I've heard it said that running a marathon is sorta like childbirth - the endurance, the pain, the importance of eating the right foods, drinking enough water, and properly taking care of your body. It's something that takes months to prepare for, but when the time arrives it feels like nothing could've adequately prepared you for what you're about to experience. There are feelings of excitement, nervousness, impatience, and anxiety. Am I ready for this? Will I be able to handle it? What have I gotten myself into? And for days, weeks, perhaps even months afterwards, you tell yourself, “Never again!” But in time, those thoughts fade, and you'll eventually be ready to face the challenge anew. Or so I'm told.
Geared up & ready to go
A few months ago, I wouldn't have been able to tell you anything about running a marathon or childbirth, but recently I've learned quite a bit about both. My friend Samantha just had a baby 5 days before my marathon. She's the first one of my friends that I've been around to witness the whole developmental process of pregnancy, and it was pretty incredible! I learned about things like mucus plugs, meconium, and vernix... things I had no idea even existed! I've learned a lot about running during my training too, like proper fuelling, Yasso's 800's, knowing when to run through the pain vs. knowing when to stop, and the incredible mental battle that you have to face.
And I've also learned about the wonderful feeling that comes when it's all over. The finish line felt like it was getting farther away instead of closer. The last 10, 5, and then 1 kilometre seemed to stretch on forever. I wanted so badly to just stop, walk, throw in the towel. But when I finally did cross the finish line – 4 hours & 10 minutes after I had started – I was so happy that I hadn't given up. I don't know what it's like to wait 9 months for my own baby, but I do know that when I held Samantha's little bundle for the first time, I knew I was holding a miracle! And speaking for Sam, I think I can say that she learned the same lesson that I did – all the preparation and pain is so worth it!
Such a warm little bundle of love!
Race day dawned overcast and gloomy. I had no idea what to wear because I knew the weather could change so much in the next 4-6 hours. I finally made a quick decision and I was glad later on that I had made the right one. I got to the start line extra early with my photographer (my brother, Royce) and personal cheerleader (my friend, Nancy) in tow. I wanted plenty of time to use the port-o-potty and get out all of the pre-race jitters. While we were waiting, Nancy asked me, "What inspired you to do this?" I didn't have an answer for her at the moment, but I knew I would have a good 4+ hours ahead of me to ponder the question and try to come up with a solid answer.
Lost in the crowd.....
It was drizzling at the start line as we all crowded into the chute and sang O Canada. Before I knew it, the clock had started and I was off and running. I started out at a slow, relaxed pace, wanting to warm up and not use up too much energy at the beginning. I didn't see the first km marker until about 3km, and it appeared that I was already several minutes behind schedule. I panicked a little and picked up the pace hoping to make up some time. Later I saw a different coloured km marker and realized that I was actually ahead of schedule (the first one I saw was for the 10km race). I stayed about 2-3 minutes ahead of schedule for the next 25km. I was feeling really good.
This is me feeling really good!
My dad & Nancy ran along side of me for a few hundred metres during the first half of the race (while Royce ran ahead of us taking pictures!)
This is the 4-hour pace bunny that I never saw.... even though he only finished 3 minutes ahead of me.
By the time I got to 30km, I was no longer ahead of schedule. I knew I had to pick up my pace even more if I was going to stay on track for a 4-hour finish time, but I also knew that I still had over 10km to go and if I pushed to hard, to soon, I would lose steam before I reached the finish line. So I kept chugging along at my steady pace. This gave me ample time to re-adjust my goal and to accept the reality of it.
This is me around 34km, and that's how I felt! (I was supposed to eat a banana around there, but this is my "I-will-puke-if-I-eat-it" face.)
But, if I've learned anything from training (and from life), it's that you should always keep a smile on your face, especially during the hardest and most painful moments because it takes the edge off and makes it just a little easier to handle! So I kept on smiling.....
(This is my "don't-you-have-enough-pictures-of-me-already?" face)
After that, I didn't see my family until the finish line....... it was a long last 8km! By that time, my injured foot was hurting pretty bad and my muscles were screaming for me to stop. The 10 minutes between my walk-breaks felt forever...... even 30 seconds felt like a century! I had planned to pick up my pace in the last 1-2km, but even that seemed impossible after 4 hours of running. When I finally rounded the corner towards the finish line, I fixed my eyes on my goal and finished strong and steady, happy to give my muscles the permission to stop.
Here's my finish:
My family was there to greet me at the end & I was ever-so-delighted to be finished!!!
Stretching my calves, Indian-style!
And an "ice-bath" in the lake to help with the recovery (it felt amazing and worked wonders!)
My faithful support crew
My photographer
My personal cheerleader
And some new-found friends! (I had met them at church the previous day; they had come from Calgary to run the half & full marathon.)
Overall, it was a super-fantastic experience. It made me dig really deep within myself and find what I'm truly made of. I suppose that might just be the answer to Nancy's question - it was almost as if it was a test of my inner strength and character. Since I put myself to the test, I get to say that I passed - not because of how fast I finished, but just simply because I finished!
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