Why running and why so long? These are the questions I asked myself while passing km 24 and climbing to the plains of Abraham. I still don’t have the answer.

Before the race

6:15am alarm is ringing, I left my bed like a snake and slowy stands up on my legs. I start to have a routine before those long races: to eat, to digest and hoping to have a succesfull pooping session at home. One smoothy, a banana, toast with smoked salmon and I’m almost ready to leave my airbnb.

8:00am chit chat on a bench with another runner coming from Drummondville and it’s time to go in my corridor departure. The weather is grey, fresh and the next 4km toward the bottom of a slope.

Easy start, a short tour in the old town then we run along the St-Charles river. First 15km without trouble, not warm but not too cold neither.

I’m running alone but a pacer is catching me up. That one is doing 10min run at 5min30/km speed then 1min walk aiming for 4h finish time. A rythm that I’m able to to follow. Also why am I doing that? I don’t know, I never done that technique before…

I can follow up to km 22 where another bunny/pacer is joining us with the same finish time goal but without walking. The road is narrower and I lost all my bunnies.

We are back in the old town and it’s going up toward the plains of Abraham. Once on the top the wind is greeting us, I’m cold, start to have pains and only 25km have been done.

Beautiful path in the plains of Abraham, passing behind the Musee des Beaux Arts, the trees are getting colored and my right knee decides to send messages to my brain. My legs are heavy, km 30 is there, why did I register already? I’m checking my breath is correct, drink at each aid station. Heart is alright but legs heavier than ever.

We leave a residentialr area, both full and half maration paths are getting together for the last 5 km. My head is getting better and as previous marathon races I’m in a group of runner who run and walk and run and walk.

Finally signs for 38, 39, 40, 41 and last one with “last 750m”. From 40 km I manage to catch up the 4h30 pacer and will finish in 4h30min58sec.

After the race

I’m in the rest area, drint water, eat a banana, walk like a zombie, had a crazed look like many runners but happy.

Once again I tell myself I will need to change something in my training. Warmer clothes? Interval sessions? Many things to explore.

In any case a mystical experience, the 25-35km zone is really special, a bermuda triangle of emotions.

Map of the race

Using folium I managed to overlay the gps run traces on the top of a map, and you can interactively zoom in and out.