2016 Manitoba Marathon Recap

3:00am CT -  Marathon Morning

Thunder and lightning.  It's apparent from inside the tent that a massive storm is nearing.  My family and I evacuate to our rented mini-van and wait the storm out.


7:00am CT - Start of Race

I find that as we get going my lungs need time to adjust to the new environment.  It's been two years since I had run in Winnipeg, so I was a little slower in the first few kilometres that I had anticipated would be the case.

approx 9:00am CT - Halfway

I'm not precisely certain when I reach the 21k point, but my pace feels comfortable.  That said, I'm already feeling tight in my hips.  I'm not sure what street I'm running on, but it's a wide one with few spectators.  One of the things about running in unfamiliar places is that you're almost always someplace new.  I grab a sponge, two cups of water and one cup of gatorade at the aid station.   I thank the volunteers.

Between 25 and 26K ...

I see my wife and son, and my two step kids on University Crescent.  According to Jasmine (my wife), my form is looking good.

30K - I'm in trouble here since my form is really starting to break down.  My heart rate remains consistent, though, which is a good sign.  According to Runtastic, the humidity is at 97%.

32K - My slowest kilometre of the race (8:02).

36K - The 4:30 pace group has caught up to me.  I realize it's time to dig deep, so I join them.  We run together until the group scatters at 40K when the pace bunny is injured.

42K - This is probably among the toughest kilometres I've ever run.  I'm tired, my form has broken down, it's hot and humid.  I am truly struggling when I come across paramedics removing an unconscious runner from the course.  I'm shaken by the sight, but I continue.  Investors Group Field is in sight.  This is the home of the Winnipeg Bluebombers and the site of the most recent CFL Grey Cup.  It's not too much longer before I'm passing the stadium and back onto Chancellor Matheson Road.  It's painful, but I make the turn onto Ken Ploen Way and onto two track where the finish arch is now visible.  In the stands are hundreds upon hundreds of spectators cheering on the finishers.




Before the storm outside Winnipeg



Me in Indian Head, Saskatchewan

My son meets a dog

Finally home in Saskatchewan

On to the Manitoba Marathon

It hit me the other day about how awful it is to have to bail out of a marathon because of something as ridiculous as a two week slow down in training.  So, since dropping from the marathon to the 5K at the Saskatchewan Marathon I've done some soul searching and decided to register for the Manitoba Marathon in June.  Since I'm familiar with running in Winnipeg (thanks to running the Intrepid Dezine Half Marathon there at the 2014 Manitoba Marathon event), I'm not concerned with elevation.  And yes, the weather in Manitoba is every bit as terrible/wonderful as it is here in Saskatchewan.  I'd say the biggest superficial difference is that Winnipeg sits significantly closer to sea level than Saskatoon, and that has me thinking about potentially running a sub-4 hour marathon for the first time.
So there it is.
This Saturday I run an 18k test run as a final long run before the Saskatoon Police Half Marathon on May 1.  As silly as it may seem, my goal for this half marathon isn't just to run another sub-2 (though, let's face it, anything over 1:57 is going to be a let down), but to really see about improving my hydration strategy to something above and beyond merely hoping that there's enough on course support.  That may mean, gasp, carrying a hydration belt; but it might also mean deploying me wife to a strategic location on the course to hand me a small bottle of water (with a dissolved Nuun tablet).  It also might help if I actually "glyco-load" or "carb up" ahead of time.