Ottawa Race Weekend - Marathon

I remember waking up at 4:00am May 27th, 2012 with constant feelings of anxiety.  I couldn't sleep because in less than 3 hours, I would embark on my very first marathon... and that thought of completing the distance frightened me.

I knew very little about what it took to finish a marathon, as frankly I had only attempted running 30km distances.  I was not prepared for what an extra 12km would do to my body, but I did know one thing - I would finish the distance if I had to walk.  Months ago I had registered for this race in hopes of finishing under 3 hours so I got positioned in the 'Blue Corral' - a title I didn't believe was appropriate as I had no idea when I would actually finish.  I merely relied on calculations based on previous distances and training and factoring in fatigue.

I would recap the entire race if I could, but words could not describe the emotions I felt during the marathon.  I felt great during the first 21 km where I had actually ran 10km and 21.1 km PRs!  I began to feel the greatest amount of fatigue after completing 30 km where I slowed down significantly.  I attributed this to my lack of training since I had yet to complete a further distance.  Furthermore, I felt that I had no problem breathing and I well nourished therefore the only explanation to my fatigue was lack of muscular endurance and strength to carry on.  My time splits were as follows:

10 km - 39:09 

21.1 km - 1:25:27

30 km - 2:04:34

As I saw my times, I would quickly do the math to calculate if I could slow down or maintain pace to ensure a successful finish.  The greatest slow down occurred after the 30 km as I had realized that all I had left was 12 km, and I could easily do that within the hour provided I slowed down to reduce unnecessary energy consumption.  

Throughout the race, I did not battle GI distress as my nutrition plan prior to and during was well organized. That is one of the most valuable pieces of information I knew before attempting this distance.  When the event is of a longer duration ( > 1.5 hours), one must ingest exogenous glucose to spare glycogen reserves or to fuel the working tissue.  Please refer to my previous post regarding carbohydrate ingestion during prolonged exercise for a complete explanation - click here.  Essentially, I was able to maintain sufficient fuel in my body to continue running the full distance without 'hitting the wall'.

 The greatest moment was crossing the finishing line and realizing that although I hadn't completed my time goal, I had qualified for Boston. I was overwhelmed with joy and couldn't believe that I had done it, on my first try.  As I passed the finish line, the pain in my legs began to sore but it did not fizz me in the least.  I had completed my first ever marathon in 3:01:45 - just under the qualifying time for the Boston Marathon.

3:01:45  

So what does someone do to treat themselves for such an accomplishment?  How does a runner at heart truly fulfill their success? New shoes of course!