BMO Okanagan International Marathon - October 12th

So it was long overdue that I finally run a full, road marathon. I thoroughly enjoy it. Despite all the hard and testing times of the race, the marathon is a beast worth conquering. I have to say that I struggled the most in this race than any other, mentally, physically and certain emotionally. Here is what happened.
I arrived in kelowna around 7am, one hour before start, and did my warm up run and a light stretch before heading to the start line. I ate my usual blueberry bagel and cream cheese enroute to Kelowna and drank some water as well. I headed to the start line and had to hop the fence in order to start near the front, but people were ok with that.
0 - 10k: I ran this pretty quick I must say, I ran with Kevin Masters who finished 3rd in the half marathon until the half marathon turn around at ten k. We were moving pretty quick and were hitting average of 3:45min/km.
10 -21.1km: so after the half marathon athletes turned around I was all on my own, and the wheels kept turning but I felt great and I felt like I did in all my training runs, relaxed and composed. Running down the hill to the cross over area was tons of fun (i love running down hill) but once i got to the bottom we were told we had to cross the mass of runners to the other side of the road. I felt bad because I had to complete cut this girl off in order to do this, I also missed the water station. Cruising down to the industrial area I met up with a guy and we chatted for a bit and then parted our ways when i turned to do the quick out-and-back to the half way marker (21.1km in 1hr 17min 34s) which is a half marathon personal best for me. Too fast? I think so.
21.1 - 32km: Still feeling good and relaxed, I continued at my normal clip. At around 25k I felt a little twinge in my right hamstring, I thought it was just my muscles playing games, but it was ultimately a sign of things to come. About 2 minutes later, the worst and most painful cramping I have ever experience came for a visit and decided to stay. I was starting to suffer and watched my lead, which i held for 27km come and go. I was passed again by 2 other guys at around 30k. I stopped at the 30k aid station to stretch my legs out, but no luck. My hamstring just cramped up everytime I tried to stretch my quads. I know turned into survival mode and the ultra shuffle I learned very well from my experiences at Kusam Klimb and the Juan de Fuca trail were now being put to good use. Running down the hill I loved in the first lap so much was brutal. If I didn't extend my leg completely out my hamstring would cramp, on the other hand when I extended my leg out my quad cramped. There was no winning this battle. Nutrition and hydration were now my priorities. I took many S! caps (which have saved my butt in the past, and i still strongly believe in them) didn't do anything; The gels: nothing; The gatorade: nothing. I hit 32km and realized the clock read 2hrs on the nose. I figured I could cover 10k in less than an hour. But I was hurting, bad.
32 to 42.2km (the Finish): Finish this beast I had started was now my priority. I had to put away my prospects of winning, or qualifying for boston, just finish. The last 10km was a walk/run strategy. Run for as long as I could without cramping up, then walk for 30 seconds. It was emotionally draining doing this, because I knew I could finish this stupid thing so quickly, but my patience got a good workout that morning. I walked through all the aid stations, guzzling gatorade and water. I finally saw the lake with less than 2km to go, and I was in heaven. The soft wood boardwalk of the leg was very forgiving to my legs, but as soon as I hit the pavement, my right leg cramped so bad I had to just endure it for the 30 or so seconds it was in spasm mode. I finally saw the finish. The finishing arc was a blessing, crossing the line in 4th overall in a time of 2 hours 54 minutes and 6 seconds. Not want I feel I have potential for, but I was happy with a sub 3 hours performance and a time that will send me to the Boston Marathon.

My Thoughts:
The Marathon is a beast. The pounding of the road, the fast pace, its an ugly and destructive race. I did 3 ultras this race (elk/beaver 50k, scorched sole 50k, and Juan de Fuca 47k) and this was far more difficult than those. Mind you, the beauty of the trails takes your mind off the pain. I have to say I have a lot of respect for this race, it beat me up brutally. It was a huge challenged but very satisfying to complete. I highly recommend if you've ever thought about doing one, be prepared, do the training, its a journey. You get to know yourself pretty dam well out there.

My Plans:
Well i'm gonna take some time away from running. Get my head back in a good place and maybe do some fall cross country races around Victoria. I got a lot on my plate over the next few months so i'll be busy. I get to see Andrea on November 6th, which will be awesome. I got tons of school work, which is not awesome. But thats life!! Until next time!