Introduction
In the weeks leading up to marathon day, my training was SERIOUSLY restricted. The IT issue was related to misaligned sacroiliac (once again). Sacroiliac joint needed a break to maintain alignment which meant doing nothing that created motion with the hips or stress on the lower back. So....no running, no aqua-jogging, no elliptical, no swimming, no cycling, no spinning, no foam rolling, limited walking. Hmmm, this kinda interferes with that MARATHON I'm suppose to be running, eh? However, I could do strengening exercises prescribed by my PT. I became the master squatter, cruncher, therabander doing up to 35 reps of everything 3 times a day. However, in the end, it created a tight hip-flexor that killed me during the last 5 miles of the marathon. But I'm jumping ahead here.
Day 1
Thanks to the support of so many, I raised over $3000 for LLS through Team In Training for the opportunity to run the Royal Victoria Marathon. What a fantastic weekend with perfect weather shared with some amazing people. I arrived in Victoria with 3 fellow rungirls one day ahead of the rest of the team. While waiting in the customs line at the airport, a tall man with an accent started chatting us up. "Are you here for the marathon? Are you running for a charity" We mentioned we were with TNT and chatted for a while before going our separate ways. Fast forward 3 hours after enjoying high tea at the Empress... We got to the expo before it opened and soon the "opening ceremonies" began with that same tall gentleman cutting the ribbon to open the weekend's events. He pointed toward us and smiled down from the balcony saying, "There are
my TNT runners!" As we ascended the staircase for the expo he gave each of us a high five. As it turned out, this was Rod Dixon: olympian, New York Marathon winner, and the first TNT coach. Good omen for race day.
Day 2 - The Eve of the Marathon
Toured the marathon course by bus -- knowledge is power dontcha know. Saw the hills and new what to expect. Learned landmarks I would look foward to seeing. Rested, relaxed, drank FANTASTIC coffee.
Attended a Night of Inspiration with fellow TNT athletes. Honoree (and team mate) Todd Moore told us his story and why we were there. His form of blood cancer is most likely to reoccur, the question is when. He thanked us not only for what we are doing now, but for what needs to be done for
his future. He finished with something for us to think about during the inevitable hellacious moments of the marathon. He explained, in great detail, his experience of having a auger drilled into his hip with blood dripping down his leg to extract bone marrow. Needle-butt. Not a pretty sight - if he can endure that, surely we can endure a marathon.
By the way, Todd finished the Victoria Marathon in 3:38:58.
Day 3 - The Marathon
Up at 4am to warm up the muscles, stretch the IT, hip flexor, and calves -- my problem spots. Hoping that would prevent the voodoo doll in my head from stabbing the points during my run. Eat. Dress. Walk to the starting line.
During the first few miles, my calves were TIGHT. Stopped 3 times to stretch with the encouragement of Jen. The calves were never an issue for the rest of the run. 15 miles flew by...yes they did.
With the sunrise and beautiful scenery, how could it not. Such a piece of cake, truly. Goal #2 could easily be achieved, I thought. We were on track. I was an ultra-conservative runner on that day -- sacro-ili-crap won't get the best of me! It was great seeing fellow TNTers run by...I knew I was not alone.
Jen and I stuck together during a lot of the run, at times playing a game of cat and mouse. At mile 19ish the
oh-crap-what-the-hell-is-this happened. Hip flexor tooo tight - every time the left leg made forward motion I winced with pain that came and went in waves. Then the IT crunched near the near. Saw Coach Tim at mile 20ish which released endorphins masking the pain. Mile 22ish had to keep on running -- decreasing walk breaks significantly -- rubbed biofreeze on the hip-flexor and IT. The transition from walk to run was far too painful. At this point, my run pace slowed so the cardio wouldn't run out. I was running without Jen for quite a bit, but my body couldn't take the walking. Visions of "needle-in-the-butt" kept me going. Visions of baby Zach enduring chemo before he reached his first birthday kept me going. The sacroiliac belt with all my honorees names written on it kept me going. My three original marathon time goals were thrown out the window, but my 4th goal was still within reach - sub 6 hours. I had a 5th and 6th goal in place (just in case), but
not finishing was not one of them.
The Finish
I hadn't run with Jen for quite some time, I had no idea where she was. I really wanted to finish with her, but I had to keep forward motion and be selfish at that point. 4 miles to go. I sped up my walk pace during those breaks, sped up my run pace. Could I have done this earlier. I don't know. Then OUT OF NOWHERE with roughly a mile to go, this perky (what the hell?) chick shows up by my side, "Janine, let's DO THIS THING!" It seriously took me a moment to snap out of my marathon coma and realize I wasn't hallucinating. It was Jen. I began looking for Arianna and James, they promised to be here somewhere. I needed them. Then they appeared. James began running with Jen.
Arianna began running with me - talking me through the turns and what to expect. I told her I couldn't speak. She knew this feeling from her Napa Marathon and she was low key. She knew what to say and what not to say. I began to run faster and faster. Faster. Honoree Jack and his wife were there near the finish. He was there -- I could see the
Finish Line Banner. Closer. Nearly there. Arianna left me and James left Jen. Together, Jen and I sprinted. I saw Evie cheering our names from behind the fence. We sprinted through to the end releasing any pain that previously exisited. For about 2 minutes, that voodoo doll lost control and I ran, without pain, faster...I ran.
The Result
4th goal achieved...sub 6 hours
Marathon time: 5:57:29
Me: Getting mentally psyched up for my third marathon. First was....my first. A "Get-'er-done" experience. A meeting of the Run Girls. Second marathon was an injury ridden horrendous experience of frustration and elation. Did it, done. Marathon #3 is a "I am physcially healed, body stong, mind prepared and ready to push it -- but maybe not as hard as my body is really capable of running. It's all good. Cause there will be a marathon #4. However, today is about today.
Interacting with other runners, supporters on the sidelines, and each other. 
Maintaining a steady solid pace within range of a most amazing time goal for us all. Running by streets with names to inspire, and names reminiscent of friends and memories from childhood far away from Victoria. All of this helping to remove the numbers from the miles. 
As early-starting friends and teammates approached us, while making their way to the finish line-- we formed a line of high fives, passing each other by with heart-felt "GO TEAMs!".
The elites began sprinting by, erupting more cheers from our group.
I know this course from last year and call out to our Wolf-Pac Den of Five -- "We continue straight for a bit, and make a left. There's a water stop -- then we turn around and make our way back." Okay. Get my water bottle ready, refill, recap, make my u-turn. I know Ilya is right behind/beside me. And yet, upon my return, I see Jen...and Juana slightly further back..... Marc following even further back. My heart sinks, feels broken. We had set ourselves up to run together as a Pac of Five up to mile 20. It isn't happening. As Ilya and I continue, the others fall further behind. I can't look back to see who was behind -- I ask Ilya to take a glance and I see disappointment on his face. I think to myself, "We all agreed - if one stops, if one slows down, the others.....continue. It's race day. It's what you do."
Mile 18. Tough. The chant through my head echoes, "I'm here to run. I'm here to run. I'm here to run." Pace slows...picks back up while maintaining a 8 min run/ 1 min walk with a little bit more walk on occasion. At mile 21ish, we slow dramatically as Ilya and I see a swerving Cortney (Wolf-Pac) -- give her salt -- tell her to take the salt -- force her to gu. Chatting to check her head while checking mine. We tell her when we see the Coach, we'll send him back. Ilya and I reluctantly continue. Running with new mantra, "Gotta get the Coach. Gotta get the Coach. Gotta get the Coach. I'm here to run. I'm here to run." One mile to go and we see the biggest smile on the Team - Jesi. "Please run with us...but don't talk." We tell him about Cortney, and he says he'd find her. We run, we run. Mike Z appears with the code word I gave him...."Marrrrcia." "Please run with us...but don't talk." We run, we run. Take a walk break......we run. 500 meters to go. I see Coach Tim along a turn. I gently lift my index finger to my mouth giving the universal symbol for "quiet please". 
We ran...chatted...walked....chatted....ran...chatted about walk breaks....this was her first half marathon....her son was running ahead with a goal of 1:30......not in my life-time....ran.....chatted, and before I knew it, we had been running together for 8 miles with only one mile to go. I took off for the last mile, because my legs needed to. That's her on the right, as I took off for the last mile.
I ignored my pace during those 8 miles. Those easy, conversational miles felt good and were fun. I took more walk breaks than necessary, but it was nice chatting with this lovely lady from Wexford whose name I have forgotten and can't even recall by looking at the race results. When at last I approached the finish line along the river Slaney, there was my family, cheering me on.
