Toronto Goodlife Marathon Spectator Report

What a beautiful day for a run!  Or a beautiful day to watch a run?  Spectator day was just fantastic.  I picked up my friend Lori at 8:30am, and (after a quick trip to Tim Horton's) we were on the road to the race.  Traffic was smooth sailing as we got a great spot on a side street and walked toward Yonge St.  We weren't there long before the leaders were headed our way.  Wow, they run fast!  We held up our signs in one hand, and our hot beverages in the other.  I can't count how many races I have been in, jealous of those people out enjoying the sunny day with their coffee in hand, clapping and cheering.  It felt so nice to be one of them :)

Although we didn't seem to get any photos at that first stop (too much excitement trying to scope out our friend Vanessa) we certainly got into the groove of cheering.  Before long, we decided to get back in the car and head to our next stop at the 11km mark.  We weaved along through some very nice Toronto neighbourhoods and made it to stop number two.  We met up with my husband, who looked more "official" than Lori and myself, as he was working at the time.  He stood with us as we waited for Vanessa to round the bend.  She looked FANTASTIC!!

Vanessa looking great at the 11km mark!

Our next stop was going to be on the Lakeshore at the 29km mark, so we had a bit of time to get there.  We had an easy time navigating through traffic, so we thought we would get to the Lakeshore a bit early and watch more of the runners going by.  It also gave me extra time to get my costume and props ready!

Getting geared up

We set up camp on the path, and watched and cheered.  Lots of runners got a kick out of my costume, which was exactly why I chose to wear it!!  I gave out orange slices (I should have brought LOTS more, as many more people were willing to take orange slices from a complete stranger than I expected!!).  Lori ran the camera, and she did a great job taking photos.  I could not have done both!  Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of Lori :(  She was there, I promise!!

As a bunch of grapes, giving out orange slices!

Vanessa had a great run.  She looked very strong when I last saw her at the 32km mark.  I had to run after her for about 400m, and let me tell ya, running along the Lakeshore in a big grape costume is even more entertaining to runners than just standing there!!  I don't recommend wearing maternity jeans while running.  The waist band will shimmy down very quickly!

By the time I returned home from all of the excitement, I was tired.  Just watching all of those people running was exhausting!!  I wanted to crash for the rest of the day!  Of course, that just isn't an option in my world, and how could I crash, when M and I were planning a run this afternoon?  We had a great (but very windy) 7 mile run this afternoon, again, without any potty breaks!!  I know these pit-stop-free run days are numbered, with my belly growing like it is, but I am just so happy not to have to find an extra-deep ditch!

Have a great recovery, those that ran today.  I know I need some recovery just from the excitement of the day!!