ING Ottawa Marathon - RunMarathon

IT Band pain
dandelion fluff in my eye!!


SHERRY #3106
Time: 4:59:16.3
Chip: 4:56:34.7
Pace: 7:06
Women 40 – 44
Place: 2697
Category Place: 180/220
Gender Place: 910/1145
10 km split: 1:06:26
21.1 km split: 2:17:53
30 km split: 3:20:53

If you will indulge me, my report will start where my training stopped last fall as we all know a race is as much about the training as it is about the day of and my marathon race was a long time in the making.

As most of you know, I was sidelined with stress fractures after my 29km LSD last September while training for the Detroit Marathon. At the time, I was afraid that I would not be able to run long distances again. With determination and a great deal of support, advice and encouragement from my fellow maniacs and Dr. Duane, an awesome chiro, I made it back and have now completed my goal. I toughed it out and though I didn’t break the time goal I had originally set for myself, I did meet the goal that I set shortly after the halfway mark.

I suppose you could say my race to the finish line began last November when I was determined to get back to running. I spent five weeks water running which drove me absolutely mad. My closest maniac friends can attest to that. I graduated to the recumbent bike and then by December I was working out on the elliptical and regular bike. In January, I hit the roads, starting off with runs of only a few kms. By the end of January, I had progressed to 10:1’s with a distance of 5 km. Feeling awesome, I began to think about NCM. I felt I could likely do the half marathon so I began to follow the RR training schedule. I kept it quiet for a long time but I also had a marathon schedule on my calendar. I continued building up my mileage while strengthening my body with weights and cross training. I felt good. Near the end of March, I came out from the shadows and announced that I was planning to run the marathon, as I had been able to meet the distance and effort of the marathon schedule without any setbacks thus far.

Other than the knocking 10 minutes (9:57 actually) off my half marathon time at the Run for the Reach in April, the rest of my training was rather uneventful. A week later on my 35.85 km LSD run, I was raring to go. However, during the entire month of May, I was plagued with various aches and pain – the ongoing pinchy hamstring from last year’s injury, the right hip flexor, pain in both knees and then IT Band issues. I let my mileage drop and began a very early taper in the hopes that lots of rest, stretching, Vit I, ART, massage and a rolling pin would help to sort out these issues. I was especially pumped after working at the Expo and after my last ART treatment, I felt awesome and raring to go again.

Unfortunately, I did 2 sprints on Saturday – one planned and one not. I believe they did me in as I felt the IT Band knee pain right away. I chose to ignore it and prayed that it was a case of taper pains.

On Sunday morning, my excitement had dwindled to just a “just get it done” attitude as the reality that pain was going to be constant was clear as I had a dull ache in my right knee already. I made my way downtown, checked my bag, and lined up somewhere in the purple corral. I wasn’t sure where I had seeded myself but I figured I would be able to find the 4:30 bunny soon enough. My plan was to stay between him and the 4:45 bunny. I chatted with a young guy who was also running his first marathon. It was then that I realized I had not sync my IPOD with the play list I had set up on the laptop. I was disappointed but no worries as I had the play list that I had used on my training run. I heard the gun and we were off. LadyJ (Jesse) and I exchanged good luck wishes soon after we crossed the mat. The dull ache began to worsen from the moment I took my first step. Near the war museum, I spotted Marg up ahead. She was running with the 4:30 bunny. Awesome, I was right where I wanted to be. I turned up my music and kept my position about 20 m behind the two of them. I decided to discard my long sleeved shirt but soon realized that it was a bad decision. With only the sleeveless betty tank on, I was cold immediately. I thought of swinging back to retrieve it but I decided against it. That bad decision ended up costing me a ton of energy as I tried to keep warm.

At the Art Gallery, the crowd was huge and as we rounded the corner, we saw the elite runners returning from the Rockcliffe section. We cheered for them as we ran our race. I noticed an RM sign up ahead and met up with Marg briefly to say hi and to thank Ania for cheering us on.

After running by the river, I was so cold that I was trembling. I spotted a black jacket by the side of the road so I circled around to pick it up. It was fate as it was a perfect fit and was still dry. I felt warm and energized right away. Thank you to the runner who discarded it; you saved my race and my day. I maintained the 4:30 pace through Rockcliffe with the help of a fellow runner – MC, who has the warmest smile ever, enthusiastic spectators, volunteers and a handshake with Jean Chrétien. I made sure to thank everyone who was out supporting us especially when it began to rain. I crossed the half mark still holding my position behind the 4:30 pace bunny.

Back at the Art Gallery, the two races merged; the half marathoners ….the 1:45 pace bunny and his posse and us, the 4:30’s. The crowd cheered as the two groups merged but I quickly realized that this was not going to be a good thing. They were so much faster than we were. Many were being passed and cut off by those trying to move through the crowd. It was very discouraging being passed constantly and I quickly lost the pace bunny and the group I had been pacing with. I was feeling anxious and somewhat claustiphobic as the road was very congested. I moved over to the side of the road but then I had to dodge those stopping to take walk breaks, which caused grief for my knee. I then realized that I had lost my gel bottle. I had only taken about 2 gels at this point. Fortunately, I had tucked an energy bar into my pouch. I hoped this would be enough to get me through to the end.

It was at this point that my “mental” race fell apart. I admitted to myself that my legs were feeling very heavy and I would have to slow down soon. I adjusted my goal to finishing between 4:45 and 5:00. I realized at this point that I was not enjoying myself. This run was not pleasurable unlike the training runs that I absolutely loved. I came to the realization that I am not very competitive with others and large races are clearly not for me. My mantra became “finish and you don’t have to ever do it again”.

With the 4:30 bunny somewhere ahead of me in the surging crowd, I had no choice but to run my own race. By the 30 km timing mat, I had begun to take longer walk breaks. I learned later on that I was only 6 minutes behind the 4:30 pace bunny but even if I had been aware of this, I would not have been able to make up the time. I was thankful for the gels being handed out on Hog Back as I was starting to fade.

As I rounded the corner by Riverside and Heron, an incredibly sharp stabbing pain hit my knee causing it to buckle and I just about toppled over. A couple of runners stopped to check on me but refusing to hold them up, I told them I was fine. I took a moment to stretch out my legs before starting up again. Despite the number of Ibuprofen and Tylenol that I had taken up to this point, the pain was getting worse. I walked most of the Vincent Massey loop and somehow, I forced myself to run the Heron Road Bridge. I ran as long as I could in between these stabbing pains. Tears welled up in my eyes again as I walked though most of the Arboretum loop. I thanked the volunteers and began to run towards Dow’s Lake. Starting up was the worse part; once my knee adjusted to the flexing motion, the pain was numbed.

I made a pack with myself to only run to Lansdowne and then again from the Ritz to Pretoria Bridge where I hoped to see Hula Girl and the other Maniacs and then near the finish line. I would walk the rest. I was happy with my new plan.

Then the rain began to fall harder and I got something in my eye – dandelion fluff, I think – as I approached Dow’s Lake. My vision was completely blurred on the right side. I tried to move the contact lense around to dislodge whatever it was but I was afraid I would end up losing it. Again, emotions stirred causing my eyes to well up with tears, which only made my vision problems worse. It was then that I realized that I might not be able to finish the race. I felt sad, angry and frustrated. I only had less than 5 km to go.

At the Bronson Bridge, Newbie 113 – Lorelei recognized me and gave me a big hug encouraging me to continue. Walking and running were pretty much split for the rest of the way. I was becoming rather disorientated and nauseated as all I could see where coloured blobs around me. Following the yellow line to the finish mat still standing was all I thought about at this point. I spotted some orange and hoped it was Hula girl and company. It was. Jo-Jo gave me a hug and I told her that I couldn’t see her clearly. I saw more orange near by and heard cheers. I’m not sure who was there but a big thank you for staying out in the rain to cheer us on. I really appreciate knowing you were there.

I felt more optimistic that I could finish when a volunteer told me I only had just over a km to go, however; my legs were so tight and sore at this point that I decided to save my energy for the finish line and walk a bit further. I heard the cheers getting louder and louder so I knew I was coming to the end. By squinting, I was able to see the 300 m sign and my only thought was “Finally!” I forced myself to run the final stretch. I crossed the mat but I couldn’t see the time. It didn’t matter as I finished and was a marathoner! Smile

When a volunteer asked me if I needed medical help, I turned to her and said no though I really wanted to say yes. I would have felt foolish as all I needed was some saline solution to clean my lenses and I would have my vision back. I kept walking until someone reached down to remove my chip and then I spotted something orange so I headed in that direction. It was the medal table. Apparently, I had passed the volunteer handing them out so the woman at the table placed the medal around my neck and I thanked her for her time. Making my way through the crowd, I quickly picked up a bagel and yogurt, retrieved my bag and headed to my car. I was shivering and exhausted. A kind marathoner graciously gave me his silver wrap, which I was grateful for. I told him about RM.

On my way, I ran into Baldguy and TurtleLuc. A short visit with each and I was headed home. I was so completely spent that I wasn’t sure if I had the energy to drive back downtown for the M&G. After a hot bath, I laid down for a nap and ended up sleeping through my alarm that was suppose to get me up in time for the M&G. I’m sorry that I missed the dinner as I looked forward to seeing new and old friends.

A number of people told me that I would know immediately after the marathon if I would want to do another one or not. My first reaction and still 2 days later is: I don’t. This really surprises me. Maybe I will change my mind but honestly, I didn’t enjoy the day. I loved my training runs. They were my time to reflect on different things happening in my life. They were a time for me to challenge myself. I suppose I am just not competitive enough to enjoy the race experience. I was not able to find my happy pace or drift off into that zone where the legs move almost effortlessly. I also learned that I really am an introvert, as I didn't feel energized by those around me. I am surprised that I am now questioning where I thought I wanted to take this running thing. I will continue to run but I am not so sure about racing. We’ll see. None of this is a bad thing; just a good realization for me. Smile

I made an incredible comeback, finished what I set out to do and had some interesting insight as to what running means to me. I’m happy and proud of myself and that is all that matters.

Again, a sincere thank you to everyone who has read this report (!), supported and encouraged me during this long road. I have appreciated every piece of advice, every message and pm and the hugs of support – both virtual and real. I am very happy to be a member of this wonderful group. Hugs to you all.
_________________
"What you are is a question only you can answer."