Scotiabank Waterfront Toronto Marathon 2014

Race: Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon
Distance: 21.2km
Date: Sunday, October 19, 2014
Pre-Race Preparation: Lots of massaging, rolling and stretching out my achilies tendon.
Pre-Race Thoughts: I’ve been having problems with my achillies tendon so I haven’t been running much.  Should I just pace my friend instead? Or Run hard? It’s the last race of the year for me and I decided to just have a good time and pace my friend.  =)
Running Surface: Concrete, pot holes
Incline / Decline: Mostly flat, slight uphill at the last 1km
Start Time: 8:55am
Finish Time: 10:56:08am
Weather:  chilly with a bit of sun coming in and out.
Pre-Race Routine: Ran a 8k to see how my achillies tendon was feeling.
Shoes:  Pearl izumi Emotion M3
Socks:  Adidas
Fluids taken during the race: water at every aid station, Gatorade at every second aid station.
Energy / Calories consumed Prior to the race: Oatmeal, chia seeds, hemp seeds, cranberries  
Sodium / Electrolytes consumed During the race: Just had Gatorade.  It was enough to keep me going for this race.
General Observations: Very well organized race.  The package pick up was easy.  They expo was great with lots of things to buy at a decent price.  There were lots of samples of protein bars and juice for you.  Race day was a little different this year.  Everyone had to enter their coral on the left side and at the end of each coral so if you’re late, no sneaking into the front.  I was pacing a 2hr half for this race and it was great not having to stress my body to run a sub 1:30.  The experience for pacing is amazing.  I learned how to keep my friend Carmen motivated and on track every step of the way.  We were a bit shy of the sub 2hr goal but it was still her personal best!! Congrats Carmen!  The post race event was also different this year.  We had to line up to get a food bag with post race food in it.  I didn’t stay for too long as it was getting chilly.  Overall, this race is great with a huge crowd cheering you on at many spots along the route.  You’ll have a great time if this is your first race.
Things that worked for this event:  Verbal encouragement to keep Carmen running through soreness!!  =)
Things that didn’t work well for this event:  I can’t go too far ahead as a pacer. I need to stick within a meter away to keep the person motivated. I learned this along the way.
Post-Race Recovery: Bike, roll and stretch at the gym. I ate lot of protein from Monday to Wednesday to promote a quicker recovery.
Things to Improve for Next Time: Push my friend a bit more near the end