Jarvis Googoo

On May 5, I completed my eleventh marathon; Toronto. The Toronto Marathon takes place on the lands of the Mississaugas of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Wendat. May 5 is also Red Dress Day, which remembers and honours Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ peoples (MMIWG2S+). The day is a painful reminder of the ongoing genocidal crisis of MMIWG2S+ people and invites solidarity and action. So for this one, I wore my red racer shorts.

On December 6, I returned home after the California International Marathon (CIM), and that night, I registered for the Toronto Marathon (the same day I registered for CIM in 2022). I chose this one due to it’s date. With mid-May travel plans, I wanted to be back to running while on vacation. A May 5 marathon allowed this. Days after registering, I got my plan from Coach Lee, who said that there was no reason why I can’t break 2:50:00 in 2024. I appreciated the faith he had in me. He said I just needed to stay healthy and motivated. The latter is never a problem, and I would monitor the former.

Given I was only going to do an overnight trip for this one, I booked everything on January 3. The hotel (Hotel X) was very close to the finish area, and went for that rather than an AirBNB.

My hamstring still wasn’t 100% ever since my 5K at the 2023 Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Summer Games, but I finally noticed that it has been improving a bit more around January 24. I was pretty sure that heavy weight-lifting re legs was helping with this.

Winter training was winter training. No weekend Long Run for February 3/4, but that was the only one that I really missed. On the last day that month, I ran in Membertou/Sydney. It was probably the toughest run I did for the winter; extremely windy and felt quite weak (although this was not discouraging).

March 6 were hills at Point Pleasant Drive. We last did these on January 3, and those felt tough simply doing them five times at 4:24. But on this, it was for nine and at 4:19; I was stronger. Ten days later, I spoke to Lee about doing a sub 2:45:00 (a Berlin Marathon qualifier). Lee did say that a nine minute improvement was quite the jump, and perhaps we should aim for six for now. However, he followed-up that he thought I could have done faster at CIM. The Long Runs have been feeling better (I stuck with the spaghetti on Fridays but removed the garlic bread with cheese). After the last Long Run of the month, Lee asked how my run paces were and how I was feeling. I answered with 3:56 and 4:01, and added that I was feeling good, and I thought that this would lead to the Toronto race plan. One month before race day, my new Vaporfly 3 shoes arrived, and that same day, I registered for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon.

The next day, my 33K Long Run was great but left me a bit sore to the point that I decided to rest for April 7. I rarely do such a thing. I was not in pain/injured, but I wanted to play it safe with some extra recovery. Days later I did physio and dry needling, which I badly needed, and could barely walk on Friday. For the last two weeks of the month, I held off lunch walks and instead focused on stretching, physio exercises, and yoga. By the end of April, I learned that fellow Road Hammer Tim Harmon was also doing the Full and a couple others were doing the Half.

For the final taper week, I got my race plan – an upgrade from CIM (which I figured would have been the case). The first 21K was a 3:58 to 4:01 range (staying as relaxed as possible), then from 21K to 32K, it was between 3:57 to 3:59, and for the last 10K, a 3:54 to 3:56. Basically, it was a bit faster than CIM and gearing up a bit sooner.

In what I thought was a good idea at the time but realized that it wasn’t, I flew to Toronto on May 4 for a May 5 marathon. With shorter races (5K, 10K, and or even a 21.1K), travelling one day before the event (even on the day of) is alright. But with a 42.2K, I needed the entire day to truly relax (sans travel/commute), and should have went to Toronto on Friday instead. I think this is why I felt more vigorous for CIM and the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM). I ended up walking more than I wanted to just to get my race shirt before checking-in to my hotel. I didn’t want to go back out to eat, so I did a quick Uber Eats for spaghetti and parmesan chicken (which was less than what I would usually consume). I stretched out with some yoga and got to sleep a bit after 8:00 p.m.

Sunday morning’s alarm went off for 3:20 a.m. so I could consume my Gatorade, bagel, and a Cliff Bar. As I had a shuttle to the start line for 5:45 a.m., I went back to sleep for a bit, and woke up with a Body Battery score of 50 or so (which is not the best). This was also going to be my first marathon in the rain. On the shuttle ride over, I ended up seated behind with another Halifax runner named Allana. Near the start, runners were allowed to wait inside a nearby mall, and I met one from Mexico named Angel who also did MCM 2022 (the shirt is very easy to recognize). We chatted about how great the weather was for that day, and how today’s wasn’t the best.

Just after 7:00 a.m., I made my way to the start and entered the sub-elite corral. It was wonderful that the Masters of Ceremonies (MC) acknowledged that it was Red Dress Day. He interviewed one of the Indigenous woman runners who was doing the race in recognition of the day and gave her an opportunity address the crowd. I thought that was amazing and important. I saw Tim and we exchanged a fist bump, wishing each other the best before things got going.

We began the race. I would use the first kilometre as my “warm up,” and then jump into the plan. However, I think my second mistake was trying to do my range at the faster end. I wanted to do a 3:58 but for the first few kilometres, I went faster (which I shouldn’t have done). In fact, I was either slower than 4:01 (which delayed my time) or or faster than 3:58 (which burned more energy than necessary), and for only two splits, I was actually within the proper range. The course also had more downhills than I thought (some were quite steep). I am not a big fan of these (the worst being on Walmer Road), as it takes some power to hold yourself back while descending. The course did have some long gradual uphill work as well (although I felt CIM, MCM, and others were a bit tougher). It was an additional plus to see a Sheltie at about the 7K area.

For the second round of work (22K to 32K), like the first round, I only had two splits that were on plan. That aside, it was the same error; too fast or too slow outside the range. One fun highlight that I thought was spectacular was a cheer station around (which I think was) Smuch Street. It was quite loud, and I would even dare say that it was more deafening than the “Scream Tunnel” along Wellesley College at the Boston Marathon (although the former isn’t as long). It was a very memorable spot. At about 28K, I noticed my hips and hamstrings were a tad bit iffy, but fortunately, they held out for the rest of the race.

Along the way, I had some more observations of my running. One was the Vapour Fly shoes seemed a bit too loose. I thought that they were just simply not meant for marathons, but given I also had nylon running socks on, maybe that was just a bad combination of things (this I would need to keep experimenting with). Another important lesson was to prioritize more anti-chaffing stick. I felt myself burning up at some spots, and I’m certain that the damp weather facilitated that.

After 32K, this was supposed to be the power push, but it just wasn’t there. Only one split was in the planned range, and every other was off (mainly a bit slower). The final 10K also seemed like a Murphy’s Law, and things just got worse (although nothing like how Fredericton was last year). It felt as if there were fewer course marshals (but that could just be my own perception). Being closer to the water by Martin Goodman Trail, there were massive swarms of midges (at least, I think that’s what they were), and it was so dense that I had to shut my mouth at some parts. Further along and getting onto the bridge near Mimico Creek, the course marshal warned that it was slippery. I pulled back a bit while on it, and had to drive hard to try and regain some of the lost momentum. With about 5K left to do, I got onto the highway of Lake Shore Boulevard (at least the swarms were gone), and just kept pushing towards the end. This wasn’t going to be a powerful finish akin to CIM, but I would be completing my eleventh marathon that day. At 41K, I knew I wasn’t hitting my target time, but at least I still had a shot at a new personal best. It was an uphill finale, and I found it tough, almost on par with MCM. The route to the finish line got very narrow and packed quite quickly, and I spent a few extra seconds trying to navigate around other runners. Nearing the end, I was smiling – it wasn’t the goal that I was aiming for, but it was a personal best, and it was something to celebrate; 2:52:32.

While I finished CIM with power and felt quite good right after, that was hardly the case here. As soon as I slowed down, weakness and soreness suddenly flooded my system. I just wanted to lay down and knew I shouldn’t. I staggered to get inside the overcrowded post-race area, and it took longer than expected to get my finisher’s medal (which was quite massive). A nice volunteer gave me a litre of water, which I finished nearly right away without realizing it. I tried to see if I could spot anyone I recognized, but I didn’t. As the building was too cramped, I didn’t want to stick around.

Leaving it was worse. From the exit to Prince’s Boulevard, it was almost like a traffic jam – no crowd control, poorly spaced ways, and moving was nearly impossible (even Boston didn’t have these issues I found). Once I got out of the way, it was time to head back to the hotel. This was without a doubt the hardest kilometre of walking that I have ever done to date. The fiftieth Nova Scotia Marathon and Blue Nose 2021 both left me quite sore, and neither had anything on what I felt after the Toronto Marathon. I was very cold (I wish they had thermal blankets for the runners), and struggling to just move. My hips were incredibly tender. I wanted to collapse onto the ground and cry – I never felt so weak and vulnerable after a marathon. I knew that I had to keep moving. I saw some spots to sit at, but if I took a break, it would be nearly impossible to get back up without help. I pushed to get myself to the hotel to begin my recovery. Grateful for the late check-out, once back at my room I dropped to the floor. Recomposing briefly, I posted about my race on The Social Media, responded to messages, cranked up the heat, got into the shower, and stood there for almost a half hour, wondering if I would break my post-MCM shower record. After I got out, I plopped right into bed as I need a nap. I would FaceTime Kerri first to give her an update of how it all went.

Sleeping is incredible healing, because the nap tripled my strength (which was super low), and I was already feeling better. I packed-up and left. To help flesh things out (as I was quickly recovering), I opted to walk to Billy Bishop Airport. Along the way, I saw a beautiful tribute re the 215 childrens’ bodies at the site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School. Unlike CIM (and similar to other marathons), I just wasn’t hungry after this race, but knew that I need some nourishment. I grabbed a large smoothie to hold me over till I got home. Waiting at the airport, Jessica Riddel (a professor at Bishops) recognized me from The Social Media and we had a short but wonderful chat about decolonization (and other important issues). Once back at the house, I had Little Caesar’s pizza to celebrate the new personal best. As I’ve been to – and visited – Toronto numerous times, I didn’t see any point in sticking around longer than I had to.

There are no setbacks – only learned lessons. With the Toronto Marathon, my biggest takeaway was not to travel the day before the big event. I can do this for a shorter distance, but a 42.2K race is a totally different level. Commuting is exhausting (even if you’re not on your feet for a long time), whether it’s a lengthy drive (e.g., Fredericton or Boston) or a flight (e.g., Toronto). For CIM, I was in Sacramento a few days beforehand, relaxing and preparing for the race, and I firmly believe that this was a favourable factor for my performance and subsequent recovery. I also should order more spaghetti if I need to use a delivery service (what I got was less than what I make/need). Furthermore, I need to get back to the CIM mindset and stay within the plan, even if it’s not at the faster end of it. In total, I was within the proper ranges for only five splits. That aside, I was off target (above and below). It would have been better to stay with the slower end of what I was assigned, and then blast out for the last 10K with power. I’m celebrating the 2:52:32 finish, and I know I can do better next time.