“Where are they? Where are they? I just need to see them. Please let me see them.” As I ran down the final stretch of the half-marathon course, all I could think of was finding my family in the cheering crowd corralled behind the metal gates. The sound of my pounding feet and labored breathing filled my ears as I scanned the crowd desperately. And then I heard them and saw them simultaneously. “Go Dara! Go Mum! You can do it, you’re almost there!” That was all I needed. I mustered the last ounce of energy and kicked it into gear for the last block, passing the runner in front of me and stumbling over the finish line in 1:51:04, well ahead of my 1:59:59 goal.
Tears filled my eyes as the kindly volunteer put the finsher’s medal over my head. “I did it. I really did it,” I whispered to myself in disbelief.

As I stood at the starting line a couple of hours earlier, the supportive words of Cindy of Once Upon a Loaf, who is also a certified running coach, rang in my ears. “Don’t be afraid of an aggressive pace if you are warmed up and nothing’s snapping, crackling or popping. Chances are your body will adapt to it after just a bit.” And then, “You’d be suprised what you can do that you thought you couldn’t pace-wise. You can always back off if you go through a bad patch. Go for it!” And I did. I really went for it. I ran like I meant it.
I ran hard in the first half of the race, playing around with that aggressive pace, wondering if I could sustain it for the whole race. Halfway through the run, I started scanning the sidewalk for my friend, Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen, who promised to station herself along the route to cheer me on. And then there she was, clapping and cheering. Thank you, Kalyn! I needed that.
All went well until mile 10. My breathing started to labor and I forced myself to slow down slightly. Just three more miles. Just a walk in the park. Yeah, right. I regained my composure and pushed on through the next mile and a half. And then came the hill, the one between miles 11.5 and 12.5. As my friend said, “Who is the dumb ass that thought it was a good idea to put a hill at the end of a half-marathon and marathon course?!” I concur. I hit the proverbial wall and found that my mind was incapable of sending a signal to my legs to go any faster. How badly I wanted to walk, but I knew I would never start running again if I stopped. So I chose a runner in front of me and stayed focused on her, letting her pace carry me up the hill.
As we turned the last corner, I spotted the finish line. How could five blocks look so long? How was I ever going to make it? I dug deep, deeper than I’ve ever dug before and willed my legs to carry me down the road. “Come on, Dara. You can do it. Don’t give up,” I said out loud to myself. And there was my family…and then the finish line. It was worth every grueling minute of those last miles. It was worth every mile I trained over the last months, every weight I lifted and every calorie I cut. It was the culmination of my journey and an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction overtook me.
The morning was topped off with my husband and I watching our two boys run the kids’ marathon (1 km run). They took off like a shot at the start and sprinted at full speed towards the finish line several minutes later. The looks of excitement and victory on their faces as they clutched their medals was great to see. Hopefully we’ll be watching many more races in the future.
All I craved right after the race was something cold, wet and sweet. This easy sorbet would fit the bill perfectly after a run or on any hot day.
The recipe:
Adjust the amount of agave nectar/honey/sugar in this recipe according to the sweetness of the berries you are using. If you wish, start with a little less sweetener, then taste the mixture after pureeing. If it needs to be sweetened, you can add more at that time.
In a medium bowl, stir together strawberries and sugar. Let the strawberries rest for 15 minutes to release the juices (macerate).
Place strawberries and the juices, and lemon juice in a blender. Puree until the mixture is smooth.
Set fine mesh sieve over the bowl, pour in the strawberry puree and press the juices through the sieve. Discard the solids left in the sieve. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Pour strawberry puree into ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 3 to 4 hours. Let the sorbet sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Other fruit sorbet recipes:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Easy Strawberry Sorbet
The Cilantropist’s (on Cookin’ Canuck) Orange Cantaloupe Sorbet
Food for My Family’s Watermelon Lime Sorbet Slices
Swapna’s Cuisine’s Lemon Sorbet with Mint Leaves
From the kitchen of Cookin Canuck. www.cookincanuck.com
Ingredients
- 6 cups mixed berries (such as blueberries, blackberries & raspberries)
- 1/3 cup agave nectar, honey or granulated sugar (or more/less depending on sweetness of fruit)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together berries and agave nectar/honey/sugar. Let the berries rest for 15 minutes to release the juices (macerate).
- Place the berries and the juices, and lemon juice in a blender. Puree until the mixture is smooth.
- Set fine mesh sieve over the bowl, pour in the berry puree and press the juices through the sieve. Discard the solids left in the sieve. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Pour berry puree into ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions.
- Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 3 to 4 hours. Serve.
Notes
Let the sorbet sit on the counter for 15 to 20 minutes to soften before serving.






















{ 63 comments… read them below or add one }
Congrats on your half-marathon! And what an awesome time. You did so well, even with that ridiculous hill at the near-end. I’ve recently become a runner and I’m running 6 miles right now but hopefully I can get that up a bit higher so I can run a half-marathon soon. Thanks for the inspiration! And great looking sorbet. I really need to get the kitchenaid attachment.
Congratulations on such an amazing achievement!
Congrats Dara!!! You did such an awesome job – what a great time! Keep up the awesome work, you’re a rockstar
Congrats, great job on your half!
Congratulations!!!! That is fantastic!!! You should be so proud
YAY! Great job! The thought of finishing a marathon of any variety brings tears to my eyes. Painful tears
I can imagine it was an emotional finish.
Another big congratulations to you! I hope you’re feeling less sore this morning and how great that you got to share the morning with your family!
Girl, you rocked it. That is a fantastic time! I’d love it if you were nearer to me, we could run together because it sounds like we’d pace well together.
Congrats!!! What an awesome time you made- so great!! I was just happy to finish
I love that your boys are into it too… I’ve encouraged my son, and he loves to run 5K’s now. yay for you!!!!!
Dara, I’m standing here at my computer crying! What a GREAT race story! Congrats to you on your awesome time, running the whole way, beating that damn hill, and just signing up for the race in general!!! WOOT!!!
Red-faced runners rule!!!
This post brought tears to my eyes. You don’t know me and I don’t know you, but I’m so proud of you! I’ve completed two half marathons and this post brought me back to those miles and the feeling of seeing the finish line. Congratulations
Woohooooo!! Congrats, Dara–what an AMAZING time! I’m so glad your family was there to cheer you to the finish. I hope you celebrated a little, too!
Congratulations! You set out to achieve something, and you did it, and we are all cheering you on!
Congratulations, Dara! What a an awesome accomplishment!
You are amazing! Congratulations on all of your success! You are an inspiration to all! And what a great celebration treat!
Amazing Dara! A wonderful recap…so proud of you!
This is really so exciting Dara! So proud of all of your wonderful accomplishments! Keep up the amazing work!
So many congrats on your great race Dara!! You’re an inspiration
Truly.
Congrats Dara! You did amazing
Dara, That’s so awesome! It feel so good to finally hot a goal like that–especially one that is such a physical challenge.
Yum! Reading about thismixed berry sorbet is making me hungry! Love the combination of flavours!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
You did it!!! Many congrats to you, Dara – what an accomplishment.
YAY!!
congrats Dara! You rock girl!
Congratulations, Dara. You are such an inspiration!
It was so great to see you run by, and how exciting that you beat your goal time by so much! I am thrilled for you.
Love the sound of the berry sorbet. I seem to be having a renewed interest in fruit lately and I would love this.
YOU. Are just a wonder. Congrats on the huge success of trusting your training and pushing yourself to a new level. As I said, you’re a BIG DOG now!
I love that your kids ran, too – best feeling in the world to enjoy the fun and sport of it as a family, and you and your husband are amazing role models.
And this sorbet looks incredible – I’m thinking next Sunday after the long run! Maybe it will be warm for a change? And Asian quesadillas to go with it.
Have a great week and recover well!
Congratulations, Dara! What an awesome accomplishment. Your journey has been such an inspiration.
Congrats! Finishing a half marathon is such a great feeling!
What a recap. You are incredible! And then to go home and throw a party? (Which was also awesome, by the way). Way to go Dara!!
Hi Dara!
Congratulations!
How wonderful to come in under your goal! Your family must be so proud of you.
And what a wonderful feeling of accomplishment.
I remember when my DH did the Berlin Marathon (back to back with Paris), and qualified for the Boston marathon. (He shaved off 20 minutes from his Paris time.)
He was on cloud nine forever! And my pride in him for accomplishing it was boundless.
Have a Joyful Day :~D
Charlie
I love your story; mostly because I’ve lived it a bit albeit many years ago. To combat the stress of a husband who walked out on our family for a young twit I starting walking every morning. Which led to running a little bit and eventually running a neighborhood 5K within a year…and winning it!
The win was not as big of a deal as the accomplishment of doing something I would never have imagined at one time in my life. Half marathon…never happened! But I enjoy your relating your event and especially how you kept going when you hit that wall…really wish we could have all been there cheering you on (well in some ways we were); what a huge accomplishment.
I AM SO PROUD OF YOUUUUUU!!!
Congratulations that’s awesome!!
Congratulations, Dara!! You should be very proud of yourself!
Congratulations – and I am sitting here at my desk trying to psych myself up to try to go 3 miles…getting ready for a 5K I’m NOT ready for in 2 weeks!
Thanks for the encouragement.
Congratulations Dara! you’ve done one, now i’m sure you are addicted
Congratulations Dara. Thanks for taking me along on your 1/2 Marathon journey in your writing, today. I could read the determination and emotion in your words. Thanks for the inspiration.
Congrats, Dara! Your story is so inspiring. Keep on keepin’ on, lady!
I am so so so proud of you, Dara! You did it and you should be so very proud!! So inspiring. Congrats to you!!!
what a great accomplishment Dara
wish I could give you a huge hug. Well I’ll save it and give it to you in a couple weeks. Can’t wait to see you!
Congratulations Dara! You are truly an Inspiration! Thank you for sharing your amazing journey with us!
Dara, I am so impressed and proud of all you have done. You are a rock star!!
Congratulations on your half-marathon!
Beautiful post Dara.
I am over the moon excited and proud of you Dara!
Congrats Dara!! Loved reading all about your 1/2 marathon experience. It is such a huge deal to cross that finish line no matter what length of race. You really have so much to be thankful for. I bet this sorbet was quite the treat to come home too. Congrats to your sweet boys too! xo
That is an excellent time! Was it your first half?
Congratulations Dara!!! You are amazing! What an accomplishment. I hope to be where you are someday. Right now I’m at the first leg of the race but I’ll get there…I’m determined.
I’ll have to remember to whip up some of this gorgeous sorbet for a well earned reward.
Dara, it’s inspiring to see you set your goals and then exceed them. You’ve hit your stride, literally!
Congrats! Looks like tons of fun! So happy to hear you beat your goal – shows how strong you are from all that hard work, healthy eating and training. Glad to see the big event went well!
Major congrats Dara, what an accomplishment!
Congratulations! Well done! The sorbet looks so cool and refreshing. Can’t wait to try it.
Here’s a cheer and a big “Attagirl!” for all of your recent accomplishments. You are a great example of positive attitude and change.
Congrats! And I am in awe. Just reading about your run winded me. I guess that means I need to get into shape! This sorbet looks scrumptious too!
Congratulations on your half marathon! I’m so impressed.
What a wonderful retelling. Biggest congratulations! And this sorbet looks so delicious. I’m glad I finally had a chance to visit. I’ve been just swamped with work and school. But as always, your post brought a smile to my face. Thank you for sharing!
That is awesome! Congratulations on such a tremendous accomplishment!
Dara I am so thrilled for you and proud of you. You give the rest of us hope to make changes in our lives. Great finish too. You rock!
Congratulations! What an awesome accomplishment! I started running last August and have done only 2 5K’s and this weekend I’m doing my first 10K. I’m nervous! Can’t imagine doing more than double that mileage!! GOOD FOR YOU!!!!
Congratulations! You are such an inspiration to us all. Your transformation is very exciting.
Your sorbet makes me want to squeal. It looks so delicious!
Congratulations on what sounds like a great run!
Great Job! I am training to run a 10k in June and a half by the end of summer. Thanks for the motivation to keep going!