7 Weeks to Go!!

Wow, my marathon training has gone by so fast, I can hardly believe its only 7 weeks away. I did my first 32km run on Good Friday. It was a bit humid, it took alot longer than I thought (3:40) and I was probably overdressed, but I made it. I learned a few new things that will help come race day. 1. I need ALOT of water/sports drink during a run this long. Seriously I drank 1.5 liters and I didn't need a pee break at all. 2. Don't try to out run the other runners out on the course. I tried this around the 16k mark when a guy started following me up a street and I could hear his huffing and puffing behind me so I sped up, so did he, I went faster and left him behind but I paid for it a few kms down the road with sore quads. 3. Sunscreen is great but it also has insulating properties causing me to sweat more than I normally do, next time less on the face more on the arms and legs. 4. My ability to fight off crazy dogs is greatly reduced after 30kms. Good thing the owner of this one yanked her way too aggressive dog away as quickly as she did or I might have a nasty scar. 5. Running has allowed me to finely hone my spitting while running technique. Instead of a spray I can now aim my running saliva in a way that would make any 8th-grader proud.
Today I happily escaped from the office at lunch and ran a solid 9km in 50 minutes, a new record for me. I felt great just to be out there, pounding the pavement with a strong, steady pace, wearing only a t-shirt and shorts. Ahhh, summer-like weather :-) I saw so many other people out there, taking advantage of the sun and unseasonably warm temps it was a great sight to see. One thing that did make me smile was seeing the Bluenose Marathon Weekend ads posted on all the bus stops. It sure was a great reminder/motivator as to why I'm out there pounding the pavement! Here's to a beautiful sunny day and more of these to come!