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24.6k at 4.04 pace
This hasn't settled down into a real narrative yet, so you'll get what I remember...
About 11/12k, two guys were catching up on me, speaking English, and I asked them what time they were going for, they said 2.50, I said about the same, and decided to hang on to them. Instead they gradually pulled away.
Before that, actually, in the first 5k, there were a couple of runners that seemed to be going at the right pace. One a young guy who looked very relaxed, the other an older guy from Nivelles. I'd be up and down, closer or further away from them. Towards the end, the young guy was gone, and Nivelles was obviously suffering - I don't think he finished either
Those first few k never felt as easy as they should have. I was telling myself I wasn't worried (the start of my first marathon didn't feel easy either), but I feel cheated that I didn't get my 10-20 minutes that feel like jogging
It was fairly crowded for a while at the start (where did they all come from
) but not too bad. 4.22 for the first k, up and over the bridge, which was about what I expected and planned for.
I was in the pen really early, actually, about ten past nine. It took about an hour to get from the apartment, through the bag drop, to the start, and there I just hung around in my disposable clothes and with my AA drink. Two other guys were there before me, warming up, it was another 20 minutes before there were appreciable numbers in the pen. Call me the anti-DR So I was right at the front of 1c, which was only 30m or so from the very front.
So, yeah, the first km was 4:22, and the next two were 4:02. km 4 was 3:56, I think that's where the two sides of the road merged, and I was consciously trying to get ahead of the 3 hour pacers and their gang. The first water station was just before 5k, I think. I grabbed a couple of cups, drank some, and poured the rest over me. Not a good sign, really, I think usually I'd just take a sip at that stage.
The water stations were really good, incidentally. Very long, enough to get a cup at the start, drink it, and get another at the end. The sponges in cups worked well, fine to drink from. And the sponge stations were great too, a good idea.
I passed the 5k mark in 20:25-30. The plan was to drop 30 seconds in the first 5-10k, go through half in 1:25, and pick it up from there. So that was more or less as planned, and the next 5k were more or less on target too. Strava says 20:01, so probably a few seconds more. The km markers were very well signposted, which unfortunately made it very obvious when my watch beeped further and further away from each one.
After about 10k, we hit the canal section, 3k of dead straight, with I think an underpass and a bridge along the way. My pace was settling at something just a bit too slow. I'd notice every now and again, or see a gap opening on the people in front, or tag on to some people passing me, and pick it up again, but it was still dropping down to about 4:02. Off the canal, around two corners and onto a short out-and-back, and we got to 15k. Under 61 minutes, not disastrous by any means, but not fast enough either. I felt like if it was the last 2k or 5k or 10k then yeah, I could have gone faster, but I had to stay controlled and this was as fast as I could go like that.
The next five km, I thought I'd try something different. This might be the pace I was resetting to, but I'd pick it up for shorter periods. Not much faster, but one km under 4 minutes, then the next just over, then under again, and get my average down like that. So I ran one km at the back of a group, 3:57. The next was 4:05. Another faster one - 4:01. Then 4:05. Then 4:06.
Halfway went by in about 1:26. A minute behind target, and getting slower instead of faster. Okay, new plan - 1:26 for the first half and about 1:29 for the second half would be under 2:55 (Berlin fast runner qualification time). So all I needed to do was stay under about 4:10/km from then on... and that's what I did for 22 (4:09), 23 (4:08), 24 (4:08)... and then I just stopped, and walked off the course.
It wasn't a considered decision, I didn't decide to save my legs for another day, I didn't decide anything at all - one minute I was running, the next I was walking over to a bin to put my feet up. I suppose thoughts of stopping had been coming up for a while, but were quickly dismissed. But I wasn't able to remotivate myself for 2:55 when it became clear that the target was gone. Even today, tell me you could swap my DNF for a 2:54:59 and I wouldn't be particularly enthusiastic. That wasn't what I was training and racing for. And, of course, it's not like 2:55 was in the bag, my pace was only going in one direction. I think my body knew what my mind was too tired to think - it was over.
AMK posted a post-race checklist a while back, it's a good idea, I may as well go through it...
Was I able to complete all the training as scheduled? If not, did I run more than scheduled or less?
A few days missed for snow, a few missed for flu, a few missed because of races, and a few sessions just missed, but I think 90-95% done, I was satisfied with how well I'd adhered to the plan.
Was I able to hit all the prescribed workout paces? If not, were there specific workout types that gave me trouble?
Tempo runs gave me trouble. The faster ones I didn't pay so much attention to pace.
Did I run any of the workouts, easy days, or long runs faster than prescribed?
Maybe some of the short, fast stuff, but not really
Miles - Higher than I've ever done?
Yeah
Was goal pace faster than I've ever run? Too aggressive?
Faster than I'd ever run for a marathon - that's the point! :pac:
Were my goals appropriate relative to recent performance and fitness?
I think they were in line with previous conversions of 10 mile/half times to marathon performance
What was my pre - race routine like compared to previous cycles?
More or less the same. Same breakfast, same travel time to start as in Dublin. At start line about 20 minutes earlier than usual
How well did I execute my race plan. Did I start too fast / too slow?
First 5k on target
Did I have people to race? Was the crowd support good?
Lots of other runners about, and crowd support was fantastic, huge numbers out cheering us on, much more than Dublin.
What was going on in my life during this training cycle?
Change of job
Was my life more stressful or less stressful than previous training cycles?
Slightly more, maybe, but not hugely different
Did I get sick during this training cycle?
Once, three months pre-race
Was I dealing with any injuries during this training cycle?
No injuries
What was my sleep like this training cycle?
Plenty of sleep, about 8 hours/night
What was the weather like this training cycle? Did I adjust for this weather?
:pac:
I had anticipated it being warmer in Rotterdam than Dublin, so for months I've been training in long-sleeved tops, and doing a lot of sessions with a t-shirt over a long-sleeved compression top. Doesn't help when you go from snow to sun.
Did I practise raceday nutrition in training? If so - did it work as planned on race day?
Same nutrition as previous marathons, never a problem
Did I do specific workouts for the course profile? If so - did they work as planned on race day?
How do you do specific workouts for flat? :pac:0 -
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