Still "Embracing" the Heat?

So how's that heat embrace working out for you? We're halfway into September--just a few days away from Fall, but you wouldn't know it if not for the calendar! True, the heat was late in its arrival this year, but on the flip side it doesn't appear to be ending anytime soon. Sigh...The other day Juli pointed out that her marathon is in less than 3 weeks...which means Chicago (Sarah and Jeff) is in 4 weeks, which means Kansas City (Jamie, Ginna, Mark, Zelda, the ghost of Zac, and myself) is in less than 5 weeks. Yikes! Maybe the folks running West Virginia (Kathy and Mike) and NYC (Susan and Laura) will catch a break, but our chances aren't looking so good. Supposedly there's a "cold front" coming through before this Saturday's long run, but I can't even think about that. I have to mentally prepare for yet another wet, squishy, salty, painful, drippy slog.

Yes, the fissures are forming. Just yesterday someone cracked and started F-bombing. Not going to say who, but I will say I am glad that for once it wasn't me. I've come so close to losing it on a few runs that, as I have now come to expect, ended badly. Where a run becomes a test of will to make it from land mark to land mark without walking. Or crying. Or asking a cyclist if you can borrow their phone to call home.

I had a customer the other day who just moved here from Indiana. She's training for the Dallas marathon and was telling me that after her 16 mile run she had to sleep all day! Normal. She said she had to resort to buying a water bottle! Normal. She said she had to stop and walk because she felt "weird". Normal. She said her friends back home couldn't possibly understand what she's going through. I told her that she'll enjoy our winters. She said they had no problems running in the winter. They just bundled up in their fleece. They run in fleece!

Not to say it's been all bad. We have acclimated to a point where we move on auto pilot with our bottles, electrolyte pills, cold snappy rags and body glide. We have attacked every cooler in our path like a pack of crazed raccoons. Just ask the woman who tried to shoo us away from one one morning. We have "sheep dogged" each other, making sure that we were all OK in case the heat was getting the better of one of us on that day.  I think we've all had a few long runs that we've loosely labeled as successes.

What we've yet to realize is how tough we have become, not just physically, but mentally, due to the tremendous amount of positive energy we have had to tap into repeatedly throughout the summer. We may not realize it until marathon day, but we WILL realize it! And this heat WILL end! I just wish it would hurry the f*&%#  up. Sorry! Crack!

September Marathon of the Month: OASIS Montreal International Marathon, QC Canada

The Montreal marathon's history goes back as far as 1979 with 9,000 participants. It was held for the next 10 years, then disappeared until 2004. Last year the Competitor Group took over the race, adding the marathon to its famous Rock and Roll marathon series. Last year's total race participation was around 24,000. There are some people who are polarized over their opinion of Competitor Group and the Rock and Roll series events. I've only participated in one Rock and Roll marathon, and it was their very first marathon in San Diego back in 1998. Yes it was a disaster, but yes it was a blast! I don't particularly care for the larger, "hoopla" races, which is why I haven't done one since, but I've wanted to travel to Montreal since I last visited there briefly a few years ago. Last year's reviews on marathonguide are very good--it appears that Competitor Group has a handle on this race, so this marathon is now on my ever expanding marathon wish list.

The stats: This year's marathon is to be held on 9/22. In addition to the full marathon, there is a half marathon, 10K, 5K, and even a 1K. Word of warning: I found 10K and 5K reviews out there and they are bad! These 2 events are disorganized messes, which does not surprise me, as they are trying to juggle too many races (with different starting locations no less). The marathon and half marathon start together. Another word of warning in that the half marathon is the bigger draw. I am not fond of events where the marathon is the side bar event, but this situation is pretty hard to avoid these days. At any rate, I didn't see any complaints that are common in other races about half marathoners merging into the full or emptying out the finish line provisions, so hey.

The expo sounds decent, with Brooks having a presence there--always a good thing. Generic shirts and medals--typical of Rock and Roll events.

The race day logistics aren't too bad, with the start and the finish close together. (No shuttles!) The course appears to be interesting--with a great tour of some of the highlights of Montreal. The race starts on the Jacques-Cartier bridge and actually runs on Canada's Grand Prix F1 race course! Other interesting sights include: the Montreal Island, Old Montreal, the Botanical garden, and the Olympic stadium, which is a really unique building (see below)

Jacques-Cartier bridge

F1 circuit...minus the cars and fans

Olympic Stadium

Terrain-wise the course is pretty flat, and as far as spectators go, it can be sparse in the residential areas, but pretty lively for the most part. You may want to brush up on your french in order to understand the cheers, as French is the predominant language of Montreal. The post race party, held in La Fontaine Park, is reportedly a blast! This is to be expected with a Rock and Roll marathon, and here they appear to deliver.

A con would be the cost. Montreal is a pretty expensive city, and the marathon entry fees are high, but I do think this is a top destination marathon choice. If you have extra vacation time you can take a train to Quebec City and spend a few days there as well. Quebec has a European feel to it--sometimes you have to remind yourself that you are in Canada.

Here is the marathon link. Be sure to hit the "translate" button at the top!
http://ca.competitor.com/montreal