Race: Toronto Waterfront Marathon
Date: October 20, 2013
Pacing Goal: 3:25:00
Result: 3:24:56
The first truly chilly morning of the fall would greet us Sunday, and thank the fading stars, free of rain. So what to wear? I could not decide, so I had absolutely every option laid out the night before. Tights or shorts? Shorts over tights? Long sleeve or short sleeve? Short over long sleeves? Arm warmers? The day dawned even colder than forecast with 3.5C temps for Toronto downtown. So it would be tights and my pacer shirt over my RF long sleeve jersey. And mittens. B-R-R-R-R.
So compare that to what our top Canadian women chose to wear. One thinks a game of Beach Volleyball could have been the ticket for today. I know when my big race day comes in two weeks, that I will have to be thinking likewise. (Just not the bikini bottoms). If you are going for broke, you will be working for it. Once the race starts, no worries about being cold.
The race started at 8:45 am slightly warmer, flags barely moving, little humidity, and clear sunshine. As we made our way around the first 10k, I remarked that records were going to fall today. These were Berlin-like conditions, where a new men’s world record was set at the end of September (for the 9th time). If not today, then when? We would soon have the answer to that.
My target pace was supposed to be 4:51/k on average. I now realize this has become just too slow for me, and I felt like a lead-foot granny in a hot rod. Too many times my Garmin reported paces around 4:30/k. As soon as I stopped paying attention, my speed (as well as dozens keeping pace with me) would creep up. Drift up, cut back, drift up, cut back. By the time we hit the half, we were already 1:22 ahead. But with such perfect conditions, we were none worse for the wear. I corrected matters by stopping for a quick pee at 25k. Over the next 5k I recollected some of my original runners and we carried on, still around 50 seconds ahead of pace, the surplus carefully returned over the last 5k of the race.
As usual a few faded, and others joined in as we hit the home stretch. At 39k I told several with me to go for it. They were under little distress and took off comfortably. For many, it was a great result for them, and for a few, their first marathon success.
Pacing gig number 8 was in the books! And so was a new female record time of 2:28:00 set by Lanni Marchant, the new mark stolen away from Krista Duchene who also beat Sylvia Ruegger’s old record of 2:28:36 set some 28 years ago. Add to that a new Canadian all-comers record of 2:07:04 by Ethiopia’s Chimsa. Only the Canadian men’s record remained untouched. Perhaps said record is reserved for the likes of Coolsaet or Wykes. They better have at it soon.
Hamilton awaits. I have my own records to rewrite, hopefully under similar weather.
