April 24, 2025
When I first laced up my running shoes in 2020, I had no idea how much running would transform my life.
Looking back at my journey from barely being able to run a 10K to completing multiple marathons and steadily improving my times, I’m amazed at how far I’ve come.
Here’s my story of persistence, growth, and the pursuit of ever-faster times.
Finding My Footing
My running journey began properly in July 2020 when I decided to find a coach with a running club. At that time, running was new to me, and I wasn’t particularly fast.
When I first reached out to Coach Lee about joining his running club, he told me I needed to be able to run a 10K within one hour to qualify for membership.
This seemed like a mountain to climb.
I was running at a pace of about seven or eight minutes per kilometer and had only managed 5K at most. It took me three whole months to build up to a 10K distance.
I still remember my first “qualifying” run vividly—here’s a little confession: I took two breaks during that run, and I paused my watch during those breaks (something many beginning runners can relate to!).
When I finally completed the run, my watch showed 61 minutes.
I emailed Coach Lee with total honesty: “I finished the 10 kilometers in 61 minutes, but I did take some small breaks.”
Despite being one minute over the requirement and admitting to the breaks, Coach Lee welcomed me into the running club.
That was my first lesson in running: honesty and showing up matter more than perfect performance.
My Marathon Timeline
My first marathon came unexpectedly in spring 2021.
I hadn’t planned on running a full marathon so soon, but there was a memorial marathon race in Nova Scotia commemorating the one-year anniversary of a tragic mass shooting.
It felt meaningful to participate, and I finished in 4 hours and 35 minutes.
The progression from there tells the story of dedication:
- 2021: First marathon in Nova Scotia: 4h:35m
- 2022: Second marathon: 4h:24m (shaved 11 minutes)
- 2023: Chicago Marathon: 4h:02m (shaved 22 minutes)
- 2024: Toronto Waterfront Marathon: 3h:42m (shaved 20 minutes)
Each year, I’ve managed to significantly reduce my time, taking off around 20 minutes with each marathon.
Running the Chicago Marathon was especially meaningful as it was my first major marathon event—one of the six world majors.
The Boston Goal
My current goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon, which requires a time of 3 hours and 25 minutes in my age group.
From my current personal best of 3:42, I need to shave another 17 minutes—a challenge, but looking at my consistent improvement, I believe it’s within reach.
I’m aiming to qualify this year, or if not, definitely next year.
My recent 10K time of 45 minutes (around 4:30-4:35 minutes per kilometer) shows that I’m getting closer to the pace I’ll need to maintain for the full marathon distance.
My Strategy for Improvement
How did I manage to cut 53 minutes from my marathon time in just three years? It came down to several key factors:
Consistent Training
I started by running 3–4 times per week and gradually increased to 5–6 times weekly. This consistency built my endurance and speed over time.
Structured Pacing
I learned to pace myself properly during races.
For my first two marathons, I started too fast and hit “the wall”—that dreaded point where your energy completely drains.
For my last three marathons, I’ve adopted a more strategic approach:
- First 14K: Start slow (60-70% effort) and gradually increase pace
- Middle 14K (up to 28K): Maintain my goal pace
- Final 14K: Push to 80-100% effort
Morning Runs
For the first three and a half years, I was an evening runner.
In the past year and a half, I switched to morning runs—not by choice initially, but because of scheduling.
Now it’s become part of my routine, and I’ve seen improvements since making this switch.
Having Faith in the Process
Perhaps most importantly, I learned to trust my training and my coach.
Even when I doubted myself, the consistent work I put in prepared me to exceed my own expectations.
The Power of Believing in Yourself
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned through running isn’t about physical technique at all—it’s about overcoming self-doubt.
When I was preparing for the Chicago Marathon, my coach gave me a goal pace that would cut 22 minutes from my previous time.
The day before the race, I called him in a panic, saying there was no way I could run 30 seconds faster per kilometer over the full distance.
His response was simple: I had completed all my training exactly as prescribed, and the numbers showed I was ready.
“Trust the process,”
he told me, and he was right—I hit exactly the time he predicted.
I’ve since learned that this pattern of doubt followed by achievement is part of my journey.
Even recently, when my swimming instructor told me to move to the second-fastest lane after just four months of lessons, I froze with doubt.
But once I took the plunge, I discovered I could keep up with—and sometimes outpace—the athletic young men in that lane.
Conclusion
Each year, I run one marathon race to see how much faster I can get.
With all the work and effort I put in, I’m excited to see what I can achieve.
The Boston Marathon qualification isn’t just a time goal for me—it represents the culmination of a journey that began with struggling to run 10K in under an hour.
Whether I qualify this year or next, I know that each step forward is a victory, and every minute shaved off my time represents countless early mornings, tired muscles, and moments of pushing through discomfort.
The journey itself has been the greatest reward.