Mississauga Marathon race strategy

Reader Stan was asking for a Mississauga Marathon strategy guide and since we’re about 12 hours to go to the race, I thought I’d oblige with some quick thoughts.



First, I’ve run the marathon there twice, and each time it was a different course at the end. It looks like this year is the same as 2009 when I ran it.

Course in general: It is generally exposed, some hills in the beginning and can be subject to wind since the last bit is on the water. In general, it is a net downhill course, so it is quite fast, especially for half marathoners. For marathoners, the flat and potentially windy (and soul damaging out and backs where you get so close to the finish, you can get a little defeated.

This race report sums up my 2009 version and you can see that I ran a negative split, partly because I was pacing a friend for the first 30 some odd kilometres then bumped it up at the end.

First 10K: You’re running from the city hall/Square One, and it’s a big crowd since you’re pacing with half marathons. I try never to go out too fast but it’s definitely possible to make that mistake. Heading west, you will have both inclines and downhills as you run on wide roads. The second half of the first 10K brings you down Mississauga Rd. which is a lot of fun to run but includes some killer hills that you should get ready for. Before you hit the big downhill followed by an uphill, you visit the U of T campus that’s a nice detour.

10K to half: You run another 5K or so with the half marathoners, then you turn around 15K. I enjoyed getting some peace and quiet when the crowd thins, and it’s a good time to get into the pace. You’re running in neighbourhood so the change in scenery going west is nice. Not much to note other than again when you start hitting south again it’ll be exposed to the sun and wind so plan and dress accordingly.

Half to 16 mile mark: Yep, this isn’t a fun part of the course. Some industrial land. You’ll start to see faster runners who are ahead of you as you hit the lone out-and-back portion of the race. While you should have plenty of energy to go, wind can be your enemy here.

16 miles to 20 miles: Slowly, you leave the industrial part and start heading back toward the finish. Wish it was a straight line but you got a lot of curves. There are hilly bits here and there so be prepared for small rollers. Nothing that will get you but if you haven’t prepared you should.

20 miles to the end: The final bit of the Mississagua Marathon combines running on Lakeshore, where you are running on a main street, running south into a few neighbourhoods. First things first, a lot of people hit the wall on Lakeshore around the 36K mark. They do so because there is a considerable incline. My tactic was always to run it strong and not let the course do me in. Good in a race like this to carry water or Gatorade with you as water stations are not exactly close together (good to check that). The final bit features a lot of running on winding paths, many of them really designed for everyday trail traffic, so it can be quite tight in there depending on when you finish. I've finished a marathon having to wind my way through half marathoners who were just finishing.

Four weeks out and a different view of the marathon

This is a truely weird feeling I have right now -- I'm four weeks until my next marathon and I'm not feeling the excitement I usually have. The best way to describe it is what I felt going into last year's Marine Corps Marathon, a month after finishing the Toronto Scotiabank Marathon.

In other words, I have a decent amount of basic training in me, but not to the point where I think I'm going to all-out race the distance. My winter has not been great for training than last year for Flying Pig. For one thing, I narrowed it down to a 12 week program, and if you do that, you have to be on the ball for the entire nine weeks leading to the taper. My big flu/cold three weeks back took me way off track and now I'm feeling great in health but nowhere near where I am capable of on a fitness and running level. Tomorrow's 17 miler and next week's 20 miler are coming up and I'm sure I can get through them but not at one of those, I'm feeling great, bring on the marathon type runs.

Long story short, I think the type of training I've done is sorta like what I did for my first marathon in Chicago. It was plenty of mid-level mileage but lacking in all the quality work (tempos, marathon pacers, trackwork). I ran that marathon in 3:35 even though I targetted a 3:20.

Yes, I've done four road races in the past month, including a 30K race that I ran at a 3:20 marathon pace (that's a confidence booster for sure) and a few speedy tempo like races (one 5K at 20 minute pace, and two LTs last Saturday).

So am I ready for an all-out race at Mississauga? I don't think so, and I even think if I went for a 3:20 I could end up hurting a whole lot. Yes, I do think I've gained a lot of experience in my five marathons I've run that would get me through a sub 3:30. And I do think that 3:25 would not be out of the question. But I've learned to respect this distance and I think I see Mississauga as a chance to be the springboard into a spring and summer of heavy training. If this sounds silly, this marathon is the warmup for fall season.

Anyhow, I'm thinking a 5 minute kilometre or a 3:30 is the realistic approach. It will have me comfortable through 30K and let experience get me through the final 6 miles. Even during my run today, I was thinking that maybe even a 3:45 would be great so I could just treat the race like a ultra long Sunday run, and maybe hook on to a pacer and enjoy the company of other runners.

I have ambitious goals for the fall, including running two marathons and making another real attempt at a BQ. I've already signed up for Marine Corps but I don't think it's the A-race.

But now, leading to the peak week of training, I'm gonna reconnect to simple running and leave all that wonky running jargon (farklets, tempos, track, pacers) for another day. Tomorrow, gonna just run, and that's good enough for me.