Eric Leishman was a very good cross-country runner during his time at Cambrian College.
The native of Chapleau was consistently among the top finishers in the OCAA, making four consecutive visits to the national championships.
His progress in the marathon, however, is at a whole other level.
Leishman finds himself currently ranked 25th in the country after finishing second at the Mississauga Marathon in early May. Though his time of 2:36.44 is not all that close to his best ever time trial run of 2:26.00 or so, it still represents a quantum leap from where he was some five years ago.
“My marathon pace (per km) now is faster than when I ran eight kms in college,” said Leishman. “I can run 14:16 (5 kms) on the track now – I hadn't even broke 15 (minutes) in college. The training was so different back then. I've gotten faster just by running more now.”
That said, he is a long way still from the perfection he seeks, still looking at each and every attempt at the 26-mile pilgrimage as an opportunity to learn. His sixth shot at the marathon, in Mississauga, was no different. “I went out very aggressive, I led at the halfway mark by two minutes,” said the 27-year-old, who also serves as coach of the Golden Shield cross-country team these days.
“Because of the heat, I should have played it as a race, and not a time trial. I wanted to PB. It's not always the best move to go for a PB. You kind of kick yourself after, realizing that you need the perfect race in perfect conditions. It wasn't that day.”
In general, Leishman is making progress.
“My ability to handle the training, to handle the distance, is much better. But at this point, I haven't got it right in terms of prioritizing when I peak. I started too soon this spring and peaked in the first week of March.”
That would lead to Leishman scorching through the half-marathon distance on his home treadmill that is specifically designed to replicate the course conditions of the Boston Marathon in a time of 1:04.57.
“Running that on a training run, that's bizarre, but it felt like it was over, just like that,” said Leishman. “I've had some races like that, the Sudbury Rocks Marathon in 2016.”
There are still times, however, when the boundless enthusiasm of youth gets the better of him.
“I looked at the field (in Mississauga) and who was running, and knew if I ran a really good race, I should win,” he said. “A decent race would put me top three.
But I didn't run a smart race. It's easy to get ahead of yourself when you're feeling really good, right out of the gate. The last 10 kms, you can hit the wall hard.”
And, of course, there is the whole mental aspect, ranging all the way from how to occupy the mind through two-plus hours of running, to staying in the moment. “I still haven't mastered that emotional state,” said Leishman. “I remember, about halfway through the race, going through and thinking to myself, 'man, I'm going to win this,' and almost tearing up.
“You can't be emotional during a marathon. You're using up energy that you will need for the tail-end of the race.”
And finally, there is that small matter of dealing with the inevitability of injuries. At the moment, Leishman finds himself battling some issues with his Achilles and a slight stress fracture in his foot.
“I wanted to run a fall marathon, but it probably won't happen. But I'm better at being patient. You've got to remind yourself that you're not going to lose it in two weeks or four weeks. It isn't always about how much you're running, but how smart you run.
“You try and find something else in your life. As I've aged, it's been easier to find comfort with other parts of my life.”
And it doesn't appear to be slowing him down in the least.
