Blue Nose Marathon Weekend Recap

I know I haven't posted in a long time. After my long run on Easter, I didn't run very much, and I was sure I had sabotaged my half marathon, and didn't feel like writing about it.

We left for Nova Scotia on Friday, early morning (I had a meeting at my office that afternoon). I made sure to have my water bottled filled, and drank water all day. After the meeting we went to my Mother-in-Law's house, where we'd be spending the weekend.

On Saturday morning, we went to the Expo to get my race kit and browse the booths. The man who gave me my race kit was originally from PEI, so we chatted a bit and he wished me luck. I went to get my chip activated, and when I saw my name and bib number come up on the screen, my heart pounded. I was actually doing this!

We walked around the Expo, and I talked with Courteney a bit at the Run Nova Scotia booth. We noticed that at the next booth over, there was a man doing caricature drawings for free. Red Fox and I both had ours done. Red Fox's is awesome, but I'm not a fan of mine (Red Fox said "well... he captured your German heritage"). I also bought a Blue Nose headband to wear during the race.

 

After the expo, we went back to MIL's, and basically just did nothing rested my legs. And charged all my devices: phone, ipod (which I didn't use at all), and garmin GPS watch.

 

 

 

That evening, I had a giant plate of spaghetti, and went to bed at about 9. We'd have to get up at 5, and I knew I wouldn't sleep well. I had the internal debate regarding my ear plugs... if I don't wear them, I'll hear snoring all night. If I DO wear them, I might not hear my alarm. I didn't wear them, so I was awake at 2:30, and basically didn't sleep after that. I got up, taped my feet in an effort to avoid blisters, and got dressed. Put my hair up and braided it, and put on some makeup. I KNOW, it was a race, but they take photos, AND the makeup has SPF30, which was the only sunscreen I had. We packed up all our stuff, and stopped at Tim Hortons for breakfast on the way. I had a yogurt that I brought with me, and half a bagel. Honestly, that's more than I usually can eat before a race!

 

Red Fox dropped me off at the Metro Center and I went in to stay warm and prepare. I went to the bathroom 3 or 4 times... mostly preventative... I didn't want to have to stop for a pitstop mid-race. Finally, it was time to go to the start area. I saw mom, Little Fox and Red Fox on the way, and they got some photos and took my jacket.

 





I lined up with the 2:15 pace bunny. I hoped to at least keep the guy in my sights.

My view from the starting line

And we're off!

 

This was not my best race. I was feeling good at the very beginning, and looking for my mom, Ref Fox and Little Fox occupied my mind. It was sunny and warm, so I took a drink at the first water stop. BIG MISTAKE. I got the worst side stitch I've ever had. I tried to run/walk through it, but I just didn't go away. I lost sight of the pace bunny at about km 2. A lady stopped and asked me if I was ok. I said I was, and when I caught up to her a few minutes later I thanked her for checking on me, and we talked about how disheartening it is to get a stitch, have to walk, and watch all the runners blow past you. I saw Mom and the boy at about km 8, and I still had the stitch. I told Mom I didn't think I'd be able to do this. Finally, about a km later, it faded.

But then, at km 10, my knee started hurting. I was like, Nooooooooooooooo. It hadn't been bothering me since last summer, WHY NOW?! I had been texting Red Fox during my walk breaks. I also sent Courteney a text to let her know I felt like death, and that I had seen Heather. As I was going in to Point Pleasant Park, I saw runners coming out. I thought I might catch Heather, so I pulled out my phone and got the camera ready. I was JUST about to turn the corner and put my phone away when I saw her! I yelled to her and snapped a quick picture.

Here are some screen grabs of my desperate (and typo-filled) texts, and some of the photos I took along the way.

 

*at km2

*That's a photo of the 15k sign

*there were a few Kenyan runners running his year. This guy just flew past. It was AMAZING!

 

Heather. Looking strong!

In Point Pleasant Park

At the end of this street, we could see the Hill. So close, yet so far away. That guy in the grey was also hurting... he stopped a few times to rub his knee.

 



 



As I entered the park, someone had some music playing, and the song was Hedley's Anything. There was a man running beside me and we both loudly belted out "Forget that, I can do anything!" and then looked at each other and laughed. It was one of my favorite moments. Running through the Park was really nice. It smelled like ocean (obviously), and was nice and cool, with a  bit of a breeze. I was in some pain by this time, and I took the chance to walk up that giant hill that is in there.

The support along the route was amazing. So many bands playing, lots of people with cowbells or other noise makers and drums, and everyone cheered for everyone. The water stops were high energy and full of encouragement, and the police and commissionaires personnel were great. One guy was directing us out of the park, and made a little dance out of it. It really made me smile.

Another of the bands near the end of the route played Nelly's Ride Wit Me, and the lyrics "why do I feel this way... must be the money" also made me laugh because at this point, I felt terrible, and I certainly wasn't getting any money for it!

*I don' know why I look so happy. I wasn't happy! 

*This one is more accurate. Looking pained in this one.

Finally I could see the finish. I tried to finish strong, but my knee hurt SO bad, so I just tried to actually keep running. I saw mom and Little Fox, cheering and yelling "you did it!!" and then crossed the finish line. I felt relief and pain! I checked my garmin and saw that I finished in 2:21:36, which I was pretty pleased with, considering how much walking I had to do. As soon as I stopped running, my calves cramped up into knots, my quads went weak. I hobbled over to get my medal, and the volunteer and I laughed at how long I was taking to get to her. I went in to he Metro Centre to get a banana and make my way down to meet my family. I s-l-o-w-l-y made I down the hill, and tried to fumble my way through a decision about lunch. Really, my head was a bit messed up, and I wanted someone to direct me and to say, "ok, we're going here, and we're doing this" but we eventually came to a decision to meet Alex and Alex at their hotel and eat at the restaurant. We originally planned to go to Cora's, but the hotel was closer, and we wouldn't have to drive there.

Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with my time. I'm disappointed about the side stitch and knee pain, and I think if it hadn't been for those things I could have finished within my 2:15 goal, but all things considered, I am really pleased. It's now Tuesday morning, and my knee still hurts. My legs are quite sore. But I feel pretty damn good about it all!

Oh, I almost forgot. Here's my favorite photo from the whole thing. It was taken by Jeremy Buehler, a photographer along the route. I love this one because it perfectly captures how enthusiastic Little Fox is, and I love that he's so happy, friendly, and outgoing. There are other photos from the other direction so the runner's faces are visible, and everyone is grinning as they run past him. Also, hank you, Mom, for coming to Halifax to watch the race, and thanks to Mom and Red Fox for their support, encouragement, and reassurance that I would finish and not collapse on the way.