Upright and smiling!

There...I can cross it off my list. Run a marathon...done.

Vancouver was fabulous...weather was perfect when we arrived on Thursday. The entire city was awash in greens and pinks. Imagine, trees with leaves and flowers in full bloom. How odd coming from cool, dry, brown Calgary. Anyway, Thursday was spent exploring the seawall and general Yaletown area, clocking about 8 km in the process. Friday, we walked over to the pavillion to get our race packages (H. was running the Half), and spent some time in the expo checking out the latest gear and such. Then we walked over to Granville Island, wandered around there, walked back along the seawall and over to our hotel...over 10km on Friday. For Saturday we decided not to push it that much and rode the Big Red Bus...scariest bus driver EVER! He yelled at people on the street, he yelled at parked cars and he had a thing for corners and curbs...couldn't take one without hitting the other! Finally got off on Robson and decided it would be safer to walk back! Had our carbo load at Zefferellis (most awesome pasta, EVER) and then back to the hotel to wake up bright and early. Fear starting to settle in...

Got up at 5:30 (yes...AM) and after a brekkie of oatmeal, yogurt, some OJ and Cola (no fridge or microwave in our room, so we had to improvise), we headed down to the start line. Almost 13,000 people running this, with just over 3,800 doing the marathon. The walkers have already left at this point (their start time was 6 am) and by the time we got there, the Half runners were queing up. A quick good luck the H. and A. and they were both off. Took forever for 8,000+ people to cross the start line, and then it was our turn. I found a spot near the back (I was not going to set any records!) and waited nervously...would I even be able to do this? I mean really...what the heck was I thinking?! Then the horn sounded and we were off. Swept up with the crowd, I had a good start and did my best to stick to a 10:1 schedule. Totally forgot to turn my GPS on, so didn't know what my pace was, but I did watch my heart rate, and did my best to keep in under 100% of max. The crowd thinned quickly as people settled into strides and soon the elite runners were passing us by (there were a lot of double backs and mini-loops). While you cheer for them, and are in complete awe (the winner did the marathon in 2 hours and 15 minutes), you're also a wee bit jealous. Heck, they weren't even sweating for goodness sake and I looked close to having a stroke!

Anyway, ran through Chinatown and along False Creek and back, through downtown (very scary part but not East Hastings), and then into Stanley Park. Here is where the meltdown started...see, by now I had completely lost sight of everyone! Didn't help that most of the water stations and gel stations all looked like they were packing up by the time I got there or that the course marshalls in the park all appeared to have gone home! In fact, once in the park, I had no idea where to go...no signs, no arrows, no nothing! Bring on the meltdown...turning around, I finally spied a yellow jacket (course marshall) and ran back to find out where the heck I was supposed to go..."follow the path"...WHICH FREAKING PATH?!?!?! It's Stanley Park for cripe's sake...it's full of freaking paths!!!!! Turned around again, and started around, finally seeing an elusive sign pointing the way, and watching the course marshall sitting there pack up his stuff and leave before I even got there. Now I'm just beat. Marathon running is about the physical, obviously, but a whole lot of it is mental. Physically I was doing okay...feet hurt a bit (tried new arch supports) and my legs were tired, but mentally I was done, finished, kaput. Could have sat down and cried like a little girl until someone came to find me. And I almost did...except H. phoned right then to see how I was, and that spurred me on (dang it...I started this, I was finishing it) and I also at the halfway point.

A course marshall on bike came along and announced to me that I was last. Whatever breeze had blown into my sail was gone just as quickly...and I had this jerk riding along beside me. Then a lovely lady named Diana took over (I think dude was disgusted that I was "so slow") and she rode with me right out of the park to English Bay, chatting the whole way, doing her best to raise my spirits. And she did a good job...then an even nicer guy took over, when they found out I wasn't last. There was one more lost soul out there!! Kevin (I think that was his name) was determined that I would finish proud and strong and he kept up the encouragement and compliments the whole way around English Bay and over Burrard bridge into Kitsilano.

Suddenly complete strangers were cheering and calling out my name (printed on my bib)...water stations were making sure that I had gateraid and water and whatever else they had to offer. I still felt like I was a part of this. One of the marshalls on foot joined me on the return out of Kits to Burrard bridge again, and between the two of us, we kept up the pace (I was walking quite a bit by this point). Finally, all the other bike marshalls showed up, and I was running with an entourage! I had till 2 pm to hit the finish line in order for my time to count, and the bike gang were all determined that I was going to do it. H. even met up with us, and tried to run in with me (she had changed into her birks by now, so she had to walk and meet up later), and the bike gang was stopping traffic (roads were open by now) to make sure that I was going to make it. They even radioed ahead and told them I was coming in and to not tear everything down.

This part is hard to type, as I am crying thinking about it. Here I am, running as hard as I've ever run, surrounded by a circle of cyclists, horns honking and complete strangers cheering and clapping for me...rounding the corner and there it is...the finish line...I did it!!!! Took me almost 6 and a half hours, but I did it! Betcha the guy that won didn't get the response that I did. Even Kevin was crying at the end - that I will remember forever!

I have my finishers medal, and I'm proudly wearing my 42.2k choker. Will I ever run another??? Not sure, as I'm not moving very well today and everything hurts except my hair but I can say I have run a marathon. To quote one the papers in Vancouver today: "over 13,000 people ran at least 8 km before most of you even got out of bed yesterday"...I have done something many people haven't and I am proud of myself for completing it. Sadly, despite everyone's efforts, I didn't make the official time, as my results are not recorded. But my Garmin time is 6:28:47. I'll take it.

Now, if you'll all excuse me...there's a bottle painkillers with my name on it waiting by my bed!!!

Cheers! Oh, and congrats to the Biggest Loser winners...great job. I look foward to the next challenge.