I tried to feel good. I tried to calm myself and enjoy my music. My effing waterbelt kept on twisting around (I decided to run with it because I overhydrated last time when I didn't wear it - I'm sure my time was bad because I was stopping at every damn water station because I thought I was thirsty, but I really wasn't). Also, one of my earbuds kept on popping out. So, if you were behind me for the first ten kilometres of the run? I'm sorry that you had to see me adjust my waterbelt and my headphones and my shirt every forty-five seconds. I was getting so irritated. I hate technical shit like that. At any rate, I eventually got sweaty enough that everything sort of stuck where it ought to. It's gross, but it works.
Okay. So some funny notes from the race would be the guy that sounded like he was dying that ran within my general vicinity for a while. He kept on groaning and I was thinking, "if you're 15 kilometres in and you sound like death now...". I passed someone being taken away in an abulance within the first 12 or 15k. The scenery was beautiful. At one point (I think it was kilometre 11) I made the mistake of turning to look at a sign on the other side of the street and it was the 31 kilometre sign, so my thought process was: "wow, in another twenty kilometres I'll only have eleven kilometres to go. Oh my god. What the fuck am I doing?" Never look at the signs that you're going to encounter on your way back, it is very disparaging.
Okay. So some funny notes from the race would be the guy that sounded like he was dying that ran within my general vicinity for a while. He kept on groaning and I was thinking, "if you're 15 kilometres in and you sound like death now...". I passed someone being taken away in an abulance within the first 12 or 15k. The scenery was beautiful. At one point (I think it was kilometre 11) I made the mistake of turning to look at a sign on the other side of the street and it was the 31 kilometre sign, so my thought process was: "wow, in another twenty kilometres I'll only have eleven kilometres to go. Oh my god. What the fuck am I doing?" Never look at the signs that you're going to encounter on your way back, it is very disparaging.
It was a hilly course. Stupid hills. I stayed on track for a 3:30 marathon until the 25th kilometre. At that point I knew I had ten minutes to "spare" over the remaining 17 kilometres. So I did what I did in the Okanagan: I took it easy on the back half. There were some hills that I didn't want to run up, so I walked them. I hit the wall and I walked through it while eating a gel (I hate gels I hate gels I hate gels I hate gels). I thought a lot about my dad and I really wanted to pull it in under 3:40 for him. It was such a great day and I was looking out over the ocean (I think we were in Oak Bay at this point) and I started welling up thinking how badly I wanted to get it done for him. Around the 32 kilometre mark people started bonking. It's hard to keep running when you see runners in much better shape than you are pulled over to the side, stretching out hamstrings and calves. People were falling apart, walking and not looking good. I thought to myself, "I know I can bring this in under 3:40, and knowing is enough, so let's just walk it in". It's a mental game.There were a lot of people out on the course and some of them had specific signs, but there were 
some that had signs applicable to everyone and they helped so, so much. There was one father and daughter that had a sign that said something like, "Keep going to reach your goals" and it's corny, but damn if stuff like that doesn't get you going. Then there was a woman who was beating an empy milk jug and chanting "Endurance. Perserverance." at the top of this hill and she helped too.
some that had signs applicable to everyone and they helped so, so much. There was one father and daughter that had a sign that said something like, "Keep going to reach your goals" and it's corny, but damn if stuff like that doesn't get you going. Then there was a woman who was beating an empy milk jug and chanting "Endurance. Perserverance." at the top of this hill and she helped too.Then we wound down along the seawall and I knew there was one final hill before the end. I walked up a good portion of that (told you I was the world's laziest runner) and then knew I had to suck it up to get over the finish line.
I was so tired. The finish was only three kilometres away but my stride had shortened so much because my hamstrings were tight and I was exhausted and I just wanted to be done but I didn't have the energy to sprint the last couple of kilometres.
Eventually I heard the crowd and I knew I was nearing the end of the madness and I was running and running and looking at my watch and 
thinking, "Erm, this is getting kind of close" and wondering where the finish line was and then it was looming in front of me and it was over and I heard the announcer calling out my name as I came near the finish line (my name always gets called out because I'm always running ALONE because I'm too slow for the fast pack and too fast for the slow pack) and I raised my arms because it was done and I did it and I saw the clock and it was still at 3:39 (I had until 3:40:59 to re-qualify) and then I was over the mat and some kid was cutting my chip off my shoe and someone was giving me a medal and someone else (I think the mayor??) was shaking my hand and I was ushered through to the food and water stations and I saw some guy that wasn't even able to walk upright staggering around (at least he crossed the finish line!) and I was like, "Please dear Jebus, let Michael have qualified because my body is broken and I can't do this again".
thinking, "Erm, this is getting kind of close" and wondering where the finish line was and then it was looming in front of me and it was over and I heard the announcer calling out my name as I came near the finish line (my name always gets called out because I'm always running ALONE because I'm too slow for the fast pack and too fast for the slow pack) and I raised my arms because it was done and I did it and I saw the clock and it was still at 3:39 (I had until 3:40:59 to re-qualify) and then I was over the mat and some kid was cutting my chip off my shoe and someone was giving me a medal and someone else (I think the mayor??) was shaking my hand and I was ushered through to the food and water stations and I saw some guy that wasn't even able to walk upright staggering around (at least he crossed the finish line!) and I was like, "Please dear Jebus, let Michael have qualified because my body is broken and I can't do this again".
2 comments:
I'm going to have to come back and comment on this post later. It exhausted me reading it.
;)
Good to have you back. I missed your posts because I am 2008's Blogging Loser.
Whew... I'm tired, I may even have a blister, good post. I'll be an even lazier runner than you and not even attempt to attempt to start to try to qualify. You can just run for me.
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