The big day has come and gone and indeed for me it was a big day. I will write a more detailed report later - too late this evening - but the capsule version is: a personal best. !!! Chip time was 3:35:04.2 compared to 3:40:15.7 in Ottawa. I am thrilled and happy beyond belief. Part of me still doesn't quite believe it, actually.

So my Marathon Year ends on the highest of high notes, which is a wonderful feeling. And it has been quite the year. As I look back over it, the only milestone it doesn't contain is my half marathon personal best - that goes back to 2002. To recap:

September 2006: did the Scotiabank Half Marathon and had my best time for two or three years. This was a huge relief, as I finally felt recovered from whatever the hip injury was in the spring of 2005 that sidelined me for months of no running, and then the months trying to build back up without re-injury. Decided along with F1 to finally train for a marathon and do it in September 2007.

March 2007: did Around the Bay for the first time in a time way beyond my expectations. Got to the end thinking "12 km more? No way!", but then started to learn about proper hydration and carbs and it started to seem possible again.

So possible that I decided to accelerate the training schedule and run my first marathon in May instead of September.

April 2007: ran the "new" Kingston half marathon course for the third time and after two disappointing times in 2005 and 2006 finished in just under 1:44. And placed third in my age group - first and only podium medal of my life. Missed the podium because I didn't realise what had happened, but they mailed the medal. What a way to banish old ghosts.

May 2007: ran the Ottawa marathon and despite a terrible, painful, miserable last 10 km, qualified for Boston. What more is there to say?!?

September 2007: ran the Scotiabank Marathon with a better time than Ottawa. Part of that is the flat course, but part was simply better pacing, the right choices for hydration and carbs, and no muscle seizures as happened in Ottawa. A second BQ - now I can go in 2009 if 2008 is a bust or if F1 qualifies - and a guaranteed entry for NYC if they don't change the rules for 2008. A red letter day that I hope to remember for a long time.

Okay, this is nuts. I am all nerves and butterflies over Sunday's run. For a while there everything was going so well, to the point that I was worried about being too relaxed. Hah! I should be so lucky.

It's that da*n perfectionist streak coming out again. I don't care about racing, per se, and I don't care about beating anyone else. But I can't help caring about measuring up to myself and my own expectations. And although intellectually I have nothing riding on this marathon, now that it's almost here I'm caring about how it's going to go and hoping for/wanting a good time.

And of course feeling totally inadequate about doing it at all. Me? Run 42.2 kilometres? Are you kidding?

But barring disaster I'm going to get out there and try. And probably do it. In what time? Who knows. AND IT DOESN'T MATTER. Repeat after me: IT DOESN'T MATTER. Sigh...

Technical pre-race notes: yesterday was the last run before the big one - 8 km at a pretty easy pace, 44 or 45 minutes in total. I ran most of it with my running buddy, and enjoyed that. Then tonight I had another ART session - a last tune-up to make sure my hips are as loose as they can be. I'm feeling the ART now but that's a good thing. Today was some easy cycling, weights and abs/stretching, and the same for tomorrow. Saturday is an almost rest day - DH and I have to do some running around, and clean the house a little, but nothing vigorous. I hope.

And I hope there's no equivalent of last year's "day before Scotiabank" events. We slept in, of course, had an easy day of "doing nothing" planned. So I went down to the basement to check my email, clean the cat box, etc., and found some water on the floor. Hmmm...first thought was that one of the cats must have pee'd, but neither had done that before and there was no smell. Uh oh. Turned out to be a pinhole leak in a hot water pipe. Not, of course, the part of the pipe that was exposed. The part that was hidden away above/behind a closet. So instead of taking it easy, DH and I spent a long time taking things apart to get at this, and put a temporary patch until a plumber could come in during the week. Fun. Not.

Well, that was distracting. Now I'm back to feeling all squirrelly and nervous. Time to get ready for bed and escape into a mystery or detective novel or something. Nothing that requires any thought. Especially any thought about running, or biomechanics, or pre-race fuelling, or hydration, or...

Just a few days - five sleeps - until Scotiabank. Today was my last "hard" run - a little over 8 km (8.2 or 8.3 according to mapmyrun.com) in 40:39. So faster than race pace, which is okay. It was humid and way too warm (19 C) and at the end I was literally dripping with sweat. After that nice stretch of cool mornings and reasonable Sundays it was hard to get used to the conditions, and I am crossing my fingers for Sunday. The current forecast is for a high of 23 C and sunny. Far from ideal, especially for those long sretches on Lakeshore in the back half, where there is no shade, but better than today when the high was a record-breaking 31 C. Lots of whining from this weather weinie who melts in the strong sun...

But the weather will be what the weather will be, and the run will go the way the run goes. More than ever I am glad that I have nothing riding on this, can just get out there and run. Do that distance for the second time, get that bit more experience. Another chance to figure out what works and what doesn't (ideally with the emphasis on the former).

Naturally, I am still working on my race strategy. The game plan for hydration and carbs is to wear my fuel belt and have GU2O energy drink in my water bottle. I've tried it a few times and it seems to be okay. Carry some salt tablets (tip from friend at the gym) to help ease muscle cramps. Get water from the aid stations. Carry a gel or two and some sport beans but hope not to need them if I fuel correctly beforehand and if the GU2O does its thing. A couple of weeks ago I ran the half marathon distance and consumed nothing except about 1/2 to 2/3 the bottle of GU2O, and felt good. Yes, a marathon is more than the sum of two halves. After Ottawa, I need no convincing of that. So the extra carbs will be there if I need them. But my stomach and entire GI system would be much happier if I didn't.

Actual running strategy? Start a little slower, and don't get carried away running with someone faster. F1 is running the half, and last year we did about the first 8 km together before he pulled ahead. At ATB in March we did about the first 21 km together before I had to slow down. It might be tempting to keep up with him - and race day adrenaline might make it possible - but I have to remember: give it all up in the first half, come up short in the second half. It's going to be difficult enough without that kind of self sabotage.

Other strategy notes: if something - especially a hip - starts to feel likes it's getting really tight, STOP AND STRETCH. It worked on a training run. If Ottawa is any indication, I'll lose way more time trying to run/walk through than I will just taking that break to try to stretch it out.

Tomorrow is my last run, an easy 8 km. I may run with my running buddy, which would help keep things easy. And then no running until Sunday. No vigorous workouts on the stationary bike. Just keeping loose and saving up energy.

Longest training run ever today, 38.09 km if the Garmin is to be believed. Total running time of about 3:26 for an average pace somewhere around 5:24/km. And that's actually a reasonably representative pace. For once I did not take off at close to race pace and then slow down later. Although the last 8 km did involve more walking than I would have liked. Part of that was my legs sending the "I'm out of fuel and need some carbs" signals, and me trying to ignore them because my GI tract was sending the "don't put anything else into this system because it's just barely hanging on" signals. Why, oh why, do I have guts of mush instead of guts of steel?!?!

Anyway, the legs won out because I needed that extra energy, with breakfast being a long way down and having consumed only one package of sport beans during the run. And the gel did give me a little extra energy, while causing a little more distress. Around the 34 km mark I was almost resigned to walking the last few km, but then I met up with a woman about my age, going about the right pace, and we ran a couple of km together. So I only had to get through the last 2 km on my own, and did walk some, but managed to finish running and in not too much distress.

Okay, so it should be said. 38 km? For a training run? What was I thinking?!?!

No, it's not something I would necessarily recommend, and I'm not sure what impact it will have on September 30. However, it was something that I psychologically needed to do. My longest training run for Ottawa was 32 km, as per the training plan, as per lots of training plans. And it was right about 32 km that my right leg seized up and never let go. For my own peace of mind, I had to get past that distance, and be okay, or go into Scotiabank with an added level of nervousness. Even last week, around the 32 km mark, I stopped and stretched things out because it felt like they might be getting tight. Today - maybe due to a consistently slower pace - I was tired but not tight. And while that doesn't make me feel relaxed about the marathon, it gives me some hope that I can finish feeling just as tired but not in as much pain.

Thus begins the taper. Only 19 km on the schedule for next weekend; I'll probably make it closer to 20 km since the distance to an obvious turnaround is almost exactly 10 km. 16 km at race pace the weekend after that, and then the full 42.2 km for real the next one. The mid-week distances don't change that much, except the last week, when I do my last run on Wednesday and that's it until Sunday.

You know, I look at these words and think how ridiculous they sound, in a way. "Only 19 km". Like it's running around the block. But at this point, assuming I remain uninjured, 19 km isn't a scary distance. It's a big enough distance, it's almost half the marathon, but it's not an "Oh my God am I going to be able to do that?" distance. Hard to believe.

It's also hard to believe that I put in 38 km today, and after a shower and some ice, am just a little stiff. Not in agony, not prone on the couch wondering how I'm going to get up tomorrow. Never would have predicted this ten years ago, but what proof of the cliche that life is full of surprises.

DH went for a long run today as well - just over two hours - and I think he's in great shape for finishing the half on September 30 with a good time. Nice to see after all the trouble he had with injuries and stuff earlier this year.

What an exciting day! Registration for the Boston Marathon opened and I entered on-line. It might sound weird but I literally had butterflies in my stomach when I hit Submit - couldn't quite believe that it was happening. It's still subject to official confirmation of my Ottawa results, but I have no reason to believe that's anything except a technicality. Can't wait to see that official acceptance!!!

Also, when I signed on to the RR forum tonight, there was a very nice personal message waiting for me. Turns out there is a woman who lurks and we've been running kind of parallel - both did Around the Bay and then qualified for Boston at a spring marathon. So she was just writing a friendly message as a heads up that the registration had opened. What a lovely thing for her to do, and what a supportive community that forum is.

Too much to get done tonight to write any more, but I just had to record one of the most exciting things I've ever done. And I don't care if that makes it sound like I need to get out more ;)

Four weeks today until the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon. The marathon that was going to be my first but (barring injury, etc.) will be my second. As time goes by, I am more and more glad that I ended up doing Ottawa in May, for a number of reasons. I'm less nervous about the distance (but still nervous enough). It gives me some confidence that I can actually do it. It gave me a BQ so there's not so much riding on Scotiabank. And so on.

An unexpected benefit is that knowing I've covered the distance once, even though still nervous, I have more confidence that I can do it than would probably be the case had I worked up to Marathon #1 through the heat of summer. As I was lamenting last time, the sun, heat and humidity combination just isn't doing it for me. Yes, I am a Weather Weinie (watch for different complaints when it starts to get really cold). I will give myself points for getting out and doing the long runs, but some of them have been absolutely brutal.

It doesn't help that sometimes the rest of life intervenes and a weekend long run has to be fit around that. With the periodic result that it gets pushed into the afternoon instead of the morning. Of course, not too late in the afternoon because there is stuff that needs to get done in the evening, meaning that sometimes it means running through some of the worst heat of the day. A couple of weeks ago I did 34 km, starting at about 1:00 p.m., and it was tough. Very tough. The distance alone is challenging enough; the distance in the sun/heat really took it out of me. And it wasn't even particularly hot or extremely humid! But you start moving fast at those temperatures, particularly through unshaded sections of the route, and it's like the temperature and humidity both sharply increase.

To paraphrase a cliche, take me out of the oven, I'm done. And I'm done with having to manage the whole heat/humidity thing. With the having to carry extra water and pay extra attention to drinking it. With the worrying about adequate sunblock (surprise: sometimes it turns out to not be adequate). With trying to find running clothes that keep things as cool as possible ("cool" being very relative, here) while not exposing "virgin" skin to the sun (by now it may be clear that I burn easily).

Anyway, I guess that particular rant is over! By now it is dark-ish at 6:00 a.m., we've only had a few humid days in the last couple of weeks, the nights are much cooler and so by definition are the early mornings, and running conditions in general have improved. It's really just the weekend long runs, which end up hot even if they start cool, that are hard to live with. Like this morning - DH and I went out about 8:15 a.m., at which point it was around 15 C, and it felt quite nice. By the time I was finished, about 11:30, it was up to 23 C with a slightly higher humidex and some fairly intense sun. Would have loved some cloud cover, but it just wasn't happening.

Now that the weather is out of the way, how is the actual running?

Not bad. In some ways I feel that I was better trained for Ottawa, and at this point I'm expecting to have a slower time. Part of that is my right hip, which I am still treating with ART, stretching, and the infamous IT foam roller. It's not nearly "bad" enough to stop running. But it is rather touchy and gets treated with great care. There's a mild on and off again issue on the inside of my right knee that my ART person thinks is tied in with the hip. Again, nothing so major that I need to stop, but stuff that I have to keep watching and working on. My left hip (knock wood) has been fine, and I strongly suspect that some of my issues are the result of imbalances that are being corrected. So among all the ART, stretching, strengthening, foam rolling, I am also trying to run with careful attention to form.

Also, unlike pre-Ottawa, there have been more mid-week interruptions. A few days off to rest my hip when I overdid too much running/elliptical in a row and needed a break (I find that doing more stationary cycling really helps keep things loose, and therefore have changed my cross-training routines). A few days off after I slipped on the stairs to our basement and whacked the heck out of my tailbone. A couple of days just skipped altogether because DH and I were busy with other things, had late nights, and just needed the extra rest.

On the "better than pre-Ottawa" side, I have managed one 30 km LSD, two 34 km LSDs, and I have my last 30+ km LSD scheduled for next weekend. Then the taper starts. And in some ways I am more relaxed and less subject to mileage tracking fatigue. Like today. My LSD schedule has been a little mixed up due to various events (note: we had four weddings this summer, three of which involved travel and/or visiting relatives that had to be accommodated), and I just wasn't sure how much to do today. So, I decided to just run for three hours and see what that turned out to be, which was 34.3 km. Probably longer than I would have done if I had been setting a distance, but since the last two weeks have been kind of light on the mid-week portions, probably a good distance in the overall plan.

So, like Ottawa, I really don't know what to expect when the race starts that morning. Much will depend, as always, on the weather. It should be cooler although with luck there won't be major rain. It could be as windy as last year. It could be a perfect day. After today's run, part of me was thinking "8 more? Who am I kidding?". Then again, I can remember doing 32 km before Ottawa, my longest run, and thinking "10 more?!?!?" I keep trying to remind myself that, all things being equal, I will have tapered, and rested, and been careful about my diet, and will also have the benefit of some race day adrenaline, and of being in a crowd of people doing the same distance. Never underestimate the power of a little company on a long run.

Mostly, I would like to enjoy this run. Not be in agony during the last 10 km, but maintain a steadier pace. If that means a slightly longer time, that's okay. With Boston 2008 already on the horizon, and Boston 2009 not an issue (I would like to do Vancouver, and they're too close together), this should be a run just to run, a run to get more experience. Yes, I'd love to have a good time - who am I trying to kid? But I don't have the same internal tension as before.

The unfortunate thing is that the friend who was also supposed to train for this marathon has had too much going on since Around the Bay in March - ill, then moving (i.e.: reduced training time). So he is currently planning to do the half. As is my DH, as are other people we know. And another woman I know is planning to do the full. So, although I doubt we'll all meet up on that day, it will be great fun to compare notes later.

In the meantime, I am not sorry that tomorrow is Labour Day, a day off work, the housework is pretty much done, and we have no major plans. That means: sleeping in and some extra rest after today's long run. Normally we would go to the gym and do some light cross training, but not tomorrow. I'll do some stretching and IT foam rolling, no doubt, and maybe a few weights at home if I really get my act together, but I am looking forward to a day of doing not much of anything. With a house, a yard, a full-time job, two cats, and training for a marathon, those days are few and far between.