Ottawa Marathon - A Race to Learn From

This past weekend, I made the 6 hour journey to Ottawa, the nation's capital, with my daughter and my folks (brought along for a free trip and babysitting!).  Their company was wonderful but all four of us in a small hotel room isn't conducive to pre-marathon rest.  I don't know about you but sleeping with a kid who's a bed hogger plus all her stuffed animals and extra "softy" blankets isn't really restful.  And then there is the noise of the hotel air conditioner and those who snore.  Long story short, no sleep for two nights.

On Sunday, May 27, I got up at 5am (after the dream that I slept in and missed the race...so I must have had some REM sleep!), put on my lucky running gear, ate a banana, a plain bagel and some Gatorade.  The stomach was nervous - always is before these long races.  I met up with my running buddy just after 6am.  We had been training through wind, snow, sleet, cold weather and horrific hills in Waterloo county for months.  We were ready and we were stoked.  Unfortunately, my running buddy had a really bad sinus infection and a stress fracture but she came out to try anyway.  She's tough and she's BQ'd, once even in Boston itself.  To have kept up with her during long runs meant that I had improved.

The weather in Ottawa that morning was stellar.  About 11C, slightly cloudy and not much wind.  I knew a PB and perhaps a BQ were in the cards.  I even lined up with the 3:45 pace bunny, confident in my training and my experience after 2 other marathons, 2 half marathons and a 30km race in the past year.  The coolest part was that the pace bunny was a very experienced runner who I follow on Twitter.  So many times he has inspired me to run and keep going - so awesome to meet him in person.  I hope he knows I'm not some crazy groupie but just a person who is crazy enough to run and keep trying!

At 7am, we were off.  It was a tight run, people packed together and trying to break out but difficult when there are record breaking numbers of participants.  I was running, keeping up with the 3:45 pace bunny and feeling awesome.  The thought of "oh my god, I'm going to BQ" was going through my head....until about the 13th kilometre.  The stick-a-knife-in-my-gut pain of a diaphragm cramp I had experienced at the Around the Bay race came on fast and reduced me to a walk.  I thought about taking out my Blackberry and calling someone to pick me up - but who?  The folks don't have a cell phone and I didn't really know where the heck I was.  I had lost my running buddy about 8kms back and hoped that maybe she'd catch up to me.  No such luck.  There was only one way to go and that was to continue on for the next 29+ kilometres.

I got myself together and was hobbling along when the 3:55 run/walk pace bunny came along.  Great! I could follow this crowd and still PB.  So along I went, chatting a little while carefully keeping my eye on the pace bunny's 140.6 IronMan tattoo.  That was inspiring....and helped me focus.  Somewhere around 25km I started to slow and couldn't keep up.  It was getting warmer and the sun was out.  Let me tell you, there is a big physiological difference between training/running at temperatures under 12C than there is at around 20C.  And I was feeling that difference.   The residents of Ottawa must have known, too, as they brought out hoses and generously sprayed those of us feeling the heat! I had to keep going.  I told my folks that I'd probably meet them about 4hrs and 15 minutes after I started - meaning sub 4hour race plus time to get my medal, eat and hobble slowly to the meeting place.  Now it was looking like they would have to wait longer.  I walked a lot and ran when I could.  I was encouraged by the awesome crowds, the bands that played along the course and managed to fist pump and dance a bit when I heard "Super Trooper" at one of the water stations.  It was going to be a tough go but dammit, I didn't come all this way to not get my medal.  I knew my daughter would be at the end waiting to ask me "Did you win, Mommy?" and wear my medal.

The last 5km were particularly brutal.  I was well over 4 hours now and it was really sunny and warm.  Usually, I get my second wind and sprint the last 3km but that wasn't the case here.  After 4hours 27 minutes and 13 seconds (which isn't bad, it's like the top half....but my worst run yet), I crossed the finish line and got my medal.

I found my folks and my daughter....and she asked, "Did you win, Mommy?" And I answered, "I won for myself today".   She doesn't want me to run any more marathons (probably because I look awful after them!) - I can't say that I promised her I wouldn't.  The funny thing about running is that, good or bad, you examine your results and you determine what you might try differently or keep the same for the next time.  Because, there is always the next race.  And it could be the one you PB or BQ.  It's all in the mind, as the 3:45 pace bunny told me.  And I believe it.