The alarm clocks sounded and I was awake in an instant. To be sure I woke up on time I had set 3 different alarm clocks 2 minutes apart...I don't think I needed any of them. I was so anxious about my first 10K run I could hardly sleep...well ok I slept awesome but I wasn't going to sleep in!
After a great breakfast of oatmeal (a little hint from Jason Warick who is Canada's 2nd place ranked athlete in the Marathon) I was out the door and ready to roll. I arrived at the Start line early...actually very early. So early that when I got there they hadn't even put up the Start/Finish arch yet! I wandered around thinking there must be something to do, but there wasn't. I just kept walking around because I was feeling pretty stupid just standing in one spot.
As the people started filling into the formation area I noticed people doing something and it seemed to be popular. I finally had to stop one of them and I asked them what they were doing. "Warming up," she said. "Yeah, I hope the sun comes out too" I answered back as she scantered off apparently trying to find the sun to "get warm". Why is she wasting her energy before the run I pondered to myself as I slowly walked around.
Finally what seemed like hours later I was finally among all the people waiting for the gun to go off. I had managed to find a few people to run with during this race...or at least run with them until the last km or so and then it was every man for himself...at least that was what my competitive nature was saying. I actually managed to find a bunny and was going to follow her right through to the end. This "bunny" was going to hop her way along the course and she guaranteed me that if I stuck with her we'd get to the finish line in 58 minutes. That was perfect because I was bound and determined to finish this race in less than 60 minutes. The bunny told me her strategy was to stick hard to the right hand side so that when we hit the curve we'd be running less distance. I couldn't believe this...strategy for a running event!! This was awesome!
'Bang' - the gun went off and....we all just stood there. Apparently it's not possible for 1700 people to all get through a 10ft wide Starting arch at the same time. But it wasn't long and the crowd started to move and off we went. I was whipping along following my bunny down the track...I was running a bit faster than I was used to but I couldn't lose sight of the bunny as she was my ticket to reaching my goal. I slowed down a bit and let my dad catch up to me. With my eyes still closely on the bunny I chatted with him for a bit. His heel had been hurting him and so he wasn't sure how he would do in this race. He then told me not to worry about him and to run my own race. Very well then, and I picked it up to catch up to that bunny...man could she hop fast!
The adrenaline and the crowd made the first 3km go by in a breeze. Coming up to the first water station I was super pumped...I had always wanted to run through one of these! As I ran through the volunteers held out the cups and cries of "Water!" and "Gatorade" filled my ears. I grabbed three of them and I have no idea why. I just wanted to grab as many as I could. I put the first one to my lips and nearly choked to death! Drinking water on the run is hard! I then threw the second on over my head just for fun. The third one I didn't need and just chucked it on the ground as hard as I could...so much fun!
As I kept moving on I realized that I didn't really get much water at that station...I'd have to be a bit more careful at the next one. I was still doing well and I was right on pace for finishing within 60 minutes as I was running about 5:50 per km. But then there it was...the wall.
I knew the wall would be out there on the course somewhere and at about the 5.5km marker I was about to run right smack into it. The other runners I was running with were further ahead now including the bunny. I thought I caught a few glimpses of those pink ears but she was too far gone. My dream of finishing within the hour was dimming but not gone. I finally kicked myself and burst through the wall and into the 6km water station! I know had no one to run with as they were all ahead of me...or were they. Suddenly out of nowhere I passed one of the girls that was originally in the bunny group with me! We teamed up and pushed each other on as we both wanted to finish within the hour.
The run up Victoria was long. We came up to the intersection and the cops had the streets blocked off. Ah, 8th street I thought. As I ran on by I glanced up at the sign...TAYLOR!! Oh no!!! That means 8th street is still like 10 blocks away! Nothing like discouraging yourself when you already can't breathe anymore and yet you continue to torture yourself. I pushed on and finally made it to Victoria bridge...or should I say falls. The road we ran down towards the bridge was practically a 90 degree angle! I thought picking up speed on the downhill would be a good idea but before I knew it I was like a runaway train. I was barreling down the hill and I couldn't stop or I'd wipe out. I flew down the hill and as I tried to make the sharp left hand turn I couldn't quite make the corner. My foot hit the curb and I tripped and fell onto the grassy hill. People started yelling and one lady screamed. I rolled a few times and then just got back up and kept on going! Thank goodness it was grass! After that every time someone passed me they said "How's it going trainwreck!"
It was almost over and I could almost taste the finish line...wait...no that's just grass from that hill before. I was exhausted by this time but still on pace for the finish of 60 minutes. And then heartbreak hill loomed before me. I thought nothing of it at first but my legs weren't fooled...this was not easy. The girl Iwas running with couldn't go on and so I was on my own. My pace slowed down and I started hallucinating. People passing me were riding this escalator up the hill...I tried to jump on but then it would disappear and everyone would start yelling at me. I would step off and it would reappear and everyone was happy again. I was the only one who had to run up this hill!!
As people sailed by on the escalator I thought it was over...and then there he was. My dad was just ahead of me...I had caught up to him!! I surged on and managed to catch him at the top of the hill. That last surge was all I had left for energy and I could now barely move my legs...and then my dad started to pick up the pace. "What are doing?!?!" I yelled. "If you want to finish in 60 minutes we have to pick it up!" he replied. "I can't anymore I said, I can barely move. Why did you slow down at the end here?" I asked him. "I wanted you to catch up so I could run the last bit with you," he said. That really meant a lot to me and I kept pushing on. My dad could have easily finished the race in under 60 minutes but he decided to not worry about his time and just help me reach mine.
My dad kept urging me on and somehow I managed to put one foot in front of the other. I'd get to the point where I just couldn't do it and I would start to speed walk for 2 seconds...but then my dad kept encouraging me and so I started running again.
And then there it was. It was like the entire area was aglow with a bright white light at the end of a tunnel. I shook my head quick and was back to reality...whoa, I really am close to dying! As I looked out again into the distance I finally saw it...the finish line. Up until this point I had never run farther than 6km and I was about to finish 10km. I glanced at my watch and saw I only had 30 seconds to go before I missed my goal of 60 minutes. My mind said yes but my body said no...my body won. I gave it everything I had for that last km and at the very end my dad told me to go ahead and finish first. Then from out of nowhere with the crowds cheering and chanting my name I managed to find the energy to "sprint" (or run a bit faster) across the finish line. As they announced my name over the sound system the dream of finishing had come true and I had clocked a time of 61 minutes and 56 seconds.
The only thing I wanted to do at that point was drink a Coke and lay down and die. I grabbed a Coke, went to the grass and proceeded to pass out from sheer exhaustion. As I lay there nearly dieing, the hallucinations started coming back. I glanced to the side and there was my bunny, sitting on the grass, her big pink ears still on with the words 58 minutes written on them...and she had finished the race in exactly 58 minutes. I rolled onto my back again and fell asleep...next time you silly rabbit!!
