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Ed's Sk8toronto Website
CANADIAN NATIONAL MARATHON (CAMBRIDGE) -JULY 2004 The Canadian National Marathon is held each year in conjunction with the Canadian National Sprint and Distance Championships. Both the track racing and the marathon, which is held on the road, take place on or around the Canada Day long weekend. The 2004 marathon event was held in Cambridge Ontario on some country roads just north of Highway 401. The event was well run and the course was very nice. The race this year was held on the same course as last July 1st and was another interesting “exercise” (sorry). This event is a great way to celabrate Canada Day! I drove up to Cambridge with my newly purchased copy of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon playing fairly loud as I thought about the likely scenarios for the race. I figured that there would be more fast skaters in attendance than last year, that I would probably be unable to stay with the really fast ones for very long and hoped that I would manage to catch a ride with a decently large second pack. I arrived in good time, signed up, said hi to many old friends, got ready and warmed up. The course consists of 3 small loops of about 1km and then three larger ones of around 13km. Just like last year things stayed sensibly slow on the 3 little loops but, just at the beginning of the third loop the guy in front of me almost fell down. I went to the left and prepared to jump over his legs but he somehow managed to stay up. In the process of recovery he threw his left hand back wide and hard and hit me squarely in the middle of the face. It was quite a surprise and I was a little stunned for a couple of seconds. After a short time I realized that my glasses were gone! A lot went through my mind in the next few seconds. Had the glasses been destroyed by a trailing skater (there were lots behind me at this point)? If not, would they survive another pass by the pack on the final small loop? If they survived that, what would happen to them when they opened up the road to traffic as we headed out onto the main part of the course? WAS IT WORTH IT TO STOP SKATING AND RECOVER THE GLASSES NOW? Doing that would destroy any hope of catching a ride with any pack. In the end, I KEPT SKATING. As we passed the crowd near the starting line for the last time I yelled out that I had lost my glasses down the way and would someone please have a look but I found out later that I had not made myself understood. I am not totally lost without my glasses but it threw me off a little. I had more difficulty seeing what was going on with the fast guys at the front and a harder time seeing stuff on the road. However, not having the glasses probably did not affect the final outcome of the race. The surges started as soon as we got on to the main course and became intolerable for me about half way into the first big loop. I was disappointed because there were still plenty of skaters up ahead that I have been able to skate with in the past. I figured that there were too many skaters ahead for only one pack and I later learned that the skaters in front did indeed split into 2 packs. I would so much have loved to be up there. I skated alone for a minute and waited for some help. Soon I was with David T, Allan M, and a guy from Montreal. We took turns pulling but nobody was much interested in taking killer pulls like would be happening up ahead. Over the next few miles we reeled in Derik B, Benoit J and a couple of more guys from Montreal. (Actually one from Montreal and one from Ottawa). I only remember 8 of us but David said there were 9.(I forgot that we reeled in Eric Gee near the end). The pace was pretty slow and we finished in 1:24+. I had nothing for the sprint at the end and settled for last place in our pack. This is the first time that David T and Alan M have managed to beat me. I hope it’s the last. Not doubt they are hoping the opposite. I asked around at the finish line and also at the registration desk to see if anyone had turned in my glasses. I got shrugs. Only people who wear glasses know what it is like to search for lost glasses without the benefit of proper vision. As I worked my way slowly along the left side of the road in the area where I lost the glasses a woman who was walking her dog on the other side asked me what I was looking for. I told her the story and she said she would keep an eye out. I finished my first pass on the left side and started working my way back along the other side. Just as I finished that side, a skater that I didn’t know, said that someone had given his wife a pair of glasses to hand in. I figured it was probably the lady with the dog. Thanks! The glasses were bent up pretty badly but a little work with a pair of needle nose pliers got them back into useable condition pretty quickly. I think it is time for a new pair but I need to book an eye test first. This is the second marathon in a row that I have not managed to perform as well as I did in the past. I am convinced now that I must force myself to do some anaerobic work or learn to be content with marathons in the 1:25 range. It’s all about catching a fast pack.
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