Now that that don’t kill me, can only make me stronger. I need you to hurry up now, cause I can’t wait much longer…And with another race gone by, the sweet sounds of Kanye West’s “Stronger” guided me across yet another finish line.
A couple of friends and I ventured to Ottawa this weekend for Ottawa’s popular Race Weekend. I wanted to see Ottawa again, I wanted to run a 10k, so off we went. The weekend was somewhere beyond fantastic. I cannot adequately express my love for Ottawa in words. I started smiling the minute we entered the city and really did not want to leave. If I could live in any city, it would be Ottawa. Unfortunately, while it has the lure of some fantastic people (and quite clearly an awesome race one a year), it does not have my workplace. I love my job; therefore, no moving in the near future.
Nonetheless, good times were had, bridgehead coffee was obtained, places were walked to and visited, friends were seen, and a race was run.
I won’t go kilometer by kilometer with this one. I promise. The beginning of the race was insane. Over 8000 people were running it, so that was already nuts to begin with. They put you into corrals based on the time you said you finish (I said somewhere between 71-80minutes), and you start the race in waves. The gun goes off, but it took over five minutes to get across the start line. It takes another couple of minutes to get to the point where you can actually run and find your pace. It’s more of a run/walk while everyone spreads out and heads down the street.
The weather was FANTASTIC! It was beautiful, sunny, and a bit cooler than it had been during the day. That being said, holy crow did it ever get hot after a few minutes. I could feel my face heating up more and more due to the sun and the running. It never cooled down. I was crazy sweaty by the end of it. All I have to say is next time, I buy running pants/shorts. Yikes…
Anyway, the first couple of kilometers were fine. It was a lovely run as usual. I was anticipating a water break at 3k that never came. It did not appear until almost the 5k point, which I thought was a bit cruel. I was desperate for cool liquid at this point, and was happy to see it. I saw a number of people who seemed to forget (or not know) race etiquette when it comes to drinking water/ditching your cup. Do not whip your 1/2 full cup of water several feet away from you when you are done. It might hit someone. Pinch the cup, drink, lower cup, pour our remaining liquid (even if it goes down your leg), and drop the cup. Not hard.
For the most part, the course was just about the flattest thing I had ever run (aside from running on a track), which seemed to confused my body. I’m accustomed to running up and down more inclines, so you work harder, get a bit of a break, work harder, break, repeat. My muscles rebelled against the unfamiliar course (I had no idea what I was in for, and I really found that not knowing what was coming in terms of incline a challenge), and I will admit this was a hugely challenging run. Had I the time prior to the run, I would have liked to have run at least 1/2 the course, just to know. Next time!
By the time I saw 7k, I knew it was going okay. 8k made me smile even more, and I just about died with happiness when I saw 9k. They even had a count down in meters until the end, which was really motivating. As you head down the race course, there are people cheering from everywhere…LOUDLY! Strangers yell your name (it’s on the bib), and encourage you. While I thought this would be creepy and odd, I found it surprisingly comforting to know that people cared about your race performance. It was also great to hear (because I couldn’t spot them in the crowds) friends cheering you on. That last 500m might have been the most glorious of the race. My body felt good (a little tired, a little sore, but this is normal – my knees held up okay!), I had music in my ears, and I knew my friends were there. As I ran through the finish line (1hour and 16minutes), I could not help but be ridiculously happy to be part of a community that is so supportive, to have such fantastic friends that cheer me on, to be able to run, and (oh here comes to cheese) to fulfill the dreams of my teenage years to be a runner (why am I thinking about dreamracer here…). I’ve been running seriously since January, and this was the first moment that I really felt like a runner.
After the race, I ate happily, stretched, iced my knees, drank water, hugged my friends, and went off to bed where (when I finally made it there), I passed out solidly. My body is recovering quickly (much quicker than last time), and I can’t wait until the 8k next month.
What doesn’t kill me, only makes me stronger. I’ve said it before, ad I’ll say it again: I run because I have to. I run because I love it. I am a runner.
1/2 marathon, here I come!
I didn’t end up powering it down the hill for really one reason: the knees. The last time I got a little too enthusiastic running down a hill, I couldn’t run for a week or so. As I watched people pass me, I kept chanting in my head “finishing is more important than speed to you…run your own race.” Often, the psychological aspects of running are the hardest, at least for me.
