Welcome to AngelsKiss' World

What would make so many people want to run/walk a marathon? The challenge of course….being able to say you did the training and complete a marathon is a big thing for many of us. Ok so may be we are a little bit crazy since it takes a lot of discipline and the willingness to train even in -28C.

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon had some 20,000 participants doing either a 5k, 1/2 marathon or the marathon and it was a sight to behold so many people on the road.

Yesterday I finally completed my first marathon and if I am crazy then I will continue to be crazy since I want to do it again After 8 months of training I completed my first marathon yesterday and I have the blisters to prove it :)

Leading up to the big day, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to run it or walk, but then I decided that since I mostly train as a power walker and also because I wanted to know what my time would be like, I would walk.

The weather people had forecast rain for most of the day but lucky for us it was just which is ideal for a marathon.

I can’t say it was easy or it was my best walk but I am very glad I did it and completed it under the time I had in mind. I figured I would do it in 6 hours and 30 minutes but if possible work towards 6:00 which is ambitious given my hip problems.

I actually finished in 6 hours 22 minutes and would have done better if I didn’t suffer from severe dehydration at about 18K. I got so dehydrated that I almost keeled over 3 times. When it first started, I noticed that my heart rate would go up, I would get dizzy and start to lose focus. I would slow to almost a crawl, just putting one foot in front of the other until the dizzy spell passed, then I would try to go speed up again. Only each time I try the same thing would happen.

So I ended up walking at a very slow pace for several Ks until I saw a paramedic. I decided to tell him my symptom and get his help. He asked me some questions about how often and how much I was drinking water and Gatorade. He then explained that even though it was an overcast day I was dehydrated and needed to drink more of each. I did as he told me and sure enough it helped quite a bit.

The one thing I learned from after is that I wasn’t drinking enough leading up to race day. I was told that I should drink lots of water and at least 1 bottle of Gatorade the week before the race. Just when I think I have a good idea of what I need to do I realize that there is still more to learn.

Most important though is the support and encouragement you get from fellow athletes. Here are some of my experiences that makes what we do so much fun:

1. When I went to pick up my race packet, I found a beautiful card inside from one of the people I trained with offering me encouragement and support.
2. About 400m away from the 38K point, I saw another of our walking group waving and cheering. Even though I was so far away and couldn’t see her face I immediately knew who she was. She had completed the 1/2 marathon earlier on and then came to meet at the 38K point to walked 4.2k just so she could walk with me back to the finishing line…another 4.2K.
3. Some of the members who did not participate in the race and those who did but finish a head were all there to cheer me on.
4. Along the way other athletes who you don’t know were also shouting encouragement to each other.
5. At 33K zone, there was a man from a veggie and fruit shop offering water melon.
6. The people that came out just to watch us go by would look at for our names on the bibs and shout out encouragement. One lady shouted at me that she brought her kids out just to cheer for us.

Those are just a few of the wonderful experiences I had yesterday and I have had many since I started this journey. Such display of great human spirit makes it worth the effort of getting up at 5:30 am, sometimes in extremely cold weather to do the training it takes to be able to say I completed a marathon.

To everyone who helped to make this event happened, from the organisers of this event, those who volunteered or just came out to cheers us on, a big thank you. 

Just a bit of info about the race:

1. Through this event they raised $1.8M which will support 99 charities.
2. Kenneth Mungara of Kenya broke the record he set last year 2:08:31.9…making it the fastest record on Canadian Soil.
3. Amane Gobena of Ethiopia set a new record of 2:28:31 which was previously held by countrywoman Mulu Seboka

Congratulations to the top finishers:

Overall Male — Top Finishers

Mungara, Kenneth, Age 36, Kenya — 2:08:31.9
Lemi, Chala, Age 22, Ethiopia — 2:08:48.4
Asfaw, Gashaw Melese, Age 31, Ethiopia — 2:09: 22.8

Overall Female — Top Finishers

Gobena, Amane, Age 23, Ethiopia — 2:28:30.4
Seboka, Mulu, Age 25, Ethiopia — 2:29:37.2
Kebebush, Haile, Age 25, Ethiopia — 2:30:47.9

Top Canadian Finishers

Men's

Jackson, David, Age 33, Victoria, British Columbia — 2:24:03.3
Loutitt, Jason, Age 35, Calgary, Alberta — 2:28:12.3
Gehl, Terry, Age 40, St-Charles, Quebec — 2:32:46.4
Enfield, Jeff, Age 31, Toronto, Ontario — 2:39:22.9
Alley, Andrew, Age 27, Toronto, Ontario — 2:42:19.3

Women's

Duchene, Krista, Age 32, Brantford, Ontario — 2:50:36.9
Goyer, Nathalie, Age 41, St-Bruno, Quebec — 2:55:29.8
Bakker, Grace, Age 27, St.Thomas, Ontario — 2:59:49.5
Purdy, Tammy, Age 43, Mississauga, Ontario — 3:03:33.0
Patten, Rebecca, Age 35, Toronto, Ontario — 3:06:07.2

What a race this was…I just finished the 1/2 marathon a few hours ago and I have to say this is toughest race I have ever done. This is the first year they held it and it was in a really beautiful location…Beamsville, Ontario where the wine estates are, hence the name.

I would recommend it to anyone and in fact would like to return for a visit. If you get the chance to go you should do the wine tour and sample the wines and food there. Better yet, spend a weekend so you don’t have to rush in and out.

So back to the race…in the beginning it all seemed very simple and at the start area there were cars still coming and going which was a surprised. Based on this I wasn’t sure what to expect. However it turned out to be well planned for the most part. There were few minor hitches…the start and the time of day which I will explain later.

They started by raising the banner and then they had someone sung the national anthem which I thought was very nice.

The race itself was hard, especially if you are not trained for hills. It was a tough not only because of the hills but also because of the time of day they held it. It started at 11:15AM in the middle of the day when it’s bright and hot. To make it even more challenging, we climbed about 8 hills or more…I am not sure because I stop counting after the first few.

These hills were no picnic either…they were steep and there was one particular one that was long 500m. What was funny is that just before we finished 16K, one of the volunteers told us at one of the hills we had just completed,  that it was the last one and that it was all downhill from there. That particular hill was the steepest of the lot so you can imagine how happy I was to hear that.

I got to 17K and the next thing I saw was a sign saying there was a hill a head and it is 500m long. Of course I couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought, oh well what’s another hill…this has to be the last of it, I will just take my time. So instead of jogging up I walked…huffing and puffing away. Finally I got to the top, feeling very happy and proud that I made it.

At this point I had to cross the street and go around the corner…as I turned the corner what did I see? Another hill of course….at this point I am wondering will it never end? Anyway I kept plodding away and finally I got to the supposedly downhill course that we should have gotten to several kilometres ago.

This reminds me of Jamaica when you are in the rural area or as we would say in the country. If you ever ask a local for direction they would tell you…”oh it’s just down the road and around the corner.” I must warn you that if you ever go to Jamaica and they tell you that, expect that “down the road and around the corner” is another 10 miles or more.

To continue…even though the race was tough and I whined and moan, I had a lot of fun. Most of it was very well organized. They had the most water stations I have ever seen at any race and they even had people driving around with water. There were a few locals who had their hoses out to spray us and I can tell you it was needed. They also had paramedics in several locations and a few riding around on bicycles.

There were several wine tasting stations too. I tried only one since alcohol makes me sleepy and I couldn’t afford to be drinking the stuff, plus I am not very big on it anyway. Nevertheless it was nice that it was there for those who wanted to try it.

What’s great about racing is that you always meet a lot of very supportive people and on this one I met a few who were just wonderful and generous. There was a lady who ran beside me for a while and she offered me some gel which I told her I didn’t need because I had several in my pouch. I mentioned to her though that what I really needed was some salt since I forgot to take some with me. She said she had some and offered me some sodium & electrolyte tablets and told me if I needed more I should feel free to ask because she had lots.

The end of the race was amazing, seeing yourself on the big screen TV, your name being announced and the crowd cheering you on as you reached the finish line. The finisher's medal is really cool too and the logo very nice. I would like to do this race again but I am hoping they will chose another time of day.

I spoke with one of the volunteers who mentioned that they received a lot of feedback from the athletes who suggested that they started early in the morning, but I suggested a Saturday afternoon. The reason I did was because in Ontario, the shops are not allowed to serve alcohol before 11:00AM and this is a method of advertising so it made sense to do it in the afternoon and on a Saturday so that those who participate could have Sunday to recuperate.

Anyhoo…I am exhausted so its time for me to go rest my weary self. Hope you all have a great week a head.

Take care and walk good!

As usual, I went walking this morning. The plan was to do 16K but we only did 13K. Before I left home, I knew it would rain but for some reason I thought I heard them say it would rain later. Well I packed my disposable rain coat and thought if it rained I would be ok.

When I reach my destination (High Park), one of the walkers reminded me keep my light walking jacket because it may rain. Stupid me didn’t think to take out my disposable rain coat….I left it in her car.

So we set off and we are walking at a fairly fast clip like we normally do. Only I am taking some photos as well. The park is beginning to come to life and looks pretty so I thought why not take some pictures. The next thing I know it’s getting darker.

Someone had said to me earlier that they felt raindrops but I laughingly told him it was his imagination. Even before we started out I had felt a drop or 2 myself and yet I forgot my rain coat.

Anyway, half way down the Lakeshore it started raining, and I mean seriously pouring. The group of us who were leading the pack (about 6 of us) are walking happily in rain not knowing the others are turned around and returned to High Park. Not that it would have matter to us one bit.

I was a bit worried about my camera and MP3 player in my waist pouch, but lucky for me I had a Ziploc bag which was big enough to fit my electronics, so I stuff them in there. I gave my mobile phone to a friend to place in her pocket because her jacket was water proof.

As we walked along I remember the song from one of my favourite movies…I am Singing in the Rain, so I started sing at the top of my voice and doing that little dance that Gene Kelly does. Then it suddenly hit me…we are either a really dedicated bunch of people or just plain crazy. Either way we had a grand time walking in the rain.

After our walk, two of us went shopping at the market for organic veggies and fruits. The return journey home was somewhat uncomfortable because I was soaking wet from head to toe and I was also a bit cold.

As much fun as it was, I am very happy to be home and relaxing. That’s all for now, until my next bout of madness…walk good!

Yep…I got my first medal today for participating in the 10K Sporting Life race. It was a darn good race too, especially since I walked/ran 21K yesterday during training. In fact training didn’t go so well since I struggled through it and didn’t think I would be able to finish it. I was able to get through it though but felt kind of demoralized that it was such a struggle.

So today when I was able to do the 10K and at perhaps my best time ever I have to say I am not only very happy but proud too. I walked 7.53/K and finished in 1 hour and 18 minutes. I can’t help but wonder if I hadn’t done the 21K yesterday and was more rested if I could have gone faster.

That’s water under the bridge now though and this will give me incentive to continue to work on my technique. I did more of a race walk today than power walking and I find I am much faster and I like it too.

The race itself was fun with some 12,000 participants of which over 300 registered as walkers.  It was amazing to see all those people running/walking down Yonge Street. There were several bands playing along the way and water station every 4K. We started the race at Yonge & Castlefield and finished at Fort York. The top three runners were all from Nairobi but the top three walkers are all Canadian.

So now I have to prepare for my next 2 races in June… a 5K on June 13th and a 1/2 Marathon on June 14th. I may do another race the end of this month but that is dependent on whether someone drops out. If not I will just go and cheer my fellow team members on and take pictures.

Well that’s all for now. Take care and walk good!