Running Alongside PEI's Finest

   Last weekend I randomly entered a 5km road race, my first real road race of 
2012. Each year I shoot to run one race and a good friend kindly asked me to 
enter this race with him in Charletown, PEI.. The race was put on by the 
local high school Colonol Gray. All race proceeds went to the school's cross 
country team as they pursue a series of competitive races in Maine.
 

   The morning of the race was warm but the island air was crisp as my friend 
and I entered the small race field of only 36. While warming up, I bumped 
into another good friend and future pharmacist who decided to run alongside 
us with his girlfriend. 

   Now, your probably thinking, "Ryan, what is the point of this long story?". 
The point is that the run was phenomenal. When we started out running 
downhill I soon realized that there was no other place in the world I would 
rather be than right there running alongside great friends on PEI. The first 
km was fast but easy as it was mostly downhill then I settled in nicely. I 
stayed with the middle of the pack passing runners when I could while trying 
to stick to my own pace. At the 2.5km mark I was trailing the pharmacist by 
50m but I was closing. Catching him by the 3km we ran side by side and 
occasionally chatted about life. However, by the 4th km my stride began to 
fade. I was getting tired and grappling with my thoughts.

    Having trained for health benefits and not for performance benefits I was 
quite impressed with how the run went. I finished in 8th place out of 36 
runners on a new course I had never run before. Everything set aside, the 
race was a ton of fun and I was glad to have such good company for the 
event. It was a great way to cap off the summer and to remind myself of why 
I love being a teacher and trainer. I love immersing myself into physical 
adversity and exerting myself to my personal limits in order to keep the 
wellness wheel turning.

Ryan Fahey 

B.A Human Kinetics

CPTN Canada

Canfitpro FIS, PTS

NCCP