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Pushing my boundaries and making my physio rich...
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3.46 - thrilled with myself!
Almost a perfectly paced race but hit wall at mile 23 odd - but don't get me wrong, I'm totally thrilled!
I am now drinking red wine, and won't stop till I fall over
Epic report to follow Tuesday when I get home!0 -
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Note: Flight home delayed, so writing this on iphone in airport [and plane later]. So its going to be a long one. Anyway, I love writing these and have not done an epic one in ages :cool:
Background:
Read post one on page one of blog for the real background!
So for the second half of the Dublin Marathon I was thinking what to say here, and what a disaster it was and a range of horrible emotions. The fact I finished my first marathon 18 months odd after I was 20 stone was utterly lost on me for ages, months. So I never wrote that report, as in the mass of great reports and positive emotion it had no place!
I had already registered for Paris and berlin marathons before Dublin, or I would not have bothered doing either.
So I did not do much running for ages after Dublin, indeed it was mid-late December before I got back on the horse.
A few weeks later something important happened, I got injured again. So my Physio switched me from neutral shoe (brooks glycerin 8) stability shoe (Asaics. Kayano's) – I also got professionally made insoles for normal shoes [the “cheap” €60 ones, not the permanent €300 ones] - and I have been uninjured since. (Only a few months but maybe my longest period uninjured since I have been running.)
So post that injury I had 9 weeks to train for Paris. I was roughly following P&D 12 week 55 mile plan, and things went well.
Before race:
I had been telling anyone who would listen I was running Paris for fun, not racing. But honestly after Meath half and then after Mallow I changed that, but did not tell too many people. (Apart from on LSR's I avoided the question). But going into race I thought 3.50 realistic - sub a 4 backup goal.
I was not really hit with taper madness. Maybe that was as I did know anyone doing race, so was in my own bubble. The experience of Dublin and other races was important. The only thing I had was a worry I would break down and get injured like Dublin again.
There was a small bit of drama the week before the race where our accommodation got cancelled. GF lived in France for ages, so knows loads of folks there - so we booked an apartment via a website I have never heard of (airbnb.com). That was a great result by the way, a really good service. I’m going to investigate using it for my own place in Dublin, for some pocket money to be honest.
We got to Paris with no drama, and spent a couple of days meeting her mates and hanging out. Not ideal preparation, but it ensured I was cool, calm and relaxed - even if I did spent too much time on my feet on days before race.
The expo was one of the few black marks for the weekend for me; I made the mistake of going midday on Saturday - not Friday night as per my plan. So it was over an hour to get there on metro. When I got there I was in the biggest queue I have ever been in my whole life, and while it was 'only' an hour to get in, I was in foul form afterwards. I got stuff when in there quickly, spent almost 100 quid on stuff in about 5 seconds and I was gone again - did not hang around there at all.
Race:
Race morning was cold and windy in Paris. Getting to race I corrected a mistake I made at Dublin - in that I was there at Dublin start far too early (given I live 15 mins walk away). So I timed my arrival better. Most people got off metro one stop before were I had planned to, so I joined them. This was a mistake as bag drop was near the planned stop - and I spent 20 mins stressing and trying to find it.
I did not want to start right at the back, so ran up and tried to slip in the wave start paddocks. It was 5 mins to start at this point, so I was cutting it fine. So I got into the only one left open, which by chance was the 3.30 pen, the one I wanted to get into, and run at the back of. The start was cold and windy, but on a long downhill, which was good. But many people clearly raced off too fast. Indeed, mile 1 was my slowest until the very end when I went pop
I cannot fully explain here how amazing the first few miles of this race were. So we were starting just in front of Arc de Triomphe, on Champs-Elysées - moving past these stunning buildings left and right, hundreds of years of history left and right for miles and miles. I have not run in a better place, and really doubt I will as long as I live tbh.
My plan was decided last week; I was going for 3.45, get busy living and all that. But I was going to pull back at first sign of pain or discomfort. But I was holding my HR at low 140's - so that dictated much of my pace for first 15 miles.
One of the things I really liked seems to be something others seems to have hated, was nutrition on the course. They had huge food and water stands every 5k. At these stands you had virtually unlimited water [bottles], massive amounts of small bits of banana, orange slices, stuff like raisins, sugar and what not - there were no energy drinks until 30k - where we got a cup of PowerAde (and for first time ever I drank that according to how some pacer told me sometime [sorry to forget name] - stop and drink – and then run on, so you drink it all and don’t wear it! That tactic worked a treat!). The mix of lots of fruit worked really well for me [following the eat small and often mentality, along with the 3 PowerBar fruit gels I took.
I was constantly fighting pace and HR - it was almost a full time job keeping both in check This is clearly a good problem to have, and shows things are going well. Those not doing this were among those letting day get to them, and among the thousands I was passing near end of the race!
After 8 or 9 miles we left stunning Paris and entered a park on the east of Paris, Bois de Vincennes [featuring Paris Zoo, closed and under renovations since 2008!]. All I can say about this is 'boring' – nothing much to look at or admire. I had a madness episode where I was sure I was getting a knee/it band issue. I cannot overstate how angry and pissed off I was [briefly], thinking that this was a carbon copy of what went on in Dublin. But I slowed down a bit, did an 8.45 mile, and issue vanished and it was fine, never to return.
This section was also exposed, cold and windy, so I one of the harder parts of the race for me personally. But that said, it’s nothing I’m not used to in the Phoenix Park or whatever, so no problems at all really.
Back to Dublin for a sec, my GF chased around course and saw me in several places - and commented (much much later) that I looked worse and worse as race went on, and like death on Pearse St. So when I saw her around 19k I was feeling good and really starting to believe I could do this. I was running with a smile on my face, not a grimace! She commented later I looked if I was out on some easy fun run, taking it easy (where I was doing 5.15 km's at the time, and on for 3.42 odd!)
We continued on and Re-entered Paris, running back along the Seine. Again, going past some of the most amazing and historical places in the world. For someone with an attention span as short as mine that's solid gold
We went under a few tunnels, including the one were Diana died, which was odd, as I had no idea, but other folks clearly knew and were talking about it like it was a race highlight for them (not the fact you could throw a stone at the Eiffel tower for a short bit before there)!
Around these tunnels [miles 18/19]I started to feel a bit wrecked for the first time. I could not stop HR from creeping up either. So at this point I’m still on for 3.42 or something like that, therefore I made a conscious decision to slow down 10 or so seconds a KM, in an effort to still get in under 3.45, and maybe push back any wall hitting until after finishing line.
We are now at 20 mile period and I'm still fine. I’m working hard, and letting my HR creep upwards [not that I could figure out a way to stop that anyway]. TBH my biggest problem is missing folks to chat with - you get used to talking sh1t with the folks around the park, and it’s great on really long runs!- I tried to strike up a few conversations with people, to no avail.
We now enter the second park, on the west side of Paris, Bios de Boulogne. Running past Longchamp [Where the ‘Arc’ horse race is] and Rolland Garros [where French Open Tennis is]. It’s getting harder and harder, but part of my problem is mental fatigue as well as physical. I just really want to take my mind off my burning legs and have a chat with someone. But alas, I’m passing people at a ferocious rate at this point, so others around me can hardly walk, let alone chat about other boards members behind their backs like aul wans at a hair dresser :pac:
Around mid-way thru mile 22 things started to get really hard, wind in my face, a small uphill bit and my legs basically told me to feck off. Interestingly, for me hitting the wall was a gradual process. I did not fall off a cliff and go from 8.40 miles to 11 min miles or anything, I think I did an 8.50 mile, a 9 min mile and mile 25 to 26 was 9.30 mile, but I worked harder in that mile that I have ever done before. It took everything I had to keep going at a “respectable” pace. My legs were agony, and someone had of offered me something tempting to stop I would not have resisted. I was literally begging the finish to come :mad::o
But thank god the finish did come, within sight of the Arc De tryumph. I knew I had lost a few minutes, and 3.45 was gone, but saw on the clock that I could get in under 3.46, so made a last sprint of a couple of hundred meters and get in with a brilliant 3.46.50.
After:
What I love about running is that I’m not running against you, I’m only running against me. Yes we can compare times and I may say I want to be faster than this person or that. But at the end of the day. I put in hard work training and demand rewards and want to run times which reflect my ability. One of the things which really annoyed me about Dublin was that I did not do that, for myself. So I have spent the last 6 months telling people I ran Dublin in 4.08, and instantly launching into a series of excuses.
So I draw your mind back to when Stuart Pearce scored that penalty for England [Euro 96?] – After he had missed a key one in a previous championship – and he ran to the crowd and was clearly shouting, screaming and crying all at the same time. He had a huge range of emotions pouring out all at once.
Well that was me upon finishing. I was wanted to shout and scream and was fighting back tears from somewhere too :eek::cool:
I did not raise my arms in a pre-planned “this will look good in photo” gesture. I had left every ounce of my energy on the course, and all I was concerned about was the fact that I had gotten Dublin off my back and had run a great race. [And that’s important btw, that would not have been a great race for many of you, or for Sonia O’Sullivan, but it was a great race for me, and that perspective is very important and all that matters tbh].
To have run 3.46 off 9 weeks training was a brilliant result for me, in my opinion – and mine is the only opinion which matters :cool:
Next:
• So what is next for me? Well I'm going to take a week off to recover [3 days after marathon and I’m still crippled with DOMS].
• So next week I'm going to get back into some shorter stuff for a while, just for a change to keep things interesting and to get some speed work done for Berlin. So I’m going to train to make an effort to take down my 5k, 10k and half pb's.
• I’m going to start going down to my club sessions every week. I joined Crusaders a while ago, and ran in my club vest for first time this weekend. But have only been down there a couple of times.
• But it’s all about Berlin. I guess now a 3.30 attempt? But to be totally honest as we stand now, I don't think I could do that to be frank and honest – doing 8 min miles was ok for 10 miles in Mallow, but I was utterly ruined afterwards, let alone doing 16 more of them! So maybe aiming for 3.35 or 3.39 is more realistic?
• Also, importantly, I need to think of a new name for this blog 0 -
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Do thistHE vAGGABOND wrote: »"First I took Paris, then I'll take Berlin"
Savage running at the weekend, well done 0 -
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Great Report Vagga and a great race, inspiring stuff.
It's been an epic journey for you but you've shaken off the 20 stone guy you used to be, now you're a marathoner. I ran 3:43 in Cork and followed up with 3:29 in Dublin. Train for sub 3:30, you will surprise yourself but not us.;)
Sounds like an Irish runner cover 0 -
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Thanks for all the responses
I will answer a load of questions here at once..
I think my mantra over the next few months is that if that slacker Mr Slow could do it, so can I - 3.30 it is
myflipflops - Im 35 [did weight loss at 33], but I will send you a PM later on with more info you may find of use. But one of the things I have found meeting folks from the running forum here in real life, is half the people around here got into running to loose weight in one way or another.
Photos being put up for sale today, so will have some later. I will put good 'uns on FB you can be sure. Not had time to have a good look on Picasa for free shots etc 0 -
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8k in around 45 minutes
Run into work.
Trying to keep a decent pace up on way to work, despite every single traffic light on the canal stopping me and few other things being out to get me
The shorter, interval stuff has begun :cool: [or should that be :eek:]0 -
Updating this Post Paris as I start to think about what pace I should be doing runs at and all that fun stuff
Distance|Current PB|Goal PB
5km|00:21:36 (Dunore 2011)|00:20:59
5 miles|00:36:59 (Sportsworld 2011)|00:35:00
10km|00:45:40 (Dunshaughlin 2011)|00:44:00
10 miles|01:17:00 (Mallow 2012)|
Half Marathon|01:44:11 (Midlands 2011)|01:39:59
Marathon|3.46.50 (Berlin 2012)|03:30:00[Main Goal]0 -
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tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »Updating this Post Paris as I start to think about what pace I should be doing runs at and all that fun stuff
Distance|Current PB|Goal PB
5km|00:21:36 (Dunore 2011)|00:20:59
5 miles|00:36:59 (Sportsworld 2011)|00:35:00
10km|00:45:40 (Dunshaughlin 2011)|00:44:00
10 miles|01:17:00 (Mallow 2012)|
Half Marathon|01:44:11 (Midlands 2011)|01:39:59
Marathon|3.46.50 (Berlin 2012)|03:30:00[Main Goal]
Best of luck with the pb's to be honest I think your capable of going a bit faster for both the 5k and 5mile - Mid sumer 5k is a good one in raheny
Best of luck0
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