Manitoba: My Second Fastest Marathon

"The course is flat - really flat. In fact, it's really, really flat. The organizers say that there are 3 places with an elevation rise of about 10 feet. I will take their word for it but I only noticed one place (at about 7 miles) where I think there might have been that much of an elevation change."

That's a description I read of the Manitoba Marathon from a comment on marathonguide.com. And yes, it is a really flat course, but I was surprised that it wasn't quite as flat as NJ.

Still, by all accounts based on my most recent half marathon, I should have set a new marathon PR. I didn't, and I have no good explanation for it. The temperature was a perfectly cool 50-ish degrees Fahrenheit (about 9 Celsius) at the start. I hadn't slept well for a few nights before the race, and there was a bit of a headwind, but I really should have beaten my previous 3:15. I might have gone out just a tad too fast, too, but not much. Could have even been the change in altitude. I also might even be able to blame a bit of my performance on not recovering enough from my sweltering Need For Speed Relay the week before, but whatever (Runner26 has a great N4S recap, by the way. We did the same leg, and she wrote a better review of it than I ever could). Frankly, I think I just didn't push myself hard enough. Maybe It was all of the above combined. Or maybe I can always find a new excuse.

I ended up with a 3:20:15 (7:39 pace), finishing 58th out of about 780 marathon finishers, and that is a respectable marathon time for me so even though I'm a bit disappointed I can't complain too much.

Besides, it was great running my hometown marathon. Winnipeg is a place I know like the back of my hand, and I was very familiar with almost every road along the way. And it was sooo great to be back in in the city for summery weather for a change, instead of Christmastime. Everything is so green and lush, and it's so clean, especially compared to dirty dirty dirty NYC. I got to do some gardening at my parents' home while I was there. Yay for gardening!

I even got out to my parents' farm for a visit. I grew up there, and hadn't been back in at least 7 or 8 years. The farmhouse has taken on a kind of abandoned feel, as my parents are only out there sporadically, and don't keep it up much. Interesting being back in my old room again, and leafing through the sketchbooks, drawings, and junk I left behind there years ago. Lots of memories.

Now hopefully I can make my poor marathon performance a memory and move toward a 3:10 like I should be.

This weekend is the Shelter Island 10K, and some friends and I are planning a trip out to partake. I won't kill myself in the race, as this is recovery week from the marathon. I'm more looking forward to a scenic run without the pressures of marathon training. At least for another week or two when training for NYC begins.