Monday, October 18, 2010

Toronto Marathon Race Report

I had an okay sleep - not great - but I'd had plenty the previous three nights. The one and only benefit of the late 9AM start (more on that later) was sleeping in to a reasonable time. I was extremely nervous in the morning (will I ever get a handle on these race day nerves?) and had a lot of trouble getting breakfast down. Par for the course. Everything was packed and organized and we got out the door right on time to pick up my training partner (Martin).
 
It was a pretty short drive to the starting point north of the city and we found parking easily. We collected our things and made our way into the Civic Centre building, which was open for runners to keep warm. The indoor washroom lines were long, so we just found a spot on the floor to hang out for a bit before meeting up with the rest of our group. 
 
At this point it was not quite 8AM and the half marathoners hadn't started yet (the half started an hour before the full... another wtf?); it was amusing to see how many half marathoners waited until the last minute to line up. There was a huge stream of people scurrying to the start line after the gun went off. 
 
Things cleared up substantially once they were off, so we finally used the washrooms and started finding our people. We had arranged to meet at the entrance to the cemetery alongside the starting line where we exchanged some final good lucks and photos before lining up. I shed my warm layers and found the temperature quite comfortable - it was about 8C/46F and sunny.  
 
After saying goodbye to hubs, I lined up with Martin and a few others from our pace group. My nerves had finally subsided as I took my first salt, checking my laces, Garmin and pace band one last time. I was ready to go. 
 
And at 9AM (urgh) we were off!
 
The route is point-to-point, starting north of the city and winding down toward the water (net downhill) where we would run an out-and-back along the lake before headed back up to Queen's Park for the big finish.    
 
 
 
We settled in comfortably and concentrated on holding back as the initial kilometres ticked by. We were taking short walks (30-45s) every 15 minutes, as we do during long runs in training. At Mississauga I started out only walking when I took gels, and through water stations in the later miles. I'm undecided at this point which works better for me. Something to think about...


Around 4K we hit the most note-worthy hill of the race in Hoggs Hollow. It's early enough not to be an issue, but still memorable.
 
 
 
KM1 5:27
KM2 5:32
KM3 5:03 (downhill)
KM4 5:13
KM5 5:43 (Hoggs Hollow)
 
We saw hubs shortly after 5K for a quick wave. Our coach, Kevin, was waiting with him and jumped in with us at this point. It was great to have some extra company/support.
 
I checked my pace band often and knew we were within about 30 seconds of goal pace overall. Looking back, our splits are not very consistent. We were running downhill for the most part with a few inclines in the mix - this could be to blame, but truthfully I don't think we were doing a very good job pacing.


KM6 5:38
KM7 5:23
KM8 5:20 (gel)
KM9 5:33
KM10 5:22
 
After running a long, straight stretch down Yonge Street, we headed toward some older neighbourhoods, surrounded by beautiful fall colours. This was by far my favourite part of the route. Unfortunately, this is when I noticed that I was tiring. I actually felt it around 10K, and thought 'Huh? This can't be right!' I chalked it up to my brain playing tricks on me and did my best to push it out of my mind. By about 12K Martin had noticed that I was no longer talking and asked how I was doing. I was honest and told him that I was a lot more tired than I would like. I refused to let go this early, so I held on to my friends and just kept running.
 
There was a significant downhill for a few kilometres along Rosedale Valley. We had been warned to be cautious of trashing our quads, so we cruised down comfortably and I worked on collecting myself. I took my second gel earlier than planned to see if it would help (it didn't).


KM11 5:14
KM12 5:42
KM13 5:13 (gel)
KM14 5:35
KM15 5:07 (salt)
 
During our walk break around kilometre 18, I finally admitted to myself and my buddies that I was going to have to slow down. I felt completely and utterly spent. Kevin hung back with me as we sent Martin and our friend Lynn on their way.

When I was ready, Kevin and I started running again. I felt like I was on the verge of a complete breakdown, but he talked me through it and kept me going. He told me that it was okay, it might just be a rough patch. He encouraged me to slow down as much as I needed to stop being so hard on myself. I was frustrated beyond words, but kept saying over and over that I was not giving up (even though all I wanted to do was sit on the side of the road).

KM16 5:10
KM17 5:33
KM18 5:25
KM19 5:30
KM20 6:09 (gel? can't really remember)

It was somewhere around here that Quinton spotted me from the sidelines. We've been at a few of the same races recently, but hadn't managed to meet until yesterday. I zipped over for a high-five and he gave me a huge boost and managed to snap these awesome pics.


Who said my name?

Heyyy, I know you!


 Thanks, Q!

The Garmin signal went completely wonky downtown during KM 21 and 22 (splits below are not accurate!), as illustrated on the map below.



My memory is foggy, but several other friends were stationed throughout the first half and offered some much-needed support. Sarah, Juliana, Marianne, Patricia, Ueli, Paul, among others. I can't put into words how nice it was to see some familiar faces. Most of them could probably tell by this point that I was having a rough day, but for a few minutes, they made me feel like a million bucks.
 
Shortly after the half, I knew we were going to be seeing a group of fans from our clinic. I chugged along and sure enough, we soon saw (and heard!) them. I grabbed some high-fives and put on a happy face. This isn't the most flattering pic, but it just goes to show what a boost I got each time I saw my friends along the course. Trust me, I was not feeling this happy!
 
 
 
We were now running west into a pretty strong headwind of about 40 kph (25 mph). I don't think it would have been a big deal on a good day, but it sure did a good job of kicking me when I was down. I knew hubs would be waiting to jump in with me just a few minutes down the road, so I just kept pushing.

Kevin was being so supportive and doing an excellent job of keeping my spirits up as much as possible. He reminded me over and over that an off day doesn't define my training or my abilities and that I was doing better than I gave myself credit for. I was so grateful not to be alone during this stretch - I get teary just thinking about it.
Sure enough, hubs was waiting at 23K and jumped right in beside me. I broke the news about how awful I was feeling and immediately started walking again. I was feeling pretty devastated as my goal(s) slipped further and further away. It took every ounce of will and determination I could muster just to keep moving forward... into the wind... in the opposite direction of the finish line! It was going to be a long day.


KM21 5:19 (wonky)

Half Marathon Split: 1:56:58
KM22 5:15 (wonky)
KM23 5:47
KM24 6:39
KM25 6:56

25-30K were by far the worst of the day. I had zero energy and even less motivation. I kept saying that I didn't feel like doing this anymore. I would run for a few minutes then stop to walk, saying "I just can't run." Early on hubs actually mentioned the option of pulling out and trying again at Hamilton in a few weeks. Without even thinking about it, I knew that wasn't going to happen. For one thing, I had no interest in jumping back into training mode or starting another marathon. But most of all, there was no way I was going to quit. I would walk the rest of the way if I had to, and I actually considered that until I realized how long it would take. So on we went.... running when I found the strength and walking when I couldn't. 
 
Kevin stuck with us until 26K or so before heading back to find some others. I thanked him profusely for sticking with me as long as he had, and knew he wouldn't have gone anywhere if I didn't have hubs.
 
I spotted Kenny on the opposite side, heading back after the turn around. I yelled out to give him a little cheer, and noted that he was looking strong. He was on his way to finishing a great race.
 
I plodded on until, mercifully, we hit the turn-around at about 30K. We were no longer running into the wind, but it was suddenly very warm. The sun was relentless (keep in mind it was almost noon at this point! who starts a marathon at 9AM???) and it had gotten hot. We found out later that the temperature had risen to 19C (66F) at this point, which is not unreasonable by most standards, but I've mostly been running in ~10C/50F recently and it felt a lot hotter with that ^$%#*!@ sun. (I even have a nice souvenir sunburn.)
  
KM26 6:10
KM27 6:23
KM28 6:29
KM29 6:36
KM30 6:31 (salt and gel? somewhere around here)

Once we had turned around... things turned around. I knew we were on our way back to the finish. 12K felt manageable. I knew it would be slow and all time goals were out the window, but I came to terms with it and decided to make the most of the experience. Coach Hubs continued to talk me through it as we tried to figure out what had gone wrong. He thought I hadn't eaten enough during the week before and morning of the race. I thought I might have been fighting a cold, but was more inclined to chalk it up to an off day. (We have a few other theories, which I'll discuss in another post.)

Either way, I was ready to finish this thing and move on. I found myself able to run more and started taking it 1K at a time, allowing myself to walk about every 2K.  Hubs, of course, was carrying my water and everything else for me. He had oranges, which I sucked back as well. I dumped water on my head frequently and continued drinking as much as I could stomach.

Aneta spotted me and called out as she made her way to the turn-around. I tried to holler out some support. She was looking good and well on her way to finishing her first marathon!

I was still extremely frustrated with the way things were turning out, but my spirits had lifted considerably over the past hour or so. It wasn't my day, but that's okay. I had come to terms with it. I had accepted it. I was still running a marathon and I was damn proud that I had continued on. There was no stopping me now; I was slow, but I was going to finish.

KM31 6:07
KM32 6:32
32K (20mi) split: 3:07:53 KM33 6:01
KM34 6:37
KM35 6:05

Juliana was waiting at 37K and kept us company for a couple of kilometres. From the look on her face, I could tell that she knew exactly how I felt. She commiserated with me and was able to fill me in on how our other runners were doing to help pass the time. After she headed back to find others, another friend - Greta - was there to jump in.

We were coming up to our little cheer section again where I knew our friends would be. More high fives and another pic. That's hubs and Greta to my side.




At 39K we made the turn toward the finish, but I knew it would still be a long stretch. It was a gradual uphill which would last the remainder of the race, and it hurt.  Greta encouraged me to take it one intersection at a time and told me over and over again how well I was doing. At 40K I took one final walk break and promised myself I would run it in from there. The crowds were fantastic and pretty soon I had more friends by my side, as Kelly and Brian jumped in. I was overwhelmed by the support and caught myself welling up. It had been a long, hard day, but I could not imagine how hard it would have been if I were alone.
 
I was heading toward the Queen's Park circle... which went around and around and around (and around). People on the sidelines were screaming that it was "just around the corner". Hubs, on the other hand, told me that it was still farther than I think; I had to appreciate that honesty. He stuck with me until the barricades appeared, and then sent me on my way. Finally, I could see it. I didn't have much of a kick, but I did find the energy to raise my arms when the announcer called out my name.
 
KM36 6:23
KM37 5:59
KM38 6:23
KM39 6:07
KM40 5:16 (wonky signal, trust me)
KM41 7:47
KM42 5:57
0.9 (Garmin) 5:03


Finally, I was done. As I hobbled my way through the finisher's chute, someone called out my name from the side. It was Quinton again and he snapped a few silly pics of my post-marathon giddy self.
 
 

I collected my giant bling, an unpeeled orange (pathetic food selection) and slowly walked to find my people. Many hugs were shared as we started exchanging war stories and watched for our friends who were still out there running. What a day...
 
Chip Time: 4:11:30
Average Pace: 5:58/KM (9:36/mi)
Overall: 1065/1991
Gender: 251/652
F25-29: 35/91


This post is long enough, so I'll save the post-race thoughts for another day. Thanks for reading!


ETA: race pics

58 comments:

Sarah said...

You finished and you never quit. I am so proud of you! xo

Heather said...

Way to push through and finish after feeling off so early in the race. Congrats on another marathon!

Unknown said...

Way to stick with it. :-)

RunningLaur said...

Another marathon in the books - you're getting good at these!

Emz said...

You're so freaking awesome.

YAY for the pink top.

Awesome photos!!

Anonymous said...

i think im still exhausted from yesterday and it hasnt fully hit me, bc i just started bawling reading ur recap.
it made me think of my painful experience!

good job marlene. dont be too hard on urself. i know u didnt reach ur goal time, but u still did amazing. u were strong and u finished. and there will be other marathons. u will do great next year. i know it!!!!

congrats again!

marie said...

You have nothing but my respect.
Congrats on another finish.

Jen said...

Congrats Marlene! It's so hard to push through a tough run. You have a great attitude and you'll have so much mental toughness for next time!

Teamarcia said...

4:11 is still an awesome time, especially for feeling so bad so early. you are a trooper for pushing through and finishing! I am digging that Toronto shirt!

Marky Mark said...

You are TOUGH! Be proud of yourself and look forward to the next one. You will learn from this one.

I think the theory of the later start is that you don't have all the halvers to contend with at the start so you're running only with full marathoners. If you started before they started, then some might overtake you.

Jamie said...

Way to push yourself when you weren't feeling it at all. You could have stopped and tried again a few weeks from now but that's not you! You toughed it out when many others wouldn't have! Congrats!!!

Amy said...

Thank goodness for crowd support and familiar faces! Way to go toughing it out to another finish!

misszippy said...

I'm sorry you had a tough day out there, but you stuck it out and got through with a great time in spite of it. Way to go!

Unknown said...

Congratulations on your hard work and determination!! Sounds like you have a wonderful support group! :-)

Aron said...

ugg, i hate these races. the ones you train SO hard for and you are just off the whole day without something to really blame. they are tough, i have been there too many times. you did great though, you pushed on, you came out with your head high and i am sure you learned a lot. they make us tougher and with how hard you train i know your on day will be very soon. hang in there, recover well and be very proud of yourself. m&ms and wine always help too ;)

Jen Feeny said...

First and foremost: CONGRATS on Finishing Another Marathon!!! Don't sell yourself short, you manned up when things looked bleak and that says a lot about your mental strength. That being said, I'm so sorry you had an off day. I can only imagine how you feel after such a great training cycle. As my coach says, "Nothing is certain in a Marathon" Speedy recovery too you and enjoy some well deserved time off training.

Lily on the Road said...

Girl, you are amazing...don't ever beat yourself up like that ever again during a race...let's think about this....it was still a fantastic time!!! Congrat's....but maybe take a little down time now that the season is coming to end. (I know, don't you JUST HATE THAT when someone tells you that?).

BTW, before T.O. got big, we'd toboggan down the Hogs Hill during the winter...hehehehe, luckily the police never caught us....

Steel Springs said...

Pushing through that is an accomplishment. Congratulations on your marathon finish! It's so great that your husband ran with you for so long. It also sounds like you have a whole crew of amazing running friends.

No Longer Using said...

you make something reeeeeeeeeeeally tough look pretty easy!!!! seriously! even though you didn't feel that great you still make it look easy :) you have a whole lot of training and work to stand on and so even when circumstances aren't working in your favor you can still crank out an awesome marathon! and i'm so happy you had so much support along the way!!!!!

Lindsay said...

1. You are famous. Look at all your fans, all those high fives and pics!
2. I told you to be more careful with your running - I see you ended up on the train tracks again and I didn't think you "worked" that area ;)
3. Way to persevere. You are an amazing runner and I admire you! You've worked your butt off this year (need a spare? I have plenty) and I know you can run fast. Don't let this one day drag you down at all. I know, easier said than done, but you will run one again duh. :)

Runners Fuel said...

You did great!!

Cindy said...

You did awesome...I can only dream of the day I can reach a 4:11 marathon!! You held on and won the biggest battle, the mental one...and hung in there to finish it. Way to go, Marlene!!

dawn @ running the dawn said...

i believe that we learn so much from each and every marathon. more about ourselves, who we are, who we can become....and i hope that you take a moment amid your disappointment and realize that you just proved how strong you really are. congratulations!

i look forward to your post-race thoughts. those are my favorite kind of posts!!!

Nicole said...

I think I *could* have written your post....word for word...about my marathon yesterday. Sadly, I don't even have the will to write about my day. I think we, as runners, are too hard on ourselves. At the end of the day, we did just run 26.2 miles, you know?! Way to perservere and stay committed.

Q said...

I was confused about the half starting earlier as well!

I think I may know why the half marathoners were late lining up, many of us (those that took the shuttle busses anyway) were left scrambling - the busses were late picking us up!

As for feeling like hell during the race, I felt the same way and was only running the half! It was SUNNY AND HOT, and I'm sure even hotter as the day wore on.

Congrats on sticking it out. :-)

BabyWeightMyFatAss said...

Congrats on your great job!!
That medal is huge! Can you eat off of it? lol

TMB @ RACING WITH BABES said...

Congrats on sticking it out! Sorry things didn't go as you wanted. Even though I met my goals, my race kind of sucked too! We all have those days!

Indi said...

congratulation!! when I'm sure many would have stopped you kept on going and completed the full 26.2! Relish and be proud of that goal!! You will have many races to hit your time I'm sure :)

J said...

Marlene I am so sorry to hear that you felt horrible during the race! I actually felt similarly in my half marathon! I just had no energy and wanted to quit and not be running! BUT you did push through and finished in an amazing time all things considered! Congrats! Rest up!

TNTcoach Ken said...

Sorry that you had a bad race but there's another race with your name on it. learn from this experience and come back even stronger.

Denise said...

it's crazy, you just never know what the day has in store for you. but with that being said, look at that time! with having a rough day you still had a great finish time!! i feel terrible that it wasn't what you hoped for but your friend was right...one race doesn't define your abilities or your training. you may never know what caused you to not be where you wanted to be, at the top of your game, but all that matters is that you get back out there soon to have your redemption. congrats, marlene. you really did a great job!

Being Robinson said...

congrats on another marathon! even if it wasn't the race you wanted, it's a huge accomplishment, and that is still a fantastic finish time :) it's far harder to push through and finish when you're feeling awful than to have an easy race! you're totally badass for that!

Jules said...

Nice job - 4:11 is nothing to shake a stick at, seriously!

I just did my first marathon on 10/10 and had a very similar experience to yours in that there were a few times during the race in which I wanted nothing more than to quit - and it took quite a bit of self-talk and love from my family (who showed up at all the exactly right spots) to keep me going.

Where we diverge wildly is in time - it took me a bit over 7 hours to finish mine, but finish I did - :0) - just like you!!

You are a rock star and so inspiring to me - please don't ever stop blogging!

ShutUpandRun said...

Well despite the fact that the day didn't go as you would have liked, looks like you smiled your way through the whole thing. Way to be strong and hang in there. Sounds like it was a tough one for many reasons.

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner said...

On any given day, right? You just don't know when it's your day or not. So glad you pressed on with a smile on your face! Congrats on another marathon done.

Katie A. said...

Be proud girlie! You finished strong and with a smile on your face. Race day holds so many unknowns, and you pushed through and didn't quit! You learned a lot and walked away with a great finish.
I love that bling! And a 4:11 is something to be proud of, lots of people would kill for that and you did amazing! Congrats again!!!! Big hug to you! I thought about you a million times yesterday ;)

The Horton's said...

I totally want me on of those GINORMOUS blings for my neck!! Maybe next year....

Julie D. said...

marlene, wish I could say, I can't relate...but as you know, I full well can. So sorry it wasn't your day but so proud of you for sticking it out!! Sucks when you train that hard for disappointing results but you and I both know we'll come back stronger and harder than ever before. Next marathon is OURS!! Congrats, Marlene. Btw, you look freakin rockstar!! Fit, thin, and STRONG.

Runner Leana said...

You persevered when your brain didn't want to. Congratulations! You fought through this marathon. You look awesome in those pictures even if you weren't enjoying yourself!

Unknown said...

You did great -- they can't all be PRs. It can be SO HARD to finish a race sometimes, and I know for me the late start time would really get me. CONGRATS -- and also awesome shirt :) and awesome giant medal!

Jess said...

Sorry it was so tough, but nice job sticking to it despite the difficulties!

Nicole @ Haute Runner said...

Good for you for sticking it out during a tough race. You are still super speedy and I can only dream of running a 4:11 marathon one day!

Love the medal!!

RunKathyRun said...

You persevered and finished! You rock and your race report is awesome, I felt your whole experience. And....I saw a BIG smile in every one of those photos.

It's time to take extra special care of yourself and get a little extra rest - you deserve it!

Christine said...

Wow, I'm so impressed that you didn't quit. You can be VERY proud of yourself!!! :)

ajh said...

You did great. And you had so much support out there!

Nicole said...

That race report sounds very similar to my experience yesterday as well. I'm glad i'm not alone but i'm sorry you didnt have your race. I can totally relate. :) You still did great though so bask in the fact that you just ran a freaking marathon!!! you rock!!!!!

yumke said...

The marathon is humbling, even on our best days they still get at us. The more of them I run, the more I realize it is just one of those things that only we can do. To go beyond physical limits and strive for something extra. I know several other runners who had bad days - and i've had enough of those too - that I totally felt like I was in your shoes when you described that feeling. But, like the best of us, you kept on going. Congrats on a great training year. That was an awesome accomplishment and your sub 4 at Mississauga (that was a warm day) is something truly to be proud of.

Carly said...

Great job!!!!!

Unknown said...

Congratulations! Loved that you trooped it out. Such an inspiration!

Winks & Smiles,
Wifey

Anonymous said...

HUGE Congrats to you for Finishing yet another 26.2!!! Races always humble us, reminding us that regardless of amazing training and fitness...some days just aren't our best. Either way, to push through a MARATHON is no small victory, and you've been running strong All year! :)

Anonymous said...

Is that a medal, or a coaster? LOL. Congratulations, Marlene. Awesome, awesome race!

Laura said...

Your gutting it out is so impressive/inspiring.
THough it isn't a course I want to do I do like the tshirt and head sized medal....
Can't wait to hear what finish line is next...

Johann said...

Well done Marlene, that is still a very good finish time! You did great on a tough day. Great report and photos. Like the shirt and medal. Rest well!

Jill said...

That's about the coolest shirt I have EVER seen - very cool! Excellent job, Marlene, on what was not the best of days. So glad you stuck it out and hung in there and had so many awesome friends there supporting you. Nothing better!!! Enjoy your recovery week. Big hugs!!

Heidi said...

WOW, that is some giant bling! Sorry it wasn't your day, but you should be super proud of yourself for sticking through it. Many wouldn't have. How awesome to have such wonderful support from your hubs and many friends. That must feel great!

Anabela (Bela) Neves said...

Congrats on sticking with it!
I have to ask, how do you compare the Goodlife to the Scotiabank Marathon? I's love to hear yoru thoughts!

Boris T said...

Congrats on sticking with it and finishing.

Lisa said...

OMG...you and I had such similar experiences on the same day! My half marathon split was almost exactly the same! You held it together better than I did and had a better finish time. Way to push through it and get to the end. You kept your spirits up better than I did... great job.