Taper Week

So this is taper week. It's not the first time I've been here, and definitely not my last.  This training cycle for marathon #5 has been a tough go for me. I'm not sure why I've had such a tough go, but I am not going to dwell on it.

I have been following a customized training plan and completed almost all the training plan that was given to me. However, as my training progressed, I realized that I wasn't getting any faster.  It had seemed as if I had hit a plateau. My plan had me running less mileage, but more frequently.

I ran some races during this training cycle and all of them I crashed. I couldn't seem to pick it up. With each race, I started to doubt myself and my abilities. I felt beaten before every run.

Other than running with my little guy in the stroller, it has been a lonely training cycle.  I don't really talk to people about my running anymore other than posting on Instagram and blogging.  I am always inspired and motivated when seeing other runners post about their successes, but I wonder if it's making me feel worse about myself.  I was able to get out on a few runs with a friend and was able to push myself to run harder than I had in any previous runs. These runs boosted my confidence a bit, but also helped me understand that I may perform better if I had other runners to help push me.

My running buddy and I

I am looking forward to the upcoming marathon just so that I can get it over with and start over again with the next marathon.  I know it sounds crazy, but I am actually looking for another marathon to run next year.  I am almost certain that I will not run a personal best, but I will finish. Finishing is an accomplishment on its own, but I am not going to give up my dreams. I will continue to train and chase down a BQ (Boston Qualifier).

One Step at a Time

Do you have a race coming up?

Have you ever had to deal with self doubts ? If so, how did you deal with it?

Thank you for reading

Paris Marathon Race Recap

I decided to run the Paris Marathon for my 40th birthday. I dragged my whole family with me to the beautiful city of Paris with me and turned it into a family vacation.

Training was mediocre at best. I was not able to get in many long runs into my training plan and the winter just broke me down. I completed most of my long runs on my layovers with very little sleep, but just thankful that I was able to plug the miles into my legs. With all this in mind, I decided that this race would be a fun run and I would enjoy the race and take in all the sights.

We spent the first few days exploring the city. The expo was HUGE and definitely the largest that I had been to with over 200 vendors.

Lining up for the Expo

The expo was easy to get to by Metro. We headed out bright and early and was only met with a short line, where our bags were checked before we entered the centre.

Did I mention how huge the Expo was

The first thing we had to do once we entered was to drop off our Medical certificates. This was the first race I had ran where I had to get a signed letter from my doctor to confirm that I was fit enough to run the distance. Once it was checked, I was off to pick up my bib.

Getting My Certificate Checked

Course Map

With my bib in hand, I was off to check out the expo.  As much as I wanted to peruse  down each aisle and check out the latest running gear, I knew that my kids would have had a total melt down and likely never accompany to anymore races. And seriously.... do I need anymore running stuff????

Flat Alice all laid out the night before the race. I always tell myself to get some proper sleep leading up to races but it never happens. I happen to be bunking with my little guy and he woke up when my alarm went off at 6am which meant the rest of the family had to wake up.

I quickly got dressed, gobbled up my breakfast, emptied the bladder and got the family set up before I headed out the door.

We were lucky that the apartment was only a few steps from the Metro station. I made it to the starting area in 10 minutes. I quickly found my corral and lined up for the porta potty. The line was already fairly long. One of my biggest complaints was the lack or ports-potties at the start and throughout the race.  It took an hour before it was finally my turn. I had 5 minutes to spare before my corral was to start. Men were starting to just pee into bottles ... GROSS!!

The Start with the Arc de Triomphe

I was in the 9:30 corral and it was already starting to get warm. The sun was out and there were barely any clouds in the sky. The gun went off and I was off.

Hotel de Ville - 4km

We started off running down the Champ-Elysees which is partly paved and part cobblestone then heading past the Jardin Tuileries and the Louvre.

Our apartment was within walking distance of the race course and had mentioned to hubby that if he was so inclined, he could come on down with the kids to look for me. It was at the 4 km mark and I knew that it would be tough for him to get both kids ready and out for that time, but I snapped a shot and still looked out for them. I found out that they had come out but much later on and tried to look out for me, but ended up riding the carousel and hanging out at the Notre Dame.

I had decided to enjoy this race as I knew I wasn't going to be making at PB's with the lack of training I was bringing into the race. First 5K done 29:41. I was pleased, but doubtful that I could keep the pace for the next 35kms.

Place de La Bastille

The course was going to take me through all the major sights of Paris. I was looking forward to seeing parts of Paris that I had never seen and scoping out new places to take the family.

As I was nearing the 10K mark, I could see a clearing and realised that I was coming up to Chateau de Vincennes. I had seen it as a stop on the Metro map but had no idea that it was a a CASTLE!!! I thought of my daughter right away. She would have loved to visit a real castle. I felt bad for not doing my research. I snapped a few photos of her and promised to take her back on our next visit.

The one thing I noticed was the awesome crowd support from the start to the end.  There were people all along the way cheering us on and yelling "Bravo, Bravo!!" The Chateau sits at the entrance to  the Bois de Vincennes which is the largest public park in the city.  Crowds died down a bit here, but I had started to notice the lack of port of potties AGAIN!!! People were running off the course into the trees to do there business....men and women. It was so disgusting, but if you have to go, you must go.

20KM into the Race

 You notice the crowds pick up once again when you exit the park. This part of the route was also my favourite because we run along the Seine. It was so incredible. I was in awe of the views and slowed down quite a bit to take photos and take it all in. My pace was not getting any faster and I was burning up with the heat. I had remembered to bring my sponge that they provided in my race kit to soak with water and cool myself down. I guess it must be a European gesture as I have never had sponges except in Athens and now in Paris. Firemen along the way had hoses out to spray runners along the course.

Tunnel where Princess Diana Died

This part of the course also takes you under 2 tunnels, one of which is where Princess Diana had the terrible accident that took her life. It was so hot and stuffy in the tunnels and the smells ...argh....it was awful.  Had these people not heard of deodorant??? There were laser lights and a DJ pumping super LOUD music to keep you moving. I was barely halfway done and I was almost ready to throw in the towel. I missed my run buddy, I started blaming my lack of training for the slow pace and just wanted to cry.

Once out of the tunnels, I was greeted with fresh air, loads of crowd support and amazing views of Paris. I had to stop along the way to take tons of photos, I promise not to load them all.

La Tour Eiffel

The crowds seemed to be everywhere. You can see from my photos below with the runners in front of me as we are trying to all go over the timing mat.  I love having spectators cheer us on, but they were literally on the race course. 

30 km with Spectator Crowding

One of the things that did help me trot along was the constant cheering and bands along the way. Check out the crowds on the bridge in the photo below.

Just Clearing the 30K Mat.

The path before me never cleared, I've never run a race with so many participants. It kept me going even at the 35km timing mat when someone had set up a huge blow up Wall. At first I couldn't figure out what it was, but it was a play on runners hitting the wall :)  I was determined to not hit the wall especially after seeing this. 

Running being a mental sport is so true. I was out there with less than 7 km to go and I just wanted to throw in the towel. People were cruising by me and my legs were getting tired. I stopped at every water station as well as the food stops where there were fresh cut oranges. The only pit fall with this was the orange peels and banana peels thrown all over the cobbled stone roads. It made the roads super slippery and hard to run. Most people had to stop and walk and try to hop over all the fruit peels.

The last part of the race was a blur. All I could think about was finishing and heading back to see my kids. I remember there was some wine offered at a table around the 39km mark. I honestly contemplated it, but decided against it as I just wanted to finish.

Coming in for the Finish

The roads cleared up as we were finishing. I tried to pick up the pace, but my quads wanted none of it.  They were burning, but I didn't care. I saw the Arc de Triomphe and pulled out all the stops.  I knew I had done it. Marathon #4 was in the books.  There was no personal best here, but it was by far the most beautiful marathon I had ever run. It was a dream to be able to run through the streets of Paris. I collected my medal and finishers shirt.  There wasn't much for food after the race, except for water and more oranges and bananas. 

No caption Required  :)

Final thoughts......

The race was top notch. Packet pickup was easy. The expo was HUGE with lots of vendors. The course is amazing. You will run pass the Louvre, Bastille, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Musee d'Orsay and Arc de Triomphe.  The crowds were fantastic and were plentiful.  My few complaints would be the lack of port-o-potties,  the cobblestone sections of the course, and lack of post race grub.

If you could run a race anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

Chasing Pheidippides...Running the Athens Marathon - Part one

My running buddy who is also my best friend turned 40 this year. I have know this lovely lady since we were preschoolers. We have been through a lot together and also started our running addiction together.  For her birthday, I promised to take her anywhere in the world to run a marathon of her choosing. After searching online for a few months, we decided that Athens was where we were headed.

Sure, there are tons of races out there and many of them are on my bucket list of races I want to run, but Athens was definitely near the top. Any marathoner you speak to should know the significance of Athens. It is where the marathon originated. Check here to see the whole story, but here's my quick version. The marathon is named after a Greek legend that tells a tale of a messenger, Pheidippides who was sent from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce the defeat of the Persians around 490 BC. After running the distance to Athens and delivering the great news, Pheidippides collapsed and died.

The route that we ran traced the route of the 1896 Olympic course starting in Marathon on the eastern course of Attica, the site of the Battle of Marathon of 490 B.C., and ending at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens.

Because of my benefits with working for and airline, we were going to be travelling standby for most of our flights.  We would be traveling through 3 different countries in 7 days. Trains, planes, and buses.  We started our trip on an early Wednesday morning and flew out to London Heathrow. Since it was a day flight and with all our excitement, we didn't sleep and watched movies and had a glass of wine to celebrate our up coming race. We arrived in London the same time as my cousin who was flying in from Biarritz and made our way down to her flat for a quick stopover as we had about 24 hours before our next flight to Athens. Our first stop was at her local pub around the corner from her place. My buddy had never been to a traditional British pub, so off we went and chugged down a pint and had some nice chit chat before heading back to crash at her place. After 3 hours on her couch, we were off to catch a bus to a local airport about an hour away to catch our flight to Athens.

Cheers from London

After a bumpy bus ride and a 3 and a half hour flight we were finally in Athens. We had been on the road for over 36 hours with barely 6 hours of sleep. We were exhausted by also pumped with knowing that we had finally arrived. After figuring out our way to our apartment, we were on our way to the expo to pick up our race packet.

On the roof of our apartment with the Acropolis behind us

We didn't have much time to get to expo as we had been taking our time to adjust to our new surroundings. After getting lost and trekking the dark streets of Athens, we made it to the expo with an hour to kill.

We were so happy to finally see a 'sign'

With Our Bibs

We did a quick walk through the expo after picking up our bibs and made our way back to our apartments. We were hungry and exhausted. We found a quaint little restaurant by our place, ordered some nice local fare and chowed down. 

Greek cheese with Tomatoes and Olive Oil

Grilled Squid w/local greens

It was a great start to our adventures in Athens. We were quickly back at our apartment and passed out from all our travelling. We had a few more days of exploring before the marathon, so rest was much needed.



Touring through Athens and race recap will be following in my next post.

Where's the furthest you have travelled for a race?

Which races are on your bucket list?

Thanks for reading.

Injured and Onwards Towards Athens

I am now 14 days away from my third marathon. I have been training for the Athens Marathon for the past 15 weeks. Training has been coming along steadily with a few races that I had planned within the schedule to help me see if I was progressing. I had a personal best at my last 30km race and trudged on. I have been working with a new training plan that a friend had suggested. It helped her with her BQ.

I developed some pain in the arch of my right foot at the beginning of October. I decided to take it easy and use orthotics in all my shoes and roll it out over a golf ball whenever I had a chance. It has been quick painful. I'm not sure what caused the pain, but I am hoping that it will go away.

My family and I had planned getaway for Florida with some friends and I had my training all planned out. Unfortunately I feel out of our mini van and landed with my tailbone hitting the curb. This happened on day 2 of our holidays. I was devastated. I cried when hubby tried to help me up. All I could think about was how I was going to be able to run a marathon in 4 weeks. We were on our way to the beach so I crawled back into the van and made a run for the ocean when I got to the beach. I was hoping the salt water would help with the pain.

When we finally made it back to our residence, I took a look at the damage. It was not pretty. I was black and blue. My right leg somehow got smashed in the fall as well. I had brought some anti-inflammatory gel for my foot and quickly applied it on all aches and pains. I was definitely not going to be able to run while on holidays. I could barely sit.

It has been 14 days since the fall and my tailbone is feeling slightly better. I saw my chiropractor the day after I landed and she's been taking good care of me. In her words "it's not good, but I've seen worse". I went for a trial run today with my little guy and it seems to be holding up. I only ran a slow 5km and was very cautious during the whole time.  I have been nursing my bruises with my stinky oil elixirs I picked up from the dispensary in Hong Kong. They are very minty in smell and are warm once applied. I've been rotating heat and ice packs on my tailbone and rolling my foot over the golf ball.

My run Buddy and I with the little guy

I'm hoping that my injuries will get better for me to at least walk/run my marathon in Athens.  I do not want to pull out of the race as all the tickets and accommodations have been booked.  Until then, I will try to patiently not run and let my body heal.

Hope you all had a great weekend...

What do you do when you get injured?

Any tips for my injuries?

San Francisco Marathon - Race Recap

This post has taken me quite a long time to write. Sorry for the long delay. It was a tough race for me; mentally and physically.  It was written over the past few weeks as I was able to look back and try to remember the race.

The San Francisco Marathon was my second marathon. I'm not too sure what I was thinking when I registered for the race. I had talked it over with hubs and we were going to head down with the family for a holiday during the weekend of the race, but due to some unforeseen circumstances I ended up heading down to San Francisco on my own. I am very lucky to have a cousin who lives right in the heart of San Fran, which was super convenient for me.

I took the last flight out to SFO Friday night as I knew for certain I would get a seat. Working for an airline has great travel perks, but only when there are seats available for you. It was hard to leave the family behind, but I knew I had to run this race. After finding my way to my cousins cozy apartment, I crashed on her couch and tried to get some good rest. I had read somewhere that it was important to get lots of sleep 2 nights before the race. I knew this wasn't going to happen as it was already way past midnight and I was planning on waking at 7am to attend the SF Marathon Shake Out run hosted by Bart Yasso.

After a quick 6km loop with Bart

The Shake Out run was perfectly scheduled right before the expo. It varied in any distance that you felt like doing. I ended up doing a short loop towards the Golden Gate bridge and back. It was a nice and easy 6km. The run ended at the expo location which had just opened when I got back from my run.

This is not what I had wanted to see

It was a pretty large expo with many retailers. I was able to pick up a few things that I needed and was able to head out and enjoy the afternoon if beautiful San Francisco.

I decided to take it easy and not kill my legs trying to explore the hills of the city and try to relax and calm my nerves. I knew that I was going to  be facing some challenging  hills in the morning. I took it easy, had a nice clean supper and passed out for the night.

It's a good thing that I was still on Eastern standard time as it made the wake up for the race very easy for me. My coral was set to start at 6:02 am, which gave me plenty of time to prep for the race.  I had my standard race breakfast of oatmeal and warm water and headed out to the start line. It was going to be a perfect day for a run. 

Ready to Go

Cupid's Span in the background

I was quite nervous about the race as I was going to be running it by myself and couldn't quite find a pacer in my coral.  As a runner, you always want to do better than your previous race, but I knew that there was no way I would be able to better my marathon time this hilly course as the only other marathon I had done was flat. With this in mind, I decided to try as hard as I could to stick with my slower than marathon race pace for the majority of the race. I would try my best at the hills and walk the moment I started losing my cadence and hope to make up for the speed on the downhills.

The marathon is a loop that starts out on the Embarcardero and brings you past the 'sights' of San Francisco finishing back along the water where you started.

The Race

Miles 1-5 The Embarcardero, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghiradelli and Fort Mason.

First of many hills

I had run this first part on a layover I had in June, so I knew what to expect. I started out as slow as I could trying not to get caught up with the crowds and knowing that I had to pace myself for the next 26 miles ahead of me.

It was nice to take in all the tourist sights even though I wasn't going to stop and take any selfies... this is race after all :)

Mile 1= 9.08, Mile 2 = 9.01, Mile 3= 9.18 Mile 4 = 10.37
Mile 5 = 9.59

The sun was just peaking out but definitely still overcast. I could see the fog just over the Golden Gate bridge as we were running towards it.

Miles 5-10 The Golden Gate Bridge

I was running up to the highlight of this race, the Golden Gate Bridge. There were great crowds cheering us on as we were about to run onto the bridge. This was the first time I had ever been on the bridge. I have visited San Francisco many times on layovers, but never had the chance to get to the bridge and now I was about to run over it. I pulled out my first GU around the 6 mile mark. The bridge was packed with runners and many were stopping mid pace to take photos. It was super frustrating trying to dodge these runners that were like pylons in the middle of the road. The views were stunning, but as you can see from my photo, it was still rather overcast.

Mile 6 = 9.28, Mile 7 = 8.45, Mile 8 = 9.43, Mile 9 = 8.32
Mile 10 = 8.47

The crowds on the bridge

Coming off the bridge

Miles 11-15 Presidio into Golden Gate Park

The crowds freed up after we got off the bridge, but the hills were just about to start. There was a rather huge descent, which were followed with what seemed like endless hills.

Mile 11 = 8.34 Mile 12 = 10.07 Mile 13.1= 9.44 (2:07.41) Mile 14 = 9.30 Mile 15 = 8.57

One of many ascents after leaving the GGB

Mile 16-19 Golden Gate Park

In GG Park with the Second Half Runners
on my tail

This is probably one of the favourite parts of the course as the crowds and runners thinned out. This is where the First Half Marathon ends and the Second Half Marathon runners start. There was a section of this race where it was only the marathoners running and I was running all by myself with the fresh air and tall trees an my back drop. I could hear the Second Half Marathon runners getting ready to start as I ran by their start area and shortly after I was overtaken by fresh legs that were starting their race. 

Mile 16 = 10.24, Mile 17= 9.42,  Mile 18 = 9.19,  Mile 19 = 9.40,

Heading out to GG Park running by
the Conservatory of Flowers

I was trying really hard to stay focused as I could see new group of runners blasting by me. It was really tough as my legs were getting really tired and the hills were really starting to get to me. I was really no prepared for all the ups and especially the downs.





Mile 20-26.2 Haight Ashbury, Mission, Potrero, and Mission Bay

Mile 20 = 9.42, Mile 21 = 10.40, Mile 22 = 9.40,  Mile 23 = 14.49, Mile 24 = 9.54, Mile 25 = 9.49, Mile 26 = 9.25

Coming in for the finish with Cupid's
Bow in the back

This final stretch was a killer. The sun had finally burnt through the clouds and it was starting to get warm. The Second Half Marathon runners were fast and plentiful which really was a downer as I was starting to lose steam. Did I mention there were more hills? It was great to run through this area as there were lots of people out on the sidewalks cheering us on. I probably needed this as I was starting to run out of steam and I knew that I was not going to be able to finish under 4:15. My knees were starting to hurt from all the hills, my glutes starting to burn, and my stomach was starting to dislike the GU I had taken. I knew that the rest of this race was going to be all mental and I would have to push through the pain. My knees finally decided to give up on me around Mile 23. I couldn't run anymore as my legs locked up. I couldn't even walk. I was 3 miles away from the finish and there was no way I was not going to cross the finish line. I hobbled over to the side and tried my best to stretch it out.

After a quick stretch I joined the rest of the runners and ran as fast as my legs could take me to the finish line. I had gone over the course map with my cousin the night before, so I knew as soon as I saw AT&T park, I was almost there. I saw some of the other runners that I had been running with and felt good that I had caught up to some of them. When I saw the finish line, I charged with all I had.  I was hoping to get some photos crossing the finish line, but some guy decided to cut right in front of me and totally photo bombed my crossing.

All Done!!

I crossed the finish line in 4:23:40 Pace 10.03

Overall Place - 2607 out of 6625

Women -  621 out of 2311

Age Category - 95 out of 352

Post-race thoughts

I'm thrilled that I was able to finish the course considering all the hills. I would definitely incorporate more hill training and not just the baby hills here, but I would look for some bigger ones and train my body for the ups and especially the downs.

The City of San Francisco put on an amazing race. It is one of my most favourite cities in the world. I was able to run through and by some of the highlights of the city. The volunteers were amazing. There were many volunteers from the Harley Davidson clubs. Many were dressed in their full leather attire and wore bright fluorescent orange hats to indicate they were volunteers. They were placed throughout the course from the start to the finish. They were always there to give us high-fives and at all the turning points.

The free race photos were a huge bonus. The race and expo were very well organized. The course covers a lot of the city and is a great destination race, but is quite challenging with all the hills.  I was quite beaten up by the hills. Looking back now, I wonder if I could have done better. This was only my second marathon and I still have to learn how to pace myself better as well as when to take my gels. I had a blast visiting the city and hope to maybe run it again one day.

Happy Friday!!

Are you racing this weekend?

What are your most memorable races?

Are you training for any up coming races?

Training for Marathon #2 - San Francisco Marathon

After finishing my first marathon last fall, I was already looking for another one to run. Yes, call me crazy, but I would rather use the word "passionate". I knew that I would be running another marathon in 2014 as my best bud and running buddy is turning the big 4-0 this year. We had decided on Athens, Greece which is in November.

My parents told me that they were planning a trip down to San Francisco to visit some old friends in the summer. I decided to look up races and it turns out that they were going to be there during the weekend of the San Francisco Marathon.  It didn't take me long to convince them that I would love tag along with my youngest and say hello to their friends. It was a win-win situation. They will be able to show off their grandchild and I would be able to run an awesome race along with free childcare.

San Francisco is one of my favourite cities in the USA. I had tried a few years with friends to get into the Nike SF race, but never got in, so I just figured I would run the actual San Francisco Marathon and get it out of my system. It looks like a gorgeous course that will take me through all of San Francisco and I will also get to run over the Golden Gate Bridge.

So, here I am sitting at my desk with my marathon plan. I will be using the plan that I used for my last marathon and hoping to improve. The SF race will be hilly, so I don't think I will be making a personal best on this course. I train on very flat suburban sidewalks. I will try to find some hills in my area to help me prepare for what is ahead of me. I am now 12 weeks away from race day and into week 3 of my training schedule. I am excited to train again. It has been a tough winter for training and I've already completed a few races up to now. I am curious to find out if having run these races will help me with the training or will tire me out as I am suppose to recover, but instead I am continuing on with the training plan.  It is one of the many things I am still learning on my running journey.

How do you decide on the races that you will participate in?

Do course elevations effect your decisions?

What is your dream race to run?

Race planning for 2014

I have spent the last month trying to figure out my race schedule for the year ahead. I didn't realise how much in advance the major races sell out. I have also learned that racing can add up. I had to sit down with my race buddies and hubby to plan out the year as there are some big races I would like to run. My best friend and running buddy is celebrating her 40th this year and we have decided to run the Athens Classic Marathon this November. I am so glad with the technology we have today where I can search on line for races and many races from around the world will pop up. It took us a long time before we could figure out a race as both my kids have fall birthdays and I would like to be home to celebrate with them. I also prefer to train in the warmer months for a Fall marathon rather than training in the winter for a Spring marathon. It can be a bit of a struggle to try to fit in all the races that you want to participate in.

Tips for planning your race calender

- Sign up for email notifications from the races that you would like to participate in as you will get all the updates for registration

-  Check with your work and the work load that you have during the year

- Talk with your spouse/partner about what and when the races are that you are planning. If you have young kids like me, you also have to take into account possible childcare arrangements

- Try to register early so you can take advantage of the early bird pricing.

- Set a budget when looking at races, you can save money by registering early

- If you are planning a destination race, the race organization usually has a page with airlines and hotels that they have arranged for the runners with a bit of a discount

- Be realistic with your year and also with your training

My last point is hard one as you never know what the  year ahead will have in store for you. It is frustrating not knowing how your body may hold up with training or what bumps in the road you may had. I suggest that if there is a race that you have you heart set on doing, you should sign up. If you happen to not be able to run the race come race day, you can always look into transferring your bib to another runner or see if the race organization will let you defer your bib to the following year.
 
Depending on the distance of your races, you can plan some of the races to fall in line with your training plan. I had hoped to run 14 races in 2014, but not sure if I will be able to do it all. I suggest choosing a goal race and then add the other races into the year around your goal race.  As of today, I have registered for 10 races. You can see them posted under my races for 2014. This will be my first time running two marathons in one year. Both of these races are said to be somewhat hilly. I'm not sure if I've expressed this before but, I HATE HILLS!!! There I said it... I will learn to love them this year and incorporate more hill training in my training.

How do you decide what races you will run?

If you could run any race in the world, which one would it be?

Have a GREAT day!

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon - Race Recap

My Garmin was charged, my playlist was set, the outfit had been picked out, hydration and fueling needs were packed and I was ready to go. 

I had spent the last five and a half months training for this day. My first marathon was only a few hours away. The alarm went off at 5 am which would give me plenty of time to pack up, do my 'business' and eat before I headed over to my friends place to head down for an 8:45am start. 

I was going to be meeting my coach and fellow iRun 42.3 runners at 8 am for a photo and then head on out to our corrals. There were many volunteers placed throughout the race area. There were approximately 25,000 people running that day between the 5K, half marathon, and full marathon distances. It was very busy with people when we arrived and thank goodness for the volunteers, we were able to drop our bags and make our way to the LONG potty lines. By the time I got into a potty, the first coral had already gone. I quickly dragged my run buddy and ran towards the start line. With the starting area and finish line in the heart of Toronto, a lot of the roads were barricaded. We had to squeeze our way to the starting area and wiggle out way through the crowds to get to our corrals. We eventually made it to the 4:20 pace bunny when the gun went off and so were we. 

At the start line

I had hoped for a 4:15 finish, but decided to slap a 4:05 pace band on my wrist just to push me a little and give me some leeway in case I had to make any pit stops. I took a quick photo with my running buddy and off we went. I was going to use the first 5 km to warm up the body as it was freezing and kept a 5:45-6:00 pace. I eventually caught up to the 4:10 pace bunny and stuck with his group for the next few kilometres. The sun eventually came up and I started to feel my fingers again. The course started in the heart of Toronto and took you north of the downtown core for a quick loop before we headed back towards to the waterfront. There were a number of spectators out cheering. I peaked down at my pace band every so often and realized that I was on pace with my 4:05 band. I was thrilled but I was only a third into the race.

When we made it down to the waterfront, I saw the elites coming towards me. It was amazing to see the first winner fly right by me. I was also able to see the two top female Canadian runners run right by. It is truly incredible to see how fast they are going. I took my first gel around 10km and happily trudged on. 

I have run the half marathon of this race before, so I was familiar with the first half which seemed to have gone by pretty quickly.

Then the split came, I knew there was no turning back. Most runners went left towards the half and a few of us went right towards the next 22 km's ahead. I hit the 21 km pad at 2:02 which meant I was 5:51 pace. There were a lot less runners at this point which meant there was more space for me run, but being a rookie marathoner, I wasn't quite sure if I was to push or save my legs for the later parts of the race. I decided to keep on with the pace that was comfortable. There were fewer people cheering until I entered the Beaches area where the crowds were awesome. There were people standing outside their homes and shops handing out water and fruit. I was so happy to get a banana from a little boy who was handing them out. This gave me an extra boost, but at this point I also realized I was in need of a potty right after I ran past one at 26km. I will in all future races take notes of where the toilets will be placed. I spent the next 4 kilometres looking for one and ended up using the one I had seen at kilometre 26 when I was looping around. I had not trained with a pit stop in mind, so this threw me for a bit of a loop.  I had been on pace with my 4:05 finish, but after the pit stop at 30km, I couldn't' seem to catch up. 

Around 39 km

I finally saw a friend cheering us on at at 36 km as I was entering a twisty, in and out, loop that looked like squiggly lines on the course map. It took us up and over the Don River and by the Don Valley off ramp where cars were backed up but cheerfully honking us runners. I saw my friend again around the 39 km mark where she was able to snap the picture. At this last loop where, we got to leave that crazy maze of running, I saw my run buddy. I had been looking for her throughout the course and was finally able to give her a high five and run on. I got to 40km at 3:57, I knew I wasn't going to get my 4:05 finish, but knew that my hubby and DD were going to be waiting near the finish line. I dug deep and pushed on.

My baby waiting

Seeing my family

Finish line

I finally saw my husband and daughter 400m from the finish. As you can see from the photo my husband took, I was SO relieved to see them there as well as see the finish line right ahead of me. I stopped for a quick kiss and hug and pushed as hard as I could for a strong finish. I crossed the finish line at 4:10:29. I was thrilled to see a good friend who had come down to see me finish just as I crossed the finish line. She snapped the photo below.

Finished!!

My "gold" medal

I had done it, I had just finished my first marathon. I was over the moon excited. We were give heat sheets and our medals, then entered a large exit area where we were given water, bagels, and yogurt. It was a bit difficult to get out of the finishing chute as you and to follow the crowd that filtered in Nathan's Phillips Square, where they had a large meeting area, bands and a few vendors. I quickly went to retrieve my bags and find my family. It was an amazing experience. I had a blast running this distance. This was a wonderful race and the course was beautiful. I highly recommend this race to anyone who is looking for a fun and flat course through Toronto.  

Celebrating with my family

Have you run a marathon ?

What gets you through the entire distance?

What are you post race rituals?

I am a Marathoner

I did it!!! I made it!! I am over the moon and full of all sorts of emotions after crossing the finish line of my first marathon. I had dreamed about it and trained for it over the last year. My journey started many years ago when I started running and toying with the idea of running a marathon. I remember meeting up with my 10K run clinic and always admiring all the people in the marathon clinic. When they would call out the high distances they were running on their long runs, I would laugh at how crazy and impossible it seemed, no I am one of those crazy people.

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is one of the city's major races. The course is flat and takes you along the Toronto waterfront and into some beautiful pockets in Toronto. There are great bands and entertainment and awesome spectators. I chose the I headed down to the expo with my daughter in miserable overcast and rainy weather. Rain on race day is probably one of my biggest concerns.

Leaving our mark on the signing wall

Being one of the major races in Toronto, the expo was well organized with lots of exhibits and great speakers on the main stage. I was able to pick up my gels for the race and get taped by KT tape, however the guy that taped me did an awful job. I'm not sure if it was him or the tape. I have used the product before and it worked fine under the same circumstances. He even used a spray that he sells to help the adhesive of the tape and it still fell off. I must admit that I was pretty disappointed, having the owner of the booth/distributing company in Ontario tape me and the KT Tape falling right off.

Being taped at KT tape booth, tape falling off before I exited expo

I did my best to try to get a good nights rest as I prepared for the race. The weather had changed from what I had planned, so I had to rethink a new race outfit as well has pack up my essentials.

My Gear for the race

Have a great week 

Are there any other brands of kinesiotape that you swear by or use?

What are you pre race rituals?

What do you bring or use for your races?