Zooming swiftly on from the Dublin Half 2012..

Darren 83

Wish you the best of luck tomorrow Zooming looking forward to the race report

zooming

Well I'm sitting at Edinburgh airport ready to board flight back home....,WITH A BIG MEDAL ROUND MY NECK!
Marathon completed in 5hrs 45 and I'm delighted considering my missed fortnights training and a dodgy knee. It was an amazing experience.
I will give you an in depth race report when I get home and back to computer, I'm only typing this on my phone, but I knew you would want to know I finished it in one piece!
Thank you for all your support

vitani

Yay! Can't wait to read the full report.

Congratulations!

Darren 83

Well done Zooming

ncmc

Great stuff Zooming, congratulations and so glad you enjoyed your day.

Looking forward to the full race report. Welcome to the 1% club

Dilbert75

Fantastic! Very well done. Delighted for you.

Pacing Mule

Congrats zooming.

RunningKing

well done - every right to feel proud.

RedRunner

Woohoo! Well done. Delighted for ya!:)

career_move

Well done Zooming

shortstuff!

Congrats Zooming!

BeepBeep67

Well done

zooming

Yesterday dawned HOT AND BRIGHT and the hotel delivered porridge and a flapjack plus banana at around 6am, I had slept well surprisingly and ate my breakfast even though I really didn't feel like it with nerves!
Got my rock tape, knee support and bandage round the gammy knee, dressed and headed off. The start was about a mile from hotel and suddenly we met hundreds of really fit looking guys and gals and I suddenly felt like a huge fraud daring to stand among them! Actually we were in the wrong direction for my purple start pen, found where we were meant to be, of course loo called and time was getting tight. Dropped bag off and stood in a HUGE line for the very fragrant port a potty. Then it was 9.45am and time to get in line. I stood pretty much at the back, nothing as demoralizing as standing up front and have people speed past you! The gun went off and it actually took about 17 mins for us to filter through the start. Such an amazing crowd!
The first 5 miles went through the streets of Edinburgh, and we found ourselves at the coast, the first water stop was mile 3 and I drank it all as the sun was very hot, I had a carbohydrate drink with me and gels. The crowd support was AMAZING, I hit mile 5 in 1 hour and I was delighted, I kept an eye on my pace as I didn't want to get carried away and go too quick. At the 6 mile water stop I took off my cap and poured some water into it and put it back on my head and that was a BRILLIANT idea, sun was strong still and I was very aware of it. At various points throughout the race there was the relay change over and there was great atmosphere at those areas. Mile 10 I hit at 2 hours and 2 mins, my OH was there with a fresh bottle and on we went. At mile 12 we met the returning runners that were near the finish!!! Amazing to see those Kenyans run, phew!!!! We all clapped them from the back of the pack, I have to say the camaraderie at the back was brilliant. I should have said the marathon route started in the city and went out to 18 miles and back in and finished at mile 10, so it was a long haul out to the turn!
Once we passed half way it was incredibly sad to see so many elite runners and fast runners collapsed at the roadside getting assistance, one guy was on a stretcher with a drip up and another lying on his side being violently sick, all in all I passed about 20 runners down receiving medical attention. It was a sobering sight I can tell you.
Miles 13 to 18 were light on spectators as it was away out into the countryside, and we turned onto a country trail where I walked as I didn't want to hurt the knee which was no bother so far. I had taken a gel at miles 5, 8, 14 and 18. I hit 19 miles at 4 hours 8 and was feeling ok, mile 20 was great to see and we started to see a few more spectators, at mile 22 I had just about had enough but at that point I knew I was going to finish no matter what and more importantly AHEAD OF THE SWEEPER BUS! I was surprised when we turned at mile 18 to see quite a lot of people still behind me so I knew I wasn't going to be last.
At mile 23 I met up with another girl who said to me "you've been a great pacer" she had been behind me the whole way!! She was struggling now and I said come on we can do it, so we walked a bit and jogged a bit till 25 then the crowd was huge and shouting which pushed us on, I thought the finish would never come but all of a sudden we turned left into the finishing straight and a mass of people cheering, shouting, commentators calling out your name and I was over the line.
Thank god.
I was delighted to finish the race running, my OH said so many people collapsed at the end and limped over the line so I was delighted to be upright and feeling good.
It's a massive distance. You think you are grand until mile 20 or 22 then suddenly your pace slows away to nothing, I honestly feel a half marathon is no indicatior of a full marathon!!
All in all it was a wonderful experience and an amazing crowd and the local support was incredible. I would recommend it to anyone as a first marathon.
From experience now I can thank Hal Higdons training plan, it trained me to run a marathon and to be able to walk afterwards, all along he would say trust in the training plan, it DOES work.
I have to agree

Younganne

Congratulation Zooming on the achievment, it sounded like you had a great day and you have now completed your first marathon.:)
Onwards now to many more!!;)

Enjoy the satisfaction of having worked hard and achieved your goal!!

average_runner

Congrats on your marathon, sounds like you enjoyed your first marathon anyhow

shortstuff!

Well done Zooming! Great race report as well! How are the legs today? Would you do another??

zooming

shortstuff! wrote: »

Well done Zooming! Great race report as well! How are the legs today? Would you do another??

shortstuff! wrote: »

Well done Zooming! Great race report as well! How are the legs today? Would you do another??

Actually the legs are surprisingly good!
I put that down to sticking like glue to my training plan and not making up bits as I went along, and I was pretty good about stretching especially since my ITB injury. After the marathon we had a 2 mile walk to the shuttle buses to bring us back to the city centre which helped too. I saw loads of people finish and immediately lie down on the ground and I think that is a bad move. Today I was expecting to be stiff but I'm grand, a wee bit stiff going downstairs but TBH I have been in worse shape after longer runs. The marathon was hard don't get me wrong, but I felt like my 18 mile disaster run where the ITB kicked off badly was far worse of a run. We did make the mistake of booking a return flight home last night, it was therefore a rush to get finished up at the marathon, walk to bus, taxi to airport and I didn't have much time to eat, I was feeling a bit weak at the airport but I had a sandwich and peanuts and came round quick enough. We didn't get to enjoy any of the post marathon tents etc but we would do things differently next time. My OH had to get back for work today. I had today off and a nice long slow walk helped the legs too. I'm off again tomorrow and am going to chill out all day. In answer to your question would I do another one, yes I think I would. If I was in agony throughout the marathon and had to crawl over the finishing line then the answer would probably be no. I'm in the ballot for London next year so wait and see....

RedRunner

Sounds like a positive experience from beginning to end.That's great zooming!
I'm in the ballot for London too! Would be brilliant to get a number for that one.

zooming

RedRunner wrote: »

Sounds like a positive experience from beginning to end.That's great zooming!
I'm in the ballot for London too! Would be brilliant to get a number for that one.

It's a big entry for sure but I think one of the worlds best marathons, fingers crossed we get a thumbs up come October

outforarun

Congratulations!! Just reward for the determination shown in this log.
Now, off your laurels. 5:29 next time out.

zooming

outforarun wrote: »

Congratulations!! Just reward for the determination shown in this log.
Now, off your laurels. 5:29 next time out.

Yeah! That's the goal!!

shortstuff!

How's the post mara recovery going?

zooming

shortstuff! wrote: »

How's the post mara recovery going?

Thank you for asking!
I feel brilliant, I have to say! I have no aches or pains and only one small blister and a bruised toenail as war wounds. I thought I'd be a mess afterwards.
I have not run yet, I might do 2 miles tomorrow but I have a 10k in Dublin on Monday coming so that will kick start me back to training.

shortstuff!

zooming wrote: »

Thank you for asking!
I feel brilliant, I have to say! I have no aches or pains and only one small blister and a bruised toenail as war wounds. I thought I'd be a mess afterwards.
I have not run yet, I might do 2 miles tomorrow but I have a 10k in Dublin on Monday coming so that will kick start me back to training.

That's great zooming! Flora ladies mini marathon is it? Think of me when your running by St Stephens green, I'll be stuck in an office there tomorrow so can't do it:( Be no bother to ya!

zooming

shortstuff! wrote: »

That's great zooming! Flora ladies mini marathon is it? Think of me when your running by St Stephens green, I'll be stuck in an office there tomorrow so can't do it:( Be no bother to ya!

Yep, that's the one!
It will be a MAD event

shortstuff!

I popped out at lunch and the crowds of women making their way to the start line was only amazing! Was very jealous & slightly depressed going back into the office... Hope it went well, was very hot out!

zooming

shortstuff! wrote: »

I popped out at lunch and the crowds of women making their way to the start line was only amazing! Was very jealous & slightly depressed going back into the office... Hope it went well, was very hot out!

HOT???? OMG it was unbearable!
Especially when you are standing in your start pen for at least 30mins before start. I was absolutely roasted, had to walk twice and felt totally dejected. Last Sundays marathon was easier!!! It just shows I'm not meant to run in heat. It was a great day but more water needed and maybe an earlier start time. Realistically all those women were out in that heat from 12 to 4 by the time you arrive, get sorted etc and finish up. A long time in the sun!

Darren 83

Have you recovered from the marathon Zooming, and what's next for you?

zooming

Darren 83 wrote: »

Have you recovered from the marathon Zooming, and what's next for you?

Hi Darren,
Grand thanks, all going well. Training away as usual, not quite as long as before the marathon obviously! Next up is the GREAT NORTH RUN in September

Darren 83

zooming wrote: »

Hi Darren,
Grand thanks, all going well. Training away as usual, not quite as long as before the marathon obviously! Next up is the GREAT NORTH RUN in September

It was very quiet on you log