Tucson Marathon

I ran my first marathon 20 years ago in Vancouver. Despite being appallingly under-trained, I went in with the over-confident attitude that only a naive (arrogant?) 20-year-old can have. "How bad can it be?" I thought to myself. Really, really bad it turns out. Horrendous even. There were tears, blisters, cursing and chaffing. It was a massive suffer-fest that took me nearly 5 hours to complete (4:51 to be exact) and I couldn't walk properly for weeks afterwards.

I certainly didn't shuffle away with the sense that marathon running was "my thing".  But, oddly enough, something about it made me happy. And somewhere along the way, it actually became my thing. Go figure!? When it comes to running, what I lack in natural ability, I make up in sheer determination. I think that's how, two decades later, I ended up with a PR and win at the Tucson Marathon. Not talented, just stubborn.

Waiting for the race to start.

Obviously, though, simply being obstinate will not win you a marathon. You need the support of others and I've got some pretty amazing people on my side. My husband is at the top of that list for so many reasons. Without him, I'd never make it to a single race start. Seriously, I can't read maps, I'm terrible with directions and I hate driving. Most importantly, he believes in me even when I don't believe in myself. As well, I have the good fortune of training with David Roche of Some Work, All Play Running and the progress I've made under his guidance these past two years is remarkable. (I've PR'd in almost every distance. At 40! WTF?!)

I definitely didn't go into the Tucson Marathon with any expectation of winning. I consider myself a trail runner who decides to do a marathon every few years and then regrets it. This time around, my only goal was to go under 3-hours (which has been my goal for more years than I care to admit). I had run a 3:04 at the Cascade trail marathon in July without much preparation and got the idea in my head that this was the year to give sub-3 another go. I selected the Tucson Marathon because I thought the Arizona weather in December would be ideal, it was an opportunity to visit my parents and in-laws and the downhill course profile was very appealing.

Easy cruising in the early miles.

My marathon specific training started in the fall and went extremely well. I didn't have any issues with injury or illness, and the weather this year could not have been better. I fully expected snowy streets to force me onto the treadmill for many of my long runs, but it never happened. I was able to log almost every mile outdoors. Based on my training efforts and a 20km race I did in November, I knew I was on track for a 2:58-3:02 marathon. Meaning that to go under 3 hours would require race day perfection - there would be no margin for error. One bathroom break or loose shoelace could make all the difference. I knew this going in so I think that's why I didn't stress when faced with the slightest of headwinds. Oftentimes, a headwind isn't a big deal unless it's a point-to-point course (like Tucson) in which case you'd better learn to love it because you're going to be stuck with it.

I was a little sad to see that I losing a couple of seconds per kilometre once the winds picked up, but as I was otherwise feeling great and having a fantastic race, I didn't let it get to me and actually stopped looking at my watch entirely at about 30kms. For the most part, the course is very open and runs alongside the Tucson-Globe Highway. There is one 5km out-and-back section around the halfway point where you get your only opportunity to see where you are in the field. I knew I was the third woman and was curious to see how far ahead the top two ladies were and how they looked. I also wanted to get a sense of the gap between me and the ladies behind me.

Other than a headwind, the weather was perfect!

Fortunately, the turnaround confirmed for me that I could comfortably hold my pace and position and just settle in for the second half. I was not going to catch the ladies ahead of me who were looking strong and relaxed and showed no signs of fatigue, and there was enough distance between me and the next couple of ladies that I didn't feel vulnerable. Mentally, this was my happy place. I was following my race plan, feeling amazing and only had a half marathon to go. Sweet!

Somewhere around three miles from the finish, I realized that I was gaining on the 2nd place woman which suprised me. As I was still feeling pretty damn good, I decided to go for the pass. I did it with the best race face I could muster and didn't look back. I still feel like an ass for not saying anything to her but sometimes saying something seems insincere (i.e. "you look great", "way to go", "keep it up" etc. - when the person is clearly not having a good time) and I'm not a very chatty race person anyway. (We did talk at the finish and she is absolutely lovely. Hi Carrie if you're reading this!)

At this point in the race, we had caught up with some of the half marathoners so there were a lot of runners out on the course. With about a mile to go, I looked up and spotted what appeared to be the blue shirt of the lead marathon lady. I had assumed that she was long done by now and decided that she must be a half marathoner with a similar shirt. It wasn't until I was right behind her that I realized it was the leading woman and she was hurting. Still running well and feeling the pull of the finish line just around the corner, I passed her but indicated that she follow me so that we could finish together. Again, I felt bad going ahead so close to the finish when she had lead the whole race.

Clearly, though, she didn't have anything left so I continued on alone. I pushed hard in that final mile with "oh shit oh shit of shit" running through my head. I didn't think she would catch me but I also didn't want to let up just in case. I was ready to be done. When I crossed the finish line in 3:01:32 it was not disappointment I felt for missing my sub-3 goal, it was sheer joy for having run my best marathon ever and feeling so good in the process. Winning was the cherry on top. (Results here.)

Finish lines are always a welcome sight for tired legs.

This year of running has probably been my most successful, both in terms of results and enjoyment. I still can't believe all that I've done without even the slightest hint of injury or burnout. And the fact that I turned 40 in September and am now racing as a Master with better times than I had in my twenties just adds to my awe of what the body is capable of when we treat it right and have a positive (and realistic) attitude.

I'm now in the process of planning my races for 2019 and there will be another road marathon on the schedule. I still haven't given up on my dream of a sub-3 hour marathon. If anything, there's more fuel in the fire now!

For the holidays and New Year, I wish you health, inspiration and time to pursue the things that make you happy!