Sunday, May 5, 2019
I ran the Toronto marathon this weekend. I was more nervous about this marathon than I was any other I’ve done before, as this was the first time I was going into a major event with an injury, the hip tendinopathy I wrote about in my most recent blog. Nevertheless, I like to finish what I start. And besides, I had some anti-inflammatories in my system, as well as some on point physio that unlocked my SI joint. So I have some improvement to the injury already. It can’t be too painful, after all I’m a total badass right? That’s what I keep hearing anyways.
Backing up a moment, the day before the actual marathon all the runners (and friends) head down to the race expo to pick up our bib and race kits. But we also got to meet some incredible people while we were there. A running idol of mine, Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to officially finish the Boston Marathon, was speaking and I had a chance to discuss her 261 Fearless running movement at the expo. But let’s put a pin in that because that’s going to be the entire topic of my next blog. So stay tuned for that.
I had a hard time sleeping that night due to the excitement of it all, but I was up 5am, ate breakfast, headed down to the shuttle bus and made my way up to the start line at Mel Lastman Square.
The first half of the run went really well. The downhill section of Yonge street is a nice place to lay down a smooth steady fast pace, until it levels out at the halfway mark and becomes more flat. I managed to hold onto my race pace hitting the first half of the course timing mats at 4:54/km, 5:01/km, 4:54/km respectively.
But my hip tendinitis started its aching at about the 30K mark and I knew I was about the board the pain train. My injury was far from healed and only just delayed in its appearance by 15 additional km this time, unlike its appearance at the Chilly half-marathon back in March. My pace dropped as the throbbing worsened 5:21/km, 5:38/km, 6:03/km. Not what I had hoped for. But who was I kidding? One physio appt wasn't enough. I know I have 4 more weeks of treatment ahead of me, I understand and accept that now.
Overall I finished with an average pace of 5:24/km in 3:48:09. Placing 12/80 in my age group (top 15%), 96/530 in my gender (top 18%) and 476/1553 of the overall finishers (top 30%), both men and women. The gender gap in this event was 1022 men to 530 women, essentially a 2:1 ratio. So gender parity in marathon still has a long way to go. Come on ladies! Believe me when I tell you, you can do it!
With my finishing time of 3:48:09 I missed my Boston Qualifying cut off time of 3:40:00. However, I was fast enough to secure a guaranteed entry into the Chicago Marathon (another Abbott World Major Marathon that I haven't done yet) that has a cut off of 3:50:00. So there is a silver lining after all. Huzzah! This is the best possible salvage marathon I think I could have hoped for. Chicago 2020 here I come!
On to immediate post-race matters:
Some serious kudos going out to the post-race massage team who really helped stretch out my hips and glutes post-marathon. They really needed it.
Also huge kudos goes to both my clients Juliane and Alice who completed the half-marathon race that same day. It was Juliane’s fourth half-marathon so far, and Alice’s very first half-marathon. See I told you, you could do it Alice! I’m so proud of you both for putting in the hard work not just in training but also on race day. You are strong women.
High fives all round.
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