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Just gonna give a quick life update. 4 months ago I did a blog about running my first marathon. It took place in the spring time and was a huge event for the city I live in (ottawa, canada). Since then, I've transformed distance running into a hobby and a passion of mine. It was definitely a +ev way for me to spend my summer. I've made numerous friends with whom I train with, and have ran in countless 5km, 10km and half marathon competitions, along with a slew of 30km training runs with buddies.

This morning I ran my 2nd marathon ever. It was again, a great experience. Scheduled to start at 9am, it did just that. Gun went off, bang, 114 runners off and away. Although not nearly as popular as the spring one, this one had a bunch of great runners there, definitely above the average of the spring marathon. Starting time temperature was 4 degrees Celcius, which was quite nice tbh for a long run. I wont bore you with a long story like last time, but I felt really well running this one compared to the last one. I've always been fit, but I'm a hell of a lot more efficient with expending physical energy now with all the training I've done.

My 21.1km split time was 1:39:29. A decent result knowing I held back some to save for the final half. It was a really fun run, not too many hills, although when they came they were killer. Mostly flat terrain, and lots of water/gatorade/endurance gel stations with nice scenery. We ran along farm fields mostly.

Final time: 3:40:43. Bringing my 2nd half to 2:01:15. I shaved off 1 hour and 12 minutes from the spring marathon in 4 months time. I'm happy, and on an even brighter note, this time I'm not bleeding anywhere, and am feeling just a fraction of soreness compared to the spring. I did have a fine layer of salt on my face however, lol, from all the dried up sweat. I felt a ton better running this one, had a much stronger finish, and have a solid brag (lol) when people ask what hobbies I do for fun.

So ya, was fun, and I can't wait for next summer. I'm going to buy a gym pass, and keep active lifting weights, maintaining cardio, and staying active and healthy by eating a good diet.

Oh ya, also, I got an engineering job. I've been looking for one ever since I finished school for electronics engineering 4 months ago. I'll be assembling and testing high frequency commercial radio and antenna equipment for a new and quickly expanding company. The pay is pretty much double compared to my current job, so this is a big step I'm excited to take. Life is good atm, I'm stress free, and have a good, ever growing circle of buddies around all the time, so there's rarely long instances of down time, which is the way I prefer it.

Not too much poker playing however, but I still absolutely love to watch and follow anything I can get my hands on, be it all the poker reality shows, railing friends in tourneys, and reading up on some of you ballers and your sick posted hands. I'm content with being a spectator for now, as my life is starting to take shape and maturing.

Sooo to end things, my records to beat next year:

Marathon: 3:40:43
Half-Marathon: 1:33:52
10Km: 45:29

Thanks for reading, peace LP, love you guys like brothas

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bump from yesterday. see below.

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Hey everyone. So awhile ago there was a few LPers who posted saying they decided to run a marathon in X amount of months. I'm not sure if anyone followed up with it, but I did. I'm really just doing this for my own benefit, but I welcome you to read if you ever have thought about doing a marathon or getting into endurance running. It's definitely one of the most incredible experiences you can have. I hope to make this a long entry, just a fair warning.

I just finished the Ottawa Marathon. 42.2km of absolute monstrous but amazing hell. I want to write about it while it's still fresh in my mind. It was such an incredible and uplifting experience.

So I'll start from the beginning. The marathon is scheduled to start at 7:00am. I wake up at 4 and prepare my gear, eat a light breakfast (had lots of pasta the night before) and then proceed to head out of my apartment. I arrive at 6am, dress, drop my bag off, warmup and then stretch. I have to say, there were people from all different walks of life and from almost every nationality. I had the pleasure to see a team of kenyans or at least an african country warmup. Watching these guys was awe inspiring. They looked so brittle but packed with lean muscle at the same time. So yeah, fast forward to the starting line.

Upon registration, your given an option to fill in with what your expected time would be. This being my first marathon, I chose the 4 hour time marker. So everyone huddled up in their 'corral' (the group you'll be running with) and lead by a pace bunny. I'd just like to point out that there were very little participants under the age of 30. It seems long distance endurance running fancies that of the older folk. Me being 21, I was definitely one of the youngest there, but I didn't care.

The gun goes off followed by a midst of cheering, horns, drums, airhorns, you name it. There were absolutely tons of supporters. Just a foreshadowing fact: you couldn't run 30 metres throughout the entire marathon race without someone standing at the side cheering. It was unreal, and I'm being completely honest.

I gotta admit, I started a bit too fast. I think everyone does when they run their first. Right from the get go my inexperience was coming through. I quickly learned I had a shitload of distance to cover. Every kilometre there was a sign saying how far you've run. And every 3 kilometres there were water, gatorade and powergel stations for runners. I can't even put together an estimate on how many volunteers that helped make sure everything went smoothly, let alone the amount of cheering fans.

So from here I think it would be easier to list my thoughts, feelings, and pain at certain kilometre markings.

5km -- I'm still going strong, probably been running for roughly 23 - 25 mins. I think to myself "8 more of these and I'm home free." My legs are feeling good, no fatigue and I'm running with good form and maintaining proper breathing technique. Plus all the supporters are keeping my spirits high. Lovin' it.

10km -- Jesus christ this is getting tough. As I pass under a giant bridge stating our distance I think to myself holy crap man this isn't even 25%. My pace has slowed down, and I'm getting tired. I look at the timing clock. 53 mins. Sick, I'm ahead of pace, but I quickly convince myself that reaching 4 hours might not be possible. Obviously I know it's going to get worse from here. At the time, I had no fucking clue just how worse it would get.

16km -- As I pass the 16 km marking over a long stretch of open road, I really start to feel the beating sun coming down hard on me. This road is a monster, and it seems to extend forever into the horizon. It's getting damn hot, and I'm sweating hard. The water and gatorade stations really are helping me though. I start to envy people who brought those dorky running hats along the way. I've been playing sports my entire life, and this is probably the farthest I've ran ever in one go in a single day. How am I going to manage the rest. I'm not even really close to half done for god sakes.

21.1km -- The halfway point. Omg where the hell have you been? I swear I ran 60km. I pass the marking which is locating on top of a bridge overlooking the Ottawa River. I remember the time down to the second. 2:00:17. I'm exhausted, and my pace is considerably slower than where I was at the 10km mark. I start to truly doubt myself if finishing this marathon is possible. I drop back little by little, as the majority of people creep up to me and pass me. All these middle aged folk are beasts. At this point I couldn't care less. I'll be happy with a finish. I chug along and try not to think about how much of the race is left.

26km -- It seems I'm trying to convince myself to quit. But everytime I try, there's supporters clapping, kids waving and wanting to give you high fives, a million uplifting signs and bands playing every so often off to side. It sounds cheesy, but at this point, I'm not only physically exhausted, but mentally as well. The smallest chant or cheer does wonders when your body is in this state. It was the supporters that kept me going, as well as the hit to my pride I would have to take if I decided to quit. I give all the kids a smile and keep going, as painful as it is.

32km -- My muscles are seriously tense now and my pace is pretty slow. I feel the fatigue even on my face, which I can tell shows no emotion but the wanting of this race to finish. I have 10k left and I begin to think that I'll do it. Hell, I've come this far. If people my age can fight world wars almost a hundred years ago then I should be able to run a marathon. I STFU, stop complaining on the inside and focus on the kilometres ahead that lead to the finish line. My armpits are feeling chaffed from the back and forth motion of my arms. I'm feeling it a bit with my thighs as well. My feet are sore but went numb a while ago. I've no reason to stop now. This marking also is the pinnacle of when the body starts to shutdown, both physically and mentally. I can feel my brain reacting to things much slower than when I began, and every muscle in my body is aching.

37km -- Wait, so if we're at 37, and the race is 42, then that means there is... 3.. 4... 5 kilometres left. This is the state of mind that happens to you when your utterly fatigued. My brain is slow now, and I'm dead tired. As I pass markings, I realize that 3 seconds after I pass them I forget what they read. Was it really 37, or 38? Maybe 36? Things are going to shit now, but the supporters are still there going nuts. There's more of them now and still getting denser on the sidelines, as we're nearing the end. God I want to finish. I fear that if I stop moving I won't be able to move again and start back up. Can't risk that. I'm going back and forth between walking about 50 metres and then running 500 or so.

40km -- 2 more kilometres. Ugh. Someone give me a bike. I'm now running at a pace that is slightly faster and comparable to a brisk walk. You have to experience it to believe it. Marathon running is both a physical challenge as well as a mental one. I'm determined to finish, and so is the trillions of supporters that barricade the street for the runners. I have no more emotion, and lifting my knees for each step is painful, but I take it step by step. And then wtf? I start to realize that old people are passing me left and right. How is this possible, how do these people still have gas left in the tanks? I look at their bibs attached to their shirts and they're runners from the half marathon and the 10k event. Hah. God damn, what a shocker. The half marathon and 10k event started about an hour or two after the marathon.

41.5km -- So many people, and all eyes are me as I pass. My name is on the bib I've safety pinned to my shirt, and everyone is cheering my name, telling me I'm almost there and not to give up now. I didn't hear one negative cheer throughout the entire race. It's really amazing how all these people can come together and support one another so admirably. As I said before, it does wonders to hear this when your state of mind is absolutely shot and dead. I near the finish line with a quickened pace and fight through the pain.

I finish. Two young teenagers immediately run up and ask if I need anything. They're carrying water. I take a bottle and thank them as they rush off to help the next finisher. This isn't water, its fucking magical clear liquid, and combined with the fact that I know I finished, it couldn't have tasted any better. I hit up the station to return my timing chip that I attached to my shoelace pre-race (every runner was given one) and then head off to the recovery area where its a buffet of fruit, yogurt, and special drinks for runners. I'm also handed a cheesy medal, but I wear it with fucking pride. What a day, and what an incredible experience.


I have to say, I don't think I did so bad with minimal training. With school and work, I wasnt able to get in a lot of the runs that I wanted to. My sports background definitely helped out a ton. I feel sunburned, sore all over, but wouldn't change it right now for the world. Writing this, it was just 8 hours ago that the race began.

Advice to people wanting to run a marathon: Make sure your in it for the long haul. Training, diet, and sleep is everything. Recover, grow, improve. There's few people I would recommend the marathon to, as it's something that should be built up with smaller races. I think it would be best to start off with a 10k run or the half marathon. The difference between a half marathon and a marathon is almost non comparable. Like 29 times harder. The 25km+ mark really forces your determination to the limit. It's as much a mental battle as it is a physical one.

Things I would of changed: I would of worn some kind of spandex briefs or something. The inside of my thighs are sore as hell and this could have all been avoided by tightening them up slightly with spandex. Then wear shorts overtop. Sunscreen obviously, that was dumb of me not to bring. Almost the entire course was exposed to sunlight. And it was a hot day. I also should of done more research and developed a running program than would of fit my schedule.

All in all, this was one of the most inspirational things that have happened to me for a while. I feel really satisfied I did it and I recommend it to anyone, young or old to experience it sooner or later. Add it to your bucket list and make sure it's checked off before you croak over and die. Thanks for the read. I might bump this after, and maybe edit a bit more in as well as it comes to mind. If pics become available off the ottawa marathon website, I'll post 'em if I'm in any. There were tons and tons of photographers there taking pictures of everyone. TTYL LP!

-Shenny

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