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Sorry, I thought you said get faster before the 100th Marathon
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Saturday - Firhouse 10k. On the training was a LT 12M with 7@ HMP, so took the opportunity to use the 10k race for the speedy part.
Warmed up 2.3M then started the race, MEt up with AJCOT and RayCun along the way. Heat was starting to build up quickly, started out the race under 7:30 pace but got straight into the first hill on the 2nd mile and could feel the pace slowing off. Ironically, each year I do this race, I'm complaining about the headwind up this hill, this year I didn't notice a wind but had the sun straight in front, tried to stay close to the wall to keep in the shade.
From the first hill, I kept my place and a gap was developing in front and behind. On the second time up the hill I was struggling until I realised at the Speaker Connolly I was quickly gaining on the guys in front and realised that people were starting to flag at a quicker rate then me. That gave me the kick to wake up and push on, overtaking people up the hill and a good few more along the road with the roundabouts. On the incline up to the finish line, only one of the guys I overtook managed to put on a burst to get past me and I tried to take him in the last 100m but I just didn't have enough of a sprint. Finished in 48:19 (7:46 pace) but I was hoping to come in a bit quicker.
Finished off the LT with 3.6M with AJCOT before helping to clear off the biscuits and muffins
Maybe the heat, maybe not but ended up winning a team prize with AJCOT and another guy from the team, so ended up getting my entry fee back
12 miles for the day.0 -
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easy to take the wrong one as some people had done.
Sunday 16th – 6.5M in 58 mins (8:55 pace)
Met up with Anto for hill session which turned into a flatter run around the War Memorial Park and Phoenix Park. Along the way, Anto was defending my honour, Felt like Whitney in the Bodyguard. Legs felt good along the way, no tiredness from the day before.
:D:D:D 0 -
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RacoonQueen wrote: »Don't beat my pb! :P
Saw Aimmo at the Expo today, he mentioned his goal was an RQPB
:D 0 -
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Dublin Marathon 2012
This race had no guarantees this morning. The training was Ying and Yang. Although I managed to drop the Ultra stuff in June after the two marathons in one day I missed some of the LSRs with miles at PMP through tummy bugs and a chest infection in the closing part of training, however I did honour the rest of all the speed sessions. Overall I was lacking distance at speed which also contributes to building mental confidence for the difficult parts. Regardless, I was optimistic coming up to the day. One thing I did miss this time around is the tightness in the legs in the days coming to the race. Not like crampy tightness, but the feeling that my legs were like strong elastic bands. As soon as I’d stretch them, they’d feel like they’d quickly snap back ready for the next stride. Always gave me a feeling that the legs were ready
Disclaimer: I’m not building up a list of excuses here, just outlining the form before the race. I always leave the excuses for the end of the report
Morning:
After two good night’s sleep, I had a tasty breakfast of bacon and eggs with the intention of kick-starting the carbs burning just before the race started (after a chat with Meno about pre race nutrition techniques.)
Fast forward to the start line where 1 took a gel and High Five 2:1 Drink to wash it down just before the start. Seen the 3:45 pacers poised at the start of wave two like the hare waiting to be released in from of the hungry greyhounds. The 3:30 pacers were too far in front and would have been a battle to get near them. Met Pistol, RAL3 and some of the 100 Marathon Club gang waiting for the gun.
Unlike last year, I found it easy to get up to 8 min miles in the first mile because the group was not that densely packed. I could always keep an eye on the flags in front but in reality, because they got a head start crossing the line and speeding up before me, it might be too much work to catch up with them, but if all goes well over the first half, I might be gradually gaining on them.
First half was going great. I felt like I was on form, the pace was coming easy and comfortable. Some miles were run a little hot (Mile 8 and 9 were 7:45) but generally I was running 8’s. Coming up the 12M mark the pace was waning a little but I knew this was a long drag through Crumlin before the halfway point.
Coming through Walkinstown to Terenure is always a difficult patch of the course for me, being the home ground where the Parents and Sisters stand to cheer me on, but grabbing another 2:1 drink from my dad, I was trying to kick start the legs back to race pace, but it wasn’t happening. Miles started to drift into the high 8’s and then into the 9’s. At mile 23 I recorded a 9:22. Although the 3:30 goal was long gone, I was still determined to run as best I could. No little walkie breaks, no convincing myself that I just needed to take a pit stop just for a chance to rest the legs. Despite slowing, I felt good running through Clonskeagh and up the Roebuck Hill but by the time I crossed the Montrose Flyover, I suddenly became conscious of the possibility of the 3:45 pacers catching me within the next 4 miles. Last year, they sailed past at the RDS. I knew there was a delay in them leaving in the 2nd wave, but telling that to my brain was like trying to work out one of those math’s questions where a car leaves Dublin at 9am heading to Galway and a train leaves Cork at 10am heading to Longford. If theirs paths intercept in Athlone and the car is travelling at 60mph, what is the price of a cup of coffee of the train????
Every time I came to a crowd of spectators, I kept thinking I could head a stampede of people behind me as the crowd cheered. I kept looking back expecting to see the entourage of pacees whizz past me, despite roughly knowing that my average race pace was not slow enough for them to catch me.
Got cheers from Cheguetti and Mr Slow at the side line around the 24M mark where I had ended up running at a sauntering pace to just finish and get it over with. I also seen The Boy Wonder cheering on people, wearing his medal and looking very relaxed so I know he had come in at a good time, but didn’t realise until after that he ran a 3:12! :eek:
Now, from early on, the mile markers were coming in 0.2M after my Garmin despite my efforts to hug the race line on corners. When the Garmin hit the 25M mark I realised that even though I’d taken my eye off the ball to just finish, there was a very slim chance of still getting a PB if I could get back to 8 min miles for the last 1.4M. That was enough for me, the brain went into overdrive and I ended up ignoring everything around me, just to at least make the race worthwhile. I grabbed a sugar coated Jelly off a spectator and guzzled it. The legs were moving again and taking the corner around by the Dental Hospital to encompass Trinity I was back in the zone. Some guy shouted at me that there was just 800m to go. I thought I’d save my energy rather than shouting at him ‘My B****ks It is!’ The Garmin was at the 8:00 pace again but panic was setting in. Half the Brain was telling me that if I keep going, I’ll get the PB, The darker side was telling me that I could be doing all this work and probably miscalculated and might miss the PB and it would have been all for nothing. Meanwhile, I had Scotty in the Engine Room telling me that She canna take any more captain, she’s gonna blow. Barely spotted Ally out of the corner of my eye coming up Naussa Street and when I finally seen the finish line, my eyes decided to do that perspective trick they do in Horror movies, where the corridor suddenly draws out longer, making it further to run for safety. I couldn’t tell you if I was passing people on the final straight or if the entire Swedish Female Volleyball team were in their rig out cheering at the finish line, All I could see was the little timing mat on the ground that would officially put a stop to the race. As I passed over it, my watch said 3:43:49 although I got the official time later of 3:43:51. And no big jump over the finish line this time. Knowing my luck, I’d have jumped too high for the sensor to pick up my chip and the clock would keep going.
Needless to say, I’m delighted with the PB but more so, I got a great mental boost in the last mile and a half. Even though the pace slipped after half way, I kept it going as best I could and didn’t stop once during the race, but to put the foot down and go for broke taking it to the wire was one of the toughest things I had to do and very happy that it worked out in the end.
I have the Double Marathon in SixmileBridge in two weeks, so I’ll see this as a challenging LSR before the taper 0 -
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Ahwh, Why Frank?Oisin11178 wrote: »Great run eamonn, might be out of the one in the bridge, :-(
Cheers. Didn't realise it was so long till I cut and pasted it, by then I didn't have the time to do the Reader's Digest Version. Looking forward to reading your report.Well done Eamonn and as always a great and entertaining race report!!!
You Bet :pac:well done eammon,,,,smackdown in 17 days?0 -
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