26 point two

alitoast

Cheers Belcarra,

steered clear of the tennants but had plenty other fillers (feeling it today), stocked up on Irn-Bru though:D

alitoast

T minus 13 days and the nerves are beginning to jingle a little, mileage was down to about 23 miles last week as the taper begins, 4 miles tuesday, 6 on Thursday and about 13 on Saturday. Back out tonight for 4 miles.

Reading the Hal Higdon plan i need to be taking it easy now, cant help but feeling i should be pushing on to keep the fitness up (must be a male thing:cool:) but will try and slow down over the next few nights.

alitoast

would it be madness to buy new runners now? Reckon there is over 300 on the current pair so was planning to buy the exact same pair tomorrow evening and break them in over the next few days?????

alitoast

OK, so i havent been the best at keeping the log uptodate but completed my last run this morning, a lovely 6am jog in Bushy Park, a little bit of rain but no harm. Tried to maintain MP throughout as i dont think i'm the best at pacing myself, ended going 8:25 pace which is a little faster than i anticipate going on Monday.

Legs felt a little heavy but i'm putting that down to nerves and the fact that it was so early (if i didnt love my bed so much it would become a habit).

Travelling to Cork on Sunday, will be setting off with the 3:45 pacers. Fingers crossed i'll have a favourable race report to write after.

Best of luck to everyone else running it too.

alitoast

To be honest when the thoughts of running a marathon first entered my head it was reading the race reports from experienced (and first time) marathon runners on the boards that really made up my mind for me that this was something to pursue so in writing this I want to first thank all those who have gone before me and wrote a race report. Hopefully this report will inspire others to make the commitment to completing a marathon.
My log wasn’t the most uptodate to hopefully the race report will make up for it………
So where do I start, I suppose on Sunday when I collected my bib and timing chip in Cork city hall, unfortunately I was one of the last to collect a bib so missed out on a tshirt as they had run out. My name and bib number was taken and I was promised the tshirt will be sent out, normally I wouldn’t mind if I got one or not but as this was my first (and possibly last??) I really hope I get a tshirt sent out. My wife and I were booked into the River Lee Hotel, a handy stroll to the start line and we got there about 6.30 Sunday night. I had the last remnants of my pasta dinner in a lunchbox and I ate the rest of it cold before we went for a walk so my wife could get a proper bite to eat. As I played a lot of field sports I never considered myself the most athletic of players so I always took preparation seriously, and this carried on to the weekend, I ate so much pasta that If I never touch it again it’ll be too soon.
Sunday morning, sun splitting the rocks, packed my gels into my belt and grabbed my ipod and off to the start, nerves were not too bad and I saw a few people doing small jogs down one of the lanes beside Patricks Street. I decided to copy them and do a few stretches before thinking you have 26.2 miles ahead of you, plenty of chance to get warmed up in the first mile or two, so I went back to the start and leant myself against a wall and tried to relax. I met up with a work colleague who had decided to do the marathon as a training run for Gaelforce north. He said the 3:45 would be a good pace for him so we decided to keep each other company for as long as we could. First couple of miles went off without a hitch, jumping up and down onto the paths and making sure I didn’t lose sight of the 3:45 balloons. There is a great sense of occasion and you really feel you are part of something bigger than your own personnel goal of running that marathon when you see the crowds cheering each and every runner ‘I’m not alone, all of us are in this together’. To see all the runners, young and old, men and women, fantastic.

The first mile went off well, I think the pacers were a little hot on the pace cos I clocked the first mile at about 8:07 (3:45 pace – approx 8:35). If I am to criticise them for that mistake I will criticise them no more they did a fantastic job of pacing throughout. Out passed the Silver Springs hotel and I found my rhythm. I was happy with the pace as some of my LSRs were about this pace and felt really comfortable as we started to spread out heading to the Jack Lynch tunnel. Into the tunnel and an almighty roar went up from all involved. I remember a poster saying stick to the shortest route so I hugged the racing line (bollards) in the hope of saving my legs from any unnecessary extra metres over the 26.2. Onto mile 8 and 9 and my work colleague and I were going along fine. I spotted one poor guy in blue having trouble at approx Mile 9 (sideswipe was that you?). At this stage I still felt fine and we went a little ahead of the pacers. On past the half marathon runners who were waiting to start and out around the blackrock castle (sorry my Cork Geography isn’t the best!). The route was very scenic here and we passed the halfway mark, I was a little ahead of the 3:45 pacers and felt strong at this stage.

Miles 14 and 15 went by without a hitch, I think this is where the my first timer inexperience took hold of me. My work colleague was struggling and i didn’t feel too bad so decided to push on. I began thinking of catching a glimpse of the 3:30s in front of me (madness!!) could I break 3:40 (again madness!!). I decided to put my head down and miles 16-19 I felt really strong and thought I had pushed up the pace. At 19 I began to feel it and there was a little climb up to a flyover (again sorry about the geography). At this stage I thought I best look behind me to see if there was any sign of the 3:45. Oh no!!!!! they were just 20 yards behind me, how the hell did that happen, I thought I had just put in my fastest three miles?
Suffice the say they were up beside me before too long, I struggle to keep pace with them and downed a few jelly and another drink, I was glad of the next water station where cooling down was my main priority. Mile 21, still with them, now I’m concentrating on the feet in front of me, almost hypnotised by their movements, keep them in sight and you’ll be ok. Mile 22, really beginning to hurt, still the feet, keep looking at the feet. Somewhere around the beginning of the Carrigoline Road, and I couldn’t keep up. A lucoazade sport stop was a welcome relief as I turned for home, spotting the towering River lee hotel in the distance, oh how I longed for an ice bath in my room on the 4th floor. I glanced down and then looked at the hotel again….wait a minute, it seemed a lot closer the last time I looked up. Ok head down and keep going. Past poor some guy getting oxygen on the side of the road, hoped he was ok and then pictured myself being the next one on the side of the road. I hope the chap was ok.
The final surge of sugar from the lucozade sports and the sight of my number 1 supporter (my wife) at mile 24 gave me one last spurge of energy, I began to close on the 3:45s again with the balloons in sight ahead of me. Once I hit 25 I knew I would make it, 3:35 on the watch, 10 minutes to get home for 3:45, ok you have done this tons of times around bushy park, tymon park, you can do a mile in 10 minutes…….just….turned for Patricks Street to a wonderous reception from the Cork faithful, 3:45:25, 25 secs out, I didn’t care. To run the full way was my first goal, to beat 4 hours my second and to get 3:45 was my third. Its open to interpretation but I am saying I got 3/3. My first half was 1 minute faster than my second half, would love another pop at Dublin and maybe a crack at 3:30……wife expecting late September……hmmmm, watch this space.

alitoast

Ok, back from Poland, was only over for the first match but what a trip, left my friends at the train station as they headed for sopot and I got home to Dublin. Ran my first run today since the marathon (2week break).

8:00/mile run for 5.75 miles. Still undecided about Dublin. A target would be a 15 minute improvement to get to 3:30. Is it too much??