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On Friday night we went to the inaugural Parade of Nations. Proudly carrying their national flag and showcasing their nation’s colours, athletes from 140 plus countries were greeted to sounds of cheers and applause. I loved it. The Canadian contingent wasn’t that showy or loud for that matter. Those European countries sure know how to represent. We met a runner from Drayton Valley who was in the parade. This was her 20th or so marathon.
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I became increasingly nervous in the hours before I ran my first marathon. I didn’t sleep well Thursday or Friday night at our hotel. Fortunately I slept well the night before the race. My left leg started to act up again while we we walking around the expo. I had to sit down a few times to give it a little break.
We had an early night. We ate at the pre-marathon dinner. It was pretty healthy and tasty. We sat with a couple from Germany and two guys from France. All were repeat marathoners. They were so excited for us.
The night before I tried on my shorts, tank, arm warmers and compression sleeves. I decided to go with my compression socks in the end because I felt they gave more support. I tried not to dwell too much on my left leg or the distance ahead. As long as I didn’t stress myself out with the worst case scenarios, I knew the finish line would be in my path.
I could tell Audrey was extremely nervous too. But I knew she would pull through (and she did).
