{"id":1896,"date":"2015-11-02T21:37:37","date_gmt":"2015-11-03T02:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/raz-family.ca\/RunKristi\/?p=1896"},"modified":"2015-11-02T21:37:37","modified_gmt":"2015-11-03T02:37:37","slug":"hamilton-road2hope-marathon-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raz-family.ca\/RunKristi\/?p=1896","title":{"rendered":"Hamilton Road2Hope Marathon Recap"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It is the day after the marathon. That glorious day when you know you are due some rest and a serious supply of chocolate. \u00a0Your body aches but it is a good ache. Each little pain reminds you of what you have done, what you mentally pushed your body to do. \u00a0And today, despite two previous marathons, I finally feel comfortable calling myself a marathoner.<\/p>\n

For some reason I have struggled with saying I’m a marathoner. \u00a0I’m not a fast runner at that distance. I don’t think I have even managed to reach the average female marathon time. \u00a0No matter how hard I train it is doubtful I will ever come near a Boston qualifying time. \u00a0I know many people who are fast marathoners. Sometimes it is hard not to compare myself to them. I think though that I have finally let go of that comparison. \u00a0 If you are on a marathon course you are pushing yourself to the limits no matter your pace. You are having mental arguments with yourself no matter what time you plan to cross the finish line. Yesterday I fought the worst headwinds I have ever experienced. I dealt with GI issues that I have come to realize are just forever going to be a part of my running. I was sick the entire week before the race and still not 100% by race morning. (I am coughing still as I write this). I several times thought that 42.2 is just not the distance for me. \u00a0But I did finish, 4 minutes faster than my first marathon. \u00a0Without the bathroom breaks it would have been closer to 10 minutes faster. \u00a0I felt like I accomplished something big when I crossed that line.<\/p>\n

As for the race itself, I highly recommend you try Road2Hope. \u00a0To me this race was “just right” – not too big, not too small. \u00a0The organization was excellent. \u00a0Race kit pick up was a breeze on the Friday afternoon and a helpful volunteer took the time to talk to me at length about the marathon course. \u00a0Probably the only thing I would suggest the organizers change is how they distribute race shirts. \u00a0When you register you do not give your shirt size – it is instead done on a first come, first serve basis. \u00a0This wasn’t a problem for us as we arrived early, but I know I would have been frustrated if my size was gone even though I had registered months ago. \u00a0One bonus about the shirts though was the fact that you got to choose your colour. \u00a0Women had a choice of black, red or pink. \u00a0I also appreciate the long sleeves; I have more than enough short sleeve race shirts.<\/p>\n

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We stayed at a hotel only 5 minutes from the finish line, which offered a very reasonable price of $99 for runners and late check out. \u00a0They even opened\u00a0their Sunday breakfast extra early so that runners would have a chance to fuel up. \u00a0It was quite nice for me to be able to walk from the hotel to the event site in Confederation Park\u00a0to watch 2 of my friends do the 10k race on Saturday. \u00a0The 1k, 5k and 10k races were all held along the recreational path tracing the shoreline of Lake Ontario. \u00a0With free parking and heated tents for racers to get their food, you really couldn’t ask for a better location.<\/p>\n

The half marathoners and marathoners had to start their races high up on the escarpment, or what everyone calls the mountain. \u00a0Parking was again free at Confederation Park, where a huge number of volunteers ushered the cars in quickly and efficiently. \u00a0And if you happened to be staying at our hotel, there was also a shuttle to the park. \u00a0Once parked we were on one of the many, many school buses within minutes. \u00a0As we boarded the bus driver handed out sweat check baggage tags and a black marker was passed around. \u00a0Once you got the marker, you simply wrote your bib number on the tag and you were ready to drop it off at the start line, where it would then take a much easier route than you to the finish!<\/p>\n

The shuttle ride was about 15 minutes and then we were dropped off at a warm recreation centre with lots of room for nervous runners. \u00a0We didn’t bother to head outside until 15 minutes before the race. \u00a0I always appreciate a race where I do not have to spend almost as much time huddled at the\u00a0start as I spend running. \u00a0There were no official corrals but there were pace bunnies, so it wasn’t difficult to figure out where you should be prior to the start gun.<\/p>\n

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The course is awesome. \u00a0We just had the unfortunate luck of running on one of the windiest days possible. \u00a0Running on rural roads on top of the escarpment is fantastic, but look out when those winds start gusting across the open farm fields. \u00a0All was good until a turn somewhere around the 8k mark and then you found yourself fighting the wind until the half way point. \u00a0Once in a while you would get a little break and think how nice it felt, only to be blasted by more wind gusts. \u00a0Some of the km signs had been blown over or off their stands. \u00a0Apparently there were people who had their bibs blown off their shirts and they had to hold on to them for the chip. \u00a0I tried to take a salt pill only to have the capsule literally fly out of my hand. \u00a0Some cow may find a little treat in its field this week.<\/p>\n

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We did get a break on the long downhill. \u00a0I admit, this part was fun. \u00a0I even did the Little House on the Prairie move – you know the scene when the little girl goes running down the hill with her arms spread out? \u00a0Instead of a meadow I had a concrete path leading me down the mountain to Lake Ontario.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, by km 30 I knew my intestines were going to protest all the work I had been doing. \u00a0 Why can every other part of my body adjust and adapt to running, but my intestines insist on steadfastly fighting the whole process. \u00a0And guess what? \u00a0They win, every time. \u00a0Despite all my hopes to not have to waste time in porta potties, stops were made. \u00a0My last 10k was just about walking when I needed to, running when I could. \u00a0I did finish strong though, even making it up this hill without walking in the last km of the race.<\/p>\n

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I will note though (and someone else has commented on this too on the race Facebook page)… Runners – if you are finished the race DO NOT use the path as a place to stand and chat. \u00a0A group of runners parked themselves in the middle of the pathway somewhere around the 41k mark. \u00a0From what I can tell they were just hanging out. \u00a0That’s great for you if you are done your race, but others are trying to finish too. \u00a0GET OFF THE PATH! \u00a0Sorry for the shouting but I couldn’t believe they were there. \u00a0I even called out “runner coming through” and they didn’t move! \u00a0I had to step around them. \u00a0Maybe this is just me but at that point in a marathon, having to take a couple of extra steps to go around something feels like being asked to climb a mountain. \u00a0As I say to all the kids I teach – come on guys, common sense!<\/p>\n

In those last 10k I started to accept the fact that I am not a fast marathoner. \u00a0It was weird, but I wasn’t frustrated. \u00a0I did not look at my watch. \u00a0I knew my pace had slowed significantly. \u00a0I have chosen not to look at my watch since for fear that I will forget the things I should be proud of and instead be disappointed in just how slow I was in the last quarter of the race. \u00a0In the end, it was a PB and a PB in tough conditions. \u00a0I am going to hold on to that.<\/p>\n

And finally, the best part of this weekend? \u00a0The great people who joined me for the race. \u00a0When I decided to do this race I spread the word amongst my running friends and 4 wonderful women joined me on the trip. \u00a0We are all at different stages of our running and have our own goals, but what a supportive group of people! \u00a0First I have to thank Karen, who is a faster runner than I can ever dream to be, but she stuck with me for the whole race. \u00a0I was a pretty quiet running partner in the last part of the race but just having her beside me kept me going. \u00a0To Rebecca, another Boston runner who ran an amazing time on Sunday – your words of encouragement are priceless. \u00a0You may be a fast runner, but you totally know what all runners need to hear. \u00a0To Noreen (who PB’d her 10k!) and Cathy – oh my gosh…Best Race Crew Ever! \u00a0They took care of me like an elite runner after the race, including letting me sit in the car while they went inside to get me the Dairy Queen treat I had been looking forward too.<\/p>\n

Two other great friends also made the day special for me. \u00a0To Rod<\/a> and Doug who drove out early on a Sunday morning to give me good luck hugs and words of encouragement – what a kind and generous thing to do. \u00a0And Rod, joining me for a bit of a run at the 16k mark gave me a mental boost as I fought the winds. \u00a0I can’t thank all of you enough!<\/p>\n

Of course I have to thank my family too. \u00a0Behind every marathoner (see, I am calling myself that!) is a very patient family who supports you in the idea of running 42.2km for no other reason than to prove you can. \u00a0Thank you to my husband and kids for putting up with it all! \u00a0And thanks to everyone else who has managed to look and act interested as I babbled on about marathon training.<\/p>\n

Will I do a marathon again? \u00a0Honestly I think I might. \u00a0I have found a training schedule I love thanks to Jason Fitzgerald at Strength Running<\/a>. \u00a0Without a doubt I became a better runner thanks to that schedule. \u00a0I have found a course I love and would definitely try again thanks to Road@Hope Marathon<\/a>. \u00a0I have other goals in running besides marathons, so next spring I can focus on those. \u00a0All five of us have already agreed that we want to do Road2Hope again next year. \u00a0When the time comes I will decide if it will be the marathon or the half. (It think the half course would be very conducive to a PB!) \u00a0In the meantime, I think I am about to sign up for another trip to Hamilton… Around the Bay<\/a>, here I come!<\/p>\n

Follow me on Twitter @AverageRunnerK<\/p>\n

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It is the day after the marathon. That glorious day when you know you are due some rest and a serious supply of chocolate. \u00a0Your body aches but it is a good ache. Each little pain reminds you of what you have done, what you mentally pushed your body to do. \u00a0And today, despite two […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-running"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3amQ2-uA","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/raz-family.ca\/RunKristi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/raz-family.ca\/RunKristi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/raz-family.ca\/RunKristi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raz-family.ca\/RunKristi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raz-family.ca\/RunKristi\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1896"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/raz-family.ca\/RunKristi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1907,"href":"https:\/\/raz-family.ca\/RunKristi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1896\/revisions\/1907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/raz-family.ca\/RunKristi\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raz-family.ca\/RunKristi\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raz-family.ca\/RunKristi\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}