One Last Hurrah

When new runners tell me that they'll never run a marathon or a half marathon, I always tell them to watch the finish line of a major race. For it's truly inspiring.

A few years ago, after I finished the Mississauga Half Marathon, I stood at the finish line and watched the marathoners come in, waiting for my friend, Mombo. There, I saw a lot of raw emotion. Many of these people were first-timers and some, first-time Boston Qualifiers. On their faces, many wore the fatigue, the pain and the happiness of finishing 26.2 miles or 42.2 kilometres. I too remember feeling these emotions last year when I finished my first marathon. Emil Zatopek, once said, "If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience another life, run a marathon."

This morning, at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, I saw this sentiment in the eyes of one of my running friends, Jim. Over the last year, I've watched him work very hard to bring down his marathon time to Boston Qualify. He's one of those crazy runner dudes who can run a couple of marathons within weeks of each other and be fine. For the last eight or nine months, he's been teaching and leading many new marathoners to their goals. And today, he accomplished his: A Boston Marathon Bib. I was truly inspired.

As it happens, I finished my 5K race around the same time Jim finished the marathon. (The 5K started almost 3 hours later.) By chance, I saw him in the finish line chute. I had never seen him like this before. Yes, he was hobbling, but he was in a different world. He was in a state of mind that suggested that anything was possible - for he accomplished what he thought he'd never do. We hugged for a moment. It was, for him, an extremely emotional moment.

Today's 5K race will be my last race as a Preggo. I ran around a 6:05 min/km pace and finished just under the 30-minute mark. At almost 8.5 months, it was a proud moment for me. (And it was a proud moment for The B who came to cheer me and Baby Max on.) Over the last 8.5 months, Baby Max and I have shared the highs, lows and discomfort (not too much) of running races. He's logged more miles in utero than many people do in their lives! It's been one great season with the best race partner and pacer (he would remind me not to push it by sitting on my bladder) around.

While I enjoy the crowds and the rush of a race start, I don't enjoy the pressure down there. It isn't so much painful, as it is uncomfortable. At about 4K I focused on my breathing rhythm to help take my mind away from the constant sensation to pee. I guess this technique will come in handy in a few weeks!

So for the next little, I'll just take it easy, running three times a week, keeping the distances short. The fall is the best time for runners and I still want to feel the crisp autumn air on my face and hear the leaves crunch underfoot. And I know there will come a time when I too will give my "Ode to Running" just like my online Runnermama friend, Runbuggy, did a few days ago. Each day that passes and I'm able to hit the pavement, I feel so blessed. For many other Runnermamas have had to hang up their shoes a lot earlier - some not even able to put on their race shoes at all.