Mississauga Marathon
Sunday, May 15, 2005Race report from Maureen N...
Date: Mon May 16, 2005
Subject: Mississauga race report
Well, I did it! It was a very good day for running that's for sure! Met with Maureen Pecknold in the parking lot of Square One and hung out with her and my sister Anna. I spotted a co worker in the start line and chit chatted a bit and then we searched for the 5:00 pace bunny. We couldn't find him/her so we started with the 4:45. Originally I thought I could try for a finish of 5:30 so I know I was being ambitious. I held that pace until the 12-14k mark when I told Mau that I couldn't keep this pace and we agreed that she should go on. She looked so strong! So I turned on my walkman and kept going. The houses on Mississauga Rd are huge!!!
I was at a 5:00 pace or a little better at the 25k mark but by the 30k and onward I could feel myself slowing down. By the 35k mark my breaks were closer together and a little longer. My back gets very tired on these long runs. Also my stomach had been bothering me for almost the whole race. But I kept going. The water stations were fabulous - every two km and there were porta potties almost every km too!
I thanked many cute policemen!! At one water station a fellow filled up my water bottle for me, another one they started chanting my name! Then there was the Durham Dogs water station where everybody was dressed up in a clown suit! Very good crowd support and it was great having my name on my bib!
Anyways finally I was at the 41k mark and I started to speed up a bit. Then the 42k mark and I sped up again with the finish line in sight !!! I heard the announcer call my name and people congratulating me! My family was there to take some pictures - one of them very funny! And Maureen Pecknold was still there! She waited for about 1/2 hour for me to finish! And it was chilly and windy down by the lake! I will always be very grateful for that.
So my time was 5:20 and my chip time was 5:13!!! My only other marathon time was 5:50 so I am very happy- sore but happy!
I would recommend this race it was very well planned, a good route, great water stops truly a runner friendly race!
Thanks for all your good wishes and your company on those long training runs you made it a much more enjoyable experience and a HUGE thanks to Maureen Pecknold - tons of advice and support and hanging around at the finish for me! What a gal!
Congratulations to all the other runners, Eric you are amazing, Esther I haven't heard what your time is but I know it was hours faster than mine! Julie it was great seeing you out on the route. It is so nice to see your smiling face. Maureen P did very well but I will let her tell you. Tony, I didn't see you but look forward to hearing from you.I hope I didn't leave anyone out!
I won't be running for at least a week but I will drop by on Tuesday to say hello so hope to see some of you there!
Maureen N
Race report from Eric...
Date: Sun May 15, 2005
Subject: Mississauga Marathon race reportIt was like running a marathon.
My first one. Good running conditions. Cool, cloud and sun, no rain. A bit of a breeze, but that worked both for and against at different times. My main impression was that it is a long way to run. The farthest I'd ever run was 32k, so after that I was in uncharted territory. I just tried to keep moving and maintain my pace. Now I have sore legs and a blackened toenail. Congratulations to all Penguins who completed this race, and especially Esther. I'll let her tell you about the great race she ran. She was the only Penguin I saw. I'm now qualified for Boston with a time of 3:22:28.
Eric
Race report from Mau...
Date: Mon May 16, 2005
Subject: Mississauga Marathon race reportDon't feel obliged to read, but here are the gory details! For the non-Penguins reading this, posting a race report is a running tradition.
Following on the heels of my Waterloo, I was determined to make Mississauga as good a run as Waterloo was bad.
I left home at 5h30, arriving on site at 6h00. I met up with Maureen N. and her sister, Anna, and we hung out at the Tim Horton's for an hour or so, keeping warm. The day was chilly with a brisk wind.
At 7h40, Mau and I went to the start and lined up WAY at the back. We saw the 4:45 pace bunny and decided to start out with him and see how it went.
The first few K were fantastic, the sun came out, and I was feeling really good. Turns out, the pace bunny was this guy named Jeffrey that I met at Carlene Paquette's BBQ after the Ottawa marathon a couple of years ago. Small world.
At 11K, Mau N. decided to take it a little slower, and I forged on ahead. I saw Julie at about the 22K mark -- she looked really good.
I couldn't believe how well things were going at that point -- I had stopped at a port-a-potty and still managed to stay ahead of the pace bunny. There was a great band playing Guns 'n Roses (one of my faves!) at around that point, and there was about a five K stretch that lengthened out and back, so we got to hear the band twice. I had a bit of a sinking spell between 22 and 24K, but then I took a gel and plowed ahead.
The race organizers had set up an inflatable "wall" at 32K, so that all the runners could run through the wall instead of into it! But I was feeling so good, still -- wall??? What wall??
Providing the runners with personalized bibs was a great touch -- it is quite a lift to hear, "Way to go, Maureen" instead of just "Way to go".
My chip time at the finish was 4:39:32.6. BUT-- as my good friend Liesha reminded me, it's the journey that matters, not the destination. Unbelievably, however, I had a negative split! That NEVER happens to me. Did I go out too slowly? Better slowly and finish than fly and die. But for better or worse, my average split for the first 25K was 7:01 per km, whereas the last 17.2 I averaged 6:28. For me, that is the real victory.
It was a beautiful course, great support. I would definitely do this race again!
Happy trails to all!
Mau
Race report from Esther...
Date: Mon May 16, 2005
Subject: Mississauga Marathon race reportHello Penguins,
Great weather and great course. Not the most scenic of them and the crowds were sparse but nonetheless an excellent marathon with strong support. Definitely one to do for many more years to come - I know it's going to get bigger every year.
My goal for this marathon was to achieve a PR by beating my best time of 3:40:11 and I did that with an official chip time of 3:36:20. I am very happy with that time although I did require a few stretch breaks during the last 5km of the race. It definitely becomes a very mental game at the end, and any excuse you make for yourself seems reasonable :)
A few runners from Running Free were at the end to cheer me on and boy was I glad to see Eric in the finishing area. What an amazing time for a first marathon - it's just incredible!
Congrats to Julie, Maureen, and all others who ran over the past weekend. Everyone's complaining that it was cold but we all know it was just perfect for running :)
Marathoning is a very long way to run and even though I use my finishing time as a gauge of my improvement, it really is the journey from your doorstep to the start line to the finish line that makes every little step worth it.
Official stats:
Overall 276
Gun Time: 3:39:36.3
Pace (min/km): 5:13
Chip Time: 3:36:20.6
Gender: 43/560
Category: 6/64 Women 25 - 29
Split at 25Km: 2:08:51
25Km to End: 1:30:47What's next? Pancakes :) Nike 10K - I'm really getting excited for this one. Triathlons in the
summer. Wine Glass and NYC Marathons in NY state in the fall.Happy Running,
Esther
Home About Us Calendar T.O. FAQ Photos Links Page last updated: May 21/05