2014 Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon

One year ago, I posted a PB at the Victoria marathon, cracking the 3:10 BQ threshold for my age category, and thus, earning a qualifier to the 2015 B.A.A Boston Marathon. Just last month, I was accepted into the marathon and will be travelling in April. However, the two pronged goal last year was not achieved: earn a qualifier, and run the marathon in under 3 hours.

I had another chance this thanksgiving to do just that--go quicker than I have ever over 42.2kms. The Victoria Marathon was my 7 marathon since 2011. So far, I have raced Vancouver 4 times, Kamloops once, and with this one, Victoria, twice. Of them all, Victoria is a challenging, undulating course, rolling along the seaside. It doesn't grind a running down like Vancouver, and is not flat (read:boring) like the Kamloops course. Victoria is my most favorite course of the three that I have done.

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.

Resuscitating my run: Fall marathon training

From  Sept 13th:

After the Knee Knacker, I was cooked. Running had lost it's appeal. I had no desire to lace them up and go out for any amount of time or distance. With the MYM50 fast approaching over the summer, I realized that for my own health and well being, although I could attempt it, it was going to be a really bad idea to complete a 50 mile mountain run and feel like running in the following weeks.

Flash forward to Sept 13th. With the Victoria Marathon in mind, and the success of the MYM50 DNF, I have managed to amass a solid block of training in the past 2 weeks. A couple of 32k runs, some tempo, a Yasso 800 session, and morning runs of between 11k and 18k, and I am getting my stuff together for what may prove to be a great marathon. With the impending cyclocross season upon us (something that I am taking a break from this year), running and staying healthy is the main focus of my training.