My third marathon is in the books in the breathtaking time of 6:36! Or maybe I was just short of breath after finishing. Yeah, that's it!
What's a poor, slow runner to do when they do not provide a pace team for a six-hour marathon? Well, you follow the 2:45 half-marathon pace crew, that's what! And that's exactly what I did for the first 18 km or so. When I arrived at the fork to split the half marathoners from the full course runners, I thought to myself that I really should have run the half. You see, the Toronto course, like many races I've seen, gives ample time to the half marathoners (four hours), but then expects the full marathoners to finish in six. As you can see, I did not make the cutoff time, but the course staff generously did not disqualify those of us who straggled in late from the official results.
My race fell apart in the second half. By about the 28 km marker (two thirds), I was gassed enough to recognize that there would not be much running after that point. In fact, I was so slow that an official course truck began dismantling all the marker signs in front of me starting with 35 km! Those Torontonians sure wanted their roads back as soon as possible! Come to think of it, those Torontonians were all over the race course; crossing the road in front of me to get to the other side any chance they got.
One factor which did not help at all was the heat. It peaked at around 75 degrees during the second half, and I ended up with some sunburn on my face where the sunblock had washed away. A definite misstep on my part.
I also need to confess that October was a really crappy training month, all in all. Within a day or two after my longest training run early in October, I came down with a cold/flu during what turned out to be a very active cold/flu season at the office. It was one of those situations where one cold ends and another one begins, and it was difficult to really tell whether or not I was going to get out from under it all. Although my October runs were supposed to be shorter anyway (the "taper down" period of training), I still found it hard to keep up. Needless to say that I was not 100% healthy during the marathon, so it was a minor logistical challenge to keep myself from coughing (I carried cough drops), and to clear out the congestion (a few pit stops at medical tents helped).
Enough of the sob story. I finished the race upright, and in the end that's what matters!
More thoughts on the race...
- The decision to wear a new pair of running shoes turned out to be excellent. That, and the additional step this year of wearing moleskin at the base of each large toe provided foot comfort for the entire distance.
- The few restroom and medical pit stops I made were all well-timed -- just by chance I did not face any lines, which was a problem with my stops last year in the Chicago race.
- A few fun costumes. I was beaten by Thor, Batman, and the Flash. And someone dressed as a Lego block. I did pass one of Gru's Minions along the way, though.
- I chose to pump out the music during this race, unlike Chicago, in which I ran without music. Canadian favorites Metric, Rush and Feist were on the playlist. Had I known earlier I would have added some "Tragically Hip" to the list, in honor of Gord Downie, who passed away the week of the marathon, prompting emotional tributes all the way up to the Prime Minister himself! How tragically unhip of me to not have heard of them before all this.
- As usual, there were nice people met along the course, such as Vincent, a physical trainer who was running the full course but also stopping along the way to help some runners in need of a stretch. And, Alyssa, the "angel finisher" who ran the last 500m alongside me to cheer me on. Or the woman who told me she ran the down the wrong fork toward the half marathon finish, before being sent back to rejoin the full course. I told her she was one of the few who turned out to be running an ultramarathon that day! Or the guy who remarked that I had impressive calves, to which I pointed out that they were used in support of my ample belly. Hehe!
- I was not as impressed with the scenery along this course as I was with the Chicago layout, which wandered through several neighborhoods of distinctive character. There was one really interesting neighborhood on the Toronto course which I'd like to walk through again someday: The Beaches.
- With a post-race Subway sub in hand, and Gatorade instead of a beer, watching the Patriots thrash the Falcons on Sunday night football from the comfort of my hotel room was a thoroughly enjoyable way to recover!
Farewell, Toronto! Thanks for the hospitality! Perhaps we'll meet again someday.
In the aftermath of the marathon, I've left the running trails and roads behind, and instead set out once again on the road to perdition. A whole new entertainment complex with multiple restaurants has opened in my city, and while they were decent enough to wait until after my marathon to open, the fact that my daughter took on a part time job there portends that I will spend quite a bit of my leisure time in those establishments. Such as Chick-fil-A! Woot!
Yes, indeed, another fall marathon has come and gone, to be replaced by the turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes, pies, cookies, candy canes and egg nog of the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. To each of the three of you poor readers I wish a heartfelt Merry Christmas! And always check your tree for critters...
