Racing 6 days after a marathon

After the Victoria Marathon, I managed to get our for one run before my next race this past weekend. My Friday afternoon run was a recovery of sorts, difficult to say the least: accumulated fatigue in my hamstrings, a lack of flow--starting and stopping, it was a run to forget. But those types of runs need to happen to get the engine rolling again, and I did want at least one in my pocket before my XC race Saturday, 6 days after the Victoria Marathon. Of all the stuff I have read on recovery after a marathon, nothing that I have found says that it is a good idea to race so close to such a hard effort. The skeletal system, cellular system, mind, and rest of the body need time to repair. I threw caution to the wind and headed to North Van.

BC Marathon Championship Results: 35-39

...Winning the masters 35-39 category is kind of like a Strava KOM where you are the only person who has ridden the segment--a 1/1. However, I do remember a couple of BC XC mountain bike champions in years past who won it with little competition....

Still, I don't mind taking the blue ribbon for my age category. I showed up and ran. Perhaps one day I could shave 37 minutes off my time for top spot. 

I highly doubt or want that to happen....this is just a little bit of icing on a BQ....

The best part of this list is that in the 14th spot, my Father-in law managed to secure his own age group championship win at the age of 60! Blue ribbon!!

BC Athletics results

Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon: Boston Bound!!

The fruits of my labor.

I have finally figured it out.

I know the secret to running a fast(er) marathon.

I do not mind sharing that little secret with everyone. 

But what works for me, works for me. 

It may not work for you.

The goal for 2013 was to run a qualification time for the Boston Marathon. Blowing my chances at that on the hottest day of the year at the BMO Vancouver marathon in May, I had secured my back pocket chance by registering for the Goodlife Fitness Victoria marathon at Thanksgiving. I had hoped that it would not come to that, that I could make my qualification time at the BMO and not worry about the fall marathon. But sometimes things do not work out the way we plan. The Victoria marathon, my fifth in three years, turned out to be my best yet.