I got into running while the pandemic had the gyms closed. Now I'd like to make a habit of running a different marathon every few years, with some other races every now and then.
65th of 2281 overall, 12th of 298 in the M25-29 category
My 2nd official half-marathon. I again didn't want to commit to winter training for a full marathon, so decided to do a half-marathon in the spring (I'm thinking a full marathon in the fall going to happen), and having just moved to Montréal earlier that year, I signed up for the 21k de Montréal.
I started off the race in the first coral with all the other very serious looking runners. This was my first "big" race, and Kobi had warned me about how people might be jostling for position at the start because of how crowded it would be, and energy was pretty high during the countdown to the starting gun. Once we got started, I picked 2 guys to follow who looked like they were monitoring their speed with a smartwatch, and they set a pretty good pace. I ran with the same crowd for most of the race, and then we all began to separate as we got closer to the finish line. Parts of the race were on the F1 track, which was pretty cool, but the straight sections were pretty windy and rough to run in. The crowds were great, always good for an energy boost when I was beginning to question whether I was going to be able to keep up the pace.
I ended up finishing with a PB half-marathon time, beating my previous best by 1 minute and 41 second.
Struggling to give the thumbs upLocked inFinished!Kobi with a PB too!The New Brunswick cheering sectionThe race map
This was my first offical half-marathon race. I didn't want to commit to running a full marathon this spring, so I figured I'd sign up for the Limestone Race Weekend since the race date worked well with my plans for the summer. The weather forecast was initially calling for heavy rain all morning, but luckily it held off until most of the runners had finished. The midges were also not a problem (they make running in Kingston a real pain, see this article), so the overall conditions were probably a best-case scenario. The white Adidas shirt and Dartmouth hat combo has become my lucky race outfit, which is why that's what I'm wearing in all my pictures on here.
I started off the race at the back of the first pack, staying in 5th place for nearly the entire race. Me and the runner who was in 4th stayed very close to each other, and caught up to the runners who were in 2nd and 3rd place with about 1.5kms left. Then with about 750m left, the guy I had been running with the entire race and I picked up the pace and raced each other to the finish, with me finishing 3 seconds ahead of him.
Coming down the final stretch of the raceNervously waiting for the start gun......and we're off!2nd and 3rd place laughing after a 750m sprint to the finishThe podium finishersCongrats to Kobi for running a personal-best half-marathon (and for good taste in running shoes)!Congrats to Robin for finishing her first half-marathon!Getting some prizesThe race map
2022 Tough Mudder Toronto 15k
September 17, 2022
This was the first time I had done this type of obstacle course - it was a lot of fun! The first obstacle was a crawl through the mud, and after that no one was worried about how dirty they were going to get. After that, the course had us climbing over barriers, crawling through pipes, dragging ourselves through muddy water under cages, working as a team to help each other get past more difficult bariers, and even running through a set of hanging electrical wires, some of which were live and would shock you if you hit them!
I though this type of race was really quite enjoyable. I'm sure I'll do another one of these sometime soon!
MuddyThe team before the runNever too old for some monkey barsLots of fun obstaclesDone!Post-run push-up competitionEverybody feeling good with post-run meal
After running my first marathon in the Spring of 2022, I decided to take a break from long-distance running and try to improve my 5k time. This was definitely influenced by the fact that there was timed 5k run every Saturday morning down at Breakwater Park in Kingston, Ontario. These weekly 5k runs are called "Parkruns" (see the Canadian Parkrun website for more info), and they are apparently very popular over in England, but also take place all over the world. Their website was very welcoming of newcomers, so I headed down for my first Parkrun in June 2022.
After my first Breakwater Parkrun, I decided to set a goal of beating the all-time record for the course, which was set back in 2019. I've slowly been closing in on that goal, and am hoping to beat the record once the Fall of 2022 rolls around and the Ontario Summer heat cools off a bit.
[UPDATE] - I achieved the all-time course record on October 1st, 2022, with a time of 17:47, beating my previous best by 15 seconds, and the previous record by 8 seconds. My parents were visiting Kingston that weekend and came to watch the run, so I had some extra motivation.
[UPDATE] - My course record was beat on September 2nd, 2023. Maybe I'll be back in Kingston one day to try and win it back.
Kingston Breakwater ParkrunMy Dad briefly joining the raceMe and my parents after I broke the course recordSmiling to ward off heatstrokePre-run briefingComing down the straight section of the courseThe course includes a couple loops around Gord Downie PierBreakwater Park is right on Lake OntarioCrossing the finish line
Both mine and my sister's first marathons! We initially decided to run a marathon in the Fall of 2021, but it didn't work out, and we ended up pushing it to the Spring of 2022, and decided to run the Fredericton Marathon. I did my undergrad in Fredericton, and we had heard the route is reasonably flat, so it was a good choice to do our first marathons.
The weather was really nice on race day. It was cold at the start of the race, but warmed up pretty quickly, and there was very little wind. I started the race at the back of the first pack, and then spent the rest of the race running with the guys who ended up placing 3rd and 4th (I started to pull away around the 39km mark). The runner who won the marathon was crazy, finishing in 2:25:22 - 26 minutes faster than me, and a Fredericton Marathon record!
Overall, I'm very happy with how my first marathon turned out. Since I qualified for the Boston Marathon, I think I'll try to plan for that race next.
Note for next time - training for a Spring marathon is not fun - running in the snow during the winter months is really not that enjoyable. I'm pretty sure that the next marathon I run is going to be a Fall marathon.
Early morning before the race - cold with lots of nervous energyStart of the raceAbout to cross the finish lineFinished!Happy that its overMy sister and I, post-marathon2nd overall, 1st in the 20-29 age groupThe race map
