The loneliness of the mid-distance runner

I haven't really told anyone about this besides my sister, but I guess I can make my intentions known to people who don't see me on a daily basis. I'm going to do a full marathon this year, I've decided. This came about after last weekend, when I sort of accidentally ran the longest distance I'd ever run (24.5 km, exceeding my half-marathon distance). I was having a good time, so I thought I'd see how far I could go.

I did the same today to see if it was a one-off thing, but I got up to 26 km, including a momentary entry into the Harry's 8K Spring Run-Off for Prostate Cancer. I was happily going along at my leisurely Sunday running pace when a guy on a bike came up alongside me (which was odd in and of itself because there's a separate bike path in Stanley Park and the division is VERY STRICTLY adhered to).

"Hey Turkey Trotter," he called out (referring to the race shirt I was wearing), "the racers are coming."

So I kept to the right and then this pack of elite runners in tiny shorts came barreling past me. Then I came upon a group of spectators, who weren't quite sure whether they should be cheering for me because I was clearly not in the same league as the Kenyan runner in front of me. I thought I was doing a fairly good job of staying out of the way until suddenly the finish line was 100 metres ahead of me. I actually had to go out of my way to avoid crossing it--I thought it would be in poor taste to do so--and nearly took out some hapless spectators. According to the race clock, I had completed the 8K in 25 minutes. You know, if I had actually started with the rest of them. Awesome!

It's actually pretty common to inadvertently become a part of one race or another along the Seawall. It's happened to me before, but I've never literally had an entire race blow past me within a few minutes.

Anyway, I'm thinking of doing the Royal Victoria Marathon this October. There's also the Okanagan International Marathon that same weekend, and while it would be awesome to run through wine country, I was in Kelowna this summer and don't really want to be cramped in the car for several hours the day before a race, so capital-city Victoria it is.

I'm sort of trying not to make a big deal about the full marathon thing, though, in hopes of avoiding psyching myself out and remaining modest. I was at MEC yesterday buying some gels and the snowboarderish cashier was all, "So how long is a long run for you?" and when I replied, "Oh, about 25K," not thinking it would be particularly impressive to someone who works in a store full of extreme-sport enthusiasts, but he sort of just stared at me wide-eyed for a few seconds.

That is exactly the sort of reaction I want to avoid, and so I will probably not speak too much of it again to people until I've fully committed and it's difficult to hide that all I do in my free time is train. I'll probably do a clinic for the extra support. I passed two of my former clinic buddies on the Seawall today and it did make me miss the camaraderie a little, but I'm really rediscovering the joy of running alone right now.

Withdrawal

I was starting to feel withdrawal, not having run in a week. I could have slept in for the first Sunday in three months, but I decided to go to the Running Room instead. I wasn't sure if anyone else from our clinic would be there now that they didn't have to be, but there were a few.

No one from my pace group was there, though, and somehow I found myself running 10K with the fast (sub-2:00) group. Overall, this group didn't talk as much as my usual one. For the rest of the fast people, this was their long, slow run--a rest day, really--but I was pushing it, going more than a minute faster per kilometre than I normally do on Sundays. So it was more of a tempo run for me, which was fine; I was motivated to keep up with them.

I did have a chance to think about which races I'd like to do next year, now that the season has come to a close.

Until mid-January or so: Maintenance running, twice a week with the Running Room and at least once a week alone. Maybe a 10K if I can find a good one.

April: Sun Run. If you live in Vancouver and you run, you do the Sun Run.

May: Vancouver International Half-Marathon maybe. This one includes a 200' climb up Prospect Point in Stanley Park that is legendary for its ability for reducing runners fitter than I am to walking.

June: Scotiabank Half-Marathon. It's billed as "Canada's easiest half-marathon" because it's mostly downhill and everyone does it to get a fast time. So I'll do it for sure. Heh.

October: Okanagan Full Marathon. HUGE maybe, for this will depend on what's going on in my life then and whether I have the time to devote to training for a full. It is something I want to do within the next couple of years, and this one would be fun because I'd get to travel to Kelowna and run through wine country. If I don't do the OIM, I'll do the Turkey Trot 10K again.

November: Fall Classic half-marathon again if I don't do the OIM, 10K if I do.

So, at the very least, I think I'll do two 10Ks and two half-marathons.

Other fitness goals include:

1. Training more than three days a week and closer to the five days the Running Room programs tell you to. Maybe include cross-training of some sort, like biking.

2. Trying a yoga class. I've done a DVD at home (MTV yoga, which is as annoying as it sounds) but I want someone to correct my form. I still don't feel like I'm doing downward-facing dog right.

3. Picking up some weights every now and then. I HATE WEIGHTS.

4. Purchasing a Garmin. Now that they're selling overhauled models for $100 less than normal price, it would be dumb not to.