The BIG race

The one. the Marathon. It's here.

I wake up at 430 am. WITHOUT my alarm ringing. THAT is a first. And hello. There is NO birds. I am up before the birds. egads.

Good thing I set out everything the night before. Seriously who gets UP at this hour?? I summble thru a bowl of fibre1 cereal, banana. and some water. Then start to get dressed. Put on the CEP Compression Sox first. Wow. I am wake now. That is a LOTTA work.

IPod. Check. Yurbuds. Check. Sugoi Shorts. Check. SparkleSkirt. Check. Lulu Sunblocker (after checking weather). Check. One More Mile shirt. Check. SpiBelt. Check. Fill Fuel Belt with LAST nuun tab. Check. Double check bib on SPIBelt. Check a  roonie. And lastly lace up the trainers. Go Brooks Glycerine 9's!

So finally get to the start of the race. And we wait. Don't you think I look fresh as a daisy. Yeh...its 645 am. I am ready to get this party started. "May the Course be with You",  indeed!

And then we start. To be truthful the first 21 rock. I am good.

I am actully running at a PB time. And then 26 or 27 hits. And it sucks. Then again so does 30. But then I kinda liked 31-34. And 35 was hard. It was all up and down hill. Not literally. But a serious mindgame. 

I don't know if I recall some of the route. Except the one major part - I think at about 27km, where i gave a car that tried to overtake me when it should have yielded) the finger. Actually a double barrelled finger. So much so the cop at the intersection laughed. 

I ran. Oh and for the first time in as long as i remember I didn't have a dialogue about oh no you can't. No fatty voice appeared. Instead, it was all go girl. you can, you will. Just do it. One more mile. 10 more minutes. 

And so it went. 

My split time was 2:28. I added 12 more mins to the second half.

And the last 3 or 4 k. Holy mother of god that was HARSH.

But by god when i finished, I was chuffed. I have never ever cried like that at a finish. I was relieved. I was so GD proud. I was so happy and exhausted. And well, so unsure what to do and where to go. 

So you see that grey haired guy at the finish with me? He's 64 years old. And it was his frigging 82nd marathon. Only his 12th of the year (and here i thought 5 half maras was kinda good.....)

He cheered me on the last 5 km. Full on. He was a hoot. His English sucked, but he made damn sure that I could understand "You aren't going to let an old an beat your are ya??" And yes. I am not sure I did let him beat me. Thank you. Thank You Seng Mon Chin for bringing me home! This Sunday he is running the San Diego RnR Mara. That'd be his 83rd mara. Holy shit. Seriously. 

 But honestly, I was thrilled. And ecstatic. 

I have come so so SO far. 40 pounds. miles and miles. 

I am transformed. 

And the next day never so bloody sore in my life. But today, 3 days later, not a stitch of pain. So now I have 12 weeks til my next marathon. In Edmonton. Yikes. Let the training begin. 

Dear God. Please don't let the weather be over 30 degrees Celcius. Pleaaaaase.