Endurox's Twin Cities Marathon

[endurox]

They call it the most beautiful urban marathon in America (Minneapolis-St. Paul) and they are not lying! It is by far the nicest course I have run so far. The organization was excellent, down to the hot broth you get at the finish line, the crowds line the streets like in Boston, there are bands you actually here, music, amazing cheer zones. Beautiful lakes, large trees, fancy houses, I couldn't help but look around.

The one thing that surprised me is this popular marathon uses poweraid which is one of the worst things a body could ingest! I survived on my gels, endurolyte electrolytes and water.

All I asked out of my body was to obtain another Boston Qualifyer, because thats the bench mark I have been using. I knew I was capable of anywhere from 3:45 to 3:50 and if feeling good then less. My goal as always was to start out slow and build if possible. I have to say the whole race for me went very fast, I ticked off the miles, noted my 5K split, 10K and half split. I wanted to give myself 60 mins in finish the last 10K if need be. The course was rolly, not steep by any means but alot of long slow climbs of a couple miles but they were followed by a downhill recovery. The weather worried me a bit because we arrived (I drove down with 2 other girls in my running club, one ran the other was there to collect the remains) in drizzly cool windy conditions. They kept calling for no rain on Sunday and a bit of sun. I wondered if they were any better at predicting the weather than WInnipeg which can only predict dark at night. Race day was coolish, some sun and a bit of rain at the end but overall good conditions.

There was only one point just after 10 miles where I tried to dig out one of my electrolyte pills from a little baggy as I turned into the wind where I felt a bit tired. The difference between this race and my last two was I wanted to be here, I was able to stay focused. The crowd would shout out encouraging things like reminding us to keep our form, one mile at a time, face forward and other funny things. It truly reminded me to remain upright. My whole race I felt in good form. Finished in 3:48:19. I realized that was my fastest since June 2006. At 44 I am happy to maintain these race times and I hope that this is a sign of things to come and I got over that last hump, plateau or whatever you want to call it. At the end of the race I felt great, a little sore, today a tight hamstring and soreness in the quads that I didn't have yesterday and I often wonder if I hold back in races and should be crawling after the finish line but then I realize I am holding back so I can continue running in the years to come.

[Tori]

Congrats that is awesome! Will you be going to Boston next year then?

[endurox]

No Boston for me. Sounds terrible but I have run that race twice and its great for the experience but the logistics of it and the course make it impossible to have a good race time on that course. BUT I like to have a qualifyer in the back of my pocket in case I change my mind or a bunch of friends are going and talk me into it when I have had too much wine!

[HCcD]

Congratulations, on an awesome race and BQ ... Yay, for you...

[Tori]

No Boston for me. Sounds terrible but I have run that race twice and its great for the experience but the logistics of it and the course make it impossible to have a good race time on that course. BUT I like to have a qualifyer in the back of my pocket in case I change my mind or a bunch of friends are going and talk me into it when I have had too much wine!

My old boss says the exact same thing. She has run it 3 times and always says the logistics of the course turn her totally off of it. She is now of the mentality been there done that and hasn't raced it since the late 1990s but qualifies every year.

[Darth Tater]

Nice race Endurox - sounds like everything went accoding to plan Nice BQ!

[scrumhalfgirl]

congrats!

[ian]

No Boston for me... BUT I like to have a qualifyer in the back of my pocket in case I change my mind

Totally know what you mean by knowing that you could go to Boston if you wanted. Nice steady race.

[clocker]

It's so good to hear you having fun out there racing. Congrats on another fast time logged with the bigger game in mind.
Cheers! Ian

[cgraham]

Sounds like a well-run race - congrats!

[KBO]

You're not even home yet and you've written your race report! I was glued to the computer yesterday morning tracking your progress. Good steady race Cathy. You deserve that BQ, whether you intend to 'use' it or not. You worked super hard for this one and I'm really happy for you.

Karen

[Doonst]

Very impressive, lots of speed there. Its nice to hear about races at other destinations, maybe someday.

[La]

Well done!

[ratherBrunning]

I appreciate your running philosophy, and I'm sure it will serve you well for many (marathon) years to come! Congrats on a strong race!!

[dgrant]

Another strong result Cathy. Nice going as usual. Sounds like that race lives up to its rep.

[QuickChick]

Congratulations- that's a great race! Excellent strategy and pacing.

[chunkymonkeymelonhed]

Fantastic result, congratulations to you.

[Marg]

Sounds like a great experience! Congrats on a superb performance Cathy!

[endurox]

Thanks so much everyone for your remarks. I truly reccommend this marathon, you won't be disappointed. I don't usually look around much during a race but this one you just have to, so beautiful. The leaves hadn't changed colours like they usually do and I guess the weather has been iffy but just one great city for having a whole lot of fun before after and during the race!

[casual-runner]

Great job
If I could BQ that easy...

[endurox]

Good Luck in Chicago this coming weekend!! KBO and Binge runner will be there... BQ seems easier for us old ladies, NY Marathon is harder, they really keep rif raf out like me.

[Garrett]

Congrats on the great time and hitting your bench mark! Sounds like a great race/day as well!

[CinC]

Congrats Cathy! awesome race and awesome result!

[Jogger Barbie]

Beautiful race! Congratulations!

[Kristen]

Awesome run and race report! Thank you for sharing about your race. This one sounds like an excellent fall option for Winnipeggers.

I just loved reading about what a great time you had, and how you met your goals in doing so. You make it all seem so easy and effortless!