I have been training for the Vancouver Marathon for the last 24 weeks. I can honestly and happily say that the training I have been involved in has been a very positive experience.  Although it was a significant commitment coming from North Langley three times a week, the alternative was to stay in Langley and wait for January to arrive to begin training with either the Running Room or Peninsula Runners.  What North Shore Athletics had going for it at this point was that their website is much better organized and informative, and they began training in mid-November.  However, the most important difference was that I would be training with Laura, my teaching friend from Clayton Heights. Laura gave NSA a massive advantage over RR and Pen Runners.  Those two stores, in fact, really were not serious considerations because of her.

I convinced Lori to commit as well. She really wasn’t hard to convince; in fact, I don’t really remember selling it. I have always extolled Laura’s attributes and knew that Lori would understand soon the faith I put in Laura myself and she too, would soon recognize her leadership.  Although Lori couldn’t start the clinic until December because of her night school course, I made my way out in the dark skies from the start of the clinic.

Because we were unsure how traffic would be, Lori and I, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, left at 5 p.m.  I am happy to say that only one night did the drive take 95 minutes and consequently we were late.  But the other nights, it only took 45 minutes.  So, we arrived always with around 45 minutes to spare.  This gave us time to use the washroom, relax, look around the store, shop, and walk up to the Iranian nut shop; but mostly, this gave us time to get to know Gary.  Gary works at the store and is quite an accomplished trail runner.  This year he ran a 100 mile trail race (yes, all in one day) in Hawaii and won it.  He came third in another 50 mile trail race in Virginia.  He has sponsorship from Montrail, which is a trail/hiking shoe company, as well as the Carbo-Pro Energy drink company. There are simply not enough of the right words to describe how both Lori and I feel about Gary.  Every night we would come into the store and ply him with questions about what we should do and how we should approach things.  And every single night, Gary dropped everything (that’s what it felt like) and would happily (that’s what it looked like) answer our questions.  A lot of times, his answers led to more questions, so a lot of times, we would take up a half hour or more of his time.  Then we would head out for our training.  Often, while we were training, we would think of more questions and on return to the store, corner Gary again, awaiting his expertise.

Travelling to the north shore on Sundays was only a 35 minute endeavour. Earlier than we were used to for our Sunday runs, but we got used to it soon.  One of the things that made these trips more enjoyable was the incredibly varied vistas that we would see each week: from the mountains to the ocean, to the cityscape.  Lori and I loved it.  Then there were the lovely trails we would go through.  We loved the Rice Lake trail.  If North Van weren’t so far away, we’d move there! So three times a week we headed off.  I loved this three-day a week training experience.  I was challenged physically each time I went out.  Each night, I always felt accomplished. Although I was tired from the workout, I lived to tell.  As well, I was challenged mentally.  Because everything I was doing was a new concept to me, I usually felt pretty apprehensive each time I went out because some of the things we were expected to do were SO hard. I had to ignore, as best I could, my anxiety and push my body to work anyways. I think this is part of the digging deep that you hear athletes talk about.

The other thing that made the 3 times a week trip bearable was Lori. People always asked Lori and I about the drive.  Must be hard, must be long, tiring, etc., but it really wasn’t.  Probably because we got to take the HOV lane and it never really seemed to take that long.  I really think though that it felt okay simply because Lori and I enjoy each other’s company so much. We always seem to have something to talk about – from running, to food, to movies, politics, our work, and of course, our personal lives. I remember other people in the clinic coming up to us on our runs asking if we ever run out of things to talk about.  We would just laugh!  Or the time a woman named Barb asked if we were twins!  And the deep connection I feel with Lori would always make its way to the surface of my conscious and I would consequently feel a lot of love. Whatever the topic was though, I was always interested; and I always seem to have a good laugh! We also could express our trepidation to each other about the night’s activities.  God, I will never forget Lori’s face or how I felt on the Sunday at Delaney’s coffee shop in North Vancouver when Laura told us that we would be doing these things called Yassos the following Tuesday. We were freaked out!

I remember one night; Lori couldn’t make it mid-week so I headed out on my own.  I was feeling really tired.  I think my student teacher had just left or she was finishing her practicum and there were some issues.  We had to meet at Sutherland and like usual, I forgot, and met at the store.  After being reminded, I headed to the track.  During the warm up exercises, I felt a hand on my back and looked up. It was Gary asking if I was okay.  I didn’t seem myself that night, he said.  I can’t tell you how much that meant to me.  I really was just feeling exhausted, but to have him notice was heart-warming.  I think, though, that what made me feel more special, was during the last two cool down loops, he ran with me!  I felt very privileged to be running with such an accomplished athlete (although cool-down was feeling like race pace with Gary!). But mostly, I so needed some moral support and Gary just seemed to know it.  I left that night, still tired, but definitely with uplifted spirits.

I not only loved getting to know Gary and feeling the warmth of his kindness (have I mentioned him enough?), but Lori and I thoroughly enjoyed Keith’s company; he made us laugh, laugh, laugh.  I remember saying to Keith one day that I was nervous about running – it was 8 miles or something – and he just turned to me and said “running’s so overrated!” I just laughed; but it took the edge off. And Jen always greeted us with a smile too.

The first person I/we got to know was Noreen.  Such a pleasant, cheerful person.  And then after our 13 mile race pace (UGH!), Lori and I went for breakfast and sat with Abby and Mika. Love those girls.  Abby and I are now BBM connected!  I also got to know Aleta soon after the clinic started.  She’s adorable and she knows my son, Lynden.  They work together.  I love that she told Lynden I look good in spandex!  His response was to tell Aleta to “not go there”. Hahaha! Apparently, she broke a code . . .

Over the 24 weeks, we got to know more and more people.  As individual as running is thought of, it really was beginning to feel like a team sport.  The camaraderie of the clinic members was feeling good.

So after 23 weeks, the final week was the Vancouver Marathon.  I was excited and nervous about it.  Looking forward to it because this is what I had been working towards for almost 6 months.  Nervous, because I didn’t know what my results were going to be.  I had an idea of what they could be, but everyone tells me that race can be so different from training.  I needed to finish in 4 hours and 1 minute to qualify for the Boston marathon. My goal for Vancouver was to come as close to 4 hours as possible so that I would know if Boston was within reach. Remember I am only doing 3 marathons: Vancouver, Sacramento and the big daddy of them all, Boston!

Well, it was not a good night the night before the marathon.  I thought I was going to be okay, but when it was time to go to bed, I was SOOOOOO keyed up, couldn’t sleep and got up at 11:30 p.m. to take an advil pm to get me to sleep.  I woke up at 3:24 a.m. STRESSED out!  I stayed up and had breakfast and a couple of cups of tea.  We were leaving at 6 a.m. for the race.  Al drove Lori and I down.  He also took his bike so he could ride around and pop up in various areas to cheer us on.  I had no idea how important his support was going to be. When we got to Vancouver I lined up for 25 minutes to use one of the many port-a-potties.  My nervous stomach got the best of me so I felt a little depleted of energy before I started.  UGH!

Well, time to start.  Lori and I gave each other a hug, I tried not to cry, we wished each other a great run and off we went.  I did not have a great run, but I also did not have a bad run.  The sleep deprivation had an impact on my performance.  I felt like I was working the entire time – from start to finish.  I was surprised at my time at both the 6 mile and 13 mile mark.  My time was slower for how fast it felt like I was running.  Lori and I ran together for about the first 15-17 miles.  She then went in front of me by about 10 feet, which was good. I thought if I can keep her in sight, I should have a good time. Then I dropped my favourite running hat.  I debated whether to just leave it, but couldn’t.  I stopped to pick it up and when I resumed my run, Lori was around 30-40 feet in front.  I knew then that we wouldn’t run together again.  That was okay though.  We knew that that might happen and it was good.  As we headed onto the Burrard Street Bridge, I saw Lori kick it into gear.  Hills have definitely become her strength. No question about it. Going up and down!

I finally saw Laura and her smiling face at mile 17.  This was perfect because I could throw my hat at her! Up and over the Burrard Street Bridge and onto the 18 mile mark. This is wear I saw Al and my friend Cheryl. I took my energy drink from Al that he was instructed to have ready for me, checked my watch, and saw that I was on track for coming in sub 4 hours.  Not by much, but under. I knew it would be hard because I was not having a feel good run and I had the toughest part coming up. And although in our training we had run out Cornwall/Pt Grey Road towards UBC, I can honestly say that it was one of my least favourite routes in training.  It always seemed to take forever that stretch. And I was right, from the 18 mile mark on was extremely, extremely challenging. However, one memory I have of that stretch is the woman from our clinic, she had laryngitis that day, was holding a big sign that said “BELIEVE” in big letters.  I saw that at the right moment.  It jarred me into remembering one of my few mantras: “Believe it, achieve it”.  That sign, it sounds weird, gave me a push to get out to the turn around point. The turn around point was a relief because it meant I was heading back, but it also was downhill for a bit. On the way back, I saw a different woman holding a sign; that one read “26.2 miles is my bitch”.  Ya, I was going to think that now . . .

But that was short-lived – I’m its bitch! Oh My God!  This part was incredibly tough. It was time for another mantra of mine: “You knew it wasn’t going to be easy, Cathy”.  I distinctly remember at the 23 mile mark wanting to cry.  I said to myself a couple of times that I could quit if I wanted.  Really, I could.  What would it mean if I didn’t finish?  Nothing.  Maybe marathons aren’t for me, but then I saw Cheryl again and this time she had about 8 other friends with her, whom I know, who had come down to cheer me on. If I am going to be completely honest, I was really hoping that they would see the pain in my face and take me in their arms, while I bawled about how hard this was. They would tell me it was okay to stop.  They didn’t do that though.  They cheered loudly, telling me I looked great, telling me I could do it, telling me to keep going.  I kept running.

Mile 24 I had to run up and over the Burrard Street bridge.  I knew that this was going to be tough because of the hill climb, but this is where all my North Vancouver hill training came in handy. I was also excited by this.  I would dig very deep to get up and then at the middle it would be smooth and easy sailing for the last 1.2 miles.  I was almost finished. About a third of the way up the bridge, I saw a young girl (early 20s) lean on the railing and sort of mumble something like she just needed to rest for a second.  I heard a man and woman behind me tell her to keep moving. Just soldier through Cathy, you’re almost done. Almost at the middle of the bridge, Al was there taking some pictures of me; he was there providing strength and to push me on.  I think this is one of the wonderful things about marriage. After years of marriage, we comprehend each other without saying a word. Al had an innate understanding of how I felt.  I could actually see it in his face what he could see in my face.  This actually made me feel warm and fuzzy when I was feeling like complete shit!  As I passed him he said, “you’re doing great Cath. You’re almost done”. He didn’t yell it; he just said it. I felt bad, but all I could give him was a nod of acknowledgement.  But he understood, I know.  And just as I was at the peak of the bridge, Al rode by me and gave me another final, quiet, boost of encouragement and rode off.

Finally the middle of the bridge and it was mostly downhill from there.  The bottom of the bridge at the corner of Pacific Avenue was the 25 mile mark.  Yes, only 1.2 miles to go and mostly downhill.  I have to say that this was the LONGEST 1.2 miles I have ever run.  I was POOPED!  But run I did. 

Two of my students, who I had seen at the 17 mile mark, surprised me and ran with me for about a kilometer. Taelor and Alyssia gave me energy, picked up my pace and then were asked to leave the course.  Secretly, I was so happy that they got booted off because it meant I could slow down a little.  After saying that I would see them at the finish line, I slowed down and soldiered on. Half a kilometer to go and the only thing I can compare this marathon to at this point is childbirth!  That’s what Lori compared it too.  She said the training was almost as long, and the run feels like labour.  Oh ya!  I thought she was exaggerating for laughs . . . But the difference between running a marathon and childbirth is that I couldn’t quit in childbirth, but I could quit the marathon, right?  So why don’t I quit.  Again, what would it mean? Nothing – marathons aren’t for me.  Except even though I could quit, I couldn’t quit and that made me angry. Yep, angry and grumpy. That finish line was SOOOOOOOO flipping far away.

And who do I see jumping out onto the course in front of me at this point?  But my good friend, my mentor, my role model, my running coach, Laura.  She is jumping up and down, screaming something about my time, telling me I look great, not much farther to go, and all I can think of is “SHUT UP, STOP TALKING”.  I can’t muster anything for her except a wave of the hand and I think I shushed her! Oh God, how rude! This really is like childbirth. I think I did the same thing to Al when Taylor was being born.  Laura, whom I adore beyond words, who I want all my friends to meet so that they get to experience the positive energy and inspirational person that I do, Laura, who without fail (except this one time) always leaves me feeling fabulous about myself and with a smile on my face.  And I basically tell her to FO!  I hate to say it, but at this point, I didn’t really care  : )

It’s official; this is painful. And now I finally see that fucking finish line.  Yep – it still might as well be another 26 miles away.  I am moving.  Let’s get this fucking thing over with. Oh My God, this is awful. And now I see 3 of my girlfriends who I usually run with in Fort Langley.  They have come down to cheer, dressed in 1980s workout outfits and have signs that say “Go Cathy and Lori Go!” “Fort Langley Running Babes.”  They are also each wearing a white t-shirt; one says Go, the other says Cathy and Lori, and the last one says Go!  When they stand together, they read, Go Cathy and Lori Go.  Astrid is in a blond wig.  It looks like a female Viking might have worn her hair that way.  Carmen is in the hottest pink spandex and Linda, my beautiful, inspirational 62 year old friend is wearing her Queen’s crown because no matter what we do, she will always be the queen.  I should say that she has run 5 marathons herself and has kicked my ass everytime in half marathons! They were such a sight for sore eyes and legs. I am sure I smiled and I may have even blown them a kiss.  How come I couldn’t do that for Laura?  I guess I got it out of my system with her, and now I was close to the finish line. As I passed them, I can clearly hear Carmen yelling “you are beautiful!” I kept going and FINALLY crossed the finish line!  I was so happy to be done.  So happy to have finished it, so happy. It was so hard! Really, indescribably hard.  So happy to be done. 

When Lori, Al, Carmen, Linda, Astrid, Alyssia, Taelor, and myself met up at the end, I started crying.  Happy tears.  Happy tears because I looked at my friends, my students, my husband, thought of Laura and Cheryl and felt profoundly emotional about how much it mattered that I had their support. I had no idea how much it mattered, until it really mattered. This is something else I learned that day. Making the effort, even when sometimes you don’t really feel like it, will matter more to others more deeply than we can imagine. I am glad I made the effort to go to Carmen’s play the week before.

And Lori – WOW – Lori had a terrific run and qualified for Boston. Both of us were hoping that it would be both of us or neither of us.  Not one or the other.  Honestly, before the marathon, if Lori qualified and I didn’t, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel.  If I qualified and she didn’t, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel either. But it really was okay. In fact, it was more than okay. I am so proud of her and happy for her. What an accomplishment! I am genuinely thrilled for her success!

And my time! Oh my God!  So my time . . . as I said earlier, I needed to finish the marathon in 4 hours and 1 minute to qualify for Boston.  I finished in . . . . drum roll please . . . . .  4 hours and 3 minutes!!!!!  Yes, can you believe it????  Two minutes too long!  But I am thrilled to bits, really I am.  First, Boston is within reach.  Although shaving 2 minutes off my time will be tough, it is definitely do-able.  Second, considering the night’s sleep that I had and that I did not feel great throughout the run, my time is FANTASTIC. It’s exciting, it really is! I knew immediately, immediately, that I would be running another marathon.  I think back now and think human nature is so bizarre.  Those last 6 – 8 miles were so hard – painfully hard – and my immediate thought is conquering another one. What is the matter with me? I always said that running a marathon is stupid and people who run them are stupid. Really? Who would knowingly put themselves through that? Although I can’t explain it, I surely understand it now.

So, you know where I am going with this.  I am going to train for another marathon.  Although it will still be challenging, it will be different.  It will be different because I have the experience of a marathon under me.  Al asked Lori on the way home that day if she thought that having run one marathon made a difference that day.  She said that although she was far better trained this year, what was important about running the second one was that she knew she could run the distance and lived to tell. I guess that is psychological advantage. But, it will be different next time because the challenges, although many will be the same, I will have new ones (like how to relax and fall asleep the night before). What I have learned will be invaluable for the next one. Plus, I now know I can run the distance, and like Lori said, that is important.  I think this is one of the wonderful things about setting goals.  It is always such a good feeling the sense of accomplishment when goals are met, but it is also ‘fun’ to adapt and apply things learned to new unrealized aspirations.

I knew that I would not be sorry making the commitment to the NSA club. I knew it!  I knew that Laura would run a top-notch clinic where I would be challenged, both physically and mentally. I knew that the clinic would be current in the sport of running and that I would have that info passed on to me.  I had friends who thought I was NUTS (not to mention my dad) for traveling out to North Van three times a week, for 24 weeks, when I could just step out my door and run.  BUT, I knew what they didn’t know.  I knew Laura. I knew that if I wanted to give myself the best chance to succeed, then I would have to make that sacrifice.  And you know what? It never felt like a sacrifice. And deep down, I knew it wouldn’t.

It blows my mind how emotional I am over this experience.  I still can’t really wrap my head around that.  A week later, I am far more relaxed, but if I allow myself, I can still cry about it: the training, the challenges, the cost (lol), the wonderfully kind people I have met; the run itself and how blessed I feel to know and love such good people . . . and to feel their love. Another weird thing about human nature; I have never felt so god-awful and so special at the same time.  Weird!

So, there it is – my ‘race report’.  Some of my thoughts on the last 24 weeks.  Just some. I am sure that as I continue to reflect I will remember more things. I feel like I have joined an exclusive club. One that is not easy to get in, but definitely, accessible.  I really couldn’t have done it, with such an incredibly positive outcome, unless I hitched my wagon to first Als, then Lauras, and never last nor least, Loris. This is the real ‘mile-high’ club : D

Cheers,

Cathy