Vancouver BC Marathon Report (my first) (Read 562 times)

Well I've finished my first marathon and it was an experience like none other. It really was the perfect climax to 5 months of training. We (my husband and I) left to walk to the stadium/start about and hour and a half before the start. It was a GREAT day for a run. 55 degrees or so, a little overcast, sunny at times and hardly any wind. I warmed up a bit and stretched then made one last attempt to go to the bathroom about 30 min before the start. I parted ways with my husband (he's a spectator) and headed to the start. I met up with an acquaintance from work who I knew was going to be there. She is about 10 years older than me and this was her 8th marathon. She said she hadn't trained all that well for this one and fully expected me to leave her in my dust. I had a 3:55 paceband to guide me. I was shooting for under 4:00, but wore a 3:55 band to give myself a little cushion. We started off at a good pace and stayed ahead of my paceband the whole time. She was shocked she was keeping up with me but we both felt good and kept it up. Luke (my husband) tried to catch us at mile 2 and missed us, but we came back by around mile 6 and we saw him. It was great to see him cheering us on and he tried to take a picture but forgot the lens cap! All the conversation made the first 10 miles fly by. At a few points one or both of my knees ached a little, but I knew it wasn’t anything serious, so I just tried to ignore it and move on. Right at mile 10 my buddy's sister joined us for a mile and cheered us on. At mile 11 we saw Luke again and he got some great great action shots of us. About every mile there was music (live or djs) and that made it more enjoyable. I had my ipod, but I really didn't need it. We ran through Stanley Park which was a nice break from the city streets. At some point we chatted with a very nice couple from Vancouver. They had run several marathons and the woman (45 yrs old) was trying to qualify for Boston. I was so impressed and we were all excited for each other since we all had the same under 4:00 goal. We hung with them for a couple miles until they stopped for water. I could tell my running buddy was starting to slow down. We would walk through water stops here and there but she was taking her time at them. I hung with her for a few, but around the halfway point I decided I could pick it up and be ok. So at the halfway point water stop I just pushed through and she hung back. I felt bad, but I knew she would be ok with it. I found out later she tried to catch up with me for a few miles! Right around mile 17 there was a huge crowd and they were all shouting my name (it was on my bib). I actually started tearing up; it was such a good feeling. I was dealing with so many emotions I couldn't handle it. Any pain that I was having went away and I knew I could do it. I checked my pace band and I was still over 3 minutes ahead of 3:55 pace. Totally unexpected. After that I crossed Burrard Bridge and I saw Luke right at the midpoint of the bridge. He was awesome. Took some pics, gave me a high five and shouted for me. The bridge was lined and the cars slowly crossing it were honking. There was one volunteer that was shouting at the people in cars to cheer more for us. He was great, totally fired up. He kept saying "Do you realize these people are running 26.2 miles?!?!? When have you ever run that far?!?! Show them some encouragement!!!! Less than 1% of the population has finished a marathon!!!" It was great. I could feel my legs were stiffening, but that was expected. We wound through some neighborhoods for a while and it was basically an out and back from the bridge. I was doing ok until miles 22-24. I started getting REALLY hungry. I had been eating my Sharkies every 5 miles or so, but it just wasn’t enough. I didn’t want to resort to the PowerGel they were handing out since I hadn’t tried it during training. I started drinking ½ Gatorade ½ water mix at the water stops and I think that helped a little bit. I hadn’t used Gatorade during training either so I didn’t want to over do it. Around mile 24 I came back over the bridge and I felt like I really hit the “wall”. I was still hungry and a little whoozy. I knew this point would come but there really is no way to prepare for it. I walked maybe like 20 steps at some point because I felt light-headed. But I knew I had to keep going and I knew I was almost done. So I picked it up again and took on the final stretch. The last mile was lined with scattered supporters and it went by very quickly. I took off my ipod and enjoyed the noise. I kept thinking “I’m almost there. I’m almost there”. I probably thought that a little too early but it kept me going. Everybody was shouting my name and cheering and I was determined to finish strong. The last mile is kind of a blur. Once I hit the 26 mile sign I knew I was there, I knew I would finish (and with a good time). I got a boost of energy from nowhere and I started sprinting. Well it felt like sprinting, but I am sure it was a slow jog. I did pass a few people I think. Either way I attempted to HTFU and pushed all the way to the end. I looked at the clock and it was 3:53. I crossed the line and heard the announcer say my name. I smiled, teared up, and wanted to collapse (all at the same time). I checked my time when we got home and chip time was 3:51:43! So much better than I expected!! I couldn’t be happier. Sorry so long. It really is hard to convey everything about this experience. Overall I thought it was a great mrathon. Small, but well organized. Not a ton of crowd support, but fun. Pretty flat course with great mix of scenery.

Nice race report. Nicely done. Seems like you really had your goals set firmly and realistically and followed your game plan perfectly. This will always get desired results and you should be proud of yourself for a race well done!

Good stuff Sara! Nice race, amazing finish time and great report!

great performance and race report! kudos to you and your amazing cheering section (Luke). It's a tough moment when one decides to go ahead without a running partner, but I think many have been on both sides of that fence (I know I have) and it's better for everyone if the stronger runner moves on. I don't mean to sound heartless, but unless they are injured or distress, I think any running partner would want you to go on. As a seasoned marathoner, your co-worker surely wanted you to continue and have your race. congrats again.

Thanks everyone! A few pictures... I'm on the left with white tank and black shorts, with my buddy and her sister (mile 10) Crossing the bridge mile 17-18 Just about to cross the finish line Post-race

Great race Sara. I was at the BMO Vancouver as well. In fact you passed me during the last 1/2 mile. I remember because I was thinking to myself "You aren't going to let that young woman beat you are you?" Then I realized that this old codger didn't have any gas left in the tank. If I had known you were an RA runner I would have gasped out "Good finish" instead of secretly wishing you a hamstring cramp. By the way my Garmin says I ran the last mile in 8:01 so you were moving at a pretty good clip. Great race report.

nice race report... very inspirational...

Congrats!!! Awesome recap...that's a great time for your first marathon.