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Sunday, October 10, 2010

Victoria Marathon- Brief Update

Today I finished my third marathon in Victoria, BC. I was trying for a time of 4:00 for a BQ, but it was not to be; I finished in a time of 4:07, so just over the time of my second marathon. In short, I had some bad calf cramping issues starting at around 25k, but was still able to hold onto my pace till about 35k-- and then the wheels fell off.

I can't say I'm not disappointed, but I'm still very happy to have finished. Any day I can finish 42.2k is a good day. I really enjoyed the whole experience; I talked to some great people out there on the course, and learned a lot about myself.

I will write a full report and post it Tuesday. Thanks to all my good friends, family, and new on-line friends for your endless support and encouragement. I can't begin to tell you how much it means to me.

11 comments:

  1. Congratulations Jennifer on a great effort. Don't be too dissapointed about your time. Your BQ will come! Can't wait to hear more about your experience.

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  2. Well done, Jennifer! My two cents is that Victoria is a very difficult course to BQ on. It's very hilly. Perhaps give Kelowna a shot next time - it is known as one of the flattest courses in Canada. That said, Regina was where I got my best time in part due to it's flatness.

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  3. Come out to Toronto and run a flat marathon for a change! I bet that 7 minutes would disappear!

    Ray!

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  4. Thanks guys.
    Mark and Ray- I know it's a tough course but I thought I was in better shape this time. Two friends who have slower 10k and half-marathon times (who didn't train as hard but progressed really) well did just under four hours. Maybe I just need a different training style- or I'm just better suited for shorter distances. Who knows- I'll write more Tuesday.

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  5. Sounds like it just wasn't your day. You've been training hard, and putting in the miles. Don't let this one race put a damper on anything.

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  6. Thanks Dale. I'm still pretty happy. Just need to reevaluate goals and training a bit.

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  7. Good race Jennifer.

    There's a very good chance that your best distance isn't the marathon, but it's more likely that you just need more practice learning how to run a good marathon (as opposed to simply training for one). You'll get there.

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  8. Hey again, Jennifer. One thing I will say is that I had a helluva time getting away from my four hour standard until I radically increased my mileage. After I did that, I hit a 3:38 on a hillier course than Victoria, and a 3:30 in flat Regina. Lots of miles (60 to 80mpw) really did it for me.

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  9. Thanks Adeel. :)
    Mark- my mileage peaked at 90k/week with several over 75... Not sure i want to invest that much more time if that's what it takes. Like I said- I have friends that have the same or less short distance speed, trained less, yet they fared better. So I have to figure out the right combination for me. If I decide to keep at this marathoning thing.

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  10. Sounds like you just had a bad day with the calf cramping. You'll get your 4 hour goal one of these times.

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  11. Congratulations and sorry you didn't make your goal to BQ...I can relate. There's always the next one though. I'm sure it's just around the corner for you! I agree with your comment above, about finding the right comibnation of training that works for you.

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