You've met my friend Sarah before. She ran with me from a distance in January and then for real at the SPS run in April and again in August when she came and encouraged me through the River Run.
I was SO happy to be able to share in the excitement as Sarah completed her first full marathon in Regina. Here's her post about running 42.2 kms....what led up to it, what kept her going and how she was able to not only finish the run, but surpass her goal!
When Janaya first asked me to blog about my runs she asked me just to “tell my story” so for the last three entries that is what I have been doing. For this entry, I am going to leave the story and blog about “why I ran my first full marathon”.
After completing the SPS half at the end of April, I realized that I really did enjoy running and that I had reached a point where it was easy to maintain my half marathon training. Don’t get me wrong it’s not EASY to do all of the training; however, I was no longer at the point where an interruption to my training plan was detrimental. Missing a run no longer set me back on my progress...however, mentally I am a whole different person if I have had to miss a run. It is not EASY getting up and running at 4:15 am every day. However, something that had started out as motivation to improve my time for the SPS, ended in habit. I kept the routine going perhaps looking for something more.
I started setting challenges for myself, on May 13 I wanted to see if I could run into town to our friends’ house and back, not knowing how far it was. In the end, it was 16.94 miles and took me 2:33:47 (9.05/mile). The next weekend I did it again 16.58 miles but this time in 2:20:26 (8:28/mile). The next weekend I felt good when I got back to our grid road so I kept going to see if I could reach 18 miles, and I did in 8:26/mile. The next weekend I was in Saskatoon staying at my parents’ in Lakeridge, I set a challenge (not knowing how far it was) to see if I could run to the river to Idylwyld bridge across and back to circle drive bridge across and back home, it was 20 miles and I ran it in 8:28/mile (2:49:27). I remember thinking during the last 3 miles that I was getting nowhere, I felt like I was hardly making any progress but in the end they were three of my strongest miles 8:24, 8:33 and 8:26. I had been posting about these runs on facebook and getting lots of “you are crazy comments”. That was until after this run when Janaya said “you need to run the QCM full marathon” (I couldn’t enter the 1/2 as it was already full). I easily laughed it off.
At this same time, a friend in Regina, who I had run a couple of QCM and RPS relays with in the past was training with the Regina Running Room for the QCM full and posting about it on facebook. I had sent him a message wishing him good luck and commending him for his efforts. He wrote back asking if I was running and I gave my consistent response when asked if I would ever run a full, “no I don’t have time to train for a full with 2 boys and a husband that works shift work - I can’t do the long run training”. The more I talked to Janaya the more she too realized that perhaps we could actually do this together...and I realized that I did have the time (and my excuse was no longer valid). I had been running 16-20 mile runs already and you don’t have to run more than 20 miles while training. So I pushed my excuse aside and on June 6th I signed up for the QCM full (gulp) and Janaya started her journey as she wrote about in her last entry “A half + a half = a whole”.
So, I was committed and the real training started...that weekend I decided to aim for the soccer center in PA and home. It was 20 miles (perfect!) and in 2:50:47 (8:32) so I was staying consistent it wasn’t a fluke! I emailed my friend in Regina to ask if he could send me his weekly Running Room plans as he received them from their coach, and he did. My hardest realization was that I was going to have to cut my running from 6 days a week down to 5 to get adequate recovery after my long runs. I cut my running back down to 16 miles and my speed went up to 8:21...wow was I feeling great and confident!
Then 16 miles went to 8:43, not only was my speed down something weird was going on with my hip, it didn’t hurt but at mile 11 it just felt weak like I couldn’t push. I cut my long run back to 14 miles and was back up to 8:20 but miles 11-14 didn’t feel great. I gave 18 miles a try again and was back up to 8:44....what to do? I went to the doctor, got a referral for physio and massage and started booking appointments. Physio assured me it wasn’t an injury just a weakness and I could continue to run and he gave me some strength training to do. I went for my first massage (deep tissue myofascial release) and it HURT, yet felt GREAT!
The next few weeks my long runs struggled, and the weather kept getting hotter and less in my comfort zone. At one point I even had to quit a run (I was 3 miles from home) and walk. I was stressed....my training at this point required my parents to take the boys to the lake with them when my husband was working, and my husband had to always drop a bottle of gatorade in our friends’ front garden so I could pick it up at my half way point.....everyone was putting in effort and I was failing.
I continued with physio every week and sometimes twice and things seemed to be getting worse, he decided I had a SI joint that wasn’t moving so he mobilized it and then I had terrible SI and nerve pain that started. The only relief came from my massages.
On August 26th I went for my last long (although still shorter) run, I ran from Saskatoon to Clavet for my nephew’s first birthday. It was 12.46 miles and took 1:41:04 (8:07/mile)....my confidence came up a bit (just a bit) I was almost back to my 1/2 marathon pace from the SPS.
Then came the hardest two weeks....tapering....very little running. I abandoned physio and booked 2 massages for those 2 weeks. The last 4 days were the hardest. Carb loading and NO running (ok 2 miles on 2 of the days so it felt like nothing). I had found a carb loading plan and followed it:
BREAKFAST: beagle, yogurt, banana, juice
SNACK: nature valley bar and gatorade
LUNCH: 3 baked potatos, sourdough roll, oatmeal cookies and chocolate milk
SNACK: protein bar and gatorade
SUPPER: pasta or a chicken/quinoa wrap and sweedish fish (like blue whales)...how many diets have candy for supper?
I had hoped to get some rest, leave work early and have a nap, but of course it turned into the busiest week from *$%& at work, so that didn’t happen. Saturday morning, there was no turning back..we were off to Regina.
We got to Regina and went straight to the package pickup, went to the hotel took the boys swimming and then went for a very plain pasta supper and back to the hotel. Kevin got the boys to bed while I got my race gear ready and then I sat and read an entire book before settling in for the night. I didn’t sleep well, never easy when in the same room as the boys, so it wasn’t long before my alarm went off at 5:30. I got up and ate a beagle and some gatorade and stretched. The boys woke up and we did some sitting around and I got changed and did some more stretching. I planned to meet Janaya and the relay teams her family and friends were running on, at 7:15. I swear I went to the bathroom about 6 times! I grabbed my pre-energy drink and banana and was out the door. I met Janaya and we made our way to the start...a stop again at the bathrooms, oh no we were in line they were singing O Canada, panic!!! They started the wheelchairs I was behind barricades, I jumped the orange fence and stepped into line right beside a guy from my gym (another story in itself but he didn’t really train and decided to run and I was so frustrated knowing he was a great athlete and would probably beat me even with all my training).
I was off! The first few minutes were good, crowded trying to weave around people and find my stride, then before the first mile was up my calf got tight, I was hoping it was from the cold and a fast start. However, it didn’t loosen up until 12 miles - there were actually 3 points in the first half I thought I might have to stop and not finish. I had arranged for Kevin and the boys to meet me at two spectator areas with gatorade and energy bars, it was so great to see them as I ran by. The course was crowded for the first half and then thinned out as the 1/2 marathon runners turned off. It was mentally challenging to maintain a pace when a relay exchange would occur and a runner with fresh legs would go sprinting by me.
I was surprised how strong I felt up to mile 20, I managed not to look at my watch once as my goal was just to finish, after mile 20 I thought, this is it, new ground, I have never run this far before! And so I kept going, my feet hurt, then my groin hurt, then my hip started to feel weak. At mile 22 I noticed that runners started slowing up or stopping all together, I had not passed anyone in a long time and all of a sudden I passed 1, then a second, then a third, my confidence was gaining. Then at mile 23 I got a feeling that I may have “hit my wall” and would need to stop.
I thought about what was waiting at the finish, my boys and how proud I would be to cross that finish line and how much had gone into getting me through the last two months. I actually shed a few tears and then kept on pushing.
The last 4 km of the course is through a residential area and it became even harder to keep going as 3 houses had FREE BEER stops...oh how I wanted to stop but I kept going and I kept passing people. Each mile seemed longer than the last and I knew I was close, as I saw the finish line I broke into a sprint (or what felt like a sprint but was probably normal pace). I saw Janaya standing cheering for me and then I saw the clock and it was approaching 3:43:00, and then I crossed the finish line, and I thought there would be more emotion but there wasn’t.
My first thought was “I need to find the boys” and then they came around the corner and my next thought was “when can I do this again”. For the first time I looked at my watch and to my surprise it was 3:42:51 (8:34/mile), I was actually in disbelief I was able to maintain my training pace for the last 6 miles of unknown ground!
The boys and I went to the food tent, chatted with a few friends along the way and then went to sit with Janaya and her family to cheer on the relay teams that were still on the course. As we were waiting I was shocked to see the guy from the gym (the one I thought was going to beat me) come running in at 4:30:00..I was sure he had finished ahead of me!
I was so relieved to hear that Janaya had completed her 1/2 and felt good in doing so...and it was very exciting to watch her friends and family cross the finish line together in support of her.
We took off back to the hotel so that I could get showered and then we went and walked around the science center for 2.5 hours before going and enjoying a steak supper with many others in support of Janaya. And then the long drive home. For the few days after the race my body stiffened up and wasn’t bad except going down stairs was not a fun task! I forced myself to take three days off from running and then got back on the treadmill for some easy short runs until my legs were back under me.
Over the week since the run, I have realized that I am an extreme type A personality. I am at a loss not having a goal to work towards. Running is a habit that starts my days off happy and completes my day by allowing me to get a great nights sleep. I will continue to run and I look forward to more races to come. I know of some others with goals of completing a full marathon and I will do all I can to run those with them. But as I mentioned I am someone who works best when they have a goal to reach......so now I am in search of that next goal......happy running everyone (as it really does make you happy)!
P.S. I could not have done this without the constant encouragement and inspiration from Janaya, the patience of my Kevin, Brady and Rylan, my parents for taking the boys so many weekends, my massage therapist for many last minute appointments (and long appointments), Chad for the training programs....and all you moms running!!!!!!
Way to go Sarah! You are an amazing and determined runner! I'm SO looking forward to running 'with' you again in Vegas!!
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