I have the most wonderful children in the world. After a few hard nights leading up to the race, the night before proved to be amazing for sleep. Even my little Oliver gave me a break and slept very well. The only sleep I missed out on was due to my own coughing and congestion.
My husband was home from work in plenty of time for me to leave for the race. With him working nights before a race, it is always a bit of a gamble as to whether he is home on time. Overtime always strikes when I have plans!
The weather was perfect.
I didn't get lost on my drive there.
When the race started, the adrenaline made me forget about my head cold and I felt like a normal person running. I also tried to be super-conscious of my pace and didn't go out too fast. (unfortunately, I found out later that "not too fast" may have been a bit faster than I should have done in my sick state--boo)
This course is one of my faces. Lovely homes and neighbourhoods, lots of trees, flat, flat, flat.
As I ran along, I dreamed in my head about all of the possibilities of items I would buy later at Lululemon, which gave 15% off to racers at their Oakville location. yeee!
The Bad...
The line-ups for the port-potties where very long, and super stinky. I haven't had a sense of smell in days, with exception of those stinky toilets. Yick.
By the 10 mile marker, I started to ache. My nose had started to run again, my face and ears were aching. Even my teeth hurt. I think the fact that I passed the parking lot where I had left my car at that point made it seem worse. "I could just run off course and curl up in my car for a nap," crossed my mind more than once.
The last 5 miles were "character-building". I watched my splits slow down, and people passed me. Emotionally hard to take, but physically inevitable. I just wanted to finish, grab my medal and banana and go home!
The Ugly...
All in all, not my worst race. I wish I had been feeling better to enjoy it a bit more. It really is one of my favourite half marathons, as the organization, the people, and the scenery are fantastic.
Here are the numbers. Not a PB, or even a course PB, but worth getting out there for sure...
overall: 140/715
gender: 29/321
age group: 6/50
chip time: 143:01
On a separate note...A year ago yesterday I ran the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. I can't believe it has been a year already. I have framed my medal and race bib and they are on display in Oliver's room, as he "ran" it with me :)
Happy Running
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