Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

October 20th, 2019

Unlike my previous 2 marathons, STWM was not Melissa's idea! In fact, I'm pretty sure it was me getting her drunk and signing us both up for it, #richmacdonaldstyle

The Build
If CIM went better than Phoenix because of more mileage, then STWM was going to go even better. Melissa had us commit to even more miles, pushing ourselves to volumes previously thought of as extreme... My goal was to notch a 120k week, as well as a 4-week rolling average over 100k. Combine that with a healthy dose of speed work, tempos, and progression runs, and a creative mix of all of the above, along with just enough "restraint" to avoid injury and burnout, and I don't think the build plan could have gone any better.
I would race Edmonton half in August in order to set a proper time goal for the full. Breaking the 80 minute barrier convincingly there gave me the confidence to start dreaming big...

By the numbers...

The Plan
"What's your goal for this race?"
That has to be the most common question, and ironically one that seems to make everyone uncomfortable. Do you say it out loud to hold yourself accountable? Do you keep it to yourself, thereby under promising and over delivering? Do you create a diversion by avoiding the question, offering instead some form of comedic, usually self-flagellating retort?
CIM should have taught me better, recalling the immediate embarrassment I felt after openly announcing my 2:45 intentions during a group run.
I suppose my success in that race helped erase that trauma, because when asked about Toronto, I figured I may as well be forthcoming about my logical next barrier, the 5-minute incremental step of breaking 2:40. Why not be bold and try for it, even if the pace on paper sounded ridiculous?

The training had gone great, but at no point did I feel comfortable running the aspirational marathon pace for that long.
So, I did as any good software engineer would do in this situation; I asked math for some help to boost my confidence.
Last year I ran a 1:21 half followed shortly after with a 2:44 full marathon.
Now I had taken 4 minutes off my half in Edmonton, surely I could ask for 5 over a full?
So, it was decided. Stretch goal was 2:39:59, and assuming I felt ok, I would aim for 1 hr for the first 10 miles, 1 hr for the 2nd 10 miles, and finish the final 10k knowing I would only need to hold 4 min/kms (aka, pedestrian pace) to hit my target. Sounds easy, right?

The Reality
After a remarkably good sleep, Mel and I awoke, had a bagel with cream cheese and jam (+ an immodium), and chilled in our hotel 1 block from the start line. Stepped out for a little warm up to get the juices flowing, then meandered to the start.
Despite the large start list, I found myself easily able to move to the first 3 rows of the 1st (non-elite) corral.
Temperature was warm (8C?) and I immediately tossed my arm warmers and gloves.

Calf sleeve, completely useless

In front of me was a dude in a banana costume! He dropped me... thankfully he was doing the half and earned himself a Guinness world record for fastest fruit (1:15). It was one of those "where were you" moments.

Back to my race.
Gun goes off and here we go again!
Starting with a slight uphill, I soon spy another lime green mito jersey just ahead so put in a little dig to catch up.
Josh Inhaber and I proceed to run the next several kms together, which was a great way to settle into the race.
As we loop around and head back south, the road drops elevation on it's way back to the lake, and I recall

Reid Coolsaet's advice in the voice over video: relax in the beginning and use the downhill to find your pace group before hitting the waterfront. Combined with Blaine's reminder to find other bodies as it can get rather windy along the water, I take this advice to heart and spend kms 3-6 accelerating and sitting in, repeating this until I find a group I feel comfortable with.
As we hit Lakeshore Blvd I have latched on to one guy in particular, tall, bearded, dressed in blue*. He looks very comfortable pushing what to me is a bit of a stretch, but I reason that every km with him will get me closer to the end sooner!
As we turn around and head East, we are now a group of 4 or 5, though it's clear only me, blue guy, and a guy I raced with in Edmonton, Chris Schwartz, are actually working together on the long, long road in the wind.
When I say working together, blue guy did about 80% of the work.
Just before the half, I see fellow duathlete Garvin pull up beside us on his bike, and we chat for a bit before hitting one of the overpasses. Even though I felt like I had been struggling, I was surprised to find I could hold a lucid conversation still.
At the half way mark, a couple guys veer off to complete their distance, but blue guy and Chris stay on course for the full, and I am so grateful. I hit the 10 mile mark with a handful of seconds to spare before my 1 hr target.
I cross the  half-way mat around 1:18:31 (2nd fastest half yet), and am starting to feel like I may have made a big mistake...
Blue guy separates from Chris and I, so then there were 2.
The next 8 km it's just him and I, taking turns in front to block the wind. Our pace feels like it is slowing a bit, but having someone there in that industrial 2nd half was a life saver! Looking at my upload, the pace did slow, down to my goal pace of ~3:47/km.
And then Chris drops me, latching on to a runner that passed us on Lakeshore Blvd East, and I have no response. Kilometer 30, and I am all alone for the foreseeable future.
My world goes dark, my little Jiminy Cricket is telling me I WAS an idiot for going out too fast, and that I am in the process of blowing up majorly!
I look down at my watch and its agreeing with that fucking cricket, 4:05/km... that is about 20 seconds / km slower than my goal pace.
The next part gets worse, because I start to not care. Any competitive spirit in me has completely vanquished.

Band of brothers for about 10k

A bike rolls past and tells, "you're going fast, I'm having a hard time cycling to keep up with you!"
I know he's lying and try smiling back but inside I'm too busy signing off on my surrender.
Chris is off in the distance, I'm alone into wind and slight uphill, and I haven't even gotten to the last turnaround yet. How can I take down the evil "wall" if I'm so far off pace already and slowing down to a crawl? I should note, that upon review of my post-race data, this slump lasted only about 4kms, but at the time it felt like an eternity, so low were my spirits.
And then I get a couple injections of motivation.
First, I see homeboy Trev Hofbauer come by in the opposite direction, and he's the first Canadian! We exchange some quick salutes and go on our merry ways.
Defending Canadian champ Cam Levins is a good minute or two behind him!
How cool is that, Trev is punching his ticket to the 2020 Olympics!!
Soon after, I reach the final turnaround (finally!!!)
This is around km 32 and the moment I've been waiting for.
By now, I've lost a bunch of time, crossing 20 miles around 2:01:something, and given the past 30 minutes, have all but written off my A goal. But now I at least am going downhill. And have a tailwind.
Then I see Mel! She's not far behind, and there aren't many women ahead of her!
Before long, I'm back to my flow, focusing on my leg turn over and taking down kms.
Around the 35 km mark I hear "hey Ren, good job" from across the street. It's fellow WRTWC runner Frank! He's smiling and looking strong!
I take note of the time. 7.2km to go, clock says 2:12:11... hmm. Could I? 27 mins for 7km? Jiminy is gone, and my watch says I'm back to running 3:45s.
Give it a try, whispered the heart.
6k to go, still holding on.
Then I see, and remember one last overpass. Ugh... that's gonna bite into my pace.
5.2k to go and about 20 mins. Uphill finish. Its gonna be close, but I'm starting to believe.
38k. 16 mins left... keep it going. I am almost back to the CN tower!
39. Crowds are back and loud. Normally in races this drives me crazy but now I'm feeding off it.
40. We will be turning right soon on Bay street. Why is it taking so long? 8 minutes to go.
41. Don't see this marker, nor anything other than that Parliament Building at the end of the tunnel that is my vision.
42. Where is that finish line? Can't even see it?! Oh there it is. What does that clock say? 2:39:something? Oh shit, stay focused Reinier or you're gonna blow it.
Open up the sprint...

2:39:41!

The next four minutes I spend in what feels like a suffocated state, my lungs unable to get any air. I shuffle around the finish line area, holding a fence and gasping. Eventually regaining myself, just in time to see Josh (7 minutes ahead of his 2:50 goal), and then Melissa (2 min PB) cross the finish line.
Oh, and I remember a Firetruck trying to get through and runners having to scramble around it to finish!

In the aftermath I see all our friends have done well today. Ken Young setting an 60-69 national record, Frank, Mark Cullen and Jeff Shikaze setting PBs. I learn that I got 3rd in my age!
I learned the Mel was 8th Canadian female!
Across the country, our friends in Kelowna have all had great races too!

Nutrition
A Maurten gel at the start line, another one around kilometer 11, and an Endurance Tap maple energy gel around kilometer 28. Zero gels spilled today!
Gatorade or water at each station, and both in the final 10k (just a small sip each time). Not quite as successful keeping gatorade off my body and shoes :(

Lessons
So, what is your goal for this race?
Ultimately you hope to finish knowing that you gave it all on that day. There are plenty of things outside of our control including course, conditions, and competition/companionship, so having specific goal times can be rather arbitrary. It doesn't mean you can't do your homework and make some aspirational goals along the way. And while anything can happen during the race, don't give up on those goals until you absolutely have to. Keep it close and you may catch a second wind. That can be all you need to get motivated again to dig deep through until the finish.
I was down and out in this race, and ready to pull the chute, but a few key moments helped me snap out of it and begin my comeback.
There are many benefits of running on feel (ask the Hof!), which I mostly did, but one of the downsides is that any slowing of pace combined with an increase of perceived effort can tax your already depleting confidence. My perception of my blow up felt much worse than the GPS-validated reality, in retrospect. On the plus side, when I regained my mojo, my actual pace did not improve by as much as I felt like it did, but it boosted my mood exponentially.
Another good lesson is to wipe your mouth when waiting at the finish line and the CBC cameras are watching!

Acknowledgements
I'm so thankful to Melissa for helping my focus (recall a conversation earlier in the year during a morale slump where she forced me to "pick a  *&%#@ goal already"), pushing me when I needed pushing, and holding me back when my natural overzealous nature would have resulted in self-destruction. There were several miles spent in the final stage of the marathon that I dedicated to her.
I'm thankful to my kids for accepting my daily commitment to the Saturday morning long runs and evening workouts before dinner.
I'm grateful to Troy Delfs for taking over leadership of Peloton Racing this year so I could step back. It's a ton of work that is unpaid and underappreciated, and without him stepping up the club would not have endured.
I'm grateful to my physio and chiropractors, Shari Macdonald and Carson Smith, for keeping the niggles at bay.
Immensely thankful to the Calgary running community for accepting and mentoring me, and the positivity and support ahead of STWM was second to none. It's no coincidence that Calgary is host to the current men's Canadian National Marathon Champion (Hof daddy... omfg!) as well as national Master's age group champs.
Strides Running Store, Mito Canada, We Run The World coaching, and Bow Valley Harriers are just some inspirational examples of community and excellence that make it easy for anyone to start dreaming big!
Shared many miles with amazing humans and have come to truly appreciate group/social running for both motivation as well as entertainment.

What's next?
Eat too much, drink too much, then start thinking about Houston Half Marathon in January. But that's a long time away. What will my goal be for that race? Too soon to decide, but if history is any indicator, it's unlikely that I'll keep it to myself!

Link to Strava
Link to Results


* Blue guy later identified as Kevin Lachance (thank you, Kevin!)

Oops, I did it again!

Something about human nature allows, or rather forces, the suppression of trauma from long term memory. It is said to be true of child birth, and of running marathons.

And so, less than 9 months after subjecting myself to my first "full," and despite being 100% satisfied with my performance and my official marathon PR, I found myself at the start line of my 2nd marathon.
I believe it started with a tactic made popular by one of my endurance heroes, Rich Macdonald. Rich has repeatedly convinced his wife, Megan, to sign up for ridiculous athletic adventures by getting her drunk and then mingling with other co-conspirators, applying group bias and peer pressure to get her to commit. I'm quite certain Melissa employed the same tactics on me.

Following a first half summer season of bike racing, Melissa and I went to Europe for Duathlon World's, where Mel represented Canada proudly in the Elite field, and I stood on the side lines as her manager, yelling "go baby" at all the right moments (other teams had more traditional managers yelling time gaps and other useless tactical information).
The summer concluded with more cycling in Italy, then some late season races, including Tour De Bowness, Calgary 70.3 (bike leg of the winning relay team), and Revelstoke Steamer Hill Climb.

Then, as the leaves fell and Alberta voted yet again, to skip autumn and go straight to winter 1.0, my mind turned to running again. And drinking. Next thing I know, we've got flights and hotels and are registered.
Mel put together a great program which would get us ready, with each of us taking slightly different routes.
The general strategy was to increase mileage a lot more than the previous plan. My body had held up really well and we could increase the stress on it.
Physio from Shari MacDonald and chiropractic from Dr Carson would ensure that continued to be the case.

In addition to growing volume and targeted intensity, we sprinkled in a few preparatory races

09/08 - MEC 15k: 3rd OA, time: 59:11
10/07 - Kelowna SynRype Half Marathon: 5th OA, 2nd AG, time: 1:21:01
10/27 - Dash of Doom 5k: 1st OA, time: 18:04
11/27 - AWS re:Invent 8k: 2nd overall, time: 28:36

The half marathon broke a 4 race "slump" of 1:23:xx that went back nearly 2 years.
My weekly average was over 90km, maxing out at just over 100.
The AWS race 5 days before the marathon moved the chains on my 2 mile, 5k, and 5 mile PBs.

Final preparation included walking 20,000 steps a day in Las Vegas but sleeping over 10 hours a night. With a disciplined end of week and proper fueling once we arrived in Sacramento, I knew we were ready!

Race morning:
Rather uneventful, thankfully! After maybe 3 hours of decent sleep, alarms rang at 4:30 AM and Mel and I ran the 2k from the hotel to the busses, hopped on and were transported in the dark to Folsom, CA. Weather was about as perfect as it comes; very low wind, temps around 2C. And no smoke/fire/snow/etc.
Bit of a scramble getting to the front for the start due to the volume of talent at this race.
CIM served as the US National Marathon, as well as a US OTQ (Olympic Trials Qualifier), with serious incentives going to speedy Americans. I pushed my way through a huge mob and find myself at the prescribed 3 hour mark, only to see literally hundreds of runners STILL ahead of me at the start.

Nutrition:
High percentage of carbs, effectively starting 48 hrs prior to the race. Not really increasing calorie count, just redistributing it. Nothing too spicy or exotic.
1.5 glasses of wine the night before (don't change anything too drastic right before the race, right?)
Morning breakfast of oatmeal and half a bagel with peanut butter, coffee, water, and a maple gel 20 minutes before the start.
During the race, took a Honey Stinger Gold gel at km 12, half a Maple ReKarb gel at km 28, sip of water at nearly each station, and 1.8 oz of pickle juice*

The plan:
Due to the aforementioned OTQ, there was a pace team for the women's B standard time of 2:45, and it was my plan to start the race fast and latch on to this pacer. I planned to run a 1:23 half (as I've done many times before), which would keep the pacer in sight. I would then try to hang on as long as I could. I have been known to be able to find another gear in the final kms of most races, and with CIM's flat finish I was banking on testing my abilities like never before.

The reality:
First half went almost exactly to plan. A bit faster, but with the net descent it was pretty reasonable.
Distance markers every 5km showed I was averaging around 3:51 pace, 4 seconds under the 2:45 pacer and 9 seconds under my sub-2:50 "A" goal.
I caught the pace team around after about 30 minutes, and ran within eye shot for most of the day.
Melissa came running up beside me and we both didn't notice until she was literally right beside me. Then she dropped me on a hill.
Then I passed her on a downhill. The thing about CIM that is not in the brochure, but best advice we received from friends was that for every uphill (and there are plenty), there is an equal or longer downhill right after. I capitalized on this by running steady up, and flying downhill to regain contact with the pacer.
Kilometer 22 it started to get old. My first half went great and my average pace was still incredulously quick, but these next few miles were tough. I was starting to make mistakes.
I sprayed sport drink all up my nose. I spilled a gooey gel all over my leg and arm. My legs bobbled. I lost the pacer in a crowd.
Then I approached the final quarter, the WALL, and my excitement grew. This is the moment I go from pacing to racing. My typical race tactic this year has been to pace the first third, observe the field in the 2nd third, and compete in the final third with the mindset of "you've been holding back for this section of the race!"
Though my body was still feeling rough and muscles were drained, I focused on form and increased my cadence to keep my legs turning over. My watch average pace said 3:55, but it occurred to me the course was probably a bit long, and if I could that average down by just 1 second I might finish with a sub-2:45! Somehow I managed to run the final 8km at 3:47 pace, bringing me in with a 2:44:49 chip time (2:44:10 Strava time); an 8 minute improvement on my Phoenix time.
I crossed the finish line in a state of hyperventilation, and in disbelief, and in relief. Then I got to witness Melissa run across the finish line a couple minutes behind me, also smashing her expectations!


Key Takeaways:

• 
  
  Training Plan
  Can't overstate how valuable it was to have Melissa put my training plan together with the long range vision, pushing me with confidence-building high speed and big distance workouts, and holding me back enough to prevent burnout and injury. 
• Mental strength / confidence / risk taking
  Great truth spoken by one of the elites before the race, "you will experience a tough mile, but there's another good mile right around the corner." Marathon distance will present plenty of such tough miles. Be prepared to combat them each one of them. 
• Recovery (Normatec compression pants, Massage, Physio, Chiro, sleep, rest days).
  Your muscles only grow once you stop working them.  One visit with Shari and she transformed the way I run today. The last 8k was literally made possible by the new and improved running form she prescribed.
• 80/20 rule. Train slow to race fast. Nailed this one. See below zone distribution over the past 3 months. Aerobic Zones 1 and 2 are represented by the lightest shades, and you can see, account for the bulk of training time.

First marathon!

"Training for a marathon requires a LOT of running," and other epiphanies learned over the past 3 months.

Coming off of World's Duathlon Championships in Penticton last summer, I was left with a bit of a void in my training. Melissa and I had maintained a very disciplined and determined training regime for months leading up to the race, and exhausted ourselves physically and emotionally in 2 dramatic hours late last August.

We returned to Calgary completely drained, but on a high of satisfaction and relief. I took part in a few more races that fall, starting with Provincial time trial championships, a MEC fondo, and Victoria half-marathon. Each of these events left me a little unsatisfied; I couldn't hold my expected power during the ITT, I flatted and chased for about 90km of the fondo, and I literally stumbled across the finish line in Victoria without nabbing the PB I fully expected.

While my fitness was at an all-time high, my mental game was done for the year.

So, I was as surprised as anyone to hear my mouth say "Yes!" when Melissa suggested we sign up for a marathon in February.

Part of me went along with it because I knew it could provide a tremendous boost to her running ability, and part of me felt like I could pull this off with little pressure on myself; I'm not a runner…guaranteed a PB having never raced this distance…

The timing also fit perfect with my off-season training. I could focus on running until February, keep my weight down over the winter, and start bike training on March 1st.

So, we registered and bought flights to Phoenix, booked a BnB, and Melissa drew up our 3 month training plan.

The first long run was 25 km, and I was bored immediately and in pain by km 20. Hmm, not a great start.

"Marathon pace is actually pretty damn fast!"

The runs got progressively longer, and more speed work was added. I recall a cold, icy run along Calgary's bow river with Darryl Penner, which was to include 12 km at marathon pace (MP). It was then that I realized how quick MP actually is! I struggled in an out and back route, questioning my decision making ability.

The weekly volume went up as did the length of the long run. Set a new distance record for me when we took advantage of a fortuitously timed trip to Seattle and notched 32 km along the scenic Burke-Gilman trail. Though I finished with my intestines upended and my feet in pain, it gave me a much needed lift in spirits that the distance could be achieved.

I also started to really care! No longer was I content with just finishing my first marathon, but I recognized how much work it was going to take, and how much dedication, how much time away from my bike, that I did not want to finish it feeling like I could have done better. There was no second chance at this.

I also wanted to represent Melissa properly. She had designed a creative and challenging program and I owed her my 100% commitment to this plan.

A few weeks later was a planned a 25km run with 15km at MP. It happened to fall on the same weekend as the first MEC running race, which featured a half marathon. Perfect! Sticking to the plan, I warmed up for 4km, then ran at a steady 4:05 / km for 15, along with Melissa and a few others. I felt really comfortable and had the coach's blessing to "do whatever you want after the 15 km" so decided to open it up. The pace felt so easy I couldn't believe it. I finished the final 6km with a 3:53 pace, catching but losing out to 1st place in a sprint finish.

The next big milestone was "peak week." I would amass my highest volume running mileage at >80km, including a Yasso's workout, and finishing with a 36km long run. 2 bike workouts added in there, just for sanity's sake.

The Yasso's workout I did at the 200m track at Repsol Centre. If you're not familiar with the Yasso's workout, it's a mean workout often used a few weeks prior to a marathon to help predict one's finishing time. It indicated 2:51 was possible. Grain of salt applied to these as it assumes one has the physical and skeletal ability to run the full distance and not just aerobically capable.

That weekend was -30C plus blowing snow and high winds, so the long run was going to be inside, again. Sick of treadmill workouts, we went to Mt Royal University track, also 200m in circumference. Just under 3 hours, 180 laps, and 720 right turns later, I finished. I had dialed in my nutrition strategy and, more importantly, had found my zen. My mind and body entered into a rhythm such that I was not going to falter or stumble until it was over.

"Tapering is a leading cause of divorce in endurance athlete marriages"

Sounds like fun on paper… relax, take the night off, carb-loading… far from it. There were some dark days and nights in there as anxiety levels arose and our coping mechanisms were limited (no bike, easy runs only, limited alcohol)!

This is probably the main reason they suggest not doing more than one or two marathons per year.

"Running a marathon is 33.3% physical preparation, 33.3% pacing, and 100% mental fortitude"

Race report: Mandatory belligerent neighbours yelling in the middle of the night outside our room, check. On the plus side, we didn't need our 3:30AM alarm.

Down a bagel with peanut butter and pack our gear and jog the 2km to the busses. Hop on and get carted out of town, to wait in the cold (4C) at the start line, lined up for port-a-potties and huddled around barrel fires like gypsies.

Last minute clothing drop and the fireworks announce the start of our journey back to the red glow of the Phoenix skyline, far away in the distance.

After jostling through the crowd in the opening km, I catch up to Melissa and we settle into a comfortable pace for the first 6 downhill kms. Hundreds have flown past us, succumbing to the allure of the net descent and listening to their lying fresh legs.

The road then turns up for a couple miles, and into a slight head wind. Melissa gracefully and predictably drops me, and soon I am passed by dozens of others, many of which are already wheezing from effort.

Patience. Run within myself. I glance at my HR, which has risen steadily from 150 to 160 on the climb. Ok just hold it there, there's a lot of road left to cover.

Atop the climb I push forward, legs now loose and ready to turn over.

I see that Melissa has not managed to find her first bottle at the aid station (elite runners are able to bring their own bottles and fuel, and have them placed at certain aid stations, however this race had them quite obscured). I bridge up to Mel and share my bottle and offer a gel. It's enough to hold her over until the next station.

Ian Jeffrey rejoins, and soon we are in a pack of about 8.

I cross the half at 1:26:46. A little slower than I figured, but feeling fantastic and confident I can maintain this.

Melissa gaps us after the half as our pace ebbs & flows while she drives steadily forward. Ian and I slog it out over the long expanses in the 2nd half, sections of road several miles long without a turn. I let Ian know that around km 32 I plan to "open it up."

As I cross km 28, I prepare for the "the wall," feared creature of marathon lore that has been known to chew up and spit out nearly every runner around km 30-32. Some say it has to do with low glycogen levels around the 2 hr mark. Some say it's a mental barrier we have fabricated. Either way, I'm totally ready to battle and yell out loud "I'm going to make this wall my bitch."

I anticipate the odometer reading on my Garmin watch displaying 32km like the count down to New Year's. Bring it. I start talking to myself and though my quads have been arguing with me since the early miles, their nagging is increasing in frequency.

But each time it hurts, it also goes away. I remind myself of this every time now. Km 33 arrives and now I'm into single digits. I can tell the wall is starting to doubt itself, though it hasn't surrendered yet.

The next couple km's it fights me, especially as I turn corners and have to regain my cadence. I see what the wall is trying to do… "bring it on, corners!" I bellow.

Then it succumbs, around km 35. I start getting faster and faster. I see Melissa in the distance and hope I can make it up to her so we can cross the finish together. She's looking strong, wow! I am further inspired. I catch her with about a mile to go, on a descent to the finish, and my legs are screaming but somehow only getting faster. I clock a final 5km in 19:45, with the last km at 3:38, completing my 2nd half in 1:25 50, including a 1 min negative split for a total time of 2:52:35.

 And…done!

So, what now? Yes, it meets the qualifying times for my age for Boston, Chicago, and London (3:15), and even NYC (2:58). Not gonna lie, even though I'm still limping 2.5 days later with no end in sight, I kinda liked it. I enjoyed having a race that allowed enough time to screw it up, enough time to think, to dial in to myself and my mind, and push myself beyond anything I've ever done before.

There was a sense of urgency in this first one as I'm turning 42 this year and it felt poetic to run 42 kms. Right now I'm shifting my focus back to bike racing and we'll see how 2018 unfolds.

Or maybe I'll leave my fate in the hands of the almighty rollup…

Full results here.

Strava link here.

Stats

Nutrition

Breakfast:

• 1/2 whole wheat bagel with natural peanut butter
• starbucks oatmeal with brown sugar & nuts
• small coffee.
• Half a bottle of water on the way up to the start.

During:

• 1 hand-bottle (20 oz) with Skratch Matcha Green Tea & Lemons mix (80 cals)
• 1 Endurance Tap Energy Gel, maple syrup (100 cals) - eaten at km 10
• 1 pack of Jelly Belly sport beans (100 cals) - 1 bean every km from 20-35
• 1 sip of water at each aid station, every 2 miles

Temperature

Start: 4C

Finish: 12C

Enjoying post-race pool-side Pina Coladas with legendary runners, the Deere's, Keith Bradford, Jody Draude, and Ed Bickley.