Some Candy Talking

Thanks everyone for the kind words and support.  The feedback has been awesome and encouraging.

I’m going to answer a bunch of questions that I’ve been asked in the last week about last Sunday’s race.  If there is something else you want to ask me, Eric Gillis and/or Dylan Wykes you can do so on Wednesday at 12:00 (Eastern Time) at a live chat hosted by Canadian Running Magazine https://runningmagazine.ca/2011/10/sections/news/live-chat-whats-next-for-canadas-best/ I thought last year was great for Canadian marathoners when we had 3 guys under 2:13.  This year we had three guys under 2:13 in one race, on a windy day.

People have been asking me how much Dawit cutting in front of me at the 36km bottle station hurt me.  It seemed as though that was the nail in the coffin because shortly after the incident I faded from the two leaders.  However I don’t think it really made a difference.  What hindered me a little bit (very little) was when Dawit threw that bottle at my leg and water spilled all over the toe of my shoe. The incident was missed on the CBC coverage because they replayed the cut-off over top of it.

You can see the 1 hour coverage package HERE, anywhere in the world.  The cut-off happens at 33:15 into the video.

How has recovery gone?  On Monday and Tuesday I wasn’t walking with any fluidity and stairs were a chore although I never had to walk down backwards.  Wednesday my legs still had some soreness but Thursday onwards I was doing pretty well and even today I was thinking I could go running and feel 100%.  Well almost 100%, my right foot (at the 2nd toe joint) got a little bruised and may take another week to feel back to normal.  I won’t explain what normal means for my feet.  Taking care of details after the marathon really help with recovery, getting massage, eating and drinking plenty, Zanagen Xcellerate and plenty of rest.

Who organized my pacemaker? Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon provided the logistics and financial support for all the pacers.  Alan Brookes makes sure we are given a good opportunity to run fast on Canadian soil and Ian Ladrookes does the ground work to get us fit pacemakers.  My pacer, Stephen Chelimo, did an amazing job and helped me claw back up to the leaders on four occasions during the race before dropping out around 34km.  Thanks again to Alan Brookes for all the support and putting on such a great event!

How much did the wind affect the final time?  After watching the full coverage and seeing myself running with the leaders 1hr and 53min into the race I asked myself , How did I die so bad with only 17 minutes to go? (Well what should have been 17 minutes but was 18 minutes).  And then I saw a comparison that was done on the 35-40km splits for elites from this year to last and it becomes evident how brutal the wind was this year.  There’s been a lot of speculation just how much the wind slowed the race down, no one will ever really know, it was what it was and it just makes me hungry to get after another marathon.

What shoes did I wear? New Balance RC 1400.  The best racing flats I’ve had to this day.  They are light (7oz) and the very simple upper makes them really comfortable.

I guess I broke the Canadian 30km record when I split 1:31:38 beating Art Boileau’s 1:31:45.  I don’t know if a chip time will be an official CR or not.  Either way I set a PB after the race in the doping test.  I produced over 150ml in less than a minute and was out of there in no time at all.

Alex Huchinson shot a bunch of video from the lead vehicle during the race and then the finish line.  What I like about this video is that you can see the point where I go from waving to the crowd to realizing I actually have a good one going and I better bust it to make sure I get under 2:11.  There’s also the whole finish line celebration, more of a lack of self-celebration when I cross and then Eric’s final sprint.

http://sweatscience.com/after-the-toronto-marathon/

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oUAeApem-Sw]