After a race there is always a story to tell.
And this time it’s a story that speaks to dedication and believing in yourself.
For the first time in my relationship with running I have gone out of the comfort zone. Tempo runs, speed work, negative splits. All things that seem to take the fun out of a simple run- but this time around I wanted to put in the effort!
The Mississauga Marathon is a special one to me as this is my hometown and my twin brother Jonathan joins me for this one!
We started together for the first km, we finished that in 5 min 30 sec. I didn’t want to break away from him so quickly but I knew the time was now if I wanted to reach some goals.
I looked at him, waved goodbye and took off.
I knew I wanted to get my overall pace down to 5:14-5:16/km and with this I could achieve a 1:50 1/2 marathon.
I felt like I was flying through the route. I have never ran so fast in a race. There was still some doubt in my mind, but as the kilometers climbed I became more confident knowing I was ready for this speed.
I kept telling myself you have trained for this !
It’s amazing what small changes in your training plan can do for you long term. I know the tempo runs and speed work have made a difference ( Big thanks to Dr.Doug for all the encouragement and advice with my training. He’s such an awesome part of my running journey!)
The course is generally downhill, with a decent hill to climb around 10 k. This year that incline did not even phase me, I was impressed!
Once I reached 15k I was getting close to the lake and nearing the finish. To be honest, I find the last 5 k of this route a little annoying. Lots of turns, bridges and random residential streets.
The winds picked up slightly, but overall they were not a big factor along the route. And no rain! Or snow! Wahoo.
I could see the finish line and gave it my all.
I finished the race in 1 hour 50 min 25 sec. I got to the time I wanted and I felt my confidence rise.
I then waited at the finish for Jonathan. He came in at 1 hour 57 minutes. For someone who does not train at all for these races he blows me away! What an amazing run for him too.
This year’s Mississauga Half Marathon was good news all around for the Schoutsen twins.
Throughout all of my training I have focused on exercising my body, this time around I also exercised my mind & confidence. I believed that I could achieve the 1:50 1/2 marathon and thankfully the day came together for me.
It has taken me over three years to run a half with this much determination and strength.
Self confidence is something I am going to continuously work on. As a runner the mental game is a huge part of the race and commitment.
Next up…the Ottawa Marathon. Goals? A sub 4 hour marathon.
I would be looking at shaving just over 14 minutes off my first marathon attempt.
Over-the-moon happy! That’s where I would be, if I could come in under 4 hours in Ottawa.
I have a hard time saying that this is THE GOAL because if I do not get there I don’t want to be disappointed in the weekend. I know it is going to be a ton of fun and I feel so fortunate that my body is in a state that is fit and capable to take part in a such a memorable run for Canada.
See that’s me again, not being able to commit to a goal that scares me.
When it comes to the full 42 I have many doubts. And clearly it’s holding me back from going all in.
I’ll just leave it at that for now.
RACHEL SCHOUTSEN 