The Day
October 7 was the Valley Harvest Half Marathon which became my goal fall race after I chose not to travel to Sydney’s Fiddler’s Half Marathon. I chose this one because it’s a beautiful, albeit challenging course, because the travel was easy and above all because my sister Kristen was already planning to go.
Donald is a Love Training More runners who I coach we were trying to coordinate our goal half marathon together. He was a go for the Valley. I was happy to be at this race because I had a few other coached athletes racing as well: Meghan in the half. Catherine-Anne in her marathon debut and Shelley chasing a 10km PB.
The Plan
Donald and Kristen and I drove down together on race morning. The sun wasn’t up yet. My body was very confused with what was going on.
En route, Donald asked what’s the plan? “I assume you have one for us?”
I had what would seem a loose plan at best to an outsider. This loose plan was my own best way to race this half marathon distance. This is something that I have learned my Halifax Road Hammer Coach Lee over time. There was not a time goal as much as a carefully chosen “smart to start” pace based on your training. The number time goal is “as fast as possible” off that smart to start pace. I told Donald we were starting at 4:10/km. The “loose” plan was to be as relaxed as possible running fast until we get to 15-16km then Hammer home as hard as possible.
I had a time idea. If it was a perfect day, I had 1:27:30 in my head- a time that was topic of previous discussion with Lee. About 90 seconds off my PB because I didn’t have PB training in the bank.
And that’s what we did.
The Warm up
Donald, Kristen and I did my standard (superstitious) 17 minute warm up. Precisely 17 minutes because that’s what longtime mentor Salam Hashem recommends. The conditions felt perfect. It was a cool, crisp autumn day. No wind. The sun had now risen.
I ducked somewhere to pee in a bush. One of these days I am going to get poison ivy and I am going to deserve it. But not today. Today, I noted that I was next to wild blueberry bush and I had a flood of memories about my longtime beloved coach, the late Cliff Matthews. He loved to eat wild berries from bushes while coaching running practice. He told me an urban secret about the abundant wild berries at Africville Park: “They are the best.” I love letting my children eat these and we think of him. In that bush, I had a nice moment thinking of Cliff and the first time I ran a really fast half marathon here on this course in the Valley. He was there to cheer. He was yelling incomprehensible numbers at me with 3km to go. Afterwards, he told me proudly, “now you run with the big girls.”
With these unexpected Cliff memories in my thankful heart, I was hopeful that this would be a great day.
The Race
Donald and I were relaxed off the line. It was not a highly competitive day. Within one kilometer, Donald and I were in 4th and 5th place with a few runners within earshot behind us. I was the lead girl.
I ran the way that I run best in a race. I saw things. I smiled. There was some easy chatter. We talked a bit with a dude who joined us. I laughed when Donald as him what time he wanted and he said, “1:30”. And Donald said, “wrong pace!” hahaha.
I laughed again at Donald laughing at a sign that said “pain is temporary. Race results laugh forever.” I smiled at a family of little kids sitting on a sofa on the hitch of a pickup truck.
We ran happily, stride for stride through the very beautiful countryside and I was happy and I took it in. The air smelled like cow. There was not a breath of wind save for one section where Donald said, “is that the wind or our speed?”
I could feel early on that it was one of those magical days where you feel strong and powerful and the pace comes like it will be there forever.
I attempted to rein us in a few times before 15km but Donald shook it off: “the effort is fine, Erin.” The result was team: we reined in a slight bit for my strategy but not all the way for Donald’s. If I was alone, I may have been too cautious. If Donald was alone, he may have been too aggressive. Together, we were like Goldilocks Racers: Just Right.
We started coming up to the marathoners around 10km and I started wondering if we would overtake our Love Training More athlete Catherine-Anne. She was running her debut marathon today. My brain was unable to do math at 4:07/km pace. I decided to just hope for it.
And there she is!!! “Catherine-Anne!!!!” We share an amazing coach-athlete high five and my body and spirit are buoyed by the jubilant moment. She looks relaxed and powerful and in control. Yay.
(I can not wait to praise her debut, Catherine-Anne went on to run a 4:10:xx!!! 5:58/km pace on this challenging course!!)
I loved the long down to the turnaround cone and the long climb back up. I moved over to the centre line to high five my sister Kristen and then high fived fast friend Stephanie too. I smiled at many friends and I felt thankful.
Beginning at the turnaround cone around 13km, the course climbs 32 meters over two kilometers here. It’s a grind.
Mid-grind, a family called out to me, “first woman!” This is exhilarating every time you hear it and it’s my favourite way to race. I drink it in. I take a moment to really feel it deeply because it feels so good and I know it will not last forever and for today, I am so lucky to be able to do this.
We get to the 15th kilometer and it’s business time.
We start to fly down the hill. I’m looking ahead and atop the hill of Collins Road, the Classic Valley tapestry scenery looms for miles in front of us. Patchwork farm fields, the fall foliage, it’s gorgeous. “Look how pretty.” I breathe. Donald says later he was like, “WTF, how is she looking at scenery!?” as he was working quite hard at this point.
We work hard down this hill and split this km at 3:58. My hamstring tightens and I say, “no way.”
We get back in familiar road in Port Williams. I know where we are. 2km to the Irving then 3km to go. Tim Duguay, Chair of Run Nova Scotia, will appear again soon. Thank you Tim for the cheers!
He fires me up. “Erin! The 3 guys in the lead are hurting back. Get to the Irving and go!” I ask him how bad are they hurting? “You can catch them!!” he hollers.
I don’t know if he meant it or not and I didn’t care. It was the extra fuel I needed.
And clearly so did Donald as this was the moment he decisively took off from me. I have trained Donald to drop me in a race. The student overtakes the master and all that.
I make it to the top of the hill in one piece and there’s 3km to the sweet, sweet finish line.
I go. I dig as deep as possible and then one more.
I have little memory of this last 3km except for Donald’s head and giving self cues to “push. Pop.”
I finally flip my Garmin screen to cumulative time at 2km to go.
I add 10 minutes to the time I see. 10 minutes for last 2km.
Wait, is that right?
Brain: click, click, click….. No. it’s not right.
What’s the right answer?
Brain: click, click, click….. nothing. Just run after Donald. My last 3km splits were: 4:00, 4:05, 3:58.
The track appears. Arms. Must grab 1:27. Suffer more.
1:27:29.
Yay.
I was 6th overall and first female. Donald put 12 seconds on me over the last 3km to finish with a 1:27:17, first in his age group, 4th overall. He caught our new friend aiming for a 1:30 on the track. Full results by Atlantic Chip here.
I celebrate with Donald and friend Nick Tentomas who is at the finish line.
Then it’s so wonderful to see my sister. She’s flying and she’s strong and I yell her around the track and she nails a 1:32:56. This is the right side of the clock and a 2 minute PB.
Coaching Cool Down
Now it’s time to go get my athlete Meghan who I have promised to run in on cooldown. I have promised to not be the confused and hurting mess that I was after Rum Runners Leg 9 last weekend. I find her with 1km to go and I give great thanks for the ability to push her hard in for a big PB of 1:52:xx. She is joy-filled and teary at the finish and it’s a wonderful moment to be there for.
Then we find our Love Training More Shelley who clocked a one and a half minute 10km PB at 43:54, i.e kicked clock ass. With authority. She placed second overall and first in her age group.
Keep Showing Up
It was quite a day for me personally and for Love Training More. For all of us, this is a day that epitomizes pro runner Des Linden’s philosophy: you gotta keep showing up. If you don’t show up, you’ll miss that magical day where you are strong and powerful and the race gods shine on you and your training and preparation and it’s your day. This was my day. The day is never guaranteed and success is never guaranteed. You gotta show up to find out. You gotta be brave enough to show up and find out. Each of you who lined up at the Valley Harvest, at any race across the country, you are brave and I salute you.”
On this Thanksgiving weekend, I’m thankful that coaching has brought me this wonderful capacity to celebrate my athletes’ results in the same wonderful way that I celebrate my own. In some ways, it’s even better. This Thanksgiving day email from one of my athletes’ captures this:
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! You pushed me so hard this training cycle (mentally and physically) and I loved it! You motivated me to dig deep, to manage the hurt, survive the boredom and to believe in my ability to be faster! Your own dedication and passion to running and building your athletes is inspiring and helped me.”
It’s a beautiful feeling to be on the receiving end of this.
Now if your October racing has either left you happy and hungry for more or in a place where you are still searching for that more, we women coaches at Love Training More (Linda, Janet and Erin) would love to help you out.
Please reach out to us!
