How I ran a marathon

I am an athlete.

For the past three years, I've imagined being able to write this blog post and say those words out loud. Finally, after all that hard work, I think it's safe to say I am officially an athlete. Yesterday, I crossed the finish line in 4:16:41 and completed a marathon.

There's so much to reflect on now that it's done. Part of me doesn't even believe that I did it (although at 37K, believe me, I realized I actually WAS doing it!). But I've got the pictures and the medal to prove it – in three years, I have gone from decidedly un-athletic to a full-out marathon runner.

When Mike and the kids met up with me after I crossed the finish line, Mike asked me how it went. I replied, "It was hard. Really, really hard." And it was – much harder than any run I'd ever done before, and perhaps the hardest physical thing I've ever done in my life other than giving birth. (As an interesting aside, I was in labour with Chris for four hours and 20 minutes – four minutes more than it took me to run the marathon1)

The day itself was gorgeous. You could not have asked for better weather. Beautiful, sunny, no wind and not too hot. I did get a bit of a sunburn (didn't think to put on sunscreen!), but I had a hat and sunglasses on the whole time, so my face and head were fine.

The race started at 7:30 in the morning, just outside of Square One shopping centre. We ran west down Burnamthorpe, both the half marathoners and the full marathoners. It was extremely crowded. I couldn't wait for the 15K mark, when it would start to thin out a bit.

Most of the run was through the most beautiful neighbourhoods you can imagine. And the path down along the lake? Stunning, especially with that sunshine. I'll never forget turning down the path and seeing the lake sparkling in the sunlight. Then, the path curves and there was an incredible view of the Toronto skyline. I wish I'd had a camera to take a picture, although I was a bit busy at the time!

But everyone told me that running the 42K (26 miles) was harder than any training run or any other race. They were right. I felt myself struggling even around the 25K mark or so… I didn't know how I'd make it to 42. I kept refueling and I drank a ton of water, and really just tried to break the race down into smaller chunks. I'd tell myself things like, "Well, at 27K you can have more food. Just make it to 27K and you'll feel better," or, "At 38K there's another water station and you can walk while you drink your water. Just make it to there and you'll feel better."

At least when I hit 40K there were enough spectators cheering that it powered me through until the end. The funny part about the Mississauga race is that your first name is on your bib, so complete strangers kept shouting things like, "Go Alison! You can do it Alison! You look great Alison!"

After the race was done, I felt like my legs were going to fall off. I managed to get halfway to the car before I threw in the towel and told Mike he'd just have to go get the car and bring it to me. I spent most of the afternoon in bed or on the couch (after a soak in Epsom salts!), and honestly, I actually feel a bit better than I thought today. Going up and down stairs is tough (why do I live in a split level???), but I even managed to walk Andrew to the bus stop this morning.

While you try to train and prepare for everything, there are always some race-day mistakes you make. For me, one mistake was definitely neglecting my armpits – the skin is completely chafing and hurts more than my legs! I should have used Body Glide or Vaseline. That has never happened to me before in a run, and I ran in that tank top all the time – but usually with a shirt over top. Yesterday it was too hot for the shirt (I took it off at the 3K mark), so that probably explains it. They started hurting around the 15-16K mark, which didn't bode well for the rest of the race.

Another mistake was how much I slowed down. I'm not sure WHY that happened (well, I mean, I know WHY – I was pooped! – but why my training didn't power me through that). I don't know if I went out too fast or if I simply hadn't done enough long runs, but that is an area I would really like to work on. Not that I had a bad result – not at all! – but I could have done a lot better if I hadn't slowed down so much. I felt like a turtle… and probably looked like one too!

But while it only took me 4:16 to run the race, the truth is it took every minute of those three years of training. Every 5K race, every 10K race, every half marathon, Around the Bay, and every second of my training runs, Tread Powerfully classes, Intense Strength classes, Power Pilates classes… all of those things led to this moment.

I also learned that with outer strength comes a great deal of inner strength. Three years ago, I was really a different person. I was more reactive. I got angry when I did something wrong. I had no patience. Running and exercise gave me all those things. It gave me patience. It showed me how, by taking time for myself, I could give more of myself to others. It has started me on the road to becoming a better person – a better mother, a better wife, a better friend, a better member of the community. I have many more things I want to achieve, both personally and in the world. I have career goals, goals for my family and I want to help others. I truly believe this journey has given me the inner strength to do that.

Of course, my running journey isn't over either – far from it. Mike asked me yesterday if I would do a marathon again. I know I will. It may not be this fall (today, running the Scotiabank Toronto marathon seems like a BAD idea!), but I will do it again. I want to run the New York marathon and the Chicago marathon one day. I'm even harbouring a dream of running Boston, although I'd have to shave ½ an hour of my time to qualify! I don't know where the future will take me, but I know my feet will take me there.

So stay tuned… this blog isn't done and neither am I. For now, I'm going to take a few days rest and spend a bit of time decided on the next step of my journey. See you then!

Happy trails…