October 2013

drquirky

Outstanding. Great run .

cianc

Great stuff, congratulations!

career_move

Deadly congrats

jfh

The back drop
I decided last December that i was going to do the marathon this year, i needed a big goal to train for & DCM would provide that. i was injured at the time so it kept me motivated to keep up a general level of fitness
it would be my 3rd marathon,
2007 4hr 2 min
2009 3hr 41 min
2013 the goal was sub 2:50.

This was my first time following a training plan, up till now i have been doing my own thing & joining in with club mates for the very odd hard run. My training was very higgity piggity with lots of races thrown into the mix, which I think kept me improving to a point.
There was no real consistency, on a good week I’d hit 40 miles another week would be 20. i wasn't really keeping track on my mileage so i bought a running diary last xmas & have made it a habit to include it as part of training. It’s updated every few days. I’ll be doing this again.

It revealed a lot. i had an idea that i was regularly running 40 mile weeks but it's amazing the amount of days that are missed & what it actually takes to hit 50 miles a week.

The Training
initially i was reluctant to follow a plan, like a lot of people around here, i have a busy schedule, & didn't want to take on something i couldn't stick to.

With the Plan, I actually found it easier to stick to the sessions; I knew I had 4 easy days so used the mornings for these. I could not have had a better summer for this, it was a pleasure to throw on the runners hit the roads. I also took a lot of annual leave for my runs, a bit drastic but for one full days annual leave, I’d get 5 sessions in. i felt this worth it.
i did have to get buy in from the missus alright for the Sunday trail run but as long as i was back to bring the young fella hurling, all was good.
As already stated, my long runs were done all on hilly trails, I definitely feel all the stronger for it.
As most of these were done early morning(when it had less impact on family), i would usually do these on empty, when these runs got over the 2 hrs i did bring gels with me but that was more to see if i could handle them. My longest run was 2hr 34 min which equated to about 21 miles.

The club coach drew up this plan for me & I think he nailed it in terms of peaking intensity, I never felt over cooked, bar after the last long run but that was more down to external life & sick baby.
He always erred on the side of caution; actually i was a little worried that i wasn't doing more.

i got up to 10 mile MP. Actually it was a little faster than MP. 6:20 to be exact. I did a good bit of long speed work, 3k reps etc.

My average mileage would be 55 mile per week but that includes the down weeks too, so probably high 60's would be the peak.

The only long road race/training run it did was athlone 3/4 & I did it handy enough, the closest I got to MP was miles @ 6:40’s.
i have a problem with hip so i think too much road would leave me injured.
i did hit PB's in the RockNRoll Half & felt i ran well in Charleville too. i also had some bad days, one 10k in particular.

This marathon journey has been hugely educational; nutrition was something that had to be improved, although I’m stick thin, I wasn’t eating enough protein. Have cut out a lot of junk & replaced with fruit. The early mornings were something I originally thought I’d struggle with but not so.

The Race
i am amazed when i read the detail of other reports, i cannot remember much TBH, i forgot my contact lens so didn't see a whole lot, missed most of the mile signs, just concentrated on staying with a group. i got advise that i should get to the 18 mile mark & feel really good & i was feeling like i had just done a warm-up, i was a little fearful of the marathon & possible a little cautious. looking back at my splits, the seema bit up & down but i wasn't really running with the watch.
at 10k i was in 202 position & finished in 101 so i did start of slow 7 cautious.

One mistake, i took too many gels, i had only taken one/two at the most before but i figured i should take more. WHY??
I got a stitch between mile 20 & 21 that reduced me to 6:45. i thought i was goosed here as this was the same thing that happened in that 10k race months earlier.
Except this time i got through it, tried to relax & i stopped taking water & gels until very close to the end of the race.

mile 22 & 23 were my fastest & i passed quite a few, it was here that i was beginning to believe that the plan was working, all those miles running in trail with tired legs. Legs felt very strong, it was the rest of me that was suffering.
This was encouraging & i also had a friend at mile 24, this was a huge boost, i travelled up alone & felt i didn't need cheering squad but he really gave me strength.

i was constantly passing people now as my last 6 miles were my fastest but i was worried that i pushed too soon, i was trying to drop the pace but it came creeping back up again around the 6:30's for miles 24 & 25.

All i remember was the amazing crowds & the noise; i was in a lot of pain for the last 2 miles.
Just when i didn't have any more to give i was passed out by another guy,with about 200m to go, this was the first time i was passed out in the last 6 miles so i tried to go with him.

i was surprised that i actually had a sprint in me as I’ve never had a change of pace. I was content to just see this out & remain behind a girl that was in front of me. I passed him and that girl, not for long though, he passed me again & gave me words of encouragement to keep going for sub 2:50, then proceeded to do the airplane to the finish, fair play to him, i was giving it everything & he looked so fresh.

i had no idea of the time as i hadn't checked the watch, i was just using the watch for the miles splits. i had a pacing band but it fell off at the start. so just kept going as hard as i could. didn't realise my time until i got txt msg.

The hip flexor seized up then & it was a long hobble to the physio tent for a bag of ice. i had a massive grin on my face, wouldn't believe it. I had lived & dreamed this for the last year. i wanted to blag on about it but as i was solo i didn't have anyone to burn the ear off. Thankfully for them.
i went into McG for cup of tea, i saw Krusty who is always good with the advice here, actually I had inquired about parking near the RDS on the way up & fair play to him , he recommended a spot not too far away.
I was a little delirious & beard covered in gel, sitting beside the fire with an ice pack down my shorts, so thought the best thing to do was make my way back to the hotel & relive my marathon lying on the bed.

splits;
10k 1/2 20mile 26.2
40:16 1:24:51 2:09:05 2:49

The Future
I’m not going to leave it another 4 years for my next marathon, I can see the allure, it’s like something is missing from my life, it’s bloody addictive.
It was better than expected. I realise how lucky I was as I know a lot of others have worked as hard & failed to get to the start line. It’s a tough game but that’s the appeal of it.
No plans for a spring marathon as I couldn’t have the time to dedicate to it but hopefully Berlin next year.

pconn062

Great run man, fair play. Those tough, hilly long runs really stood to you.

DogSlySmile

Love it! Massive congratulations, a great run!!

Duanington

More inspirational stuff !!