Race Report: Missisauga Marathon

Aestus finishing the 2010 Mississauga Marathon

My name is Aestus and I am a Marathoner. No, seriously. I did it!! Mississauga, last Sunday! Look it up! Bib number 524! I know, it’s ok, I can barely believe it myself, and I was there.

Two and a half years ago I was trying to lose weight and figured running was the way to do it. Of course I had no idea how to run safely, so I put the treadmill to the test and a few weeks later was walking on crutches with bursitis in my hip. The rest of that winter was toast… I ate a lot, did little activity, and gained even more weight. Finally my hubby took me to the Running Room and signed us up for a learn to run clinic. That was two-years-ago and everything has changed because of that day. We took various clinics, and at some point we realized that we were slowly but surely working towards running a marathon. It was not our initial goal. We wanted to lose weight, and we did, but something happened in that process that changed us into runners.

In January we started a marathon clinic at the Running Room, and for the most part we were faithful with our training plan. The build up was gradual, but intense. We missed week two and three of the clinic because we were in Mexico, but still did our long weekend runs and a few weekday runs too. When we had to miss a clinic day for whatever reason, we made up the run on another day. We stuck with the training right up until the peak and we were definitely on track for our goal pace. The taper was rough. Somehow it was very emotional for me. The decreased running and the carb loading (oh boy did I ever carb load) seemed to make me a little crazy. I seemed to be all over the place mentally and had no reasonable explanation for it. Still, I was looking forward to doing my first marathon. When the clinic started we had the option to gear our training towards Mississauga or Ottawa. Since this was our first marathon, we decided to aim for the Mississauga Marathon, thinking that if it was disastrous, at least we would be close to home.

Our neighbour Sylvie had an injury, and was not going to be running ,so she kindly volunteered to be our race nanny. We got everything we needed prepared the day before, laid out our outfits, filled our fuel belts, and basically just needed to jump out of bed and into our clothes. Sylvie had the timing planned and was all set with whatever extra we needed. Surprisingly, I slept well, and the next thing I knew we were in the car and heading to Mississauga. Sylvie likes to be early so we got there before the crowds descended. We had lots of time to wander around, use the port-a-potties, do last minute checks and stretches. It was a chilly morning but our race nanny had warmth layers to keep us comfy until the start.

My husband and I often run together, but when it comes to race day we each run our own race. This usually means that we separate within the first few kilometres. We stood together in the corral and really weren’t very chatty — I think we were both focussed on the enormity of what we were about to do… And then the horn sounded, a little shuffling towards the start, and we were off.

I had trained to complete my first marathon in four hours and I felt good. I was using my Garmin and a pace band to keep track of my time, and things were going well. I was running at a good pace, not too fast, and feeling like I had lots of energy. The weather was great with clear skies and cool temperatures. Every kilometre marker I passed was giving me all the reinforcement I needed. I had enough gels to run the race and I had Gatorade in my fuel belt, just the way I had trained on my long runs. As the race progressed the temperatures warmed a little and I took my arm warmers off. Still going strong. At about the 20k mark, Sylvie was waiting with a bottle of Gatorade to refill my fuel belt. The first half of the race seemed to be mostly shaded so I took off my hat and handed it to her along with my arm warmers. Very brief pit stop and then off to finish! I passed the half way point with about a minute and a half to spare, not especially fatigued, and feeling very positive.

I guess I started in the corral somewhere behind the 4:00 pace bunny but at about six or seven kilometres I caught up with him and his group. Our walk breaks were not synchronized so for about 20k I would pass them when they were on a walk break, and then they would pass me when I was taking my walk break. It might have been smart to just run up to them and join the group… I didn’t. At about 28k they got far enough ahead of me that I knew I wasn’t going to catch them again. I was getting tired. At 29k I was tired, and adjusting my goals in my head. I had handed off my hat to Sylvie and now it seemed that the whole course was in full sun… and I am bald! The temperature was slowly getting warmer. I knew I would not make it in four hours. And once I decided that I just wanted to finish, I relaxed. I took a long walk break and at some point the 4:15 pace bunny passed me. ~sigh~

I started running again but after the long walk break my right calf just seized up. I ran through the cramp, which lasted about five minutes, and was rewarded with a right quads cramp. I kept pushing and finally got through that one as well. My running was weak, and my walk breaks long. However, I was determined not to let this distance beat me. I was going to finish this, no matter how long it took. And then I got more cramps… this time stomach cramps. I made emergency pit stops at the next two port-a-potties and spent my time in there trying to psych myself up for the rest of the race. It was tough. I wondered if the race was indeed tougher than me.

But I kept going. There were a lot of walk breaks and a lot of people running past me. I was at 39k before I felt truly confident that I would finish. I cried a little. A bit of exhaustion, a bit of euphoria, and a bit of relief combined to make me tear up a little. At about 40k a lady came up behind me as I was walking and said “let’s go sir, you can do it”. So I did. I ran the next kilometre with her, and was so grateful for the encouragement. She continued on when I stopped for my final walk break. That last long stretch before turning towards the finish line looked like the longest stretch of road in the world. I cursed a lot. Not all of it silent.

Then the crowds got more dense, and louder. I knew it was near. I was almost done, and I was going to cross that line running. I heard familiar voices calling my name. I don’t recall if I looked up or not. And then it was done. 4:39. I was 39 minutes longer than my goal time, but I was a hell of a lot further from the couch potato I had been two years ago. It was a challenging race, and I am proud to say that I finished it. My name is Aestus and I am a Marathoner.