Abbotsford's Run For Water Under My Feet:
- apprehension yesterday due to injury and not putting as much training in as I had planned
- sleepless night. Afraid to miss the 4:00am alarm
- getting up that early was astoundingly easy
- I had prepared a breakfast to take along and coffee for the drive. Coffee making didn't quite work out as I forgot to put the lid on the automatic coffee maker. Ended up with an interesting brew
- good that I gave myself ample time to get to the late race packet pickup, stretch of the highway was closed overnight and required a detour though BBY and Coquitlam.
- pre race routine falls into place. Not many runners milling about. No lineups for start numbers
or portapotties. - start at 7:00. No jostling for space.
- course winds out of town quickly and leads through mostly agricultural land with small farms, cows in barns, horses. Beautiful kept gardens and a very intense smell.
- aid stations are plentiful and manned with enthusiastic and helpful volunteers. Course is marked every km and there are motivational signs posted even more often. It seems like the whole community is fundraising for clean water for villages in Ethiopia
- What a nice little marathon
- set out too fast for my training with km splits from 5:09 to 5:30 for the first few kms. Figured I seize up after about 21km anyway. Pain in my left hamstring is constant but not getting worse
- having fun and enjoying the scenery, including an abundance of redwing black birds. The weather is perfect, coolish. Light rain starting at about the 1/2 marathon point just over 2 hours in.
- slowing down until passed by a runner who I decided to hang onto. Nice conversation with this marathon virgin who is running for his 50th birthday. We pick up the pace, but eventually he drops back.
- Nice to see Ryan Hill, my physio, cheering along the course. Hang on, he wanted to run this thing....
- pick up a young dude who hit the wall, is in tears and walking. I tell him that it's all mental and will hurt if he walks or runs and 'order' him to start running again . He lasts about 3 km but eventually can't dig deeper.
- trying to pick up the pace for the last 10km but don't have it in me. Digging deep to not walk.
- still, picking off a few suffering half marathoners. Trying to hang on to a woman who by the looks is an experienced runner in my age group. Have to let her go.
- with three Km to go I get passed by a gaggle of East Indian Canadian runners (and their friends running them in) and manage to keep with them.
- Digging deep. Just before the finish chute I pick up another suffering soul and tell him that he can do it. Little did I know that he would fall into a full blown sprint. I fear for my muscles but we cross the finish line together.
- Nicely organised finish area in Mills Lake Park. I load up on food then head to the car to change. The rain is now coming down hard.
- after putting on some warm clothes I hanker for a coffee and would have liked to mill about the finish area a bit, but I decide against it because of the rain. A bit of a let down end to the run
- happy to have this in the bag... I might have to come back next year for that PB, but for now I will add some more trails to my running routine. Enough asphalt for my legs for awhile. I might even drag Ean out for some yoga with Desmond.
- what is it with the chafing... yowl under the shower...ugh.
- it is not too late to donate on my pledge page for RunForWater. Thanks to all who have chipped in, Kristie, Tundra the Dog and Pat.
