I'll be in Ottawa in just under a month to run the Tamarack Ottawa Marathon and thought the time was right to write a small update about how training is going and what's on my mind.
Injuries are real and not to be trifled with, but they are definitely preventable
I started running regularly in 2009. Back then, my idea of running was something along the lines of 5km down Marine Drive. But the regular exercise did help be build what I think is a reasonable baseline of fitness that hasn't left me. That being said, progressing to half- and full marathons years later has been a very different ball game. This became especially apparent in January this year when I developed a stinging ankle pain that benched me for two and a half months and forced me to visit a physiotherapist. A lesson I learned here that surprised me was that the muscles in my right leg were weaker than those in my left. I needed to dedicate time to strengthen it and stretch it out. A noob lesson, but an important one to learn. How to tackle this is a matter I'm thinking carefully about for future races. At this point, I'm feeling decent about the race but not great. I think I'll be able to finish, but I anticipate difficulties that will test me more than my prior races.
Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition
The first time I ever ate an energy gel was during the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2022. The fact that I made it through an entire summer training for the thing without ever eating a gel continues to surprise me. The fact that I trained for and ran marathons, halfs, and ultras in Bombay, Ladakh, and Ooty without ever eating a gel surprises me even more. I recall all of those races being pretty challenging, and I wonder if I'd have had an easier time of them had I paid closer attention to nutrition. Nutrition continues to be a challenge for me, not just while actually running, but also in the periods in between races.
Learning about myself
I used to aspire to becoming an ultramarathoner. I was inspired by the likes of Scott Jurek and Rich Roll, and my races in Ladakh and Ooty (not to mention cross country in the latter in high school) made me develop a link in my mind between long-distance running and beautiful places. The idea of spending hours and possibly days running in the Himalayas was almost romantic. While I still want to run ultras at some point, I'm becoming increasingly convinced that marathons and road races will be my area of focus for the next 5 years or so. This is because I've realised that:
1. Marathons are high-energy affairs, and I enjoy that immensely. The crowds, the fanfare, the medals, the enthusiasm. I've never done a big ultra, but it's hard to imagine comparable environments until you get to the big leagues like the UTMB.
2. There is a strong community around marathons that I am enjoying thus far. Marathon training often seems to happen in the company of friends (at least where I live now), while ultras sound lonelier. Maybe I haven't found the ultra crew in Toronto yet (not that I've spent time searching)
3. Training well for marathons fits me better at this point in my life than training well for ultras. As I prepare for Ottawa, I'm balancing running with other physical health. I'm seriously trying to build upper body and core strength at a gym, and I'm in the midst of navigating a career in a field that is ever changing and ever uncertain. I also need to sort out other dimensions of myself - mental and emotional well-being, personal aspirations and goals, sleep, building a new life in a new country, and more. I don't have time to train well for an ultra, but I think I can manage to train well for a marathon.
Excited for what Ottawa will bring, and I can't wait to see the city! I'll be running in race team uniform this time round, so if you belong to a certain Toronto-based running club and see me sporting the colours in the capital, be sure to say hi!
