Fitness Swellness: Race Report: Goodlife Toronto Marathon 2014

May 7, 2014

I’ve been moving at a snail’s pace since Sunday’s Toronto Marathon. This is probably the second most sore I’ve been after a marathon — I bounced back almost right away after the two last fall, but this one’s taking awhile.

In any case, that’s why this race report is a whole three days after the fact!

On Sunday, I ran the Toronto Marathon. It was my sixth marathon and it’s actually the race I ran for my very first marathon two years ago.

I didn’t set out to run a marathon this spring. I thought I’d do a half (to give myself a break — having run one full each season and then two marathons one month apart last fall), and then I added running Around the Bay 30k. And what happened is that training for Around the Bay was so difficult with the cold, cold, cold winter, and I realized that to run a spring marathon would just call for about one month more of training after Around the Bay. So I figured “why not?”

Which isn’t exactly the best attitude going into a marathon. You should really want to run a marathon.

Maybe for this reason I was particularly anxious about the race. Add in the fact that I didn’t get a ton of speed training done leading up to the race (I was out of town a lot in April). I had nightmares of missing my race a good two weeks ago (I normally manage to refrain from being anxious about a race until the week prior).

The week before the race, too, didn’t help things. I had an extremely busy week, and I was up early every day (so was lacking sleep) and had not one but two tough workouts (one with celeb fitness trainer Tracy Anderson — yes, the one Gwyneth trains with). Tired and sore, I was stressed at not being rested enough to run my 42.2k.

I decided to aim conservatively for this race and printed a pace band for a finish of 3:58 (just one minute faster than my PB in Philly in the fall). But I wasn’t sure if I could achieve it and didn’t set my heart on it. I just wanted to be realistic; I wasn’t feeling as strong as I have for other races (especially when I used my Around the Bay time in a race predictor and it told me I was slated to run my second slowest marathon ever — although I realized after I entered a slower time, oopsies).

But then I started the race with a friend, and she’s faster than me. And I felt good. And the weather was perfect — chilly at about 3C and sunny (but it was very windy at times). But with the good running weather and having a good time running with my running pal, I did precisely what you’re not supposed to do, but I was well aware of it — I started out too fast, but I was willing to take the chance. We stayed together til about the half-marathon mark, and it was great — the first half of the Toronto Marathon is a fun route (down Yonge where there are people cheering, and then it’s pretty around UCC and then I love the downhill leafy part going on Rosedale Valley Road).

The last half is a different story. It’s out for about 8k and then back. It’s near Lake Ontario, but it’s not as scenic as you’d imagine as you’re not right by the water. And I always find it hard to be running and having all the people faster than you on their way back to the finish line.

I started feeling like it was a grueling run at the 29k mark. I can usually manage to hold out until 32k at least before I started feeling that way. So my internal monologue included lots of “Just keep going” and “Go, go, go.”

Came across some greet supporters along the route. At one point, I was having a particularly dark moment and I swear, I think this woman could tell because she cheered “You can do this!” and it was just the perk up I needed. At another point, when the elite half-marathoners passed by me and my friend and we called them incredible, a girl cheering overheard us and said, “NO, YOU’RE INCREDIBLE!”

And then to the guy who said on his megaphone, “You look sexy!” and made me laugh. My first reaction was “Seriously, dude?!”…and then I remembered what I was wearing: a Nike top that reads “I run to be sexy.” And I had a good giggle. Thanks, guy!

And let’s not forget the friends who came out to cheer. I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again: If you have a friend who runs a race, go out and cheer for them, even if they don’t ask you to. Seeing a familiar smiling face, even though you only see each other for 10 seconds, is the best. And I was lucky enough to have several friends come out to cheer, and with a cute little banner, too!

In the end, I finished in 4 hours (I forget the seconds, I think it was just under 4:01). Which I’m pleased about as I finished my two marathons in the fall (in the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Fran and in Philly) in 3:59 and 4 hours, so I feel that’s my solid time.

Now to get faster for my next marathon!

(For more pics from race day, you can check my Instagram! And follow me on Insta while you’re there on my account!)

Filed under: Fitness Swellness

Tags: marathon, race report, Toronto Marathon