Buckle up, folks. This is going to be long. You might want to grab a beverage so you can stay hydrated. Or use the facilities. Or make a sandwich. Yes, it really will be that long. After 18 weeks of training it all came down to today so yup, long long long it shall be.Ready? Okay. Let's begin.
Let's start, albeit briefly, I promise, with race kit pick up and the expo. This was my very first race that was large enough to actually have an expo, so that in and of itself was cool. I hopped the free shuttle from downtown to the Direct Energy Centre during my lunch hour on Friday and picked up my bib, shirt, and all the freebies I could get my grubby paws on. I even splurged and bought myself a gorgeous pink 21.1 shirt that had the full race name and year on it.
But the spending had to end there so I just walked around and drooled at all the other amazing sales and running offerings. All this running stuff in one place - was pure sensory overload!!! Amazing!!
And while I was there, John Stanton of Running Room fame took the stage so I snapped a pic:
Made sure to get a really good sleep on Friday night, then Saturday did my 3k shake out the legs run before Micheal and I went to Bowmanville for Applefest. I was worried for a bit that I'd spent too much time walking around - legs were stiff by the time I got home - but I iced my knees as always and that helped a bit. Then it was time to do my nails for the festivities. I like to do a little something for big races so I painted them Scotiabank red and put 21.1 on my thumbs just in case I forgot how far I had to go. :)
Tried to go to bed early Saturday (after popping my customary 'just in case' double dose of Imodium) but didn't really happen. I was too keyed up. Finally got into bed around 11, set the alarms - yes, more than one - for around 6, and closed my eyes. And just laid there. Could.not.sleep. When I finally did manage to drift off I had every bad racing dream you can imagine...forgetting to collect my medal at the end, not actually making it to the race on time, not being able to find parking...ugh. No fun. But the alarms went off at 6 and out of bed I sprung. Put on my race day gear, had a bagel and a cup of coffee, and we were off.
Manged to get a great parking space for just $6 (thus foiling my pre-race dream) and we wandered over to a nearby Tim's so I could use the washroom and to just stay warm before the race started. At about 8:40 we headed out from University north of Dundas and made our way down the street to the entrance to the purple corral. At Adelaide. Yeah, lots of people run this race! And this was just the marathon and half marathon!! Here I am just ahead of the start line with a few minutes remaining before the official gun. I was nervous (and cold!) as hell. Can you tell???
Took a pre race selfie with Micheal in front of the Goodwill truck that picks up all the toss away stuff along the route, gave him my hoodie, and it was go time. A quick kiss for luck and I was on my own.
Gulp!!
I think the look on my face says it all. I was smiling, I really was!! I stayed at the back of the purple corral because I didn't want to be weaving at all and I think that really served me well in the long haul.
So then I was off. I know this area of Toronto really well, because I work there. Like, I passed my building. So that was kind of fun. Worked at getting into a groove, really focused on staying with the inside lines so I didn't inadvertently add too much time from weaving or taking the long way around, and enjoyed being able to run on Toronto streets.
I kept my gloves and arm warmers on for about the first 4k as I finally started to warm up. Felt great, was sticking to my intervals, and my breathing was nice and controlled. Saw my friend Julie and Malka, a colleague from work, on Bloor Street, both screaming my name to try to get my attention, which was super cool and a real boost. Turned onto Bathurst in front of Honest Ed's (which happens to be on this year's medal) and was feeling great.
Loved running down Bathurst. I stuck to the inside of the streetcar tracks all the way down to Lakeshore and felt fantastic. Had my Shot Bloks every 3ish kms, alternated between water and my Mio sport, and was delighted when I saw that the vast majority of my splits were coming in well under 8 minutes. I knew that to make my goal I need to stick under 8:30 per km which doesn't sound like a big deal, but given my longer training runs and the paces I was able to achieve there, I'd have to push myself. Especially when you consider that my times for my runs included pauses - pauses for pee and water breaks - and the clock don't stop for such things on race day! So those sub 8 minute kms helped build a buffer I'd definitely come to need later on.
Once we hit Lakeshore, around the 8k mark if memory serves, I started to feel everything a little bit more. I'd had this niggling pain in the top of my foot from a run last Sunday where my laces must have been tied too tight. Wasn't overwhelming but was starting to make its presence known again which was frustrating.
By this point the elite/red group of runners were in their home stretch and it was amazing to see them flying by. The strip along the waterfront is hella long, so watching everyone else go by was a surprisingly nice visual distraction so I wasn't as focused on how I was feeling. Was still able to stick to my intervals and was feeling good when I crossed the 10km mat.
KMS 10-15
Still on my way out along the Lakeshore I was keeping my eyes peeled for running friends. Managed to see Margaret from work as well as Celia, Jennifer and Jennifer along the way. Was so awesome to see friendly faces and get the waves of encouragement as I went.
Earlier in the day, around the 9km mark, I started to feel a familiar and entirely unwanted twinge. That one that said you know those two Imodium you took last night? Epic fail, sucker! Find a porta potty, and soon! Wouldn't you know it I rounded the corner and there some were! Sadly there were but five of them and about 10 people waiting so since I knew I was going to be cutting it close time wise I kept on going and kept everything crossed that I hadn't just made a massive tactical error.
Kept going, going and going and oops. No more porta potties. FINALLY saw one around the 12 km mark and since there wasn't a huge volume of people - and I had no choice, really - I skipped off the course and got into line. Watching every lost second tick by was horrid. I had decided that I'd pause my Nike so I could track my actual running time but keep my Garmin going so I'd have my chip time firmly in front of me so I could chase that 3 hours. All in all I lost well over 4 minutes to that much needed pit stop which sucked, but I needed it.
Hopped back on the course again and instantly felt better. Got a bit more of a spring in my step, then hit some lake front wind which wasn't much fun. Then got hit with an uphill climb (which normally wouldn't have been too big of a deal but since the rest of the route was so flat, you felt it!) and was delighted to see that 15km sign. But man, still 6.1k to go and lots of Lakeshore yet to run.
KMS 15-20
Back on flat ground I tried to pick my speed up again, knowing that I'd have to stay strong to make my sub 3 hour time. I was also running out of water so had to grab a few cups as I passed the water station near the windmill at Exhibition. Rounding the corner of Ontario Place around the 16.5 k mark I was delighted to see my amazing friend Marlene, runner extraordinaire, who'd come to run in with me to keep me going for those last few grueling kms.
Here's how happy I was to see her!!! That's happiness, I swear.
She's a real pro at all this running stuff and was amazing at keeping my mind that bit distracted from how much everything hurt so I could focus on finishing. Because yes, by now everything was sore. My knees, always a source of pain for me, were getting incredibly tight. My cardio endurance was fading fast. And I was getting quite hungry, which meant that I should have had my bagel much closer to run time than I did. Rookie mistake, I guess. Lesson learned.
But worst of all at that point was the pain at the top of my feet, now both feet, where my laces do up. WTF, right!? Agony with every single step. Not fun at all.
Marlene was great. She walked with me when I needed to walk and kept me going when I was ready to run. I didn't know the end of the course too well, in terms of where we got off Lakeshore, so she was super helpful in preparing me for what to expect next. I don't do well with the unknown, so this helped a lot.
One more big hill and we were rounding the final corner before our Bay approach. I knew precisely how fast I needed to go per km to get in under that 3 hour mark and at this point, especially because I had to walk more, it was getting tight. I was starting to worry I wouldn't make it. But not Marlene - she told me I had time and could do it.
KMS 20-Finish
The 20km sign was at the bottom of Bay and by that point I had, if memory serves me correctly, about 9 minutes to make it to the finish on time. It was going to be tight. Marlene told me that at the 800m mark they started having countdown signs and that I just had to run up to the clock tower and around a short corner and I was done. Now everything hurt, big time. My back, my knees, my feet (top and bottom) and I was getting shaky. Not a fun combination. But I had to keep going.
We walked through the little hill at Front and by this point I could barely hear Marlene. I knew she was speaking to me but couldn't process most of what she said. Except something along the lines of 'you've come this far, you are going to run yourself over that finish line and you WILL make your time'. Right on.
She left me at the stoplights about 150m from the finish so I could run in on my own. I was so so so so so tempted to just stop. Stop and walk in. Who cares, I'd be so close, and close was close enough, right? I truly felt like I couldn't go on. I think I did even stop and walk for a little bit close to the finish, but then I looked down at my watch. I had under 2 minutes left and just over 100m. I had to try. Marlene was watching, I could feel it. ;)
So I pushed. Might be the hardest running moment of my life. No last minute finish line jolt of adrenaline for me. Nope. I was huffing and puffing so hard I wasn't sure I could cross in one piece. I looked up at the finish line, so close, and at my watch. 2:59. Fack. So I pushed harder, just a wee bit harder, and stepped across those finish mats, completely and totally spent. Chip time? 2:59:28. Owed entirely to Marlene being there for me. :)
I stopped my Garmin, paused my Nike. Saved my runs in some blurry automatic moments. Was elated to see my carefully timed switch of levels from Green to Blue as I passed the 1,000kms mark on my Nike app. I got my mylar blankie then went through the chute to get my medal. Again, remembering my dream, I went straight to a volunteer and grunted (jokingly, I swear), GIMME THAT. She did. Backwards, but whatevs. I snapped a quick and hideous selfie, complete with 8 chins and my backwards medal, and posted it to Facebook with the simple caption Boom. A cup of Gatorade and a bottle of water in hand I made my way through the gauntlet of stumbling runners and into the square at City Hall in search of Micheal.
We'd agreed to meet in a certain spot so I headed straight there. When I finally got to him I just started bawling like crazy. He grabbed me in the biggest hug, told me how proud of me he was, and we just stood there, me leaning on him for dear life, while I tried to compose myself.
He gave me my hoodie so I could warm up and I started to take off all my gear. He pulled out a marathon tshirt he bought for me, one I saw at the Expo and loved but didn't buy since I'd already splurged. Never told him about it, but he knew I'd like it and he was right. And when we got back to the car? Flowers waiting for me on the seat. :) How awesome is he??
He really is my best cheerleader. I couldn't have done this, not today or any day over the past 18 weeks of training, without his help and support. The number of times he had to make dinner because I was out running or just spend time without me because I was out running...and he always did it without complaint, telling me all along how proud he was of me for what I was accomplishing.
Gear removed I realized I was starving so we grabbed my bag of food and took one last look around before heading for the car. I was done. Cold, hurting, hungry, wanted to sit down in the worst way. But on our way out we passed this photo backdrop and I just had to stop to snap a few pics.
Stopped by a bench and loosened my laces to try to ease some of the pain. Hit a Starbucks along the way to get a much needed coffee and make another bathroom pit stop. Then up three flights of stairs (ugh) to our car in the parking garage and we were blissfully on our way home.
Decided it was time for a much better pic of the medal, one where you could see the front and I didn't look entirely out of it.
Once we got home I headed straight for a deep soak with my friendly Epsom salts and it was pure bliss. Took the cold out of my bones and my muscles loved the relief. Followed the bath with a delicious shower then laid on the bed for a bit, icing my knees and just resting. Sweet, sweet, rest.
In addition to being half marathon day, today is also the 10 year anniversary of my first date with Micheal, a day we celebrate annually by dining at a Milestones, the restaurant where it all began. We decided to go for an early dinner which was lovely, now I'm just finishing off this post before we head to bed for a much deserved rest and the latest episode of The Walking Dead.
So there it is - the end! I made it!! Hard to believe that it's all over. Despite the challenges along the way I'm so glad I can say that I did it. That I persevered, trained hard, and crossed that finish line, meeting my goals. I wasn't fast by any stretch of the imagination but I wasn't last, either. And since this was, to me, anyway, a race of one, the rest of the numbers for my gender or category actually don't matter to me at all. The simple fact that I crossed that finish line at all is what it's all about.
Before I go, a quick word of thanks to anyone who read along or supported me during this journey. My family, colleagues and friends for rooting for me, even if they think I'm nuts. To my buzzle runner gals - you all rock. You inspire me every day with what you're able to accomplish and kept me from losing my mind (and falling apart mentally and physically) on more than one occasion. Thank you for all you've given me over these many months. And while I fear forgetting someone, I would like to give three special mentions to Micheal, Marlene and Fiona for being with me, literally and figuratively, every step of the way. :)
Running may be a solo enterprise but for me it's been a real team sport. Yay team!
So yeah, getting there is half the run. And now that I've run the half, I'm so happy to be here.
