So the big day finally came. I woke up at 5:00 in the morning for the first time probably since needing to board a flight or something like that. Who thought I would be waking up that early to torture myself instead of taking off for some adventure. But I guess I was waking up for an adventure, a challenge to conquer. From the pains of the training runs, I carefully taped up my feet and nipples, selected a thinner pair of socks and greased up chaffing prone areas with Vaseline. Boy can I say those training runs paid off. Too bad I didn't know any better before, that way I would have avoided weeks of idling due to injuries which limited me only to a maximum distance of 26km during training. I had a small breakfast that consisted of fettuccini with meat sauce that I had prepared the night earlier. I then laced up my shoes, double knotting them and made my way to Bridgeland for the start of the race by C-Train. To my surprise, the train was packed with other runners. Some were in deep concentration, some were sleeping, and some looked as if it was just another day. When I finally arrived in Bridgeland, I had to stand in line to check my bag in. Despite leaving early, the horn to signal the start of the race sounded while I was still in line. Fortunately, race time is recorded by an electronic chip that is tied to my shoe laces which is detected when crossing the start, finish and other timing points. After I finally checked my bag in, I plugged my headphones in and loaded up some motivational run songs I had picked out the night earlier like Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For a Hero and Eminem's Lose Yourself. The start area was like Deerfoot Trail during rush hour. It took quite a few metres after the start line before it was even possible to run. Along the sidewalks we were greeted to groups of supporters as they clapped and cheered. Some small bands had even set up along the route to help carry us on. The first ten kilometres was a breeze and as I passed crowds of runners. I had even caught up and passed the 4:15 pacer despite the late start. The crowds started thinning out at Memorial and Parkdale as many of the runners made their U-turn back to Bridgeland as they were only doing a half marathon. Even the steep Shaganappi Trail hill did not faze me as I powered on. Fatigue started settling in as I ran through the university grounds but I did not stop. I crossed the midway mark of 21.1km at 2:05 which was bit slower than my usual pace, but I didn't have to contend with the crowds, Shaganappi Trail hill and running another 21.1km in my training runs. I finally had to stop briefly and walk for a bit at the 24km mark but I kept on going. At this point, I kept on starting and stopping. At the 27km mark, a fellow racer mentioned that there was only 15km left. She was absolutely right. As simple as it may sound, thinking of the smaller numbers made it sound so much better. I had run 15km with no issues numerous times before and this should be no different. Counting down at this point was the way to go. With that mentality, I pushed on through Varsity and down Shaganappi Trail and turning back on to Parkdale Boulevard which lead to Memorial Drive, the homestretch. Less than 10km left. At this point, I grabbed two cubs of Gatorade at every aid station and cooled off with a sponge as well. Fortunately, it was a relatively cooler day than what we had been experiencing lately. During the final stretch, my knees and ankles ached with pain. Runners were passing me as my walks became frequent with nothing I could do. At the 39km mark, I had to stop as the pain in my knees started to become paralyzing. Three more kilometres. Any other time, three kilometres would have been accomplished virtually in my sleep. I gathered everything I had, and ran and gave it my all towards the finished line. As I entered Bridgeland, I could hear the crowds cheer and clap. Words of encouragement coming from complete strangers. With a hundred metres left to go, I could hear the presenter announcer my name as I drew closer to the finish line. A few painful strides later, I threw my hands in the air as I did it. I had completed a marathon. I was then congratulated and given a finishing medal that doubled as a belt buckle and was asked if I was okay. My knees and ankles were more than sore and I was in pain. Being close to tears because of what I just accomplished, I said that I was okay. I passed the field hospital setup at the finishing line to the aid station serving Gatorade and chugged two full cups. I moved to the racers only area and broke down onto a grassy area to stretch out. Never have I had to endure such physical pain to accomplish a goal. Now knowing that I can finish a marathon makes me think that everything is now possible especially to think I did not start running until mid-February. I'd like to say I don't think I could have ran this marathon without all the supporters, organizers and volunteers along the route as they were just incredible. Thank you for helping me reach my dream. Death Race 2010, look out, I'm coming for you!
by Edwin Lee on Wed, Jun 17, 2009 @ 12:55 AM
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Actual post date: March 6, 2009.
This year I have made a commitment to myself to be in the best shape I can possibly be. It might be only a one year commitment or it might be longer. We'll have to see how things go after the first year.
It all started with The Ride to Conquer Cancer. (http://ab09.conquercancer.ca/) It presented itself as a challenging 200km plus bike ride along the Canadian Rockies. On top of that, it was a fundraiser for cancer which is one of those diseases that hits really close to home having lost two grandparents to the disease. It was a perfect opportunity to challenge myself. As I begun training, another opportunity presented itself, the Canadian Death Race. (http://www.canadiandeathrace.com/) Curtis and I had been looking into this race since the summer and this would be the biggest physically challenging thing I could probably accomplish. The Death Race is basically a race where you can have a relay team of five complete a 125km trail run in Grande Cache up and down two mountains, cross one river and several creeks, along rocky terrain and extremely steep climbs. Not to mention that you only have 24 hours to complete this run meaning a portion of it will be at night. Since I was already doing the bike ride, might as well add one more event to the list to check off by the end of the year.
My training for these events started immediately. I'll be the first to admit that it's been since high school since I have participated in a biking or running event. I approached my training with a no bull shit attitude pushing myself hard after doing a little bit of reading. I have been slowly increasing my speed and distance from biking only 16km to over 30km in under a month while maintaining a speed of about 32 km/hr. In a matter of three weeks I can now run 14km in 85 minutes without being on the verge of a heart attack where as I was dead tired after only 6km.
Sadly, our team ran into registration problems for the Death Race as registration filled up incredibly quickly this year. There is a slim chance that we can still register our team as we emailed the organizers before the deadline informing them of registration problems. Hopefully with some luck we can still race. Otherwise we will have to wait until next year to challenge the Death Race. I might have to find a replacement race however. Perhaps a marathon.
by Edwin Lee on Sun, Apr 26, 2009 @ 5:52 PM
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I've finally got off my butt and started my training yesterday biking 8.21 miles or 13.2km in 25 minutes. It was short go but it was a good start. Thanks to Kelly Gardiner for the free one month membership at Talisman. So I hope to be on the bike at least three times a week. It will be good on top of the cardio I get from Lawrence Wong making me run like crazy while playing badminton. Once again, thanks to everyone who is supporting me.
Eddie
by Edwin Lee on Wed, Feb 04, 2009 @ 8:58 PM
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