Running Man

It turned out to be a good game plan because once I got over the bridge, the running got tougher. By now my right ankle was barking and my lower left back was sore.
I knew it was cool outside from the clouds, but I didn’t realize the wind I had at my back while running on the Levis side of the river. Once I made the descent (and it was a doozy) from the bridge to the road along the river, I learned just how windy it was. I could feel the cool wind whipping through my saturated running shirt, and resisting me on every stride.
Not helping matters was the road along the river was closed to traffic. With no housing along that part of the route, it meant no spectators. The only people to cheer us on were the workers, and they all were terrific. Not only in doling out refreshments, but also encouragement.
Finally, about four hours into my race, I saw my support group for the second time. It was about mile 22, and rain began sprinkling. I’m not sure what they were standing on, but my sister (I think it was her, but who knows after running so long) was standing on some cement stump or guard rail holding up a sign. I went close to them, said a few words I don’t remember, gave Kyan and kissed and told them I would see them at the finish line.
They made a mad dash back to their car, then drove downtown to find parking and get to the finish line. Meanwhile, I was in for my last hill, which I didn’t expect. It was an overpass, although I don’t recall what it went over. It was about then my left knee became sore, although the pain from that seemed to numb the pain in my ankle and back.
I must confess that I after the halfway point I began walking through the water stations, carefully listening to my body and what it needed. But I know I hydrated well because I wasn’t thirsty the final four miles, and didn’t drink that much during it.
With about three miles left I received a jolt of what a marathon can do to someone. I had run about a mile on the front end of the course with a guy from just outside of Quebec City. He was telling me his training didn’t go well at the end because he wasn’t sleeping well. Because of that, he was constantly monitoring his pulse.
Well, at a medical station about three miles from the finish, there sat that 30-year-old-ish man in a wheel chair, with blankets wrapped around him and two paramedics at his side. Talk about a visual not needed after 23 miles.
When I got about a mile further up the road, there was a woman sitting on the curb in the pouring rain, wrapped in blankets as paramedics on bicycles tended to her. Another chilling visual.
Just after passing her the course director played a dirty trick. Getting the 26 miles of a marathon is the easy part, but directors often have to be creative to add the two-tenths of a mile. That’s what happened with a parking lot to the right of the road.
We made the turn in, then made a left to go toward the finish line. However, after about a minute of running, there was a hairpin turn to send us back the other way. Yes, out of the parking lot and back to the road we just came from. In all, about a three- to four-minute detour.
As I got closer to the finish line, Lower Quebec came into view. This is below the cliffs that protected the city centuries ago, and is line with cruise ship terminals and boat docks and sail boats and shops. But the heavy rain kept most of the spectators away, until I saw the sign for 500 meters to the finish.
I know after that I ran for a long time before I got to the sign declaring 250 meters to the finish, which is where we made a left turn and finally saw fans along the street and the finish line banner.
It took some time, but I located the cheering family on the left, and made a bee-line straight for them. I traded my water bottle for a baby, and dashed the last 100 feet with a giggling Kyan in my left arm. As I crossed the finish line I pumped my right fist in the air, gave a quick thank you prayer and basked in glory as the medal proclaiming my feat was draped over my head and hung around my neck.
I finished in 4 hours, 52 minutes, 32 seconds. (View race results)
The time was about what I thought. Standing at the starting line, I thought I would finished between four hours, 45 minutes and five hours.
The only downer of the race was the post-race support. There were no foil blankets wraps, the rain was coming down hard and I was soon freezing. So we quickly grabbed the car and headed to the hotel, where I set the thermostat to 30 degrees Celsius and piled on a few blankets. It took about three hours for me to warm up.
Now, my legs, especially my thighs, remain sore but I am glad my fifth marathon is over. It was a grueling training session, mentally and physically, but I was able to do it.
The obstacles were more than I anticipated, mostly because I had no idea what it would be like to train in the Valley in the summer, and then with an infant.
I thought about that on the course, and how this could be my last one for a while because it’s time to focus on Kyan and making sure he gets everything he needs. Fitting distance running into that schedule is difficult, as I learned.
But after suffering through a brutal summer of anxiety attacks in 2005, to get back to running and finishing a marathon is something I am very proud of.
Thanks for allowing me to share my experiences with you over the last four-plus months. Hopefully, we’ll meet at the finish line of some future marathon.