What Victory Feels Like....

Last night I completed my second attempt at the Ottawa 10K run. It's a special event for me because it's one that I get to do with my mother. She's been doing the 10K for quite a few years now. I think it was a real thrill for her to get to run it with me for the first time ever, considering how horribly out of shape I'd been my whole life prior. Running is one of the passions we both get to share.
Last year, I completed the run in just over 71 minutes, at a plump 265lbs. The difference between my time and my physical fitness from are year ago are both staggering.

My goal coming in to this year's event was to finish in 60 mins. Now I had been training, running about 5K in 31 mins, so I knew I could make a great time but not likely my goal time. Working on my side was the fact that coming in to the race weekend, I was down to 209lbs thanks to Herbal One. Being lighter would defiantly make a big difference.

More than 8400 runners were registered in this event. You couldn't believe the sea of people that took off from the starting line in downtown Ottawa. The entire race weekend is a phenomenal success every year. It's really quite something to be a part of.

What they do is the try to set the runners up based on the time they think it will take them to complete the race. The fastest, most elite runners start at the front of the pack. After that it's different groups ranging from 41-50 mins, 51 - 60 mins, 61 - 70 mins....etc. I was in the 61-70 min group. My mom was way in the back of the pack so I wouldn't be able to see her until the end of the race.

Standing in the pack at the starting line, that little voice in my head kicked in - "Whatever you do, don't stop" Last y ear I stopped and walked way too often. This year, I wanted to do the whole thing without stopping once.

When the starting gun went it was a MESS. All these people trying to get through at the same time down a very narrow street. Here's me, hyped up on caffeine and wayyyy too many Power Bars, trying to break my way past the slower runners without knocking anyone down.

Luckily I eventually made it through the crowd, after resorting to running on the sidewalks at some points. The first 5K, thanks to my training, were a breeze. The last 5K were a nightmare.

Around the 6K mark, I started feeling blisters beginning to develop on my feet. The little voice kicked in "Play through the pain"...this is the same voice that would kick in when I was playing hockey through injuries like cracked ribs, hip flexors and even concussions. "Play through the pain" I kept hearing the voice say.

Every kilometre began to feel like an eternity. I kept trying to find a runner and keep a comfortable pace with them. It kept me motivated to keep up with that person while I waited for my body to pick up the pace again. By the 8K mark, I was seriously contemplating stopping and walking. I was blowing by so many people who were doing just that. I knew if I stopped in my deteriorating condition, I may not be able to re-start again.

Somewhere between the 8K and 9K mark, I saw the most beautiful sight. Thankfully, it wasn't a bright light calling me up - because at that point I did feel like dying - instead it was a pace bunny! Now you're probably wondering what that is. A pace bunny is a volunteer who runs in the race, holding a sign that indicates what time they'll finish the race. That way, runners hoping to finish at the time need only keep pace with that person. There, before my eyes, was the 60 min pace bunny...if I could stay in front of him it'd be mission accomplished.

I dug deep and turned on the afterburners, blowing past the pace bunny. Problem was at the point I thought I was a within 500 metres of the finish line....turns out it was more like 1500...oops! With almost nothing left in the tank, I was going to be in for a very long, painful home stretch.

That final kilometre was sheer hell. I can't tell you how badly I wanted to quit right there and just walk the rest of the way. Little voice kicks in again - "Don't quit. You're so close. Play through the pain. It's going to be OK. You CAN do this!"

Somehow, I made it to the finish line. I must have looked half-dead when I got there because I sure felt like it. I could barely even stand on my own power. I had to lean on a pole just to stay up-right. The lineup for Gatorade seemed to be forever. I kept thinking, "Great, I'm going to die standing in line for Gatorade - what a legacy that will be". I made it though. As my body began to slowly heal I waited for my mother to cross the finish line. Once she crossed we made our way to the results tent. We both had high expectations. Turns out neither of us had stopped once during the run. We both pushed through and completed it even though we could have used a rest.

My mother's results were quite impressive. She completed the run in 1 hour, 14 minutes, 35 seconds. She beat her result last year by over 10 minutes!

My results just about knocked me over. I finished in 57 minutes, 8 seconds...well under my goal which I never thought I'd be able to accomplish. I beat last year's time by over 14 minutes!

A day after the run, I'm still very sore and very tired. The results have been truly unbelievable. Even though the first words I could form after I crossed the finish line were "I'm never running again!"....I know for sure I'll be back next year, in better shape and with a better time.