35k and I'm still alive!!!

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I did it. I completed my longest training run in preparation for the marathon, 35k. Way back in May when we started training for the Surrey Marathon 35k seemed so far fetched to me and today I can say I did it and it wasn't entirely terrible.

Here's our group raring to go at 8:30AM:

I decided the best way to get through this was to resist the urge to speed up at the start of the run and go at a nice slow pace for the entire run. I was aiming for between 6:45-7:00min/km average. When I do a weekday 5k I'm running between a 5:30-5:45min/km so I was aiming for a whole minute slower than my normal. It was hard at first to maintain that pace but once I settled into a rhythm with Nikki I felt pretty good.

The first half of the run went by very easily before I knew it we were at our first pit stop at Nikki's car where she had stashed a bunch of snacks and cooler full of drinks!

 

We were all so unbelievably grateful to see this and it really made 35km all that much more bearable (thanks Nikki!). After our pit stop we headed over the Golden Ears Bridge, a bridge that connects Langley (where I used to live) to Maple Ridge (where we live now). There's quite an incline on the bridge so I'll admit I was concerned about it but surprisingly I felt just fine. The weather was perfect, it may have been foggy and cloudy but I was so happy the sun wasn't beating down us.

As we crossed the bridge I remembered that the Terry Fox Run was taking place at the very same time. I was happy to be able to see some of the runners and run part of the route because I had intended to run it but I didn't want to have to do the rest of the 35k by myself. Last year my family and I ran the run and raised money in honor of my uncle-in-law who passed away from cancer last August.

 

So with a little extra inspiration under my belt we headed towards the Maple Ridge Running Room, our next pit stop. When we got there I bought a Honey Stinger wafer and washed my hands and face and then we were on our way again.

On the way back, the Golden Ears Bridge sure felt a lot LONGER and STEEPER, but we trudged on anyway at a pace not much faster than walking. When we finally reached the pedestrian ramp down to the road I was unbelievably relieved to be "on our way back" to the Langley store.

We stopped at the truck again to refill our packs with water and we had a visitor waiting there to cheer us on, thanks Gary!

Then it was time to head off down 96th towards our last hill. As we all knowingly headed towards the hill another visitor/running buddy showed up to make sure we were all still alive! He kindly took pictures of us coming towards him knowing that for a few of us this was the longest run we'd ever done:

Thanks Dave! At this point it was all mental, we weren't far from the store, maybe 4 or 5km. Nikki and I commented how at some point your legs go numb and it's just about moving forward, that's exactly how I felt. I found myself methodically putting one foot in front of the other despite all the aches and pains that were beginning to become overwhelming. As we rounded the corner onto 64th (our second to last turn) I was feeling emotional, I knew it now... I'm going to finish this marathon in 2 weeks, it is totally within my grasp. When I ran the 32km essentially alone I struggled perhaps more than I ever have and I became increasingly concerned about finishing this marathon. This time though, having followed our 10/1s, starting with a slow pace, and not running out of water I felt good... well as good as you can feel at 35k.

Finally, we were back at the store. We all hugged and congratulated each other. All I could think was I can't believe I'm going to do it, I really am. I'm so looking forward to running 42.2km and it's because of these people who've run beside me, showed me their blisters, and talked endlessly with me about strange and bizarre things attempting to pass the time on our longest run yet.

I finished off the day getting a pedicure with a good friend of mine and it felt SO good. Though I was undoubtably sore I was smiling from ear to ear all day yesterday after finally accomplishing that distance.

To celebrate the last 2 weeks of training and finally being READY for this marathon I'll be hosting a few giveaways, to start with I have the BAMR bands giveaway on until Saturday!