A month into my new hobby, there was a buzz in the air at club practice. To many Canadian skaters, with May came our season opening race National Capital Marathon (NCM) in Ottawa, Ontario. Even with my limited exposure to the world of racing, I could feel the excitement among the skaters with everyone arranging carpool, accommodation, and talk of race wheels selection.
I was content to be a spectator to all the hubbub but curiosity drove me one evening to check out the NCM website. Smiling faces of racers stared back at me. It didn’t take long before I noticed an option to skate half marathon for a total distance of 21km. That sounded very feasible. Surely I skated that far without stopping before on the trail. With the ease of a few clicks, I registered for my first inline skating race.
I showed up at practice the next day with an extra spring in my steps. With more than a little self-importance, I bounced over to the opposite side of the track where coach Peter and Aaron were sweeping with brooms in hand. I took a deep breathe and proudly announced.
“Guess what guess what! I registered for NCM!”
“Well, good for you.”
Well, not quite the reaction I was anticipating. My first race! After only practicing with the club for four weeks! It was a big deal! C’mon! Why yes, I was an insufferable little thing. No wonder I was prime target for teasing.
At TISC, we have always pride ourselves on being a racing club. Obviously, many of our skaters participate in races both local and abroad. But we also cultivate the racing mentality by introducing new members to the ins and outs of racing. There was no better illustration than a practice that coach Aaron ran a week before NCM. He first went over the importance of warm up and how to get our heart rates from anaerobic to aerobic zone within the tight confines of the starting area in Ottawa. Then he corralled everyone for a mock start, completed with the moving rope that divided the marathon and half marathon waves. We were given tips on how to hold our place in the starting block and where to position ourselves. The flailing arms and legs in the chaos of a start took me by surprise. Was I ever glad it was only practice and not the real deal! That was one of the most important practices I ever attended at TISC. What I learned in those two hours continued to benefit me for years.
An essential part of race experience is traveling with fellow skaters. Believe it or not, I was more stressed out about the four hours drive to Ottawa than the race itself. Four hours in the same car with another person to make small talk! What would we talk about after the first five minutes of pleasantries? As it turned out, it was the best opportunity to get to know my fellow skaters. There were countless skating stories, adventures in previous trips, tips and tricks. The four hours went by before I knew it.
Race day morning was a blur of activities. We skated from the hotel to the start area carrying shoes and skate bags on our backs. Bag check, warm up, and start line were exactly how coach Aaron described. What he did not prepare me was the crowd. Every direction I looked were skaters and runners. People greeted each other like old friends but the only familiar faces to me were those from Toronto. My race jitters quickly dissipated as soon as the mass start kicked off. I survived without crashing! Although there were many skaters on the course, it wasn’t the pack skating experience I expected. No matter, it was fun and I finished well under an hour!
The high of finishing my first race was soon replaced by a sense of disappointment. When the result was posted, I realized there was such a thing as placement. Many TISC skaters topped the podium including coach Aaron and Mr. Pauley. In the age group podium for half marathons, Sarah and other skaters from our learn to race group also placed top three. I wanted my name to be there.
That was the moment I knew I got bitten by the racing bug.
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