Don’t we all remember our first?

I remember my first hat-trick in hockey, the first time I shot par in golf, my first free-fall skydiving, my first bungee jump – and I remember vividly my first half marathon.  In our first post, Karen related the inspiration she found at the 2011 Vancouver Half Marathon Race.  In this second post, I’m going to give you my perspective as a first time participant.  For those who have participated in a big city run – I hope this brings you fond memories of your first.  For those that haven’t yet – hopefully you find it at least amusing to hear from my perspective what it was like for me.  

I also need to be clear that my journey to this place was made possible in large measure to Steve Price, Owner of Dream Travel Inc and Shelley Beaubien, National Clinic Administrator at the Running Room.  They were my Running Room online coaches and saw me through all 18 weeks of my training with tremendous advice and support.

Registration and kit pickup

It was very exciting to walk up to the Expo tent with all the people and the realization that I am here. As I walked into the expo, it hit me that this is a really big event and I’m part of it! I felt really proud because I felt like I belonged there – right from the start. I knew I had worked hard and had earned the right to race. I was also relieved that there were no issues with registration, my chip read right and all seemed in order. When we went by the Running Room area the second time I spotted John Stanton and he saw me too and waved. I went over and said hi and he remembered me from my first 5K in Kelowna the previous fall – it was really great to introduce him to my family. He chatted with us all, signed my book and was pleased to have a picture of all of us taken with him. That was really great! I walked out of the expo supercharged and feeling terrific.

Saturday morning jog

After a somewhat interrupted night thanks to our hotel neighbours, I’m out for a 3k loosen up jog at 8 am. I plan to run part of the race start and experience the little hill on Beatty Street. Once I’m out of the hotel it feels so good to run! It is a sunny but cool morning and there is very little traffic around. I jog down the stairs to the start of the race and start down the route for the first time. I feel wonderful – my legs have been aching from not running for two days and the slow taper week. I cruise up Abbot Street and turn up the hill on Beatty – it’s nothing – I don’t feel it all – this is awesome! I am tempted to take off down the viaduct and keep running but know that would be too much this morning – I have to be patient and save my energy. I jog back to the hotel and get ready for a great day of hanging out with my family – relaxin’.

Saturday afternoon and evening

After a few hours at the Vancouver Aquarium, Karen and the kids go shopping and I went back to the hotel to rest my legs. I try to sleep but the Canucks hockey game starts in two hours and the fans are arriving outside and they are noisy. I decide to get my gear ready, pin my bib, lace my chip, place everything in a separate drawer so that I can pull it out in order in the morning and put it on. This is good therapy.

In the evening we go to the Spaghetti Factory and I have bread with butter, salad with Italian dressing and a plate of spaghetti with meat sauce. I pass on ice cream – too much fat right before the race and I’ve already had a bunch of butter. We get to bed by 11 pm and I fall right asleep. I have a great sleep. Wake up once at 4 am to go to the bathroom.

Race Day

Up at 5 am. I’m rested, not tired and not too anxious either. I hit the bathroom and then get my gear on – then have some yogurt, oat flakes, banana and water for breakfast. Two more bathroom tries and we are out the door by 6:10. My family was awesome and we’re ready to go on time! I was wearing old sweats over my running gear that I planned to take off in the line and leave – it was about 7 degrees or so. In the end, I left my bag with my stepson Jake and put the sweats in there as it wasn’t that cold and I didn’t want to have to deal with the gear check. Once we got down there I immediately got in line for the bathroom. I felt really good – not nervous at all – just ready. We made plans for meeting up after the race and then I went to get my spot in line. I jogged about 500 m or so just to get the blood moving in my legs and warm up a bit. Got set up right behind the 2hr pace bunnies. I chatted a bit with runners near me and then heard shouts from above – my daughter Cassidy, Jake and Karen up on the viaduct and taking pics. 

We start

Once the race started I was happy to get going, started my watch as I crossed the start and away we went. There was adequate room in the pack – not as cramped as I felt at the start in Kelowna. The inside of the corners got jammed up and I and others jumped up on the sidewalk on the first corner. (Looking back on it – it’s ok to slow down and stay on the road). We ran the first K around 5:50 walk-adjusted (WA) pace – perfect for me. The bunnies picked it up right away after that and we settled in on about a 5:25 – 5:30 WA pace. This felt very comfortable to me – my breathing was solid and my legs felt good. An interesting phenomenon I noticed is how quiet it gets in the pack. When you start there is lots of chatter and announcers and music. Then you get out on the road there are fans cheering on the side of the road, but it’s very quiet in the pack – just footsteps. It’s quite calming to be in there surrounded by everyone and feeling comfortable. I really liked that feeling of being comfortable at the pace and kind of the camaraderie of being with so many others doing the same. I like to run in the middle of the road – no camber.  I ran past the first hydration station before I noticed it – luckily had water on board. Around 3 K I tossed my blue gloves off to the side of the road – plenty warm now. I had a GU around 4K with some water – feeling really good!

Downtown and Stanley Park

Karen and the kids were waiting at Pender and Cambie and I ran over to the side to see them. We high-fived as I went by and that was a HUGE boost for me!  Cassidy took this pic - what a great moment!  Through the downtown another kewl phenomenon – the sound of the footsteps is amplified and reverberated down at you off the high rise buildings. I got water at around 7K and that felt really good. Next we headed into Stanley Park and just held the same 5:30 pace all the way to the hill. We passed 10K around 56 minutes and half-way right on the hour. I GU at about 10K. I have had to pee since the first K and it is starting to be on my mind. I’m checking the bushes along the road and contemplating dashing in there but don’t.
 

The Hill

I now have the experience behind me and it will be easier to deal with next time. But the hill (Prospect Point) was making me very anxious. I have thought about it for months and, quite frankly, gave it too much credit. This would turn out to be a problem for me later. I kept thinking, ok, just around that corner is the hill – this happened for 3 turns and still no hill!! I can hear a lot of cheering and a loud band ahead – that must be it. (a look at my Garmin data shows my heart is racing now – so anxious about the hill). Finally, there it is. I see runners ahead of me already a ways up the hill and they look solid. I brace myself and say I can do this....
We turn the corner at the bottom around the giant cedar – it’s pretty steep but not as steep as my hill repeats hill. I slow down a bit and try to shorten my stride, pump my arms and steady my breathing (the Garmin data shows my heart rate has dropped dramatically at this point – key learning – it is easier to do it than to worry about it). The hill itself is not bad at all. I chug up there steady and pass quite a few people. I take a breather at the switchback and walk for about 15 seconds – then keep running. The bunnies are ahead of me now and so I try to keep up. They don’t really stop for water at the top – I do. I think for a moment – ok, that’s over with and wasn’t too bad. I head down the small dip after the summit and on the way up the other side I start to really feel my legs go to rubber. I notice there is a bathroom available so I quickly run in there to pee.

Hill Karma….. Really?

From 14 K to about 17 K I struggle. My legs are weak, I feel I’m very tired, I’m hot and thirsty. I found myself having to take more frequent walk breaks but I try to keep them short so that I’m not losing a lot of time. As it turns out, my Garmin data shows I kept up the same pace – but I really felt like I might not be able to make it. The cheering people along the road really did help keep me going – this was where I had to dig deep in my gut and just plow through. I had consumed all my onboard water but had planned to GU at 15K – so I did with no water. I believe I accumulated a bunch of lactic acid just prior to the hill and on it – and the effects played out in the next 3 K. There was water around 16 K and I needed it so badly – 2 cups on my head and one in my belly.

Second Wind

I could see the Burrard bridge in the distance and thought – oh man, that’s a long way off, then there’s Granville, and still a long way to go...can I do this? Then something happened – the GU kicked in, the lactic acid cleared, I cooled down...I’m not sure, but it’s almost like I woke up. And there in front of me was the little hill under the Granville bridge. It looked like about 200m and pretty steep. Ok, dig in, shorten the stride, pump the arms, breath...near the top I started to walk – my legs are VERY tired – but not dead.   There is a God – as I turn the corner at the top of the hill with lots of people cheering, the road goes slightly downhill and there’s a water station!!! After another cup of water on my head and two in I start to run again. My legs are so heavy again! But I have new resolve. I’m almost at 2 hrs elapsed time and I know I will not make my goal time – I need to be smart. So I take a full 1 minute walk break, gather my composure and get ready to run it out.   A minute gone by, OK – start running. I feel much better – I’m sore but my legs feel lighter and I have renewed confidence. I can see the stadium and I can hear the distant cheering is very loud. I CAN DO THIS! I’m close now – its only a couple of K! I settle into a nice steady run pace and resolve to just hold it – just keep running this pace till I’m there – no more stopping! I’m able to settle in and am really buoyed by the cheering supporters. 

I hear screaming from above me.  Looking up I see my family hanging over the overpass cheering wildly for me. I wave, give a big smile – they give me another big boost – wow that was GREAT! I can see the end now, just keep running steady pace – smile – yes, I’m almost there. As I approach the finish I put my hands in the air – not because I want a good photo – but because I DID IT!! I did not give in, I gave it my all, and I finished!

I collect my medal and revel in the fact I’m done – oh how good that feels!! More water and the best quad stretching of my life! 

I feel like I have really accomplished something big – this was big for me – wow!