2014 BMO Vancouver Marathon Race Report

It has taken me a while to process this race, let alone finish this post and RR....

I am humbled.

For all my training, discipline, early morning training sessions, training races, ambitions, and sacrifices, I am humbled.

The 2014 iteration of the BMO Vancouver Marathon is the same course that has been since 2012. Three years of running the same course. And although my fitness is better than 3 years ago (stronger), my mental stubbornness more acutely refined (tougher), my speed improved (quicker), my experience more...er...deeper(!?) (wiser), this marathon punched my ticket. 

Again.

In fact, no matter my hopes for a strong finish, consistent pace, and conserving my energy, I was again struck on this very taxing, very difficult course with giving up my time goals when the writing was on the wall. Just after I hit "the wall".

Aldergrove Mud Run 2014: My best effort this year!

Mike Murphy emailed me race day morning after I sent him a message asking if he would attend the Aldergrove Mud Run. The correspondence went like this:

Josh: Hi Mike. Are you running in Aldergrove tomorrow? I will be. Hope to see you there.

Mike: Morning Josh,

I am going to skip the race this morning. Instead, i'm doing a long run on the DiezVista 50 course.

I know you have another strong run in you, so lay it all out there. Try my little trick of 'promissing' yourself to throw in 6 or 8 surges...no matter how crappy it feels.

Tweet a recap afterwards, so i know how it went once i wrap up.

I listen to Mike. I respect Mike. He knows what he speaks of. So, my race plan was born just before the race: surges, and lots of them. Sort of like intervals within a tempo run. Only intervals while running at race pace.

It took no time get all the way out to Aldergrove Lake this morning. Without Mike or Chris there, I knew that I had a good shot at a high placing based on who had been showing up to this series. But as Mike told me at the last one, you never know who is going to show up at the race. So true for this race.