Now before anyone gets the wrong idea…let me state emphatically that this blog is about actual fairies!! Not fatigue induced mirages or hallucinations, more on that later!
As many of you know, I competed in my second marathon, once again with Team in Training. My goal was to finish in a time of 4:29:59 or better (sub 4:30). A goal I felt was well within reach given the training I had done. Thanks to my incredible coach for painstakingly preparing monthly plans and adapting as needed to fit my other commitments along the way!
Let me just say that the publicity for the Toronto Marathon is entirely accurate, it is Flat, Fast and yes even Festive…what they forgot was…Smelly and maybe a tad boring…definitely different than Ottawa…but, maybe that’s because I had so many friends and family in Ottawa and I was very familiar with the majority of the Ottawa route and was not even remotely familiar with the Toronto route.
The first km or so was actually downhill…not much of a help given the number of participants and the resulting 5 min walk to get to the starting line after the official gun time (you’ll see the discrepancy reflected in the official results vs. chip time).
Once we got started running though, it really was very flat, a nice way to start any race…and did I mention we just happened to get perfect weather, it was a cool 13C and overcast…my favourite weather for a race!
The plan for this race was to break it into thirds… running the first 14K at a conservative (should seem SLOW) pace, the second 14K at a slightly faster pace and giving the last 14.2K everything I had and finish with nothing left! There was of course the 32K psychological barrier I’d have to get past (my bonk point in the first marathon) and I would have to adjust for whatever race day happened to throw at me.
Although I didn’t have any family or friends from Ottawa joining me in Toronto, I was by no means alone, scattered along the route were LOTS of Team in Training staff, alumni and supporters, and each time they saw any participant in purple approaching, they exploded with cheers, noisemakers and energy that helped to fuel more than one participant, including yours truly to the next water station, km or cheering section, you could see the extra bounce in their step.
There were also all the other Team in Training participants out there on the course, and although I had only met them the night before, there was no mistaking out there that we were in fact a team, every Team in Training participant I passed, or was passed by (in some cases this kept happening in true yo-yo fashion), was sure to offer a cheer, thumbs up and usually a hearty “Go Team Go!!”, there’s just something about knowing that no matter your goal, your time or you ability, we are all part of something bigger, raising awareness and funds to fight blood cancer…there is an instant bond with complete strangers that is unexplainable!
As if that weren’t enough, at various points along the route (no doubt strategically placed), there were the incredible Team in Training coaches, these dedicated athletes do so much for us as participants that it really would take an entire blog entry just to attempt to list out all that they do, instead, I’ll focus on what I witnessed and experienced during the race (remember, this is only a tiny portion of what they do leading up to the race). I had the pleasure of running a short bit at around the 10K mark with Rick Hellard, our Ottawa coach, he made sure I was feeling good, that all was going as planned, checked to see if I needed anything and managed to snap the only picture I have of this race. He cheered me on, ensured me he’d see me again (this was an out part of an out and back loop), made sure it was ok with me, and then headed off to run with another Team member.
At around the 25K mark, I was starting to feel the fatigue set in, everything was going according to plan, I had managed to stick with the nutrition and pacing plans and in spite of the fatigue was feeling good about the prospects of meeting my goal…the 4:30 pace bunny was behind me at this point, not much, but enough to give me comfort in the fact that my goal was within reach. I met up with Lori (another Team in Training coach) and she offered to run with me a bit, honestly at this point my mind was already racing ahead and trying to deal with the 32K mental barrier, I let Lori know my time goal, and my immediate goal…stay ahead of that Frickin’ pace bunny, we laughed and Lori asked if I wanted her to keep me on pace, I did and we ran together for the next 5K, Lori offered to keep running with me past that 32K mark until we could meet up with one of the other coaches, but I really wanted to get past 32K on my own…so with a hearty cheer and an offer to help me out with my (by now) tightening IT band (she just happens to be an RMT), we parted ways and she headed off to find another Team member.
I managed to get myself past that 32K mark and it was a huge relief! By this point the pace bunny was just ahead of me, but still within reach for a finish line sprint :)
And this is where the FAIRY bit comes in…if you’ve seen the photos from Ottawa, or if you’ve been to any Team in Training event where Ramona or Theresa were participating, then you know that these extraordinary women (Team in Training coaches), like to not only run copious amounts of kms at each race to ensure that they get time with as many Team in Training members as possible, but they also do it all dressed as…you guessed it….FAIRIES! What a sight for sore eyes..well sore legs really…but boy was I glad to see Ramona! With a little less than 10K to go, the pace bunny was increasing his lead and my spirits were beginning to take a bit of a beating. It didn’t take long for Ramona to bring a smile to my face, infuse me with energy and get me picking up the pace (although she never once told me to do that), she reminded me of what the bigger picture goal for all of us was, that I was DOING this and that she would be with me as long as I needed…and at that point I needed every bit of what she was dishing out…as if that wasn’t enough, anytime we passed a water station, she would grab extra water for me to ensure I didn’t need to worry about carrying an extra cup, when we came across a store owner who was handing out bottled water and bananas, she made sure I got some of both and again carried them for me…I was indeed getting spoiled…keep in mind, Ramona had likely already done a marathon between all her back and forth of accompanying other Team members at this point…and all of this while dressed as a FAIRY…wings and all!
At around the 35Km mark, things took a turn for the worse, for reasons I won’t get into here (I think I may be close to a character limit), my IT band and knee really started to flare up and give me issues…so bad that I had trouble walking…with Ramona’ s help, I managed a few stretches, a quick self-massage of the IT band and got moving again…for a km…more stretches…another km of running and this pattern would repeat…somewhere around the 38 or 39 km mark we met up with Theresa….the other Fairy…a fact that did not go unnoticed by the spectators and other runners, I was flanked by my Fairy (step-sisters I think we finally decided) and some runners (non-Team in Training) thought that 2 Fairies for 1 runner might not be fair…but let me tell you, having these two incredibly supportive fairies gave me more wings than any energy drink could ever hope to!! I am not sure if I could have kept on going without their constant encouragement and reminders that no matter the time, I would finish!
When she was sure (about 1Km left), that I was going to make it and with another Team member needing her help, Theresa made sure I was good to go and that Ramona would stay with me and she took off to join that other team member and run them in…
Ramona ran with me that last km, reassuring me that I was going to make it and I crossed the finish line at 4:45:50, not the goal I had in mind, not the best time I think I can run, but the best time that my mind and body could muster on that day.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am VERY happy with my result, I know that I will run another marathon, I know that I will train to the best of my ability, run the best race I can on that day and be happy to be living a life that allows me to be surrounded by so many incredible, supportive people!
That day, many people along the way referred to Ramona and Theresa as angels, and although the costumes were indeed fairies, the women who wore them, were definitely my angels that day, they carried me when I needed it the most and I will always be grateful to them both for that!! Even post-race, Ramona ensured that I got into the medical tent and pretty much forced the staff there to let me see the RMT to get my IT band looked at….once she knew I was in good hands….off she went to find another Team member who needed her wings to guide them in.
