Pre Race

I went into Toronto on Friday after work and spent Friday evening and Saturday hanging out with my friends Laura and Douglas. On race morning I woke up at 6:45 am, ate breakfast and got myself organized. The forecast was calling for clear conditions with a low around 0C and a high of about 10C. I had made the decision to wear shorts with a long sleeved technical t-shirt, gloves and a baseball hat. I was slightly concerned that I was going to be too cold at the start of the race but decided to risk it because being too hot later in the race would be worse.

At about 7:40am four of us racing the marathon climbed into a cab for the drive to the start line at Mel Lastman Square. We heard the 8am half marathon start and then ducked in to a municipal building that was open to runners. It was certainly nice to get to wait for the start indoors since it was chilly out. After some nervous chatter and a pre race gel we made out way out to the corrals about 15 minutes before the start and lined up between the “sub 4:00” and “4:00+” signs.

The gun went off and the race was underway!

Part 1: Down and Up Yonge Street, 0-10km in 57:46 (average 5:47 min/km)

There were only about 2200 marathoners so the start wasn’t too crowded and I was able to settle into my pace fairly quickly without wasting energy weaving around people. At some point during the second kilometer Douglas pulled up next to me and we started running together. We hadn’t planned to run the race together but we were both happy to have the company so we stuck together. I really didn’t want to go out too fast so I was monitoring our pace trying to keep our splits somewhere around 5:45-5:50. There were a few rolling hills in this first section including a fairly long uphill during the fifth kilometer which lead to the slowest km of the day at 6:08. It actually wasn’t that bad of a hill but it was daunting because we could see it coming from a ways off.

We kept rolling down (an occasionally up) Yonge street checking off subway stops until south of Eglington when we turned off into a lovely neighbourhood with tree lined streets and big houses. I took a gel somewhere in the ninth kilometer. I carried four gels with me (all of which I would take) and a plastic water bottle that I threw away after the first water station. After that I just went with what they had on course and it worked out fine.

Part 2: Rosedale and into Downtown, 10-21.1km in1:03:09 (average 5:41 min/km)

We continued moving along at a comfortable pace running past Upper Canada College and Casa Loma. This was exciting for me because I used to run past Casa Loma during the summer of 2000 when I lived in downtown Toronto. This section had a lot of downhills including one during our fastest kilometer of the day: 5:23 for kilometer 12. We did a lovely set of about four kilometers on Rosedale Valley Road. This was my favourite section of the course. The trees were in full autumn colours and it was quiet and peaceful. In other words there were no angry motorists honking because the marathon was blocking traffic!

We came out of the valley onto Bayview Ave and then onto Front St. This was probably my least favourite section of the course. The road was a little uneven and mixed with asphalt, concrete and street car tracks. We were passing half marathon walkers at this point so I had to be a bit more aware of my surrondings. Also the CN tower was looming in the distance and I knew that not only did I have to run to it but I also had to go way past it and then back again!
Douglas and I were holding a strong pace. We went through the half in 2:00:55 (chip time). I was very happy that we weren’t sub 2:00. We made our target pace 5:41 min/km and figured that with a few occasional faster kilometers a sub 4:00 finish was possible.

Part 3: Queen’s Quay and the Lakeshore Pathway, 21.1-30km in 50:35 (average 5:41 min/km)

As we were running out of downtown we saw the marathon leader go by us heading towards the finish line. We were still a long way away from finishing so I just focused on making it to the turn around at the Humber Bay Arch Bridge. We maintained a strong pace but it was definitely getting harder to sustain. My legs were making their presence known and the wind picked up making things a bit more difficult. Somewhere around 25 km I finally took off my throw away gloves and made the joke that I was taking off the gloves and getting serious.

Part 3: Lakeshore to Queen’s Park, 30-42.2km in1:10:51 (average 5:48 min/km)

As Douglas and I headed back towards downtown we were consistently picking off runners ahead of us. In the end we would pass 203 runners in this section while only being passed by six. Yes, we were that awesome.

I should mention that there was a marathon relay being run concurrently with the marathon. There were eight legs so each relay runner ran about 5km. Needless to say they went flying by us. Fortunately most of them had a bib on their back that read RELAY so you could at least justify their speed as they bounded past you.

Douglas was definitely pulling me along in this section. He seemed to have just a tiny bit more in his legs than I did. At first he was a step ahead of me, then it was 5 meters and by the time we hit the turn up York street it was about 20 meters. We’d already had the discussion that when we got close to the end we each had to run our own races so I was happy to see him pushing the pace. The funny thing was that we were both passing everyone on the course but the distance between us was staying fairly consistent.

The last three km up York and University Ave were very very hard. For about the last two km I could see Queen’s Park in the distance and I just knew I needed to make it there. I took a few very short walk breaks but I kept pushing whatever pace I could squeeze out of my legs. Just after the 41 km mark I caught up to Douglas and told him that we were going to finish this thing together. We saw Laura cheering us on along the bend behind Queen’s Park and then matched each other stride for stride as we sprinted for the finish.

Finish: 4:02:21 (average 5:45 min/km)

My chip finish time was 4:02:21 which is a 7:58 improvement over my previous personal best from 2008 in Seattle. I didn’t break 4 hours but I left everything I had out on the course so there’s no way I can be disappointed with my result. I’m also thrilled that my half marathon splits of 2:00:55 and 2:01:26 were so close. A 31 second positive split is some very consistent pacing and I firmly believe that this is the most efficient way for me to run a marathon.

Lessons Learnt

• Consistent pacing is the way to go
• On a cool day I do not need to carry my own water/Gatorade.
• Next time around I think I should include more marathon pace sections into my long runs.
• It’s really nice to have a running partner. Thanks for racing with me Douglas!
• After a marathon it helps to have someone around who can think straight. Thanks for taking care of us Laura

Finally here is the “Achievement Statistics” report generated by the marathon for me (you can click to get a bigger view).

• Goal #1: Under four hours
  • Goal #1a: Go through half in 2:00 – 2:02
• Goal #2: Set a new personal best (<4:10:19)
• Goal #3: Finish proud

It does not appear that the Toronto Marathon website has live tracking on race day. The race starts at 9am so hopefully some time around 1pm my finish time will be available on the Results Page (bib number 1294).

See you on the other side!

Next up we have a comparison of the weekly mileage I’ve put in the 16 weeks prior to my two previous marathons and my upcoming marathon. It’s pretty obvious that while I still got the high mileage weeks in I definitely did an abbreviated program this time around.

Finally here’s a graph of my total training mileage by training type. I didn’t do any tune-up races this time around because there weren’t any conveniently scheduled ones. I do wish I’d been able to squeeze a race paced half marathon in but I it didn’t happen. All in all I’m happy with the training that I did manage to accomplish during the past 12 weeks. The countdown is on: four days to the marathon!

Race Preparation

I’m starting to get really excited about the marathon this weekend. I’m not feeling super confident in my ability to break 4 hours but I’ll deal with that once I’m out on the road. For the time being I’m trying to get an extra half hour of sleep each night, eat only healthy food, not get sick and only check the weekend weather once per day. Right now things are looking great for Sunday: mainly sunny with a high of 10C and a low of -3C.

On Saturday I did my last long run of this training cycle. I did an out and back course predominately on asphalt trails. The first 10 miles were a breeze. Miles 11-15 were fine although my legs started to tighten up a bit. During miles 16-20 I was just trying to get it done. Needless to say I wish that the run had been a bit easier but I maintained a strong training pace for the entire run and I pushed through mentally so I’m happy with that. I’m going to attribute my leg fatigue to the monster month.

It’s now time for a two week taper. I’m going to do about 24 miles next week which is decrease of about 40%. The plan is to cut out the volume but not the intensity. That means maintaining my usual tempo and training paces. I’m also going to try to get lots of sleep (I got 9 hours last night!), eat well and not get sick!

Race Preparation

As I continue to develop my racing plan this week I spent some time thinking about race nutrition and hydration. Nutrition isn’t a problem: I’ll stick with my chocolate Clif Shot gels and take one every 5-6 miles. The big question is will I carry a water bottle? During the first half marathon I ever ran two water stops had no water or sports drink (the truck missed the delivery before the roads were closed). Luckily I was carrying my own water so I wasn’t affected but there were a lot of unhappy runners out on the road. Ever since that experience I’ve been reluctant to rely entirely on the race organization for hydration during half marathons and marathons. However, in June I got over my fears and ran the Rock n Roll Seattle half without my water bottle and I set a PB. I’m really tempted to leave the water bottle at home this time around too. One problem is I usually stuff 3-4 gels in the pouch attached to my water bottle so I’ll have to find some other way to store them. I’m thinking of carrying a plastic water bottle for the first few miles (I might make a duct tape handle for it, I think that would be classy) just so I can avoid the first few aid stations since they’re usually pretty busy. That being said if the race day temperatures are unseasonably warm I’ll probably cancel this plan and just carry my own water to be on the safe side.

Race day is just now showing up in the 14-day long range forecast. Right now The Weather Network is predicting a high of 11C with rain. That’s fine by me.

Saturday’s long run went pretty well. I took things easy and explored some local trails. It seems that a lot of the neighbourhoods around the university have networks of walking/running trails. Some are paved and some are a really nice hard packed gravel. No matter how long I study satellite maps it’s almost impossible for me to make all the right turns. I guess I don’t really have a photographic memory! Fortunately on Tuesday morning I went for a run with a friend who showed me a great 7km loop that I was able to use part of on Saturday. The truth of the matter is that it’s almost impossible to get truly lost because eventually you’ll hit a major road and get your bearings.

We are now three weeks out from race day. During my previous two marathon training cycles I’d be starting the taper at this point but this year I’m trying out a two week taper. This is mostly due to the fact that I’m only doing an 11 week training plan and there’s not so much time to squeeze a taper into that. I think I can handle one more hard week.

Race Preparation

I have chosen a pacing plan for a “best case scenario” attempt at a sub four hour marathon. Unless a horrible heat wave hits Toronto this is how I’m going to try and pace my race but of course things could change quickly as the race develops. In order to break four hours I need to average 5:41 min/km. My goal is to run a negative split running the first half in about 2:02. So for the four sections of the course that I defined last week my goal is to run 5:50, 5:45, 5:40, 5:35 min/km, respectively. It will take discipline to run the first section that slowly since there’s a nice gradual downhill along Yonge but I think it will be worth it to not go out too hard.

Coming off a recovery week my legs felt fresh and I was ready to tackle a big week of training. Tuesday’s speedwork session was good although I would have preferred to have been able to do all the intervals in under 8:00. I’ve been doing all my tempo and speedwork sessions on a two mile road crossing free loop that I’ve mapped out near my apartment. I really miss the 3 mile Green Lake loop for these types of runs but I’m adapting to my new environs.

I did Sunday’s 18 mile long run in Stratford, ON. My parents and I were there for the weekend to enjoy the theatre festival. I did multiple loops up and down the Avon River and into the T.J. Dolan Nature Area. The run went fairly well. I was ready to be done at about mile 15 but it wasn’t too hard to push through and get the mileage done. A strange thing happened after the run though. My right ankle seized up and caused me a lot of trouble for a couple of hours. To be honest, My ankle had been bothering me on and off for a couple of weeks (I rolled it while walking on an uneven side walk back in August) but it honestly hadn’t been affecting my running. I iced and within a few hours it was fine. I kept up the icing for the rest of the weekend with hopes that I could nix the problem once and for all.

Week 7

I’ve been noticing that sunrise is getting later and later and we get closer to fall. It’s also been getting cooler. I think it was 3C one morning as I headed out the door! We’re starting to reach the sweet spot of perfect fall running conditions!

I consider tempo runs to be an excellent measure of fitness. With some trepidation I decided to look back on the six mile tempo run I did last October while training for the 2008 Seattle marathon. It turns out my splits were 8:56/8:54/8:39/8:34/8:33/8:26. If you ignore the first two splits (which I did in the dark) then I’m pretty much right at the same level as last year. That’s good enough for me right now!

Yesterday I did a 20 miler. This is the longest distance I include in marathon training programs so it’s always a big deal when it’s on the schedule. I mapped out a big loop route out of town onto the Walter Bean trail along the Grand River with two water stops at RIM park. I had a few navigation problems picking up the trail (I got scared by a “big private property – no trespassing”  sign) so I improvised the route in a few places. In any case  I came in at 20.5 miles. I was definitely dragging during the last few miles but I made it. My ankle still isn’t 100% so I spent most of yesterday afternoon lying on the couch eating, icing and napping. Good times.

It turns out that this week is my biggest mileage week ever at 41.5 miles. I previously ran 41.3 miles during 7 consecutive days in 2008 although not during a Monday – Sunday running week. So yay for me for setting a new personal record!

Race Preparation

The marathon is four weeks away. How did that happen? I started making my race day preparation with an in depth examination of the course route (see the course maps on the marathon website and a very detailed map made by a fellow runner). I’ve decided to split the race into four segments which I will attempt to tackle independently. This worked really well for me in Ottawa in 2007 and luckily it lends itself well to the Toronto course too.

1. Start to Yonge St turn off – aprox km 0 to km 8.5
2. Yonge St turn off (past Casa Loma, Bayview Ave, Front St) to Half way – approx km 8.5 to 21.1
3. Half way to Lake Shore turnaround – approx km 21.2 to km 30
4. Lake Shore turnaround to finish – approx km 30 to km 42.2

Up next in race preparation will be deciding on a target pace for at least for first 3 course sections.

I’ve decided that my next major running goal will be the Toronto Marathon on Oct 18. I’m already through 5 weeks of an 11 week training program that I tweaked from Smart Coach. Normally I’d prefer about 16 weeks to train for a marathon but that just wasn’t going to happen this time around. After setting a PB at the Rock n Roll Seattle half marathon at the end of June I became absorbed with packing and moving back to Ontario. Throw in a three day ultimate frisbee tournament to play and recover from and a two week vacation to Europe and my July mileage topped out at only 20.2 miles. I’m pretty sure that’s the lowest monthly mileage I’ve done in the last three years! However, marathon training started on August 3rd and I covered 136.5 miles for the month so I feel like I’m back on track.

My dream goal for this race would be to beat 4:00 but given the abbreviated training cycle I’m not sure how realistic that is. Right now I’m just concentrating on getting the mileage in and I’m not paying much attention to pace. I’ve also stopped wearing my heart rate monitor strap but that’s partly because I haven’t unpacked that box yet! The next four weeks are really critical to my marathon training because the big long runs are coming up!

Here’s a quick week-by-week account for the first five weeks of training:

Week 1 - I was in Niagara-on-the-Lake at the Shaw festival with Mom and Dad this week. Most of my runs were along the very pleasant Niagara Parkway running along the Niagara River.

Week 2 - This week I was back in Ottawa preparing for my move to Waterloo. Mom and I were ridiculously busy this week (sewing, packing, shopping and visiting various government ministries) so I did my mid-week runs on the treadmill in the (relatively) cool basement. My long run was along the Rideau canal which is one of my all time favourite places to run. It was hot though so I had to make an emergency stop at the Loblaws near the Pretoria Bridge to get more water!

Week 3 - This was my first week in Waterloo and as everyone very kindly pointed out to me it was the hottest week of the summer so far. Even getting out at 6:20am it was hot. It was mercifully cooler on my long run day so I took the Trans Canada trail and ran up to St Jacob’s and back. It’s funny when I was here before St Jacob’s seemed so far away but now it’s well within a runnable distance for me!

Week 4 - I started to feel like I was hitting my stride a bit better this week. I was in Kincardine visiting a friend over the weekend so I did my long run up there. Running along the shore of Lake Huron on “Ontario’s West Coast” was definitely a treat.

Week 5 - By the time this week rolled around I was more than ready for a recovery week. It was 5C at 6am early in the week so I actually had to break out the long sleeved running shirts! I think my improved pace is mostly thanks to the cooler temperatures but I definitely felt like my runs were getting easier. I’ve decided to take two rest days in a row this weekend to let a few minor aches and pains heal up before next week’s 38 mile effort.