I did it !

Thankfully I am better at running than posting .... 8-)

The run last week was awesome - probably the best race that I have ever run. My finish time of 3:44:19.1 was a personal best (ok .... I have run only 2 marathons but it is still a PB !)

The weather on the morning of the race was really good - it did warm up considerably but luckily I finished before the heat really kicked in. The course was really great with lots of water stations making the run feel pretty good.

I felt relaxed throughout the entire race and did not feel spent at all at the finish - but my legs felt very tight for the last couple of kms. I think that stretching exercises during my training is probably a good idea .... maybe even yoga (yikes .... can't believe I said that ....)

Well, it was nice relaxing week off from training but I am now back at it for the Toronto Waterfront marathon on Sept 29th.

Race morning

Well, nothing left but the race now .... just fueling up now and getting ready to head downtown to the start line.

I am quite a bit more nervous about this run than any other .... just hope the nerves don't affect my run too much.

The family has all their signs made and ready to wave to me .... and the kids are getting excited about busing downtown to come see me in the race. Hope I can manage to spot them during the race !

Be back in a few hours .... under 4 ... I hope !

Training complete .... time for the race !

Well, after 5 months the training is finally completed .... with the last taper runs completed earlier this week.

I attended the expo today and picked up my bib (2842) and tech shirt - overall though I was not very impressed with the gear available by the lead sponser Mizuno. I prefered the gear available in previous years by Brooks (especially their neon-yellow jackets and vests !)

But as always I came away with quite a few goodies (loads of candy/chocolate) and managed to sample some very yummy energy bars, drinks and even ice cream ( ... the kids especially loved that one ... )

The weather currently calls for it to be sunny and 22C .... but I hope that the heat stays away until long after the 7am start ... and maybe until my run is complete sometime before the 4 hour mark !

But after completing 650+ kms in training runs it looks like there is only a short 42.2 kms left to go ....

Final countdown starts ....

Hmmm .... can't believe that I missed a week's worth of entries but not too surprising as it was pretty uneventful the last few runs. I ran mainly on my own rather than with my usual 4hr training group.

The week of race pace runs started today - kicked off with a 16k run. The weather was perfect and the run itself felt great. Based on how the pace felt today I am starting to feel pretty good about my chances of beating the 4hr mark.

Of course, it was still a "short" run and lots can happen - but I think that the last few weeks of training at a faster pace (than 4hrs) has paid off in some ways.

I just got two more race pace runs (6k and 10k) this week ... and then it is onto the marathon ....

Two weeks to go ....

Today was actually the last LSD run before the marathon .... it was a 23k run .... it was supposed to be a run of the 1st half of the marathon course but I did a local run around my neighborhood here instead.

It was one of times that I preferred to run alone rather than with my usual training group - it allows me to run with my iPod which is good for a change. One downside is that I cannot seem to keep the proper pace - and today was no different as I ran a 5:39 instead of 6:30.

Had the great experience of having someone's little dog try to make a snack out of my ankle - I had to stop and break stride just to make sure that the mutt didn't reach me and take a bite. I was tempted to punt the furrball but instead I gave the owner some friendly advice about maintaining control of their leash.

Add that to getting dinged by someone opening their car door and drivers blowing through red lights and just about tagging me .... and I am experiencing all that road running has to offer 8-)

Are we there yet ... ??

Well, another 10k training run is done ... it was a pretty fast pace (under 5:00) but it felt pretty comfortable. The new Saucony's worked out really well with no real pain .... but at the beginning my heels felt a little "different".

But I really can't wait for the training to finally be over ... and to get to the race ... *SIGH*

Back to liking Sauconys ...

I felt just a little guilty skipping last nite's scheduled tempo run (8k) to attend a little work engagement - but the afternoon of bowling followed by a really nice salmon dinner was a nice little break from the training.

Of course, the bowling left me with a slight tweek in my left knee - but thankfully it did not become painful during tonite's run.

The run was a tempo/speed run of 10k which was not made any easier by the weather which was a steady rain - but at least it was a warm rain .... almost like taking a shower. It was another fast run though clocking in at 49:19.

The pace might have been influenced by the fact that I was breaking in my new Saucony Triumph 5 shoes .... which felt great once I managed to lace them up properly. At first they were too loose and my heels were sliding around - and then I tightened them up a little too much and my foot seemed a little numb.

Looks like they will be my shoes for the actual marathon ... after a few more training runs of course !