05/25/2026
Calgary Marathon 2026 - 2:55:54 (a PR)
I am really proud of this one!
Knowing you can run a PR, a strong race, or a specific pace is one thing. Actually doing it is another.
You have to decide to do it. You have to decide to do it more than once. You have to decide to do it each km, and even each minute as you get close to the end.
To endure is to continue to push forward despite the mounting and overwhelming desire to stop. A marathon is that. Physically, I knew I had it in me, but mentally I had to be ready to tolerate the discomfort. You cannot get around that. You have to accept and manage the discomfort as a necessary part of completing the task - achieving your goal. And a good goal is one that is just within reach. One that is doable and that you believe is obtainable, but only if you extend yourself very close to your limit.
That is why, despite always doing my best to prepare, a marathon never feels easy for me. It feels doable, and it should if I have an appropriate goal, but I am only proud of my effort if I am forced to accept a great amount of discomfort to achieve it… and I do.
When I saw my dad at 34km, he asked how I was feeling and I said: “I will be able to finish it.” Not, “I am feeling good, or I am feeling bad”. It didn’t matter at that point. I knew my body could do it and it was just about making the decision at that point.
I love to train. You have to do accept discomfort a bit when you train and I like that challenge. but training is fun. It’s more manageable. Racing is hard. It is borderline unmanageable. It is not fun, it’s satisfying. And that is why I like it.