I have now officially run the ‘People’s marathon’ (a.k.a. the 34th Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C.). This was my third marathon and by the far the best race I have run to date. There were tough parts, but as a lot of signs said “pain is temporary, pride is forever”. It was not a personal best race for me and I did not beat Oprah’s marathon time (although I kicked Al Gore’s ass) yet none of this seems to matter right now.

Running a marathon has always been an emotional experience for me, but this race was particularly so. There were a lot of individuals running in memory of US military who have died in combat and no matter what your thoughts are on the US’ presence in the Middle East it is still sad to see.

The overall highlight of race was as usual the renewed belief in me and what I can achieve (yes this is the cheesy part of the entry). Running a marathon means you have a lot of time to think things over and by the time you reach the 35 km mark the main thing you are probably thinking is “why did I sign up for this?”. But a strange thing happens when you cross that finish line – you realize that you have accomplished something pretty remarkable which in turn makes you realize that you have the potential to achieve what you put your mind toward. At least this is what I feel.

Other Race highlights:

Running with friends - I have to admit I am a bit of a coward when it comes to running alone. 42.2 km is a long way to go completely alone, so I really enjoyed running the majority of the race with four of my running buddies.

Atmosphere - I have never witnessed that level of support and cheering before. The majority of the course was filled with people yelling and clapping. It was truly an amazing thing to be a part of. Definitely helped numb the pain of being on your feet 4 hours +. Is sad to admit, but I have never seen that level of enthusiasm at any Canadian running event.

Scenery - The Marine Corps Marathon is a beautiful course (apart from that ‘bridge’ at mile 20). You get to run through Georgetown, by the water, the Pentagon, the National Mall.

The Marines - hot marines in uniform handing out water. Enough said.

Working out some personal frustrations between 35km-41km. Was a bit of painful point in the race, but this is when I dig into my pot of things that make my angry and frustrated…Kind of like my own personal punching bag time.

Main Lesson learned:

Name on shirt = a lot of people yelling your name, so next time I’m putting my name on my shirt!

A special shout goes to Booty Camp Fitness for helping me be a lot stronger in this race. I actually think all those lunges and exercises I have done prior to this race has helped me be a better runner!

Every now and then I get my bee in a bonnet about something. This week it is Toronto’s response to having two marathons so close to one another. This morning’s Globe and Mail article about how the City wants the organizers of the two races to separate the events or merge them was one of many recent articles that was published about the situation. While I understand the reasoning and sympathize with Toronto drivers trying to get from point A to point B I do feel irritated by this news on a number of different levels, so I wrote the following letter to the editor:

Reading the number of news stories about the Toronto marathons causing road chaos has made me appreciate the fact that I have chosen to run my fall marathon in the United States where marathoners are celebrated and cheered on throughout the 26.2 miles they run by runners and non-runners alike. Guaranteed if those Torontonians inconvenienced by road closures put in the time and effort to run a marathon they would want Yonge Street closed down as well.

In a time when individuals are constantly encouraged to lead healthier lifestyles and to also be environmentally responsible (a.k.a. take public transportation Toronto drivers) it is shocking that Torontonian runners are being critiqued for causing people inconvenience.

Tiffany charm for me

This week was not a great week for me. I just haven’t felt like myself and having a cold/flu has definitely not helped – just feeling really blah. I also realized today as I was cheering friends on at the Toronto marathon that this time next week I will be running in one myself. Agh! I remember when I first signed up for Marine Corps marathon it seemed like so far away and now here it is. 

I still am flipping-flopping about my race time. On one hand it is a huge race (30,000 people), so my “play it safe self” is telling me to take it easy and just focus on finishing and enjoying the experience. Yet my type-A competitive self is telling me to really go for it and try to beat Oprah’s time and for that matter my own previous marathon times. I think I am scared to try as crazy as that sounds. Finishing a marathon is a great accomplishment no matter what the time, but I want something more now.

I need to stop being scared to try, but I do now that no matter what when I finish I’m getting another charm for my Tiffany bracelet. I buy a charm for each marathon. Have my eye on the key charm for this race. 

PS: My rant of the week: Dear Toronto drivers, Each year Toronto has two marathons and yes roads are closed. Why don’t you get out of your car next year and spend some time cheering people on instead of yelling at police about the road being closed? Who knows you might actually be inspired to do some exercise yourselves and cheering on runners guarantees you some good karma.

Today I’m off to pick up my half marathon race kit. It is strange to think that this time last year I was going to this exact same expo to pick up my race kit for my first full marathon.

A lot has changed in my life in the last year, but the one thing that has remained constant for me is that running has made me believe in myself and in what I can do. In the blog I kept last summer I wrote:

Crossing that finish line has made me realize that I can achieve the things I set my mind too. Impossible really is nothing.

With less than 30 days to go until my next marathon I know that one of the most important things I need to do is keep my mind focused on crossing that finish line. The physical ability is there, yet at times the mind plays cruel tricks on you and makes you think that you can’t achieve your goals. But I know I can.

Good luck to all of you running your first race this weekend in Toronto! Believe in yourself!

To read what it was like for me to run my first marathon you can check out the blog I kept throughout training.

Credit: Zazzle tshirt

This weekend one of Toronto’s biggest running events will take place – the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront. This marathon is marketed as “Canada’s #1 big city marathon”. I have no clue how many people in total will be running, but I know that it will be busy. I also know that it will be a great weekend for picking up all sorts of goodies.

Even if you aren’t a runner head down to the expo and stock up on all sorts of goodies. There are usually some great deals to be had on shoes and clothing! You will also be able to pick up some samples of products like Clif bars and all sorts of sports nutrition type thing!

There will also be some fun exhibitors there and you may be able to pick up some Christmas stocking stuffers! Never too early to start! Last year I picked up some pairs of Dirty Girl undies which have some great slogans on them and are super comfortable! Perfect gifts for any runner in your life!

PS: If you have some time come cheer some of us runners on! I’ll be running the half marathon!