Tag: running

A few days ago, I ran my second half-marathon race.¹ It wasn’t easy, and it took a lot out of me to make it to the finish line, but I’m happy to say that the Toronto (Half) Marathon is now in the books.

I trained for the race with a roughly fifteen-week plan designed to take me from my winter “running maintenance routine” (wherein I was running three times a week and maintaining the ability to comfortably run 10km) to a 21.1 kilometre distance at a quicker pace. This meant that quite a bit of my training took place during the brutal winter we had this year in the city. I did as much running as possible outdoors, which meant becoming an expert at dressing for the elements. Each week throughout my training, I went on three runs (two shorter and one longer) and tried to incorporate strength training once or twice. It was tough, but very rewarding. I proved to myself that I could be tough and adaptable, especially in less-than-ideal weather conditions. I saw a significant improvement in my pace throughout the training, especially during the taper period. 

This said, I was a little apprehensive in the weeks leading up to the race. Most of this came from hearing horror stories about past Toronto Marathon events, including overcrowding, the organizers running out of water for participants, and incomplete road closures putting runners in precarious positions. The novelty and excitement of running 21.1 kilometres had also started to wear off: by race day, I had already run the distance three times before, including just a few weeks prior on April 12. Fortunately, once I picked up my bib and other runners on social media started to post more about it, I started to look forward to the race. 

And then, the unthinkable happened. On the evening of Friday May 1, roughly thirty-six hours before the race was set to begin, I found myself in bed, curled up in a ball, so nauseous I couldn’t even stand. Things only got worse from there: I had a terrible sleep on Friday night and woke up on Saturday exhausted, with a splitting headache, and a still-unsettled stomach. I ended up spending almost the whole day on the couch watching TV. My plans to pick out my race outfit in advance, get a shakeout run in, or even carb-load evaporated. It took everything in me to force down PopTarts and plain white rice. I went to bed on Saturday night assuming that I would have no choice but to sit the race out the next morning.

Miraculously, I was wrong. I woke up at 5:00am (thanks to my cat) on Sunday, May 3 feeling absolutely fine, aside from the smallest bit of stomach upset. I ended up popping an Advil and making the decision to run. Going into the race, especially given my mystery illness the day before, my goals were simple: first and foremost, cross the finish line, and, second, if possible, beat my previous race time of two hours and eleven minutes. I gave myself unconditional permission to stop running and drop out if I started to feel even a little bit sick during the race. 

The weather was perfect- it was mostly sunny, and the temperature fluctuated between seven and ten degrees. I wore a baseball hat, long leggings and a long-sleeved shirt with my hydration vest on top. The shoes I wore were my beloved Brooks Ghost 17 GTXs.

The Toronto Marathon is generally known for having a great route. The half-marathon course started in North York, at Yonge and Elmwood, and continued south down Yonge street. The first few kilometres were very hilly- mostly downhill, but with a few notable periods of elevation. I ran the first few kilometres alongside my friend Stephanie, but then lost her at a water station. After that, I found my boyfriend in the crowd around the five kilometre mark. There were some frustrations that were obvious from the start of the race- namely, major overcrowding on the course. There were thousands of runners, and I don’t think start times were staggered very well. Also, only half of the lanes on Yonge street were actually closed off. This led to a lot of congestion throughout the entirety of the race. I found myself weaving through and hitting or getting hit by other runners or veering into live lanes of traffic throughout the whole race. Stopping or slowing down at water stations made this even more difficult to navigate.

At about the halfway point in the race, the course turned off of Yonge Street and onto Rosedale Valley. This was easily the most scenic part of the race with lush, green foliage overhead. It was here that I looked down at my smart watch and realized I was making exceptionally good time. I ended up making the gametime decision to try and finish the race in less than two hours. A sub-two half-marathon was not a goal I ever set for myself, even before I got sick. I didn’t incorporate any speed training into my plan, and had no pacing strategy for the race. I generally find that focusing on speed tends to detract from my enjoyment in running. I’m also very liberal about stopping or taking walking breaks on my runs to stretch, take gels or drink water. 

Predictably, making the decision to attempt a sub-2 half marathon totally changed the race for me. Once I set myself a time goal, I lost focus on the route, my music and enjoying myself. The only thought I had throughout the second half of the race was, “keep going”. I started to hit some crazy (for me) paces- 5:15 mins/km (at km 17), 4:53 mins/km (20)… even 4:31 mins/km (19). Ultimately, my efforts paid off and I ended up finishing with an official time of one hour, fifty-nine minutes and twelve seconds. I hate to define a run by my finishing time, because it’s really antithetical to my entire running philosophy, but the truth is that I ended up making this race about speed rather than the experience as a whole.

The finishing chute was probably the most disorganized part of the race. I crossed the finish line to thousands of people crammed into a tiny, fenced-in area to get medals, bags, food and water (the race organizers actually did end up running out of water at the finish line when I was passing through). I managed to fight my way through the crowd for an oversized medal and one banana before leaving with my partner.

Overall, despite the hiccups, I did have a good race and I’m so proud of myself for making it through the months of training and across the finish line. I’m so grateful to my body for being able to push through everything. I really showed myself I can do hard things and exceed my own expectations. 

I’m confident these are lessons I can bring forward with me in the future, when- drumroll please– I’ll be training for my first full marathon.

Until next time, 

Laura Kate

1. The official event was the Toronto Marathon which hosts a full marathon, a half-marathon, a 10k and a 5k. ↩︎

Alternative title: “A Love Letter to Running”

On October 19, 2025, after more than 7 months of training, I ran the Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon; my first half-marathon race.¹ It was incredible- one of the most difficult things I’ve ever accomplished, and also one of the most rewarding. 

I’ve been a runner now for a little over a year. I started running in the summer of 2024.² My first 5-kilometre race was the Holly Jolly Fun Run that November. In May of this year, I ran the Sporting Life 10k. From there, I decided to keep my momentum going and train for a half marathon. 

Training didn’t come easily. I started with little to no base level of running ability. Although I regularly walked and hiked long distances, the last time I’d tried to run was in high school gym class. In deciding to become a runner, I knew I would be starting from “zero”: being able to run continuously for maybe one minute maximum (and no, I don’t even mean in one minute intervals) and after a lifetime of telling myself that I was bad at sports and could never be an athlete. This being said, starting from zero ended up being a good thing for me- it prevented me from setting my expectations too high and letting perfectionism get in the way of the process. 

While running has brought so many great things into my life, the biggest benefit I’ve gained has been learning how to be a beginner. In this blog post, I wanted to talk about my experience becoming a runner, and share some of the lessons it has taught me- lessons which are applicable to so many other areas of life.

Lesson One: Set Small, Incremental Goals.

When I started running in June 2024, my initial “end goal” was to run a half-marathon by that October. At first, I thought a half-marathon was something I could reasonably train up to in 4 months. I found some “couch to half marathon” training plans online and tried to follow them; but quickly found that running was a lot more difficult than I expected. I wasn’t able to hit the targets in the plans, became quickly discouraged, and eventually gave up training.  

Things changed in the fall when I made an offhand comment to my now-boyfriend that I wanted to be a runner. A runner and cyclist himself, instead of suggesting that I sign up for a big race, he encouraged me to start with a 5k. Compared to a half-marathon, I found training with a 5k goal in mind much less daunting. Instead of worrying about the prospect of running for more than 2 hours straight, I only had to worry about running for 35 minutes. I signed up for the Holly Jolly Fun Run, and, after a few weeks of training, I was able to finish the race with a 33-minute time.

Something I would recommend to all new runners is to set small, incremental goals instead of big ones. Things “clicked” for me when my targets became more achievable. My first few running goals were so small that they weren’t related to distance at all, they focused on time: run 3 minutes without stopping. 5 minutes. 10. 15. When I was able to run in 15-minute intervals, my focus shifted to distances: run a 5k. A 10k. A half-marathon.

When the path to a goal seems more achievable, you’re more likely to work towards it. You can build towards your big goals by setting small ones. This approach keeps you focused on the present instead of worrying about a distant, more-intimidating future.

Lesson Two: Embrace Novelty. 

As a beginner, it’s important to periodically check in with yourself and evaluate what methods are working for you and which are not. It’s also important to experiment with new tools and strategies. 

My running strategy has evolved dramatically from when I started out. Some modifications were borne out of necessity from having to solve problems that arose over the course of training. For instance, something that came up early on was experiencing calf pain for days following runs. I was able to resolve this issue by implementing a pre-run stretching routine, buying better shoes and changing my footstrike. I also started experimenting with a shoe rotation when I started experiencing blistering from wearing the same pair of shoes on every run. 

Other modifications to my running strategy came from experimentation for fun. I tried running with both running belts and hydration vests, and found out that I vastly preferred running with vests (despite how dorky I thought they looked). I also experimented with different ways of carrying water (smaller flasks vs. water bladders) and different ways of fueling (I first tried dates, then moved onto running gels and chews).

Trying new things isn’t just a tip for beginners- I think it’s something we should all challenge ourselves to do. Failing to embrace novelty can hinder your personal growth and development. 

Lesson Three: Understand that Progress is Not Linear.

I’ve heard a saying that for every one good run, there will be one mediocre run and one bad run. Not every run will be great. Some runs will be awful. You will not notice improvement after every run. Some days you won’t want to run at all. But, even in the face of roadblocks,  you need to persist.

I’ve experienced my fair share of “bad” runs. I had a number of runs where I had to stop after 2 or 3km because of excruciating side stitches, runs I had to take breaks in the middle of, and a meant-to-be-12km run that I ended early because I ran out of water.

My biggest failure was on what should have been a 20km peak long run in September. I’d been building up to 20km for months, and had just done a 19km run the week before. Despite this, when out for my 20km run, I hit a total mental roadblock very early on and had to stop. I tried taking a half hour break, walking, trying to re-motivate myself- but nothing worked. I didn’t complete the run. Nonetheless, I didn’t let one shitty run get to me. The next week, I tried again, and ended up running my first 21.1km distance.

Progress is not linear; there will be highs and lows in everything we do. The most we can do is learn to trust and embrace the journey.

Lesson Four: Surround yourself with people who make you feel supported.

Something I struggle with is comparing myself to other runners in terms of pace. I’m definitely not the fastest runner out there. I’m still working on accepting that everyone is different, everyone’s bodies are different, everyone has different abilities, and the only person I should be comparing myself to is myself.

Something that has helped me immensely in this particular struggle is following influencers from the “slow running” community online. There’s not a specific pace that defines a slow runner, but in general, slow runners prioritize enjoying running and getting longer distances under their belts instead of worrying about how fast they’re going. This running community reminds me that I can still be a runner, even if I’m not going to win any races anytime soon. I’m also very lucky to have other wonderful runners in my offline life (like my partner who slows his pace to match mine when we run together, and my friend Stephanie, a natural cheerleader) who provide support and encouragement every step of the way.

Future Running Goals

In just one year, running has brought so many good things into my life, and I’m so excited to see what my future in the sport will look like. Now that I’ve finished a half-marathon and fallen in love with long-distance running, you’d think that I’d want to immediately start training for a full marathon- but I don’t. Not yet, anyway. My goal over the coming late fall and winter seasons is to maintain my running fitness. I would like to continue regularly running 10km. I’m considering training for another half-marathon in the spring, but I haven’t signed up for any races yet.  Even though I’m excited to continue making progress, I’m also excited to move into a period of maintenance, where I can give myself permission to slow down, just for a while. 

Perhaps ironically- there’s no rush.

With love,

Laura Kate

1. For anyone counting, I finished the race in 2 hours and 11 minutes. ↩︎
2. I started running for a number of reasons, some more ridiculous than others. These included: (1) being bitter about one of my exes, who is a runner; (2) wanting to strengthen my fitness routine with an exercise more intensive than walking; and, (3) wanting to play into the joke about people in their late twenties either getting married or training for a marathon (I wasn’t getting married anytime soon…). ↩︎