Marathon Training!

Tags

Cycling, marathon, race, Racing, Running, Toronto

Hello hello!

Thought I would drop in for some updates. I have started training for the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon which is in October. So far so good!

I accidentally missed the start of training but it was ok since I was building base anyways. I did the 15k farm run at the experimental farms as I usually do. It was a little slower than I had hoped, but still decent. I finished in about 1:31 and got a pretty cute cow medal.

So after this race, my training really started. I averaged about 20-25 miles per week for the first few weeks. Now that we are into August, the mileage has been picking up. I’m pretty proud to say that even though I’ve had busy weekends (family stuff, a birthday party weekend etc.) I haven’t missed a single run so far. I’ve ran 80 miles so far this month.

I also did the free 5 k on the first Saturday of August. It was a promising run! I finished in just under 27 minutes, which I haven’t done since last year. It wasn’t a PR but it was only 30 seconds slower. Not bad considering I was doing speed training when I got my PR. (Also love these little races because Ian Hunter, a run Ottawa member, always gets great pictures of everyone!).

Last week in my training plan, it called for a half marathon race. Given that it is summer time, I didn’t bother trying to find an actual race. So I set out Friday morning to do a solo race along one of my normal routes. I expected to come somewhere in between 2:10-2:15. Despite a sore tummy (I wasn’t smart and had a beer the night before) and tired legs (I played flag football the night before), I finished in 2:12. I’m happy with this time because I did it on tired legs on a super humid day. I never felt out of breath; my legs were definitely what slowed me down. So this is encouraging because on rested legs, I should be able to go much farther. Here are my splits (in km from Strava).

I was very consistent and also only walked to eat (km 11) and because my leg was really itchy (km 19). I’m hoping this means I can come under 5 hours in my marathon.

As far as goals for the race go, I’m not sure yet. Marathons are just so much harder than the other, shorter races to be able to predict how you’ll do. Because they are longer, there is more time for something unexpected to happen. However, at the very least, I should do better than my previous marathons (5:45, 5:15). I have been way more consistent and my mileage is higher. Training through the summer is making that a lot easier. I’ve also been lucky that it’s been a cooler summer so I haven’t had to deal with extreme heat. The long run distances are starting to creep up and I have a 17 miler this weekend! I’m looking forward to it.

Also, other big news! I entered the first timers draw for the Big Sur Marathon (mostly as a pipe dream) and I actually got in. So looks like I’m going to California next year! I don’t have everything planned but I did get my hotel book in Carmel for the race and I’m officially signed up. It’s going to be an expensive trip but I’m treating myself for finishing my Master’s!

Hopefully I’ll check in again soon. Have a good week!