What an incredible experience the five days we spent in the Bahamas with Joints in Motion were! From Heather and I laying down on the bed post marathon while Rob performed minor foot surgery on our giant blisters to running into Katherine's in laws at the same resort we were staying at in the Bahamas to seeing the majority of the Joints in Motion team still waiting for me to come through the finish line two to three hours after some of them finished their own races, the memories of this trip will stay with me for many, many years to come.
Those snapshots of memory aside, there were a couple of highlights that moved me to tears from others on the Bahamas JIM team that I wanted to share along with my own race report. There were many personal successes and accomplishments that everyone experienced and I assure you that they are all just as special and moving as the couple that are touched on below.
David McDougall is another Joints in Motion participant that I met for the first time in the Caymans when he was a cheer team member. David lives with rheumatoid arthritis, has had his jaw, both hips and one knee replaced, has had the knuckles on both hands operated on and is currently awaiting word on his next joint replacement surgery date for his other knee. Still with everything that David deals with because of his arthritis, he trained for and walked the 5 km race on Saturday. I can't tell you how proud I am of him! Not only did he do this race but he did it on a major lack of sleep after travelling for 3 days to get to the Bahamas from where he lives in BC! Amazing doesn't begin to describe this accomplishment. David, you inspire me to be a better person. Thank you for spending time with us this week!
Patty, another participant who lives with rheumatoid arthritis also amazed and inspired us all when she completed the half marathon. Patty started the trip by rolling her ankle as we were in the Toronto airport on our way to the Bahamas, two short days before the half marathon! Her game plan going into the race was to finish the first two miles and then see how things went and pull herself out of the race when she needed to fully thinking that she would not finish the half marathon distance. Mile two came and went, as did mile three, then four and so on until Patty hit the amazing mile 13.1 marker. Patty finished! She finished a half marathon two short days after rolling her ankle and thinking of pulling herself from the race two miles in. What an accomplishment Patty! You are amazing!
Heather Gauthier is one of my dear friends who lives with rheumatoid arthritis and was also in the Bahamas with the Joints in Motion team to run the half marathon in honour of her mom who lives with rheumatoid arthritis as well. Heather has had a very rough past 6 months to a year trying to manage her disease on the medication she was on to no avail. Three short weeks before we left for the Bahamas, Heather finally got her medication change approved and was switched onto her new meds. Unfortunately with the type of medications that Heather is taking, a switch does not mean immediate relief. There is a waiting period for the new medications to take full effect and Heather ran a half marathon during that waiting period! I knew it was going to be a tough one for her and I wish more than anything that I could have been waiting at that finish line for her as she was for me on Sunday. Heather, your strength and determination inspires me beyond what words can describe. You are one tough cookie and I am so proud of you my friend - you did it!
My own race was by far the toughest and is the most memorable race I've ever finished. Marathon number 5 was a doozy! I chafed in places I didn't think possible, for the first time in 5 full marathons and 11 half marathons my feet blistered, and the hardest part of all of it was trying my best to keep some of the salt and electrolytes in my system that the never ending rivers of sweat were stealing from my body and causing my leg muscles to seize.
We started at 6am in the dark with a crowd of 1700 marathoners and half marathoners. We wound through downtown Nassau and then over the big bridge to Atlantis on Paradise Island and back over the other big bridge from Paradise Island before winding our way back through downtown and then out along the ocean for a lengthy out and back. It was a muggy 26 degrees when we started and by mile two I was drenched in sweat and knew that I had to make the switch from water to gatorade if I was going to have a chance of keeping my body working properly. The first 15 miles went really well. My pace was a bit faster than I had planned but it felt really comfortable so I stuck with it. Just past mile 15 both of my calves cramped up and I stopped to give them a good stretch out before I continued on. I was doing ok until about mile 17 when my quads also started having issues. I quickly went from a 5:50/km pace to running for 3 minutes until my quads were rock hard and then walking for about 2 minutes to stretch them back out again. This went on for about another mile until just past mile 18 when I went to switch back to running, took 3 steps, had my left quad seize up so bad that I couldn't straighten my leg out and came dangerously close to falling flat on my face. I knew then that I was willing to do whatever it took to finish that race so I swallowed my pride and started walking. I knew I had 8 miles left to go and hoped that my legs would make it. Rob met me at mile 19 for my water bottle switch and knew I was in trouble. He gave me a huge hug, told me he was proud of me and to forget about time and just do it. As I rounded to corner to mile 20 there he was again, standing on the side of the course waiting to walk me in. As much as I knew walking the last 10kms was going to hurt him, I was so grateful to have him by my side. The closer I came to the finish, the uglier my walk became but I kept repeating the motto "Never. Give. Up" to myself in my head and knew I would cross that finish line however it took. As I rounded the last corner into the finish, my walk was more of a shuffle/waddle combo. I saw the sea of bright green shirts of the rest of the Joints in Motion participants and my eyes welled up. I was so honoured and grateful that they were there even after finishing their own races hours before! I crossed the finish line 5 hours and 30 minutes after I crossed the start line. A time that is 45 minutes slower than any of the four previous marathons that I have completed but my head was held much higher and my smile was much brighter than it ever has been before. It was a tough day and one that I won't soon forget.
Thank you to everyone who supported me along the way and especially to those of you who sent me your song choices for my marathon play list. They kept me moving and smiling as I had hoped they would. There was even a comment by two other runners on how horrible my singing was! The pain in my legs will subside and the vivid memories will fade a bit but the meaning of this marathon will stay with me forever. My pain is temporary. Katherine's, Andrea's, Heather's, Kim's, and David's is not. They are my heros. Never. Give. Up!
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