Where nothing we’ve actually seen has been mapped or outlined

Another solid week of training and another step in the right direction. 

I started off the week in Ottawa where I ran much of the first half of the course on Monday.  Local marathon course guide extraordinaire Kyle Desormeaux and I ran the streets of Ottawa using the race pamphlet which wasn’t quite detailed enough to catch every turn.  We were probably on the course for 60% of our 19km run…  The next morning I ran the last 18km of the course, which is pretty easy to follow as it runs down one side of the Rideau Canal and back up the other side.  The course looks good.  It doesn’t seem to be too hilly although there are enough rises that I wouldn’t call it a particularly fast course but, by no means slow. 

I then completed my third track workout this season in the form of 5 X 1600m with training partner Josephat Ongeri.  I averaged 4:31 and was quite pleased with the way I felt.  I don’t have the speed yet to take that workout to the next level but I felt very comfortable running that pace.  The other positive is that I know I’m moving in the right direction, with another couple of weeks I know I could chop those times down quite a bit.

Today I completed my last long run (I consider a long run anything over 90 minutes) before the marathon.  I had a few bottles out there with gels and I seem to be getting more used to taking in nutrition while running.  I’m also getting more used to running in the morning and pounding the pavement.

After testing a few different pairs of racing flats I’ve decided to go with the NB 769’s.   They seem like a great shoe for the 42.2km distance as they have decent cushioning and support for a lightweight shoe.