Ask any marathon runners and you are bound to find a plethora of race day fuelling advice. What to drink? What to eat? When to take it? How to carry it? Down to a science? It IS a science! On the other hand, planning for food and drink for a skating marathon is not as intuitive. If you ask the top finishers who crossed the line just a little over an hour, they will probably tell you the body cannot process food so quickly for such a short race and even water is optional. The pesky water bottle only adds extra weight. But if you talk to the skaters who huffed and puffed to a sub-3 hour finish, they can assure you on course nutrition is a necessity. For most of us, the answer lies somewhere in between.
My transition to speed skates had not been the smoothest but at least I grew comfortable enough to take them to Ottawa Inline Festival on Labour Day weekend. Although I still felt clumsy with my big wheels, I figured out a reliable way to stop that did not involve my bum hitting the ground. On my way to Ottawa, I laid out my big plan to Mike in detail. First, I would finish my first marathon that weekend. Two weeks later, I would travel to Duluth, Minnesota with the confidence of a marathon veteran. Finally, I would cap my first inline skating season with a new personal best at Northshore Inline Marathon. Everyone told me it was the biggest race and the fastest course in North America. I believed in my plan with all my heart. I still chuckle at my naïveté to this day.
Ottawa Inline Festival was a race of many firsts for me. My first marathon, all 42.2km of it. My first race on speed skates. My first course involving multiple 180 degree turnarounds. My first afternoon start time. What I did not expect, was receiving my first three letter acronym in the race result.
Race day morning was ominous with gray sky and drizzly rain. The marathon would not begin until two in the afternoon so I happily scarfed down a big brunch of eggs, ham, home fries, toast, and milk. While other skaters fretted about wheel choices for the wet condition, I shared no such worries. I only had one set of wheels at my disposal anyway. Over a month ago in Montreal 24h relay, I already learned the tricks of rain skating and it wasn’t all that complicated.
My race started well. I quickly found Mike’s pack and skated in formation with other skaters. It was amazing how a few months of training at TISC prepared me well for pack skating. I sipped on my bottle of water occasionally but always mindful of the slick condition. Just a few kilometres into the race, strange things started happening. My legs felt heavy. I could not move them as quickly anymore. I started cold sweating and there was a hollow feeling in my stomach. Needless to say, I lost my pack long ago. Everyone was passing ahead of me and my big wheels, even recreational skaters bundled up in layers of poufy waterproof jackets. I was barely rolling at this point, miserable in my cold and damp skin suit. At the 18km mark, I could not take it anymore and stopped next to the first familiar face I saw.
My friend Ryszard took a quick assessment of my whining. His experience determined that I was sick because I was not eating enough. He made me gulp down an entire bottle of sports drink, something I normally refuse to even touch. I felt a little better from the sugary surge. After a few bites of food, I finally was myself again.
I watched my friends crossed the finish line one by one, victorious at conquering the rain. My body felt alright but my mind was anything but. On that day, I received my first Did Not Finish (DNF) designation. My confidence was on shaky ground. Did I even have it in me to finish a marathon? The countdown was on to Northshore Inline Marathon. I was not sure I would emerge at the end of the race victorious, if at all.
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