One of the hardest things I've done, the Victoria Half Marathon.
7:15 am - Nerves have been invading my thoughts for the last hour. My playlist and the chatter of excited people start to overtake my thoughts as I wait for the race to start. I can do this.
7:30 am - Here we go. Off to a good start. Awesome weather, great atmosphere, I'm embarking on a task I would've never even thought possible.
10KM Split - One of my best times so far 1:11:33. I've brought down my TC10K time by almost 5 minutes. I'm projecting a finish time of ~2:30 which was my original thought.
11KM - During one of the turn around points in the course I see some of my friends running the race. We high five and I'm feeling super proud to be able to join them in this race.
13.5KM - Doing great, maintaining the same pace throughout. Suddenly, shooting pain on my right hip. The same pain that took me out during training. My hip is now re-injured. I instantly have to stop running and start walking and I'm feeling defeated. I attempt to do a light jog after a few minutes but my hip is saying no. I briefly stop and do some stretching and try to carry on.
14KM - As I'm struggling with the pain my music stops. I check my watch and the timer has stopped as well. I get my phone and find out that it has crashed and had to be restarted. No more tracking for the rest of the race. Can I actually do this? I may be over my head. It was one of those moments where you feel the world is telling you "just give up".
15KM - My hip is still sore but I have to do this. I start doing some light jogging while putting pressure on my hip and that seems to take away some of the pain. I'm at a much slower pace now and lost so much time that I knew I wasn't going to be finishing anywhere near my intended 2:30, but I was going to finish it running.
18KM - The last 3km. I can do this. I can feel my body starting to give up. My hip pain has increased and now it has spread along my lower back. My feet are starting to feel numb and my body feels like it's shutting down. I'm feeling defeated and I contemplate stopping and sitting on the side of the road. These are the hardest 3km of my life. I don't stop but I walk/run the following km.
19KM - As cheesy as it sounds, Eye of the Tiger comes on my playlist and that gives me an extra boost. I ignore the pain and the nagging voice telling me to stop and run the last 2km.
20.5KM - I can see the finish line in the distance and I hear the crowds. I hear the announcer say that if you want to come in under 3 hours you need to hustle. I get a jolt of energy, take my headphones out, and silence every thing in my body. I sprint hard. I drown out all pain and sounds and it's just me running for my life.
I crossed the finish line at 2:59:59 (gun time). My chip time was 2:56:59.
Would I do it again? See you next year! I want to know how fast I can do it when not injured. Races are very emotional for me. It's an overwhelming rush and feeling that I can do anything. Watching the determination in other runners faces, the crowds cheering, seeing my family at the finish line, watching a lady walk 21km in crotches, overcoming pain... it's just amazing.
"Drown out the voice of uncertainty with the sound of your own heartbeat"
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