The Effects of Red Deer

The Red Deer 1/2 marathon was really tough! There were a lot more hills than I was expected and it was the first time I tried to run a longer race without carrying any food or water. That turned out to be a big mistake for me. It was a beautiful day with the weather peaking to 20 degrees and the scenery in the trails was gorgeous. The water stations were well spaced and I was on track to make a great time. I think I crossed the 11km sign at just under an hour.

At the 15km marker, I noticed my energy levels depleting and having no food on me, began to crash pretty hard. By 17km, I was running on fumes and craving sugar like you wouldn't believe. The hills and the sun had taken their tolls and there was nothing left but sheer willpower to drive me to the finish. I had to walk a few times, which didn't seem to make my legs feel any better. By 19km I understood what it meant to hit the wall -- my legs felt slow and heavy and I felt like i was barely moving. Racers kept passing me and I wasn't sure the end would ever come. Every hill felt like torture.

Finally reached the last hill and I moving pretty slow by now. Only half a kilometre left I though to myself. A few steps onto the the hill and I found myself need to walk. It seemed so steep and long, at the pace I was going, I'd never get to the top. My legs burned, but I decided to go for it. Just then, one of the volunteers ran down from the top to give me some encouragement. She ran me to the top, cheering me on all the way, "It's all down hill from here... push through it!" Thank you, whoever you are, I needed that.

I hit the top and coasted all the way to the finish, picking up speed the closer I got. Karen was waiting for me, cheering me in with her friend, Orlene. I finished in 2hrs and 3 minutes. Not the best time for this distance of race, but I was glad to take it. Karen kicked butt and finished in about 1:59 with no problem and full of smiles. She tried to get a little playful with me when I told her I needed some sugar, but I would have none of that -- straight to the food tent for me to get some oranges, juice and cookies.

Lesson learned after this race -- pack some food or suffer the consequences. We had a nice lunch with Karen's aunt and uncle and then drove 6 hours back to Grande Prairie. Pretty tough on the legs sitting all day after running a grueling 21km.