When I think of things I’d pair together, my mind goes towards really rich dark coffee and chocolate. Or the perfect red wine and cheddar. A black dress with really shiny earrings. Not a half marathon and a heat warning.
I love fall races becasue of the weather! Crisp mornings, fresh dew on the lawn, the perfect thin long sleeve shirt; not too hot & not too cold. That’s why I love fall running ! Not becasue on a random September weekend the thermometer spikes into the 30’s. I think you see my point here.
It was abnormally hot for a fall half marathon and going into this race I was a little thrown off.
I absolutely love the Oakville half marathon. This was my fourth year running the race and due to construction on lakeshore the route changed for the better !
More time along the lake, it was stunning. The haze over the water was incredible. The sun was reflecting off of it so brightly it almost hurt your eyes.
This was my 10th half marathon! Heat warning and all it was great. Enough of the route is shaded that even in the heat runners were spared the worst.
I only have good things to say about the race . We are always at the whim of weather, and Fall being a shoulder season, yes a heat wave can happen! It’s unusual, but not out of the question.
My training was a little different this time around. I spent more time building strength and less time running.
This summer I only ran 20 km once. That’s rare for me ! Usually I’m at it every weekend.
I decided that I needed to stop tiring myself out and instead make myself stronger.
It worked ! Did not PR, but I did run my fastest time for this course, 1 hour 54 minutes 13 seconds.
I felt strong for much of the race. Around 16 k I needed to do a mental push, but before I knew it, I felt like I was flying past the 20k marker and getting closer to the finish.
I was super happy to know I can still run distance without doing it every single weekend. Switching up your training is beneficial. It affects you in ways you may not even realize- for example this summer I know I was less stressed knowing I didn’t have to fit a long run into every single weekend.
As I continue to run, I learn more about the body, mind and my own determination to keep at it.
Congrats to everyone in Montreal who ran today and especially all at the Oakville half, game volunteers too! You guys are great.
One highlight I’ll always remeber this year was inspiring a fellow I met on twitter, Jack to run his first race ! He killed it in his training and crushed the 10 k. I know you will be at the 1/2 next year Jack.
Inspiring others to run really keeps me going !
Keep running & keep enjoying- my next half marathon is with Hamilton at the beginning of November, can’t wait !
RACHEL SCHOUTSEN 