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Hero Fund volunteer Ariel Garneau runs the Army Run Half Marathon in Ottawa
Run young one, run!
On July 15th I enrolled in the Canadian Army run half marathon.
At the time I was looking for a reason to justify running increasingly longer distances, a reason to travel out of Toronto in the fall, and something to do with my friend. None of these reasons have anything to do with the Canadian Forces, supporting our troops, or being part of the Nation’s fastest growing race. I was just looking for something to do, and the half marathon sounded good to me.
All summer I had been running the streets of Washington, D.C. as a means of staying fit, all the while the Military-Media Relations intern with the Canadian Defence Liaison Staff at the Embassy in Washington.
I started off small, just a few miles down the national mall and back, after or before work.
I ended up having several routes around the embassy, and my favorite one led me to the Navy yards and Marine Barracks in South East. Before I knew it, I had seen a great deal of D.C., and was running 6-7 miles a day during the week. Did I mention I ran at high-noon during lunch? 40+ degree heat is the best way to train.
My half-marathon training was coming along nicely, and I pushed the longer distances on the weekend or after work, when I didn’t have to be back at my desk for 1pm sharp.
By the time I left D.C. at the beginning of September, I was able to run 12 miles in about 2hours. A half marathon is 13.5 miles, but you’re never supposed to run the full distance until the day-of. I had registered for a time of 2hours and 15mins, but I knew I would be running in Ottawa in late September, so it would not be 30+ at the time of the race, thus my time would surely be faster.
As race day got closer, I started exploring the army run website more closely, studying the course map and also reading up on the stories of injured and non-injured soliders, who run the event each year. The website is choc-a-bloc full of the stories of our armed services members. The website also showcased the Canadian Forces equipment that would be on display, and a host of social events before hand to acquaint yourself with the city and the runners.
I had no idea what to expect on race day. I’ve never run a race of any length, ever. My friend, who I had registered with, was on her 4rd half marathon, so she was able to guide me through the basics. From picking up your race kit, placing the bib correctly so it doesn’t chafe, to where to stand in the corales.
Because I was slatted to make the race in and around the 2h mark, I was in the 2nd closest block, next to people throwing around numbers like “1h150” or “ 1h45”. I was NOT going to be running that time, but I figured I’d make the most of it and push for a faster pace.
Waiting for the Howitzer to announce the start of the race, Commander of the Army, Peter Devlin was gearing up the crowded runners – talking about the run our troops in Afghanistan had completed that morning, about himself just running the 5km, and most importantly, of the sacrifices our men and women in uniform are making every day.
The bagpipes sang, my iPod was blaring country music in my ears, the howitzer sent a resonating “boom” throughout downtown Ottawa, the gentle lurch of the people moving forward as the race started, and I was off.
I ran solid for 14km and then decided it might be a good idea to take a walking break every now and then. It wasn’t hot, and it wasn’t cold. It was just right for a nice long run throughout Ottawa. I hit the 18km block, and wanted to swim across the canal, maybe skip the last 1km of the race and head straight to the finish line. Because I do not run with a watch, or any indication of time, I had no idea how I was doing, all I knew was that I still had some kms to go.
Before I knew it, I could see the finishing gate up –ahead and my high-school gym class kicked in. I pushed and pushed as hard as I could, passing almost everyone in front of me, to cross the finish line at 2hours and 5mins.
I was done. I ran my first ever half-marathon and lived to tell the tale.
I’m now training for my next one on October 17th, here in Toronto, before I head to D.C. in November for a series of races there.
- Ariel Garneau
