Royal Victoria Marathon (11-weeks out)

When I compare the preparation of my recent marathons, to that of Ottawa and Sacramento in 2006, one difference I noted was that in the latter my Sunday runs were much longer than those of late. I’ve made a couple alterations to the way I’m approaching RVM this fall, and one has been push out the distance/duration of my long runs.

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So it was, that bright and early on Sunday morning I headed out the door and onto the Galloping Goose Trail turning south toward town. It was 7:30 a.m. and I had just enough time to squeeze in my planned 2h30 scuttle before packing up and driving up island to watch some friends get married.

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I hadn’t been out the door more than 20’ when I heard footsteps quickly coming up behind me. Granted I wasn’t going that fast, but I can’t tell you the last time I’ve been passed while out on a run. Thinking it was a weekend warrior desperate to push passed for the unseen victory line, I didn’t bother to turnaround. It was a few seconds later when I felt the cold hardened stare of Mr. Finlayson, that a smile began to creep over my face. Jim nodded, and then smiled with a looked that quickly left me feeling out of the loop.

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It appears that I missed the email calling out the troops, but as luck would have it I’d started my run on a route that also served as a gathering point for the boys. Ten minutes later, there were five of us traipsing around the waterfront on what would be Todd’s last run as a single man.

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I peeled off after an 1h40, turning back onto more familiar trails which lead me through Cedar Hill and the Blenkinsop Valley before reaching home. I was pleased with how the run unfolded; particularly given my longest run in this build has been just over two hours. I also used the jaunt to experiment with some fuelling. In the past my in-race nutrition has consisted of water (very little), Gatorade (a lot), and 2-4xGu. On Sunday, I went with 3xGu, opting to eat ½ a packet every twenty minutes, washing it down with water. The result was very good, great actually, but this plan leaves no room for an electrolyte drink… something I’ll need to remedy. Ideas?

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After the run, the girls and I hopped in the car and drove up Island. Two close friends of ours were due to get married that afternoon, and after leaving Isla with grandma, we were treated to a very unique and special ceremony involving two beautiful individuals. Congratulations Brea and Todd.

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Training:

Thursday: steady 1:08:37

Friday: 40:04 with 6xstrides

Saturday: steady 1:09:22

Sunday: easy 2:32:26

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Weekly mileage: 7h26’55”, +/- 104k or 65 miles