TORONTO September 30th 2015. Digital Champion Christina Menssen started running over 10 years ago and is hoping to run a Boston-qualifying time at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on October 18th. Christina loves the marathon distance because it’s a physical and mental challenge, pushing her beyond her perceived limits even when she wants to quit. When she’s not running, you can find Christian blogging at theathletarian.com, teaching, watching Netflix, and eating Mexican food! Connect with Christina on Twitter, Instagram and her blog.
Chasing Boston at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. By Christina Menssen
Let me start off by telling you that never in a million years did I think I would publicly declare that my ultimate dream and goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Ten years ago I would have even laughed at the idea of calling myself a runner! I think it’s safe to say that I was anti-exercise up until my early 20s. I can’t even say why or how I started running. I recall signing up for my very first 10K race back in 2003 – I trained just enough and finished with a half smile on my face. It took me five years to return to the running scene and I set the lofty goal of completing a half marathon (and I did!). Since then, I have run 10 half marathons, 4 full marathons and several shorter distance races. The bulk of my racing has taken place over the last 2-3 years when I realized that I am actually not that horrible at running.
The full marathon distance scares me, though I think it scares a lot of people. It is a beast of a race with so many factors that it’s almost impossible to predict how race day will go. I ran my very first 42.2 in 2010 at the Ottawa Marathon and when I crossed the finish line I told myself I would never run another marathon again. I made the mistake of completing about 90% of my training on a treadmill, which may work for some people but definitely did not work for me. I was not mentally prepared but still managed to finish in 4:19.
Four years later, a friend convinced me to run the Phoenix Marathon. When runners say they will “never” do something again, they are almost always not telling you the truth. We just need a little bit of time to forget about the pain before we start making crazy plans again! I think running the Phoenix Marathon was a turning point for me. I trained really hard throughout the grueling winter and got to that start line with a newfound confidence. If I can run for 3+ hours in cold, snow and ice, then I can definitely run a marathon in warm, sunny Phoenix…right?! I finished in 3:53, a whole 26 minutes faster than my first 42.2!
I returned to the Phoenix Marathon this year, where I shaved off another 7 minutes and finished in 3:46. It was after this race that I thought to myself maybe Boston wasn’t so far out of reach. What seemed impossible after running my first marathon didn’t seem so farfetched anymore. Sure, I would have to put in a lot of work and dial into my training a little more but the Boston Marathon is now within sight. It has become my goal! My dream! And it feels so. freaking. good. to say that!!
My qualifying time is 3:35 and the way things have gone over the last couple of years, I probably need closer to a 3:33 to be considered “safe”. I know that is a whole 13 minutes faster than my current marathon PB which is a lot in running time. That doesn’t scare me anymore though. I know what I’m capable of and I know that it’s possible. How great would it be to qualify for Boston in my own city? I’ve never run a marathon in Toronto before so I’m pretty stoked to race on familiar streets and see familiar faces on October 18th. I’m nervous and excited but most of all, I’m ready. Ready to give it everything I’ve got and for the first time ever, attempt to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
