LSD 15:1 (x4)

Continuing to slowly up the mileage. It'll take some time to get to 800 K :-| Got in 7.41 K this morning - sunny and a bit cool. Right knee started to "tighten" during the first interval - glad I was able to the run in without much difficulty. Walking afterwards has been fine. So progress continues to be made. Can't wait to be reporting 30+ K runs!

YTD = 729.30 K.

After work yesterday, I went to a coin show and bought a 1976 Montreal Olympics $5 coin depicting the marathon event:

15:1 (x3)

Did a 15:1 (x3) after work. Fortunately, the slow run was good. Only a bit of aches after the run but nothing during - so this is excellent news - as it's recovery from the full marathon. Very soon, I can begin to slowly build up the mileage as training for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront full marathon :-)

YTD = 721.89 K

15:1 (x3)

First run after visiting the sports medicine doctor. On his advice, I did take it slow. Got in 5.66 K using 15:1 (x3). The first interval is fine. In the second interval my right knee started to tighten -- no pain throughout, thankfully. I'll go with 2 runs a week for now. I just hope the doctor is right that I am still recovering from the full marathon. Was a bit humid out there in the sun. Afterwards, I went to the Enoch Turner School House and the Mackenzie House on Doors Open Toronto.

YTD = 716.19 K

Visit to Sports Medicine Doctor - Thursday

Visited my sports medicine doctor this past Thursday. Fortunately, no fracture :-) The doctor gave me the green light to run and if there is pain to return. He said that I ran a marathon and afterwards pain is not uncommon in a run after a week - also, it might be a nerve. I'm going to run tomorrow and see what happens. Miss running so much...but still love thinking of my recent marathon finish. I have the bib framed and the certificate framed; just waiting for my 8x10 photo to arrive for framing. Still remember the feeling crossing the finish line :-)

Spirit of the Marathon -- Quotes

"When you cross the finish line, no matter how slow or fast, it will change your life forever"

"If you lose your time chip, you don't get a time. And that'll make my head explode"

"Train for 20 miles ... adrenaline will get you to 26.2 miles"

"Search for holy grail"

"People learn over training of marathon just as important as day of marathon"

"Runners need people to cheer ... the people help them get there"

"Some place in the marathon the distance is greater than the human ability to transcend it"

"Physical challenge and mental challenge - fighting through walls. Marathon teaches you to keep going"

"Metaphor for life - realize what able to do"

"Triumph over adversity that's what the marathon is all about. Nothing in life can't triumph after that" (Kathrine Switzer)

"Training for marathon changed my life - outward appearance, strength, spirit, indescribable. I did it"

"People pushing to limit, testing physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually"

"Fantastic human accomplishment"

"I did something that most people feel they can't do"

"Being in yourself and being in spirit to get to finish line"

"Transformative experience attempting to do something as a big as a marathon"

"Setting a goal, being courageous and accomplishing it"

---


A photo I took from the top of the John Hancock Building when I was in Chicago 2 years ago. Amazing city. I did walk near the lake.

Loved watching the video of the Chicago Marathon. Flat course, excellent number of spectators (1.5 million) -- the city is made for a marathon! Makes me want to run the Chicago Marathon (just glad I didn't in 2007 when there was a heat alert and the race was eventually cancelled). The have a green-yellow-red-black colour system now to alert runners of race conditions -- hopefully it is a 1-year thing as the weather is usually cool.

1st run after marathon not good :-(

As my next goal is to run the full marathon in late September at the Scotiabank Waterfront race, I'm hoping to train using 15:1 intervals. Yesterday, I did 15:1 (x3) and it did not go well. Got in 5.12 K for YTD = 710.53 K. The right leg was not happy as I think I have shin splint or ITB. It's hard to pinpoint -- all I know is it's tough to walk the dog now after walking 15 minutes. I'm going to make an appointment to see a sports medicine doctor. Maybe get recommend for physio?

Still have a wonderful feeling from running the marathon last Sunday :-) I ordered an 8x10 photo from zoomphoto.ca. I got it with logo and time for $4 extra. I don't mind paying for this as it'll keep the memories alive for many years. I will also frame my bib number. I'm waiting for the certificate to be obainable on the Mississauga marathon web site.

I've watched Spirit of the Marathon the night of my marathon. A wonderful video which should have been watched before my marathon (and not after). I'm going to watch it again soon and record some quotes. I love "when you cross the finish line it will change your life forever".

I've signed up for the half marathon at the Toronto marathon race. It's 3 weeks after the Scotiabank and hope I'll be okay to run it -- maybe I shouldn't have signed up until the end of the month.

I had my full marathon tech shirt hung in my room -- had to take it down after Bud kept barking at it angrily :-|

I did it! I ran a full marathon -- Race Report

The purpose of this blog has been to document my journey to running the full marathon in Mississauga. It happened this morning and I am thrilled to report I reached the finish line -- it was the mental preparation that got me there.

I haven't gotten sleepness nights or race jitters since my first few races. In the 5 K Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 3 years ago, I had difficulty sleeping at night and when I reached the race location, I was so tempted to go home since I felt so uncomfortable being in the company of "real" runners and walkers. My 2nd race, the Toronto Half Marathon I had to say, "I paid registration fee so I have every right to be here as everyone else" and kept thinking of the finisher's medal (which I saw hanging at the Scotiabank race and was told it's only for the half and full marathoners. My dream last night, although I can't remember many of the details, was thankfully only a dream and not reality (e.g., eating lunch midway through the race). When I woke up at 3:30 am, I thrilled it was only a dream and promised myself not to implement the mistakes of my dream.

Woke up at 5:00 am, ate Vector cereal, walked the dog, and was out of the house at 6:15 am. Got to Square One at 6:45 am. Thank goodness for the "secret" entrance of going north on Hurontario and then west on Queensway, north on Mavis, and then east on Burnhamthorpe. The entrance to Square One on Hurontario is a nightmare.

Did a warm-up of a slow 10 minute run. I was a bit worried that my left knee was still tight from last week's Sporting Life 10 K and wondered if that PB was worth it. Time would tell this morning. When I saw so many racers covered up in clothing, I wondered if I should have worn a long sleeve tech shirt, rather than my full marathon shirt 2 years ago when I walked the route in Mississauga.

Time did fly as the race was about to begin at 7:30 am. I drank the water from my water bottle and went to the washroom. I got into the starting line with the 4H 30M finish. There was a big screen TV showing mayor Hazel. I heard the gun go off and it took about 6 minutes to reach the starting mat. As always, I checked my shoe laces and time chip. There was no way I was going to run this and lose my time chip.

What I like about this race is how quickly the "crowdedness" disappears once you past the finish line. I didn't bring a water bottle since fluid stations were every 2 K. My plan was not to use 10:1 intervals but instead use the fluid stations as my break -- so literally I was doing 12:1 intervals (although I didn't do that in training, which looking back I should have). I kept looking at my Garmin to ensure my pacing didn't go below 6 min/K.




* The first 5 K were west on Burnhamthorpe and got quite scenic with the forested area below. My left knee was tight at the beginning and I knew that pacing was important. First fluid station took only water. Second fluid station took gatorade mixed with water.

* Next, we headed south through the scenic and downhill University of Toronto Mississauga campus, which is always a favourite. At about the 6 K mark, my Garmin starting to ring and wouldn't stop. I tried to reset it but to no avail. I had to shut it off, which it turned out was a good thing so I can concentrate on the race and not worry about time.

* Reached the first time chip mat at the 8 K. Gun time of 56:30, which is 50:21 chip time. Pleased with my performance so far! Left knee looser now. The 2 K fluid stations are great as I am taking my breaks there. Taking 2 cups of gatorade to avoid dehydration and to get the carbs. Unfortunately, I've had to go to washroom (unlike a half marathon when I don't need to take any washroom break) -- thank goodness for trees :-|

* Continued south on Mississauga Road (downhill and fast) and reached the 14 K mark where the half and full marathoners diverged. I must admit it's been a bit crowded and the separation would be a good thing. It did get much quieter now but fortunately I had company with me (unlike 2 years ago when I walked the full marathon, which was a lonely experience -- not seeing any racer for up to 45 minutes). I can't recall which K I took my first gel -- maybe 17 K?

* Headed west until the 20 K mark and headed south on Southdown, which was a big street. Route well patrolled by the police (lots of them) and volunteers. Reached 21.1 K with gun time of 2:13:37 (chip time 2:07:26) -- which is very good. The pacing was still strong and I remember Habs on the RR private message telling me the first half is easy, it's the second half that's hard.

* When we reached the 23 K, it was an out-and-back and you could see the runners who reached the 28 K mark on the other side. The route was quite boring as we went through an industrial area owned by Petro Canada. 1st gel station at the 24 K mark with water afterwards; took 2 gels to save one for later. At 25 K, it was a turnaround. Gun time = 2:38:16 (chip time = 2:32:07). Now it was tough as we headed north. Could see Lake Ontario as we went through a park.

* I always enjoyed heading west as the wind was to my back. Running into the wind has been tough. Headed west on Orr and then north on Meadow Wood. I believe it was here that there was a steep uphill -- I tried running up and then walked the rest -- no point killing the legs. In fact, there were quite a few bridges in the 2nd half that went down (no complaints) and then upwards. The weather remained nice, with the sun often coming out. I saw the lady with the oranges and bananas -- I should have thanked her for giving it to me 2 years ago when the fluid stations were often closed. I thanked them for an orange slice.

* Reached 30 K at 3:07 chip time (7 minutes faster than my ATB 30 K).

* Went through Jack Darling Park at the 33 K and that reminded me of 2 years ago when the K markers were taken down and I was trying to figure out on the map I took where to go. No issues this time around with other runners ahead. 2nd gel station at the 34 K mark. Fluid stations always welcomed. At this stage, I was taking 30 second breaks whenever needed -- e.g., after "climbing" Mount Everest ;-)

* West on Lakeshore -- again, the police have a great presence. More downhill and uphill -- these uphills I could go since they weren't that steep. I really wasn't prepared for all this down and uphill battles.

* At the 36 K, headed south to the Lake Ontario again and through a park. Then north a bit, reaching the final gel station at the 38 K and then east on the bridge. It's here that the half and full marathoners converged again -- I did see a few half marathon walkers on the route. It seems the half marathon route is so scenic so the rest was great.

* Oh forgot...it's about the 34 K or 36 K break that after the break, it was hard to get running again. I did take a break at the 38 K mark and ran slowly before getting into a groove again. Once I reached the 40 K, I promised myself that I had to keep running as if I stopped, I may not be able to run anymore. Slowly and steady I went.

* Into Lakefront Promenade Park I went and it seemed like forever. The crowds were great as they cheered us to the finish line. One spectator said, "Only 200 m left" and I knew I could do it. No crawling to the finish line!

* Gun time = 4:32:38.3
* Chip time = 4:26:29.4

* Overall = 1025 out of 1413
* Age category = 128 out of 146
* Gender = 654 out of 804

Got my time chip removed (and saw the volunteer put it in the basket so I don't get accused again of not returning it). Got my finisher's medal. Walked for about 10 minutes to cool down. Drank a few cups of gatorade. Ate 2 apples, 2 bagels, and some ginger cookies. After walking some more to wait for the finish times to be posted, and they weren't, so headed to the shuttle buses. The race is so organized as there's a walking distance to the shuttles. The shuttle was there, I boarded it and made the trek back to Square One plaza.

Estatic to have run a full marathon! One sign along the route said, "Pain is temporary, pride lasts a lifetime". And here's to show:



As I write this blog, my legs are feeling a bit better -- but I don't look forward to tomorrow. Oh boy...

Good news! Redleaf from the RR forum took some photos of forum members she found. I thank Redleaf for taking the photo:

Bib Pick-Up

Left work and made the trek to the bib pick-up location in rush-hour traffic. Not bad as I took me "only" 1.5 hours (come to think of it, that's quite long). Made it to the bib pick-up at 5:15 pm. Had to find a parking spot and then was pleased there was no line-up for: (i) bib pick-up [happy that one volunteer searched for my envelope with time chip and bib and other checked my name on the envelope carefully; (ii) tech shirt [got a medium but think it might be a bit small]; (iii) chip activation [thrilled it's not the cheap 1-time use -- just got to make sure it gets returned this time so I don't get nasty e-mails like 2 years ago]. Once entering the booths, I got a $5 Subways gift card -- very nice!

With money in my wallet, I was disappointed with the small expo -- I recall it being bigger in the past 2 years? I spun the Running Room wheel 3 times and got 10% each time -- there was no 35% off coupon nor was there an instant win. I want to get running shorts with pockets. I did buy 5 gels for $1.79 each -- I didn't realize the coupon doesn't work for gels :-(

I spent 45 minutes in the expo and left at 6:00 pm. I walked the expo 4 times and saw everything, just nothing useful for me. I did sample some stuff but they weren't tasty. The Toronto Marathon had a booth and displayed their finisher's medal for their upcoming October race. Their marathon medal is HUGE -- never seen anything that big or heavy. Their half marathon medal looked better last year.




All set for Sunday!

Thursday 10:1 (x5)

First run after the Sporting Life 10 K -- got in 6.42 K on Thursday. Looking forward to Sunday.

yTD = 662.29 K

Race Report -- Sporting Life 10 K

Bib Pick-Up Thursday, April 30

Arrived after an after work run to the Sporting Life store on Yonge Street. Parked in the store lot without much issue (unlike other years). Only 30 seconds in line to pick up the bib. Then got the timing chip activated and then went to retrieve my tech shirt. Don't like the bright colour but it will do. Armed with a 10% coupon, I bought 5 gels at $1.79 - 10% off. Then off to home I went.

A corral system is being used this year. I'm surprised I got placed in the Yellow Corral as the purple corral is over 1 hour and the blue corral is a few minutes under 1 hour.










Race Day

Left my house and did a slow warm-up run (7 K) to the starting line. The one lesson I learned is to ensure the Garmin is fully battery-charged; I forgot to recharge it and could only give it 25 minutes of juice. I arrived at the starting line with a few minutes to spare and quickly found the Yellow Corral and entered it. At this time, my Garmin was already low on battery but it'll do. The weather was sunny and cool. A wonderful day for this run!

From start to finish, the route was crowded. There were an additional 800 spots at the last minute at a reduced fee of $40.00 -- no tech shirt or finisher's medal. In total, 12 800 spots were sold (compared to last year's 9000 spots).

It was mainly a downhill race :-) There were 2 uphill inclines but that's it. Down Yonge Street passing Eglinton, Davisville, St. Clair, Dupont, Davenport, Bloor, College, Dundas, and Queen. Then west on Richmond Street until Peter. Then it was downhill incline until Front Street. Then west on Front Street until Bathurst and down to the finish line at Fort York.



The race, as advertised, was fast! I slashed my PB by 6 minutes and ended with a chip time of 52:05.9. Wow! I had set my Garmin 10:1 intervals but choose only to take a walk break at the fluid stations. The average pace at 10 minute intervals was 6.01 min/K, 5.07 min/K, 4.46 min/K, 4.37 min/K, and 4.41 min/K. Never gone that fast for such a sustained period of time. Thank goodness for the downhills! It was tough maintaining that pace on the flat surfaces. I reminded myself to enjoy the race. Good thing I was familiar with the route as it didn't take long to get to the finish line. Boy was I excited to see the finish line!

The challenge was the crowds, as I said above. Fortunately, the streets were well supervised by the police. There were a few bands along the route and the crowds were good.

Good thing I bought along my own water bottle as fluid stations were scarce -- one at the 3.5 K and another at the 7 K marks. Gatorade was first and then water. At the first station, the volunteer was struggling to fill the Gatorade -- and there were only a dozen cups left on the table. At the second fluid station, I had to help myself as there was no volunteer.

The one-time use of the Time Chip was to avoid the disastrous stand-still finish line. That didn't change this morning and I know how dangerous it is to stand still after running at full-steam. Fortunately, I was able to move to an open field (with some cars parked) and was able to cool-down with walking. This happened after getting a finisher's medal. There was no Gatorade until way over the hill :-( Once cool-down, I made my way to the congested Gatorade stand. I wanted some post food and found it a ways more walking -- there wasn't a line-up for the bananas (very ripe) or the great tasting red delicious apples. I ate 3 whole wheat bagels as well. Got a copy of yesterday's National Post, sampled some of the Oasis juices, and then exited the Fort York on Bathurst. Walked home and then took Bud on a walk -- both of us happy as I got in more recovery.

My chip time is 52:05.9 [PB]
Overall place = 3263 out of 10 758 (thrilled to be in top 1/3)
M35-39 Category Place = 405 out of 733
Gender Place = 2489 out of 4858

http://www.sportstats.ca/display-results.php?lang=eng&racecode=44706&first=l&last=lim&bibnum=&page=&sortby=place&city=toronto&sizeofpage=200&limit=2000

Rest until at least Wednesday. Probably will get in 1 run this week before the Mississauga Marathon next Sunday. Looking forward to running my first marathon.

Thursday - 10:1 (x5)

Had to run after work on Thursday since didn't on Monday to Wednesday. Got in 6.24 K in the light rain. A run to remind myself how to run before the Sporting Life 10 K on Sunday.

After the run, drove to the Sporting Life to pick up my bib and tech shirt. Parking was fine at the site and the line up was about 30 seconds. Went around the store with my 10% coupon and bought 5 gels for $1.79 - 10% off -- a good price. I saw some running shorts but opted not to buy it -- will spin the wheel at the Mississauga Marathon expo for a discount coupon.

YTD = 638.52 K