1/2 Marathon

Joy here...Well, first things first, I'll let you know the run stats for my 1/2 marathon on Sunday, and then I'll give you a more full race report.

Run stats for my VERY FIRST EVER 1/2 MARATHON:
Ran for a total of 1:49:47 for a distance of 21 km with an average pace of 5:12min/km and an average heart rate of 159 beats/min.

Here's how our weekend went:


Part 1:  Pre-Race Fun
To begin our 1/2 marathon extravaganza, we went to the Race Expo on the Saturday before the race to pick up our race kit and to see what books and merchandise were on offer.

We knew that we were in for a good day when serendipitously, our cab driver to the expo was a Somali runner who used to run 10km distances.  (His 10km personal best was around 37minutes...a whopping 17 minutes faster than my 10km time!).

After being dropped off at the expo, it turned out to be one of the best days ever.  Gathered together under one roof were the editors of Runner's World magazine (who I told all about this blog), and who were all inspiring runners and writers themselves; also the editors of Canadian Cycling, Canadian Running, and Triathlon Magazine Canada were all on hand for us to talk to.  We made good connections and pitched a bunch of story ideas and generally felt inspired with notions and ideas of how to blend our sport and our academic work as professors.

But all of these meetings were really just the prelude to the most exciting personal encounter I had at this race expo.  While walking around and buying running shirts and books, I looked over and saw KATHRINE SWITZER standing at one of the booths.  Now for those of you who don't know who she is, here are some of the iconic photos that put her story into perspective:

Here's Kathrine in 1967 running in the then "male only" Boston Marathon.  In the first photo, the race official is  trying to eject her from the race; in the second photo her boyfriend tackles the official; and in the third photo she just keeps on running and is the first woman ever to finish the Boston Marathon...proving to herself and the world that women sure as heck can run marathons!!!

In person, she's absolutely lovely, engaging, interesting, smart, thoughtful, encouraging, and just wholly wonderful.  I really can't explain just how exciting it was to meet her.  I wished that I had remembered that I had my camera in my purse, because I would have loved to have taken a photo with her, but I think I was just a bit too gob-smacked to be thinking straight.  I mean, I was standing right there with a truly remarkable woman who just seemed so normal and nice.  We talked about her experiences as a runner, about feminism, about her running challenges around the world; heck, she set up one of the first women-only runs in Malaysia, so I told her all about me and Nomi and our running together.  I told her about my own journey as a non-runner to being on the eve before my first ever half marathon, and instead of relating to me as some sort of neophyte novice below her notice, she was as excited about my first half marathon as I was!  I bought her book (and I got one for Nomi too who will receive her own signed copy in the mail!):

Kathrine was kind enough to sign her book for me:
"This is in honor of your 1st half-marathon!  No matter what,
it's a victory forever."

We spent quite some time with Kathrine with her and her husband, Roger Robinson.  Roger, like me, is both a runner and an English professor, so we had LOADS to talk about, and I'm going to email him and keep in touch.  We could have stood there all day talking about books and running.  He was interested in my own work on contemporary Canadian literature, and since a lot of his work has been based in New Zealand we started talking about the postcolonial similarities between places like New Zealand and Canada.  I bought one of his books that is really just designed for me in mind, seriously:

Autographed by Roger to us "who share [his] two loves -
for running and for good literature."

After we left the marathon expo, we were on Cloud 9, for real.  Our minds were spinning with ideas and schemes, and we were thinking about all the interesting people we had met and how good it was to meet such fascinating people in the running world.  And I think I was also impressed at the calibre of representatives there.  I mean, instead of just having Kathrine Switzer's PR rep or some publishing sub-editor out there flogging her books, she was actually there in person.  Similarly, instead of some underling for Runner's World magazine, a whole host of contributors and editors were there, such as Jennifer Van Allen, an unbelievable ultra-distance runner who won the 2008 24-Hour National Championships (USA), and was a member of Team USA in the 24-Hour World Championships. We told her all about the Sundown Marathon and Ultra-Marathon series in Singapore that got Nomi and me started on all this in the first place!  Jen is this really tiny, unassuming person who, upon first glance, you would never think is a super-ultra-distance runner.  For the rest of the weekend, I kept referring to her as "that leeeeeetle Tarahumara runner" (the Tarahumara being the running tribe that is the subject of Christopher McDougall's amazing book, Born to Run that I sent to my running friends earlier this summer:  Nomi, AK, and "Topless Florida guy").

Eventually we ate some lunch, digested a bit, and went for a little 30 minute run around the neighbourhood to loosen up our legs in preparation for our 1/2 marathon.  Then, our alarm was set for 5:00am, and room service was set to deliver us a pot of coffee at 5:30am, so we went to bed and tried to calm ourselves down for a good pre-race sleep.

Part 2:  The Race Report
We awoke before the sun was up and began our pre-race preparations:  drinking water, drinking coffee, eating cereal, showering, putting on pre-sports Hot Balm on our muscles (to keep us warm in the cool-ish autumn weather), and dressing in our running gear.  We checked the weather network (a necessity at this time of the year when temperatures can be anywhere from 0 C to 20 C), and saw that the temperature for our race would be around 9 C at the start, warming up to about 12 C by the end -- perfect sunny weather, not too hot, not too cold, for our run.

We had arranged for the same cab driver to come and get us at 7:00am so that he could drive us to the starting point of the race.  We talked about running the whole way - running on hard surfaces versus natural surfaces, running on trails amidst the trees versus running in cities, running in the heat of Africa versus running in a Canadian autumn, what to eat while running a lot - and he was just so sweet.  He told us that the Kenyans and Ethiopians were going to win, but that maybe we'd come in right after them.  Thanks for the good vibes, Osman, you got us off to a good start!

Once we arrived at the starting line for the half marathon (and used the port-a-potties for a pre-race pee, definitely a necessity), we did a little run to warm up, and then went over to the start line, and who did we see at the start line?  Not only my good friend Kathrine Switzer, who was also running the half marathon with us (and finished in 2:07, not too bad for her 60-64 age group!!!), but also running legend Bill Rodgers!!!  Bill is amazing...he's run about a gillion marathons; in fact, 28 of the 59 marathons he's run he's finished in under 2:15.  He's outright won something like 22 full marathons in his running career!  Since I'm now BFFs with Kathrine, who was speaking with Bill, I just went up and said "hello" to both of them and chatted before the race.  Bill also ran the half marathon with us (and finished in 1:55, for 3rd place in his 65-69 age group!!!).  Pumped by meeting and chatting with such big names in running, The Man and I found our places in the crowd of starters.

I stood amidst other runners under a clear blue sky and felt the vibe of excitement.  The announcer started counting us down to the start...and then...WE WERE OFF!

Runners making their way up University Avenue.

My plan was to run the first 12km or so at around 5:30ish min/km and then the final 9km or so at around 5:00ish min/km.  But as we started, I found that I was running at around 5:15min/km.  I felt good; the pace was easy; in fact, I just thought to myself "oh well, I guess my Garmin isn't all that accurate at the moment with so many people around; I bet there's interference.  I might just have to rely on how I feel." But then at the first kilometre mark, I looked at my watch, and sure enough I had only been running for 5:14mins.; time doesn't lie.  So I slowed down to around 5:25min/km and kept steady at that pace.

Running is different from any other sport that I've ever played, because it's very meditative.  Instead of getting caught up in the rush of adrenaline by trying to score a goal, or playing well for your teammates you just run along under the sun with the cool breeze and live in your head for however long you're running.  And so I was thinking about all sorts of things.  The funny thing about this connection between running and internality is that if your run feels good, then the things that you meditate about are also good.  So the first part of my run was almost like an extended prayer, or an extended articulation of all the things that I'm grateful for.  I just ran and listed them all off in my head:  I'm thankful to be out on a beautiful day of sound mind and body and able to run; I'm thankful to be able to enjoy such lovely scenery and marvel at how truly spectacular an early morning sky can be; I'm thankful for such a wonderful life partner who brings out the best in me; I'm thankful for friends who are crazy and encouraging and smart and wonderful all in equal measure; I'm thankful for a family made up of a really different cast of characters, all of whom still love each other very much; I'm thankful that I have a mother-in-law all the way in Malaysia who I love and who loves me back even though we don't share a culture or religion; I'm thankful for Nomi who is my adult BFF; I'm thankful for Nomi's daughter who is one of the most original 6 year olds I've ever met; I'm thankful for my brand new (and only) nephew who arrived in perfect health on May 30th; I'm thankful to have been able to do a PhD in a field of study I love; I'm thankful to have been able to live in Toronto for 5 years; I'm thankful to be in a position to shift and change careers; I'm thankful for this crazy triathlon guy we met, Training Payne, who is absolutely insane and absolutely inspiring; I'm thankful that as I run down Yonge Street in my first ever half marathon, my friend AK, is running her first 10km after having her daughter last year; etc. etc.  I really can't tell you all the good things that I was thinking about as I started that run, but it felt great.

And then, just after the 6km mark, standing at the side of the road to cheer us on was my sister - the most beautiful new mom out there - and my little 4 1/2 month old nephew.  She was waving and cheering and giving me a gorgeous Colgate smile, and I was able to run over to her and give her a high five before leaning into the stroller to give my dimpled little nephew a sweaty kiss.  One day when he's older, I'm going to tell him that he was there for my very first half marathon.

After seeing them, I was on such a high!  I felt loved and supported and just happy.  It was like I was running on air.  I was well on track to reach the 12km mark in my desired time, feeling good and able to pick up the pace for the last 9km.

In fact, when my Garmin beeped to tell me that I was at the halfway point (10.5 km), I already started to pick up the pace ever-so-slightly.  I toggled over from the Garmin screen with pace and distance to the screen that shows heart rate, and pushed my heart rate into the 160s and kept it there.

But, by the final 6kms, things weren't feeling quite so extraordinary.

The Half Marathon Route

If running is meditative, allowing you to go inside your head with every step you take, then when those steps feel good and you're body is in tip-top shape, then your thoughts follow.  The flip side of this, is that when your body starts to hurt, your brain follows it down twisty dark alleys.

I started to have all sorts of thoughts that were encouraging me to quit and just walk the rest of the race.  I've written about those pesky running demons before, and they showed up on Sunday with a vengeance.  Every little thought that my brain could come up with as an excuse to make me stop, I did come up with:  "you're screwing up your knees and you're going to need surgery," "your heart rate monitor is too tight, and you're constricting your breathing, damaging your lungs," "you've probably re-aggrivated that old ankle injury from high school rugby," "you didn't eat enough," "you didn't drink enough," "you're not a runner," "stop and walk, you've gone far enough," etc. etc.  The negative thoughts that were running circles in my brain as I was mind-over-mattering myself through the last 6km, and then 5km, and then 4km were nearly debilitating.  Growing up I had the kind of mom who would always point out the negative ("be careful crossing the street, because cars will hit you," "don't go near the river's edge, because you'll get sucked in by the undertow and drown," "don't play outside after dark because raccoons will attack you," etc.), and while I'm now a grown woman who no longer worries about what her mother had to say once upon a time, I have to admit that those negative tapes still play somewhere in the back of my head, and they were pushing forward while I was struggling up the incline during those final kilometres.  I was still passing people, and I was still holding my pace around 5:10min/km, but every step was a battle to shut those little running demons up.  I had to tell myself:  "you can do this; you've done this in training; you've run like this before; just keep going!"  And even though I was able to come up with every excuse in the book to quit (it's amazing how imaginative I was, really), I just kept on going.  And then, with less than 1km to go, I could see the finish line, and I looked to the right, and shouting and cheering and calling my name was one of my nearest and dearest friends who had pulled herself out of bed on a Sunday morning and come to see me finish!  I raised both hands when I saw her - my beautiful Polish Princess - and ran as hard as I could to the finish line with a burst of energy.

I finished in less than 1 hour and 50 minutes, which was my goal!  I wanted to finish in less than 2 hours, and would have been happy in the 1:50s...to finish in 1:49 was better than I thought I could achieve, so I'm thrilled.

The Crowds of Happy Runners!

Part 3:  Post-Race Details
I met up with my Polish Princess just on the other side of the finish-line, with my medal safely around my neck, and gave her a big, sweaty hug!  Then she went to take her dog (a beautiful dalmatian that was a Mexican street dog) back to the house before meeting up again with us for brunch.

But before that...I went through the finishers' chute and found The Man waiting for me at the end.  He did his half marathon in 1:42...so only 7 minutes faster than my finish!  We hugged; we high fived; we kissed; we posed for photos; and then we went back to the hotel to stretch and shower.

A giant vase of anniversary flowers were waiting for us in our room from my Polish Princess, and a voice message from my sister was on the phone.  I also called our other friends (who ran this half marathon as a couple themselves last year) who were joining us for brunch.  So amidst good wishes, we stretched out our over-taxed muscles, and all the bad thoughts and bad feelings that were pushing their way to the front of my brain during that last part of the run were utterly GONE.  I felt great!  So now I know that my body is more than capable to pull off this kind of workout, and my only weak link is my nagging self-doubts...and my success at this first ever half marathon is one big triumph for me over those little demons.

So as we went down to the lobby to meet up with our friends for a post-race brunch, I was back to feeling happy and grateful.  All was right in the world...and I sure as heck earned that Eggs Benedict!

My Half Marathon Finisher's Medal!

Over and out,
Joy