second sister to clock in her very first 10K ever at the very same place... It's just priceless.

My second sister's first run at the gorgeous Seawall

The Inukshuk and I


15 & 17 MAY 2012 - STANLEY PARK, VANCOUVER
The trails of Stanley Park were just too beautiful. And to have shared the moment with two of my sisters was just priceless.

So happy to be hitting the trails of Stanley Park! 
My third sister's first 5K run
:)


6 MAY 2012 - BMO VANCOUVER MARATHON
My 5th Full Marathon in one of my favourite cities in the whole world! The place is so breathtaking that Forbes listed the BMO Vancouver Marathon as one of the top 10 marathons worth traveling for this year! And why not? The views of the spanking-new 2012 course were magnificent. From gorgeous tree-lined neighbourhoods of Cambie and West 49 (imagine running underneath leaves of green and deep red), to the forest of Pacific Spirit Park (even spotted a raccoon!), and finally a stunning cityscape with a backdrop of majestic mountains and immensely remarkable ocean view along the Stanley Park Seawall (although, having to run against the strong sea breeze from KM 31 to 38 was really challenging!). Words can't even describe how breathtaking it was! I really regretted not having a camera with me, for serious.

So, how insane is it that I actually made a friend while walking
to the starting line all because we wore the same Running Skirt?  ;)

Lions Gate Bridge. KM 36.

I RAN VAN  ;)


12 MAY 2012 - DOWNTOWN CALGARY 
A solo run along the picturesque Bow River, which flows from Calgary all the way to the Canadian Rockies. The latter was why I flew here in the first place: a two-day train ride on the Rocky Mountaineer all the way back to Vancouver to witness breathtaking views of snow-capped mountains, clear rivers, prairies, deserts, and wildlife in their natural habitats.

Hello from sunny Calgary  :)

I was so fixated by the red Peace Bridge! 


11 OCTOBER 2012 - KOONUNG CREEK TRAIL, MELBOURNE
Acclimatization run before the Melbourne Marathon! Koonung Creek Trail was pretty and serene, and I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the occasional visitor of the place, the Little Pied Cormorant.

Mini, my Melbourne Marathon running buddy

My acclimatization run before the Melbourne Marathon


14 OCTOBER 2012 - MEDIBANK MELBOURNE MARATHON
An unexpected Personal Best at an unbelievably scenic race! Despite it being my most challenging marathon campaign as yet no thanks to a nasty thigh injury which sidelined me from running for three weeks, I managed to achieve a 3-in-1 PB fest for my 6th Full Marathon: 4hrs 49mins for Full Marathon, 3hrs 22mins for 30K and 2hrs 16mins for 21.1K. There's just something magical about Melbourne.

The camwhoring moment I'd been waiting for all morning!
It's Flinders Street station, my favourite building in Melbourne
 
Approaching the finishing gantry with the Jalur Gemilang flying high above me  :)

Ecstatic to complete my 6th full marathon in a personal best time of 4hrs 49mins. Alhamdulillah :) 


Click here to see my whole 2012 journey in pictures. Here's to more running adventures in 2013, insya'Allah  ;)