It was quite an experience indeed....I can honestly say that I'm not sure if I've been both so excited and so scared about anything in my life...well, other than the last few weeks of my pregnancy with Emma. Feeling prepared, but questioning that preparedness at every turn...yep, that pretty much summed up the three week leading to the race.
The week before, I tried to put it out of my mind (impossible) but by Friday, I told myself that I was just going to enjoy the weekend of firsts...and I guess hubs got the memo too...surprising me with a "Good Luck" bouquet from he and Emma. Very sweet! :)
On Saturday, we headed to Toronto...went to the expo to pick up my race kit, etc. The expo was a bit smaller than I expected but then again, I was feeling distracted and not in the mood to really browse anyway. Did a quick tour of the expo before heading off to our hotel to check in, relax, etc. We ended up going to a movie that afternoon which was a great way to do something that didn't require much walking around (AND served as a good distraction!)
That night, I was a bit afraid about how sleep would go. I actually expected to sleep very little so perhaps my lowered expectations helped me get the approx. 5 hours that I actually got. I also believe strongly that a good luck voice mail msg from my brother-in-law (who is a machine...has ran Boston multiple times and is a running BEAST!) probably served as some major good luck karma! I awoke Sunday morning feeling nervous but not terrible. Giving myself plenty of time for breakfast, coffee, some hydration, and time to just prepare. Not much time to stew or think about what lie ahead.
Our hotel was quite literally RIGHT by the start line...which was fabulous especially given the 7:30 am start!
I had this moment when people were starting to mill around and gather at the start when I looked at Shaun and said: "I do NOT belong here". It's funny...I'm not sure if I will ever consider myself a "true runner". Not sure why...I think because I've never thought of myself as an athletic person in the least. Looking around me and seeing people go through their pre-race rituals...with shirts, pins, and even tattoos from past marathons they have raced...I did have a split second of "Yeah, I'm a faker".
That feeling passed once the race started. The route itself was great. And the thing that I love about these types of routes in cities is that the scenery changes so much, the kms really tick by (no, really..!) At the start, the temp was nice and comfortably cool but since the forecast predicted a warm-up by mid-morning, I was very happy that I opted with a tank and capris! ;)
I won't go into great detail about the race itself because honestly...in some ways it did seem to go by fast. There was definitely some highlights! One of my best and oldest friends had told me she and her hubby would be cheering at an intersection around the 16-17 km mark...it gave me something to really look forward to in that first leg of the race. It occupied my mind, gave me a little distraction as I got closer to that point, knowing I didn't want to miss seeing them. Seeing them was great...it was great to see some familiar faces (especially since I was running alone!) and I was feeling strong.
I ended up getting a major cramp in my right calf at about the 18 km mark. I walked it out a bit and it seemed to subside. It was INTENSE though and I'm still not really sure why that happened. I guess I've been lucky enough to never have had cramps like this before...so it slightly freaked me out but it wasn't going to make me stop. As time went on, the temps heated up in a major way. In the second half of the race, I was not only making a point of stopping at every water / Gatorade station for a sip, but I was also grabbing a cup of water to pour right over my head. Not attractive in the least but it did the trick of keeping my body temperature cool and comfortable! I'm NOT a hot weather runner...and not sure if others were like me, but I found the heat especially bothersome after training for months in cooler temps. Just a couple of weeks before, I had done one of my last long-ish training runs in my winter gear! The change was...a bit of a shock to the system! After a quick washroom break at around the mid-way mark, I settled into getting to 30 km. 30 km is the Around the Bay distance. I can do 30 km and I've done it many times before. Mentally, I'm going to get to 30 km.
Once I got to 30 km, I thought to myself...I've only got 2 more km and then I'll be running the same as my longest training run (the plan I used "only" went up to 20 miles for the longest run). Then, once I hit 32...I actually said out loud to myself: "Only 2 more 5 km runs!" I don't know why but that worked for me.
I had heard about "the wall". I had heard from many people that the marathon actually starts at the 20 mile mark. I can see why this is true. In that final 10 km, it is lonely in a lot of ways...and you are passing people on the ground, fatigued and dehydrated...you are hearing people talk to their running friends about just powering through. I saw a couple of people near tears. I saw people who you could definitely tell had simply run out of gas. It's a funny stretch, that last 10 km. I didn't hit "the wall". I actually remember feeling like I didn't know how my legs were still moving because my mind was tired, but I was just going.
About a km from the finish, I heard a couple of familiar voices and....SURPRISE....saw a couple of my friends whom I had NO IDEA were going to be there! It was an amazing surprise! And it gave me the jolt I needed. I was so tired...just dreading those final minutes but how nice was it to see some familiar faces!
Me, just after seeing Heidi and Sabrina!
The last kilometer was such a blur...the noise, the feeling like my legs were just flying independently from my body...it was such an rush.
Nearing the finish...feeling "RARRRR!!!" ;)
Without a doubt, THE best feeling at the end was having Shaun, Emma, my parents, and my sister and her hubby at the finish. It was an incredible feeling and I was so very happy to have them there. As soon as I crossed the finish line, I just started to cry. Don't worry...it wasn't a messy cry. But tears did flow...it was happiness, relief, and I think...just an emotional release.
When I decided I would *try* to run a full marathon, I wasn't sure if I could do it but I thought I would make it as memorable and meaningful as possible by choosing to also raise some dollars for Heart and Stroke in memory and honour of my brother. I felt him there at that finish line. It probably sounds a little cliché and dramatic, but I do believe he was there. Over the past 5 months of training, I had been lucky enough to raise over $2600 for Heart and Stroke. It added a whole other dimension of meaning to my first full.
Was my time what it could have been? Certainly not. I crossed the finish line in 5:03. I hadn't really (honest!) set a time goal, but I DO know that I purposely slowed down my pace early on when I realized how hot it was getting. When people say they don't care about time...I usually think they are lying. I can honestly say that I think that when anyone runs 26.2 miles for the first time, time becomes secondary to just doing it. I am not even certain I will remember my time but I know I will always remember how I felt crossing that finish line. It was...awesome.
This sums up how I felt for much of the run...I decided I was going to try and enjoy the few hours I was out there as much as possible...
...and enjoy it, I did.
The week after the race went by fast....between work and home being busy, I haven't been too much of a victim of post-marathon blues. I took a few days off completely from running and have just started easing back in. This approach has been good. I am feeling good, feeling ready to run, and will enjoy some lower mileage running and focus on some new challenges, including working on my speed and doing some biking this summer.
For Mother's Day, hubs and Emma got me this beautiful necklace, (26.2 in Roman Numerals) and I doubt if I will ever take it off.
It's funny, right? It's just a number. It's just a race. It's simple right? Well, it's funny how something so simple is so complex. Now I get it when I had heard so many times that you will never forget your first marathon. Even if I never run another full, I will always remember that day. Always.
I had mentioned earlier that I had never considered myself a "true runner". It always seemed funny to me to start to get people asking me running questions. I think I will always view myself as a beginner and I'm perfectly okay with that, you know. As a "newbie", I want to always approach running with some excitement, some wonder, and yeah, even a little fear.
Isn't that what life is all about?
