Jarvis Googoo

On April 12, I completed my fifteenth marathon; Zurich.

For a while, I’ve been researching marathons outside of North America. I had initially asked Greg about this back on June 15, 2024. After some more investigating, I registered on August 31, exactly a year after I registered for the Jersey City Marathon (JCM).

On the ninth anniversary of my first marathon, I booked my April trip as an entire Expedia package. This was one of the furthest in advanced that I confirmed both flight and accommodations as one itinerary. Although my Chicago hotel was reserved about ten months before the race, I waited till later re the flight. For the Zurich Marathon, I opted for Krone Hotel. Like Chicago, it was about two and a half kilometres from the starting area, which I know doesn’t affect the 42.2K race if I walked it.

After the Chicago Marathon, we did a scaled back plan for Zurich until January. I was ambitious for a sub 2:40:00, and Coach Lee said that we wanted to ensure that we were feeling good, had no issues, and was refreshed for the winter build. Later that month, Meaghan gave me the idea to do the Chilly Half Marathon in Burlington for March 1. Lee said that others were doing it too and it would be a good one leading up to Zurich. So I signed up the next day (as I’m easily talked into these things). For October, for truly the first time ever, post-marathon blues struck me. Chicago was simply incredible, and I wanted to get back out on the roads and resume running. But as we were in recovery, it was important to rest. Waiting is definitely the hardest part.

In November, I did some long bicycle rides (which I wouldn’t do in the winter). While bicycle riding is a workout (akin to doing legs at the gym), I find it rather relaxing. On November 17, I saw that the marathon sold out. For the whole month, I was both excited – and somewhat almost sad – to run Zurich. I just wanted to do it right then and there as I was feeling great and strong (especially after a successful Chicago). I knew that the winter running would be tough, but I vowed to simply keep at it.

As a new experimental first, I purchased a Maurten Sodium Bicarbonate set on December 8. I read about this back in May. I gave it my first test on December 23. At the time, I was mindful of factors affecting the results; excessive driving the day before and holiday eating. I had some good early impressions, but imagined that I needed more trials with this to adjust. Thankfully, no gastrointestinal issues. My run pace at times was good/fast. The month was quite cold, but unlike previous years, this time I informed myself to just push through the low temperatures, and take this as an extra challenge to get stronger. 

The next month, I received an updated plan from Lee; increased paces. I also tried the Maurten Sodium Bicarbonate again. While I did hit the run pace, factors this time around were the wind, cold, and bad sleep the night before. I also ran 26K two days prior, so that was another variable messing with things. But with January, there was something that was a bit discouraging; Strava memories. My runs (and their paces) were faster in 2025. I was not sure what to think of it, but Lee always says to trust the process. So I was going to keep at it. By the middle of the month, I went to a new strategy because of the season. If mornings were too bad, I’d substitute a workout and then just run in the evenings (as snowplows would clear things by then). Other times, I’d head to the gym for the treadmill (amazingly enough, I didn’t do any indoor track running for the winter). Frigid seasons correlate with some slow runs, and Lee reminded folks that when conditions are less than ideal, paces don’t matter when it’s slippery or cold; it’s effort that counts.

February was again humbling. My February 4 Point Pleasant Drive hills weren’t as fast as my previous ones, but given I ran 30K in the last 36 hours, I didn’t feel bad on this outcome. Days later after the Long Run practice, I asked Lee about cool down paces. He answered that it should be the same as a warm up (around 4:10) as we want the overall pace to be fast, but if I didn’t have that energy at the end, that was okay. I was just to go with the feel of it. I was relieved to hear this from him as my cool downs were not the strongest in the last several weeks. Other times in the month, a warm up was slower than usual, but the cool down was strong. That said, February can be rough, and for me, February 21 seems to be the toughest day to do (regardless if in the cold or somewhere warm down south). I was wondering if February 21 was a jinxed day for me re running. The other thing with February was that I switched from Friday evening spaghetti to oatmeal, a decision that ultimately had mixed results (albeit initially thinking that it was okay).

March 1 was the Chilly Half Marathon. Several Road Hammers were also racing it. While aiming for a sub 1:15:00, I earned a new personal best of 1:16:49. I developed a very minor iffy right glute and hamstring issue on this one, but overall, I was happy with how it went and felt good with this “check-in” prior to Zurich. March (and the winter in general) felt colder overall, but I think I went into this season/training block with the right attitude back in December; it’s extra effort to make you stronger (despite my paces). Adjusting when I ran and or using the treadmill also helped me get through things. Scaling back the speed when I felt off assisted as well. Mid-March I tried another Maurten Sodium Bicarbonate, and finally had a great Long Run for the first time in a while despite the fierce gusts (which I yelled loudly at). I asked Lee on March 23 re scaling back the pace while in taper (normally I do 4:20). He did say to do between 4:20 to 5:00. If I’m tired, to go slower, but if feeling good, go to my normal range. I tried the Maurten Sodium Bicarbonate again on my 24K Long Run on March 28 as a tester for Zurich. All felt good, so I decided that I would use it on the marathon. However, during a leg workout, I did something wrong as my right glute and hamstring felt tender. I got some dry needling done, scaled back my paces, and or skipped team runs. Things were not feeling 100%, and I was now worried going into Zurich. But was mindful that I was in a worse position going into the JCM in 2025.

April arrived, and on the first day, I was happy and flattered that I was going to be placed in Starting Block A. This was nice to learn given how I was feeling with my right leg. My last Long Run prior to the marathon was odd. It wasn’t my best warm up nor pace, but the cool down was quite strong. I was hoping for a miraculous recovery for the marathon. By April 7, I accepted that stretching seemed to aggravate the issue, so I decided to stop all lower body yoga until after the race. The next day, I went to the Wednesday Workout and it was great to see Meaghan there (as we were both running in Europe on April 12). We had a rough winter training, and thanked each other for keeping spirits lifted for the season/block. Lee also affirmed to avoid leg stretching if it was bothering me. Before leaving practice, it was wonderful to receive many best wishes from the team for Zurich.

The flight over was great, and went with an Uber (rather than transit) to the hotel. I was allowed to check-in early and then went to go get my kit. The process was quite fast and simple, and I think because it was Thursday, it was less busy. After getting some carb foods (I was only able to find blue Gatorade), I did my 7K taper and nearly rolled an ankle; it reminded me of how I almost did the same the day before the 2022 Marine Corps Marathon (MCM). My race plan from Lee was that the first 15K was 3:51 to 3:53, then 3:49 to 3:52 until 32K, and then finishing it off with 3:47 to 3:49. This could get me a 2:42 finish, slightly faster if it was a good day. I was hoping that the leg would hold up. Friday was a small trip to a local cafe for a pretzel and coffee as I sat outdoors, pondered life, and was grateful for many opportunities. Back at the hotel, I spent the day carb-loading, texting, playing Resident Evil Village (overdue on this one), upper-body yoga, and reading many well-wishes from folks. The next day, my Body Battery and Garmin vitals were pretty good. Just relaxing helped a lot, although my leg was still on my mind. My last meal that Saturday was just after 3:00 p.m., a good lesson from Chicago.

The critical mistake that I made on my carb-loading was too much fibre (and along with that, protein). In particular, it was with my overnight oats. After my marathon, Jennie said that fibre intake should be 20 grams max (less if possible); same with protein and fats. With my overnight oats and the servings that I using, I added too much protein waffle powder (which had seven grams of fibre), granola (a half cup contributed four grams), chia seed (around five grams), and oatmeal (five packages was giving me 15 grams). This alone gave me 31 grams (not counting anything else that I had for the day). I also noticed when I switched from spaghetti to oatmeal (again, at five packages) on Fridays for my Saturday Long Runs, I was having some gastrointestinal issues. When I think about it, I’m wondering if this is why a lot of my Saturdays felt tough. Jennie said that too much protein and fibre displaces the carbs that you need. She added that in general, there’s too much mainstream emphasis on protein and fibre, and as an endurance athlete (e.g, a marathoner), my nutritional needs are going to be different from other athletes. Little did I know that I was going to severely learn this lesson the very hard way the next day.

Falling asleep was a bit tough, but on marathon morning, I woke up feeling good. I had my 250 milliliter smoothie at 4:00 a.m., a Cliff Bar and banana for 4:30 a.m., a bagel for 5:00 a.m., and then took my Maurten Sodium Bicarbonate an hour later. The walk to the start had a light drizzle, and it reminded me of the Toronto 2024 weather and the Chicago 2025 distance. I dropped off my bag with just a sweater inside of it. I knew that I was going to walk back and I would be cold. After what I thought was a final bathroom break, I headed to my starting block. The energy was a buzzing. After a countdown, we got going.

It was a bit of a chilly beginning, but knew that I’d be warm by 1K into it. Seeing some dogs that barked at us, I returned the favour. The start was flat, with some running within the old town area, and then we went off onto the long road along Lake Zurich. My paces were on track. I thought that this was going to be a good one for me. However, issues started up. I didn’t feel right in my stomach and lower bowel areas. A small part of me wondered if I could handle things to the end, and I quickly knew that I couldn’t. At the 17K mark, for the first time ever in any race, I had to stop at the restroom for a few minutes. I choose not to pause my Garmin. Re official time, I may have lost around three or so minutes. My ambitious sub 2:40:00 and potential 2:42:00 goals were not happening today.

Once done, I initially felt alright and knew that I’d have some catching-up to do to try and get back on track. Foolish thinking on my behalf. While the pace was okay, after the 21.1K mark, there was a steep hill which I struggled to climb, and then after that, my momentum was finished; the energy quickly drained from my system. Then I thought that maybe I could at least hit a sub 2:50:00. Slugging along, at 30K, I felt a sub 3:00:00 finish may be somewhat doable. At 35K and trying to push myself with whatever I had in me, I was passed by the 3:00:00 pacer. Yes; that goal was also now out the window. It was kind of like Fredericton 2023 all over again where things just got worse along the way. As Lee later wrote; I was down to survival pace.

When things go wrong in a marathon, I often find that it just feels the worst from 30K onwards. You are potentially so close to the finish, and yet, it seems so far away. That is what this one felt like. But I thought, “well we’re in Zurich doing your first European marathon; let’s still enjoy this.” Physically and physiologically, I felt like garbage that got thrown to the curb; a part of me was kicking myself for how things were turning out. But psychologically, I kept reminding myself that I was doing a full marathon, that only less than one percent of the planet’s population has ever completed one, I was going to finish my fifteenth, that I flew across the ocean for this, and when I am done, I am going to celebrate no matter the official time. Finishing an entire 42.2K race is always something to be proud of. But before I would get to that mark, I had to stop once again for the restroom at 39K. Yeah, the excessive ingredients in my overnight oats have come back to thoroughly punish me for my foolishness.

Albeit how I performed, I liked the course (expect for that hill just after the halfway point). In a marathon first, it was inspiriting to hear about a dozen or so spectators yell my name in encouragement; my bib clearly displayed it. Although it didn’t help with the speed, it boosted my spirits. I also liked seeing the markers in kilometres (oh hail the metic system). Another thing I was thankful for was that even though my right leg wasn’t feeling 100%, it held up to my amazement.

At 3:11:58, I was elated to have finally finished my fifteenth marathon. Given how I was feeling from the second half of things, I was so happy to be done. Sometimes when finishing a 42.2K, I feel as if I could keep on running. The 2023 California International Marathon and 2025 Chicago Marathon come to mind. Not this one. I was just relieved it was over. I wasn’t truly sore per se afterwards. I collected my medal, got some photos, and then went to get my bag (and sweater). I knew my body temperature would drop soon and I had to get warm quick, otherwise I’d be freezing. Chatting with folks at bag check, I shared that this was my first European marathon, and was planning to do more on the continent for the next few years. They seemed quite happy/enthusiastic to hear that especially as I was coming from across the Atlantic.

As I didn’t have any fellow Road Hammers here nor knew anyone else, I saw no need to stick around and then started walking back to my hotel. Even though it was uphill, I felt strong along the way, simply slow but no limping. My Garmin showed a 74 hour recovery period, which surprised me. I thought this was rather fast. I think my fitness was there; it was just a bad carb load for this one. Lesson learned. I was texting with Jennie about how things went down. As a lot has changed for me since 2021-2022 – I’ve lost over 50 pounds of body fat, weight-lift more, and am generally faster – she suggested that perhaps we should have another meeting re nutrition and carb loading.

To celebrate the marathon and to help with the recovery, I put on a pair of compression socks (am yet to race them in, but read about their role re post-racing) and headed to a local spa for some rest and relaxation. Back at the hotel, I got myself a massive order of Popeyes Chicken (because you burn a ton of calories running 42.2K).

The next day, I officially started my tour and sight-seeing of Zurich, Switzerland. I walked to the Lindt Chocolate Factory (and met a lovely Sheltie named Trixie). Once there, I chatted with some good people from Minnesota (whom I helped take photos for), and one of them noticed my MCM jacket. He told me that his father was a Marine in the 1940s, was 98 today, and still living independently and doing well. We ended up talking about his former job as an engineer and I explained doing economic development research for Atlantic First Nations. After the tour, I headed to Uetliberg, a mountain in Zurich. I was hoping the sky would have cleared up that afternoon but it didn’t. Nevertheless, I hiked up anyway on principle. I ended up logging 32K that day. On Tuesday, I went to a couple of churches and museums, learning local history (both positive and negative). The North American Native Museum was also good to visit; they had some Mi’kmaw work on display. Before I left, I gave the front desk the information for season one of Mi’kma’ki to help them learn more on the Mi’kmaw items in their possession. The day covered 25K. While I enjoyed my visits to the museums in Zurich, I did take issue with their use of language re “discovered” when it comes to Indigenous Nations – along with our lands and resources – throughout the Americas.

Wednesday was also a spectacular day as it was my first time visiting Titlis, a major mountain of the Swiss Alps (with a little stop in Lucerne). It was probably the first time that I was a part of a large tour group (booking with Best of Switzerland Tours). Along the way there (and back), we got an excellent Switzerland history lesson from our guide Bernadette. While overcast on our way to Titlis, on top it was clear with a magnificent view all around. I shot some quick “hello” videos (some almost entirely in Mi’kmaw) to send to various folks back in Mi’kma’ki about what I was experiencing. It was a bit heart-breaking when our guide shared that – due to climate change – the glaciers in the area were threatened. This was on my mind as I ventured into the ice cave.

Thursday was my last full day in Zurich. I chose to not only do a small hike in the city (with a stop up at Waid Vantage Point), but that I would return up to Uetliberg. The sun was out and there were barely any clouds. I vowed to finally get that view up on Uetliberg that I was unable to a few days beforehand. But rather than a straight hike up (which I did on Monday), I took a wild scenic route and sort of allowed myself to get lost along the way, exploring the forest, and simply being “one with nature.” Before I left the trails, I found a park bench and filmed a short self-reflection video of doing the Zurich Marathon, that while it didn’t turn out as planned, I was still thankful for the ability, resources, time, infrastructures, and opportunities to run – it’s such a wonderful experience to do and am only grateful for the privilege of it. I finished the day’s journey at 42.2K.

Friday was the return trip to Mi’kma’ki. Just like Chicago, I got rerouted. Turns out that at the Frankfurt Airport (where I had to go), they had a yoga studio less than a minute from my gate. A good stretch was definitely nice to do prior to the several hour flight (which was also quite pleasant) and walking a full marathon the day before (with tons of hills). That night, I order sushi for Kerri and I to continue the post-marathon celebrations.

For this one, one major important lesson (which I thoroughly explained above) is to not overdo the fibre (even if you are getting enough carbs – fibre can displace this). While my regular overnights oats work for me on a normal basis (and have so for other marathons), I cannot be overdoing the ingredients just because it’s a marathon carb load (especially with the added fibre). I should be getting 20 grams as a daily maximum (and less if I can) going into the 42.2K. I am also thinking a food scale would help with weighing things (although I brought measuring cups on the trip, which helped a lot). Finally, I need to be careful re lower-body strength training. While my right glute and hamstring held up for the marathon, they weren’t 100%. 

The Zurich Marathon was another great and important learning lesson along the way, and for that, I have deep gratitude for my experience with it. Next up; the Valencia Marathon in Spain on December 6, 2026.