Getting from Courtenay to Nanaimo took a few days. The distance between those two cities is 110km, so unless you’re a member of the Tarahumara tribe or a seasoned ultra-marathoner like Dean Karnazes, it’s not recommended that you run that distance.
Did you know that the Tarahumara, also known as “The Running People”, who live in the Copper Canyons in Mexico, can cover unbelievable distances of up to 320km at once? All of a sudden, my 50km personal best doesn’t look too unbelievable.
Every night of the entire run, I was reading Born to Run
Although I am not running such huge distances now, one day I will. Yes, I ran 50km not too long ago and at this point, it’s my personal best. Yes, I would like to increase it but it will take time and I’m willing to put the effort into it. Gradually, I will work up to doing an ultra race.
To be exact, the 110km was split into 3 days. This means that I was running a bit less than a marathon a day. Any distance between 30-40km became comfortable to me especially because I wasn’t going at race pace.
Some highlights/memorable moments from that stretch of the road:
–We met up with the Boomer’s Legacy riders in Courtenay. The organization is named after Corporal Andrew “Boomer” Eykelenboom, a dedicated soldier, and a Canadian Forces medic, killed by a suicide bomber, August 11, 2006. The organization raises awareness for our military’s efforts on deployed operations around the globe and raises funds for Boomer’s Legacy – money our soldiers can access to further help the people in communities where they serve. They do this by holding fundraising events (such as the Boomer’s Bike Ride) and by giving presentations to schools and interested groups. Funds raised have been used for basic humanitarian needs, medical care and education. They are a great organization and it was an honour to meet the people who are involved in Boomer’s Legacy. 
-Ian got some great bird photos at the campground.
-I ran in a bikini along the side of the road when it was very busy and kept my pace as fast as I would if I was wearing sportswear.
-We saw a road sign that indicated Victoria (home) was less than 125km away. Given that the entire distance is 495k, it was a hugely inspiring moment to know that we have come that far without any problems (ie. injuries, vehicle trouble, etc). -I ran up a giant hill faster than I’ve done going up any other hills that size and grade.
-On the day we reached Nanaimo, a CTV News vehicle pulled up behind Ian, who was driving the RV, and we stopped for a shoot and interview. It aired later that night which helped draw some more attention to our chosen causes. It came to us as a pleasant surprise because apparently someone called them as we were going down the highway. To whoever did that, we want to say thank you because when doing charitable events, publicity is highly valued and very much appreciated. 
All photos on this page are by IMS FotoGrafix.