When I started running 5 yrs ago (at the tender age of 38!), I really didn’t have any goals nor did I have any idea how big of a part of my life this was about to become. I had spent many years treating runners as a physiotherapist and often outwardly asked them why they did it. Perhaps self-reflection is not my greatest strength, but as I sit here right now, I am not certain why I started running and how I got so deep into the “runner’s life”. What I do remember is that I was tired of feeling as though I might be taking my last breath when playing Wednesday night hockey. Ironically, what started out as a way to get into shape for hockey, eventually led to me quitting hockey as I needed the time to focus on my running.
When I started running, I knew absolutely nothing about it and wasn’t able to pace myself well enough to even complete 1km without stopping. What I lacked in knowledge, I made up for in persistence. I very gradually started to build up my tolerance, and after a few months I was able to run 5 km without stopping (still likely at too fast of a pace!). I recall telling a good friend of mine (and fellow runner) that although I enjoyed running, I would never run more than 5km. His response was “I’ll give you two years and you’ll be running a marathon”.
I’m not sure if Marc has a future as a fortune teller or not, but sure enough after “mastering” some other distances, (and almost 2yrs to the day) I was ready to tackle my first marathon. My first attempt at the marathon took place in Muskoka in the fall of 2021.
Knowing almost nothing about fuelling, a little more than nothing about training (thanks to my pal Marc and an online training plan from Hal Higdon), and very little about what to expect from this gruelling distance, I was “ready” to go! After over-hydrating resulted in a pit stop 7km into the run and under-fuelling was at least partially responsible for the inability to sustain my pace from about the 32km mark on, I crossed the finish line with a respectable time of 3:16. After the race a couple of well-wishing friends made mention that I was “close to a Boston Qualifier”. In the moment I really didn’t understand the significance of this, but always one to set goals I decided that qualifying and running the Boston Marathon would become my goal.
HAMILTON MARATHON/ROAD2HOPE
I was told that the Hamilton Marathon/Road2Hope was a well-co-ordinated race and that it was also a pretty fast course so a Boston Qualifier would be possible there. After running a solid half-marathon in Barrie, the spring of 2022, I set my sights on the Hamilton Marathon in the fall. My training was certainly more structured and dedicated this time around. I was running 5-6 days per week (following the advanced Hal Higdon plan). I also now realized that using 2 gels for nutrition during the race was not enough and had begun training with gels, and now knew not to drink too much right before the race! My pacing strategy was also a lot stronger.
iThe day before the marathon KRATOS HEALTH had set up a booth at the athlete’s village to promote our premium bracing products. Coincidentally next to us was a group from Xact nutrition whom were providing the nutrition for the race. I was so impressed by their product that despite their protests, I decided to switch up my nutrition the day of the race and use Xact nutrition for my second attempt at the marathon. All of these strategies paid off and in the end, I ran a 3:00 marathon which was by definition a BQ.
Being that the Hamilton Marathon was so late in the year I would not qualify for the 2023 Boston Marathon, but instead would be applying for 2024. After having to deal with a couple of running related injuries over the year such as ITB friction syndrome in my right knee and peroneal tendinopathy in my left ankle (both of which I was able to modify my training for and eventually become symptom free) I decided that I would hire a running coach in the spring of 2023 to help build me an appropriate training plan. Garrett from Mile2Marathon has been my coach since that time and has helped me train and recover appropriately (thus reducing the likelihood of injury). In my build to my next marathon, I also decided to begin some strength training as this is protective against running related injuries.
Although I had a large “buffer” with my BQ time, there were still some nervous moments until I received official acceptance into the race. Boston Qualifying times are based on both age and gender, but can change based on the number of applicants. The qualifying time for my age group was 3:07 but leading up to the acceptances coming out, word came out that there were more applicants for this race than ever in the history of the Boston Marathon. Fortunately, my time was still sufficient so the planning could begin for Boston 2024!
TORONTO WATERFRONT MARATHON
With time in my training schedule to run one more marathon before Boston, I decided to run the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in the fall of 2023. I had remained healthy leading up to the marathon, but a quick decision to change race day shoes led to what would become a 6-month battle with a nagging achilles tendinopathy. The tendinopathy didn’t seem to affect my race itself and a chilly morning led to optimal race conditions. With a great training plan leading up to the race and my Xact nutrition fuelling strategy during the race, I was able to set a personal best time of 2:55 for the marathon.
TRAINING FOR BOSTON
Post Toronto Marathon, my focus shifted to rehabilitating my new achilles injury and training for the Boston Marathon (2 things that do not always go well together!). I was fortunate in that the achilles never slowed down my training, though it was definitely present for about 6 months. Regularly scheduled strength training aimed at building tensile strength in the achilles tendon (high weight, low reps, and slow repetitions are shown to be the best combination for tendon injuries), regular flexibility training, dry-needling, and shockwave therapy were all elements that I used to treat this condition. All the while I was able to train appropriately and up my mileage and intensity without worsening the condition. It was as though my achilles knew what was coming as in the couple of weeks prior to Boston it had faded into “nothingness”!
I have run outdoors each winter since I started running, but had never had to train for a spring marathon. I feel fortunate that the winter of 2023/24 was a mild winter with minimal snow, but there were still days that I was outdoor running in -20C weather. We were also fortunate enough to take a family cruise where I would be forced to run exclusively on a treadmill. Knowing that changing surfaces too suddenly can lead to injury (I believe that this was the primary factor in developing one of my previous injuries) I practiced on the treadmill before the trip. All in all, the training went off without a hitch and I showed up for Boston feeling prepared.
The lead up to Boston was extremely exciting. I was extremely fortunate to have 11 family members join me on the trip and all of them were there on course to cheer me on. I joined a Boston Marathon Facebook group to get tips and lucked into getting on a coach bus on race day (instead of a school bus that just drops you off in a field at the beginning of the course) after a patient met someone who organizes these trips while she was in the Caribbean.
Finally, Boston
We arrived in Boston after a 9.5hr drive in the family van on the Saturday before the Monday race. I spent the afternoon at the expo buying way too many Boston Marathon clothes while my family visited the New England Aquarium. Sunday consisted of a Duck Boat tour, a quick afternoon rest, a shakeout run, and some delicious Italian food for my carb load.
Now, race day:
A combination of excitement and nervous energy always makes it difficult to sleep before race day. I was up at 5am and started fuelling. An egg sandwich and some electrolytes were my first breakfast (a combination of protein and some fats are a good idea that far out from race time). After completing my morning routine and getting all of my race gear together (which was of course all carefully set out the night before), I headed to catch the subway train to the location that I would meet the bus for 7am. I arrived 30mins early and met a woman from New Orleans whom was getting on the same bus. On the bus I ate my peanut butter on a white bagel and banana (closer to race time your shift should be towards carbohydrates) and started to get myself ready.
ATHLETE’s VILLAGE
We arrived at the school where athlete’s village is formed shortly after 8am with race time scheduled for 10am. I lathered up on sunscreen, and went to a neighbouring basketball court to perform my warm-up routine. Already the weather was getting quite warm. I was in the first “wave” of runners and the sixth corral. Runners were assembled in their waves and corrals shortly after 9am and we started our march to the start line. Walking the mile down the fenced off residential streets was a surreal experience. The race is held on Patriot’s Day which is a state holiday so many residents were out on their lawns with solo cups in hand and BBQ’s burning yelling words of encouragement as we passed by. Just prior to the start line there is perhaps the largest assembly of portapotties that I have ever seen and then to the start line itself.
Once we lined up in our corrals you could see the impact that the tragedy of the 2013 bombing had on the event, with snipers standing ready on the roof of a neighbouring building. Next to me in my corral was former NHL legend Zdeno Chara whom I shook hands with (and told him that I was a Leafs fan) and then we were off. In the background Gun’s N Roses played, which was fitting given that they remain one of my favourite bands of all time.
I tend to become extremely focused when I run, so this is where the details of the event start to become a bit foggy. I do wish that I were better at soaking in the atmosphere of the event and this had been something that I had planned to do at Boston, but post-race I realized that I once again fell into my race tunnel vision. My expectation for Boston was not another personal best as training for a spring marathon (I felt) was more difficult and the course itself doesn’t typically lend itself to PB’s. What I wasn’t expecting was that the heat would become a factor in the race as well. Race day temperatures reached 20-21C which although perfect for spectators, is warm for runners (especially those coming from colder climates).
The course itself starts off with several Km’s of downhill running when leaving the town of Hopkington. I found myself trying to strike a balance between not going out too fast, while also trying not to expend too much energy braking down the hills. In retrospect given the heat that was coming, these initial miles might have been slightly fast. After the downhill start, we seemed to get into some rolling hills. The crowd of runners (over 27 thousand to be exact) was like nothing that I have ever seen before. As the race went on the large clusters did break up some, but the rest stations definitely created some bottle necks (never mind the carnage of cups that were dropped in the middle of the course).
At about the 5km mark I looked at my watch and saw that I had run a fast Km. I realized then that I was starting to push my pace too much and started to feel the heat from the burning sun. It was about this point of the race that I realized that I was going to have to run this race based on perceived effort and would have to try to ignore the numbers on my watch. Certainly, at many points throughout the race, the large crowd was able to reduce that perceived effort. The crowds got thicker as we moved through Ashland and Framingham, but it was in Wellesley that they were the most memorable for me. I had read about the screams from the girls at Wellesley pushing you up the hill, but experiencing it was much different than reading about it. It was at this point that I turned to a runner and said “these girls are nuts!”. My fellow runner seemed to share the sentiment.
Mile 18 – incentive to continue
I spent the next several Km’s looking for my family whom had planned to be somewhere near the Newton Fire Station at mile 18. After missing my parents and oldest daughter at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, I was determined not to let this happen again. Fortunately, near mile 16 the crowd can only gather on the one side of the street, so I knew where to look. The boost that seeing the 11 of them there cheering me on gave me can only be understood by someone running a race like this one, I think. This motivation gave me just enough of a boost to push me up the dreaded Newton Hills. Just prior to the hills, however, I experienced a significant “side stitch” (believed to be as a result of diaphragmatic spasms) that occurred just after a refreshment station consisting of Gatorade (admittedly not my favourite electrolyte beverage). I was able to work through it and after about a mile it was gone, only to return two rest stations later after another Gatorade. Needless to say, the remainder of the rest stations were water only for me.
I was able to power my way up and down the 4 Newton Hills (at one point asking a runner how many were left and swearing that his answer meant that there were actually 5!) while watching many runners drop like flies. One runner who appeared to be stumbling drunk, I encouraged to get to the fence before he fell. There were runners cramping everywhere through the hills and I found out afterwards that 10% of all runners sought medical attention at some point during this warm race. Heartbreak Hill is the final big challenge on the course and is marked by the loud crowd from Boston College (many of whom are more than willing to pass you a beer which a runner in front of me gladly accepted). From here it is all “downhill” which really is a small consolation when you’ve got very little left for the last 10km.
This section has some of the sharper turns in it and some small obstacles for tired legs such as train tracks. None of this was a factor for me as my focus was on trying to keep my pace and finish the race. “Plan A” (which had been abandoned at about the 5km mark) was to really turn up the pace after the Newton hills. Though I was able to keep a decent pace through these Km, turning up the pace was clearly not in the cards. The last 3Km’s was survival mode and I saw my pace drop about 15s/km. Seeing some runners that were forced to walk in these last few km’s made me think “what I wouldn’t give to walk”. But, the voice in my head telling me “You didn’t come this far just to walk” prevailed.
ONE MILE TO GO
A few miles out I saw the landmark Citgo sign. It taunted me in the distance as I knew that once I passed it, I was only 1mile from the finish. The fact that I saw it a couple of miles earlier seemed like a cruel joke. Passing it didn’t make me feel any closer to the finish line. It wasn’t until I made my left onto Boylston Street that I felt like I had made it. Less than 600m to go and I passed another walker. Knowing that I would be on video at the finish line, I raised one hand with the number 1 symbol not feeling like I had the energy to raise both hands!
After crossing the finish line, I was met with the familiar feeling of nausea that I’ve had after each marathon that I’ve run. It took only a couple of minutes to pass and once I was able to down a couple of bottles of water, I felt much better. I made the long trek to the family waiting area where I met some international runners. Having finished in 3:02 I was a little disappointed as I was about 3-4mins off of my goal time. After speaking to many runners (while waiting about an hour for my family), I realized that 3-4 mins off of my goal pace was quite good for that day.
When my family finally found me, I got to hear about their experience. After seeing me at mile 18, they hopped onto the subway in hopes of being able to see me cross the finish line. Unfortunately, they were met with several delays on the subway and it was looking very unlikely that they would make it. Apparently, when they finally arrived at their stop, my nephew decided that he was getting to the finish line to see me. When he took off, my three daughters, his brother, and my wife all followed leaving my parents and sister and brother-in-law behind. Thankfully nobody was lost in the crowd, but they were not able to see me cross the line.
marathons as team sport
After each marathon I am met with a rush of emotion, almost all of which is positive (is this the runner’s high that they all speak of?). As I sat waiting for my family, I reflected on how much it meant to me to have them all there supporting me. Not only them, but I have so many friends and family that couldn’t be there but so many of them sent me words of encouragement before I left. Patients and co-workers (whom had asked how they could track me on my journey) all made me feel supported. Marathon running is thought to be a solo sport, but I can tell you firsthand that it isn’t. I know that it sounds cliché, but I had a huge team behind me and not wanting to disappoint my team was a factor in not allowing myself to walk those last few kilometres!
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of those that have supported me in my journey. I don’t want to try to name specific people as I will inevitably leave out someone. From family to friends to patients to co-workers to those in the community, thank you to all of you!
If you are looking for the right running nutrition, please reach out to us at Kratos Health. We carry an assortment of Xact nutrition including chews, protein bars, and hydration. If you are a runner and would like your gait analyzed or are suffering from a running related injury, please reach out to us at South Simcoe Physiotherapy.