McCreath's Mississauga Marathon Streak Comes to an End 5/5/2012

Well, it is going to be a rather emotionally-tough Sunday morning for me, as this will mark the first time since taking up the sport of marathon running that I will not be on the roads of Mississauga Ontario. All good things must come to an end, I suppose, so I'd like this to be a celebration of what has always been a special annual event for me from 2007-2011.

Here's a history of notes I jotted down after each run.

5/13/2007: my first ever official marathon. just 4 months prior, I was a 238 pound couch potato that decided to take up running to lose weight. never though I would be running a marathon so soon. Marathon finish #1 of 30. Finishing time: 4.19.48

5/11/2008: a great winter of training, ITB healed up, weight down to 168, and deep into the start of my transition from male to female (including a formal legal name change to Jennifer), I felt I was prime for a BQ in just my 2nd year as a marathoner. Things were going great and I was on 3:10 pace but fell to the ground with extreme cramps at 39km. eventually got up and finished the race, still with a very respectable time, but felt extremely disappointed. Marathon finish #6 of 30. Finishing time: 3.19.06

5/10/2009: running a 1.52 on the first half of Boston got me thinking about speed again. My goal was to run at BQ pace and I gave it all I had in Mississauga, and was able to carry on this pace for 19 miles, but the knees and ankles were still too beat up and had no other option but to slow down substantially in the end to finish this one. Marathon finish #16 of 30. Finishing time: 4.08.53

5/16/2010: well, it was a rough day for me as I battled sore legs/knees, fatigue, and the heat. But it was great just to finish in fairly good health, and i am confident I will 'survive' next week's very hilly Halifax run. Marathon finish #23 of 30. Finishing time: 4.56.03

5/15/2011: ran into fellow Maniac Vincent Ma at the start, and we decided to run together for the first 10.5k. he had just run south dakota the day before and I grabbed his kit for him. We had a great chat while running. we went faster than I would have liked but slower than he wanted. 67 min. then he took off and I slowed down.. lol.  My knees were still a mess from last week's run, so I was forced to take it slow. my endurance was never an issue though and I crossed the finish line happy with my B goal of a PB for the year.ran into fellow Maniac Vincent Ma at the start, and we decided to run together for the first 10.5k. He had just run south dakota the day before and I grabbed his kit for him. we had a great chat while running. We went faster than I would have liked but slower than he wanted. 67 min. then he took off and I slowed down.. lol. My knees were still a mess from last week's run, so I was forced to take it slow. my endurance was never an issue though and I crossed the finish line happy with my B goal of a PB for the year. Marathon finish #28 of 30. Finishing time: 5.05.27

You can read my thoughts on all 30 of my marathons here at my marathon maniacs page .

Here's a pic from each year, starting with 2011 and going backward each year to 2007.