Another Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is in the history books and I'm so pleased to have been a part of it! Not only did I improve on last year's time (see below), but we've raised nearly $3000 (and counting!) for Magic Castle Daycare at Princess Margaret Hospital! Thanks to everyone for your support, motivating thoughts, and generosity!!
I couldn't have asked for a better morning to run. Cool and sunny. No wind. No rain. No pains. I situated myself between two pace bunnies (they're the good folks who run to a specific time goal to assist people with pacing themselves): the 4:00 hr marathon and the 4:30 hr marathon bunnies. My goal was to keep from being overtaken by the latter. Though I was doing the half-maraton, the route is essentially the same up until around the 15 or 16km mark. The first 7 km went smoothly and a little under pace. The second 7 km went really well and by the 14km mark, I was on track for a 2:10 finish if only I could keep the pace. The final 7km was pretty good until around the 18km mark when I started to get pretty tired. I heard someone yell, "Only 3000 metres to go." I just kept on putting one foot in front of the other at the most sustainable pace possible. At the turn up Bay street (the 20km mark) I knew that if I just kept up that pace, slowing as it was, I'd be there. The small grade from Lakeshore up past Front, King and Queen felt sooooo steep! But I had the motivation to find Donna, Steph, Mattie and Katie in the crowd. 500 metres. 400 metres. 300 metres. 200 metres...there they were! High 5s! 100 metres...hat off, glasses off , arms raised and a big smile for the cameras at the finish.
Target chip time (actual running time, excludes time from gun going off to reaching the start line, which was just over 5 minutes): 2:15:00
Actual chip time: 2:14:42 (that's 13:10 faster than last year!)
Actual gun time (official race time): 2:21:00 (that's 18:39 faster than last year!)
Well, more later, but for now, I've gotta NOT run...it's time to give my legs a break for the day!
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