Vancouver International Marathon

I survived it. It was a challenge, but I managed to face it and get through it. Tru says it takes a certain mental toughness to run a marathon. She even dug up the number of people that actually run one, which is one tenth of one percent. Tru is very good at making me feel good about doing this stuff.

It was a cold and rainy morning. Dark too, at 4:00 AM, but we were up and breakfasted promptly. Dressing for the run, well, shorts and tee shirt was all I needed. We had stopped at a second hand clothing store the night before and picked up a couple of old fleece jackets. What happens is that people start with jackets and sweaters, which they shed early in the run, and a charity will follow and pick them up for resale.

We got to B.C. Place about 6:00, and found a place on the playing field to sit and stretch, with occasional trips to the Port-a-Pottie lineups. At 7:20, we headed out the doors to the start line. The rain was still coming down, and our jackets were getting a little heavy. Once the start signal was given, we had what seemed like a ten minute shuffle before we got to the actual starting line. I don't know how many were in the marathon, but with the half marathon there were almost 15,000 people there.

After the start line, we were winding around the streets for a bit, in Chinatown, I think. At my first walk break, my brother pulled ahead, and I shed my jacket. And then it was straight running. That was about the time the rain stopped too.

Most of the race I don't remember. I did make a couple of bathroom stops early on, and there were always lineups. I wasn't up to stopping in the bushes like a lot of guys were doing. I remember being fairly energized during the run through Gastown. And the oranges that one of the downtown hotels were handing out were probably the best thing I've ever tasted.

The crowds were fantastic. Our first names were printed on our bibs, and a lot of spectators would shout encouragement using our names. For some reason, that became important toward the end.

Near the half way point a company was handing out samples of its energy bars, but I think the seagulls got the most out of that. I suppose they were what I needed about then, but too sweet, and too dry to eat while you're huffing and puffing. Good thing there was a water station a couple of hundred metres farther on.

The run through Stanley Park was lovely, even though it started to rain again. That stopped by the time I got to English Bay. And then the crowds really started to thicken up.

The biggest climb was the Burrard Bridge, but it wasn't too bad. And then it was a long slog toward UBC. This is where I really started to struggle. My calves started to tighten up a little, and by the time I got to the end and turned to come back, I was more hobbling than running. One redeeming moment was passing the company passing out fruit gums. They were dumping them on cookie sheets and holding them out for the runners to grab as they went by. Very tasty. But a hard trudge back to the bridge.

And then something happened. When I got to the Burrard bridge, I seemed to get an extra burst of energy. I had about three kilometres to go, and I hurt all over, but something kicked in. I really began to focus on the end, since I knew it was close, and I added speed. And this is where it was so cool to have my name on my bib, because people were using it to shout encouragement from the sidelines. It really helped to keep me going.

I did the run/walk thing again, but going through the park, I totally missed the walks periods, and ran through a couple of them. Which helped to get me past a bit more of the field. They all caught up to me later, of course. And over the last three kilometres, I ran through them as well.

At the end, it was get the medal, lose the timing chip, get a plastic blanket, and all that. Kinda like sheep would be herded. Standing in the airlock to get into B.C. Place, I found my bro, who had crossed ahead of me by about four minutes. And after that it was get some food, get the shirt, then collapse on the floor for awhile.

The best part was knowing that there were so many people cheering for me. I most want to thank Tru for her faith in me, and Nony too. It was an awesome run, and I had a great finish. Now it's time for recovery.

Today's run:
Distance: 39.61 km. Time: 3:43:32. Average speed: 10.6 kph.
Rest distance: 3.07 km. Rest time: 24:00
Total distance: 42.69 km. Total time: 4:07:32

Weather: Light rain and 8C to start, changing to cloudy and 12C at the end.