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Confessions of a never has been.....
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So now it is really all over, including the running - a big PB in the bag, a tough but hugely memorable day banked away in the vaults for future reference and a sore, tired, restless body to deal with over the next few days.
Let’s start off by saying that Dublin is just a beautiful city – DCM never ceases to remind me of that fact. Last year, I was out on the streets supporting runners and was in awe of occasion, this year I was running the streets and at times was in awe of the occasion. Whatever about runners heading out at 9 am to run 26.2 miles in the wind and rain (we’re runners, that’s what we do!) – the crowds that came out in support all over the course were incredible - maybe that’s just the norm for the event but I was still blown away by it. The city centre at the start, the North Circular Road, Castlenock, Chapelizod, Ballyfermot, Kilmainham, Rialto, Dolphins Barn, Walkinstown and beyond – the noise at times was incredible, the approach back into the city centre was something special too, almost was overwhelming at times if I’m honest and difficult at times not to get carried away by the emotion of it all. Dublin, you did good, take a bow!
Lying on my back on the wet pavement outside Merrion Square, with my legs raised, feet rested against the slippery railings in an effort to get the numbing pain to drop out of my calves and thighs, a fellow runner turns and says to me – “why the **** do we do to it to ourselves eh?” ( in a thick Northern accent).
“Because its f8cking deadly” I replied, sitting upright , reaching out and taking the offer of his helping hand to get me back, gingerly, to my feet.
“Aye, you’re right there, there’s nothing like it really” my Northern friend says as we hobble off in different directions like two OAPs leaving a heavy yoga session.
7 hours had passed since the alarm went off and I had climbed out of bed – listening to the wind outside, confirming the fears and suspicions that everyone had. Today was going to a blowy day. I hate the wind, I hate running with it, I hate running into it and I hated the fact that I should be so used to it, living and training on the coast every day for the past few years, balls.
Txt messages from fellow runners started to come in, “you up yet?”, “****ing wind is here alright” – I put the porridge on, stuck on the kettle and sent my replies, making meeting arrangements at the same time.
Breakfast, toilet, shower, dress – check everything twice and wait for the taxi – listen to the wind.
In the weeks leading up to the race, after listening to some sage advice and thinking things over in my own head, the idea of targeting a solid 2.57\2.58 marathon was something that seemed pretty do-able. I had trained very well, had hit all of the sessions consistently well and was pretty confident that if I had a little luck, I could hold a very solid pace all the way through to the end. While I didn’t exactly have a plan B – I did have a result B, leaving everything I had out on the course. If I did that, I would surely grab a hefty PB and set myself up for another good training block over the winter.
When I last ran a marathon, 3.36 was a huge result for me, it felt like (and was) a massive personal achievement, a lot water had passed under the bridge since then though and I was now training at an MP pace that looked very lofty on paper to my 2013 self. I had moved on across all other distances and now it was the turn of the marathon, just another race of course but by far the most challenging for me.
After getting a taxi into town and meeting up with one of my two running buddies (met my bro, couldn’t find P, who was due to be my companion for much of the race), I made my way to the baggage area, bumping into FBOT01 who was on the bike for the day, looking like the kid in the sweet shop with no money
, might get out for a run with you over the next couple of weeks M, good to see you as always.
We dropped off our bags and headed towards our respective starting pens, I was in wave one, the bro was in wave two, a quick man hug and we parted ways. The atmosphere in the starting area really was electric, I crammed my way up to an area between the 3 hour and 3.10 pacers, no sign of P but I was pretty sure I’d see him in the club colours once the field thinned out a bit after a few miles. I looked at the sky, noticing the contrast between the clouds whizzing across the sky and the mild, calm conditions that shelter of the buildings around us created. “Take it easy over the first 10k D, don’t get caught up in the frenzy” – I did a quick systems check, everything felt good, nerves were there but it was more excitement\ambition than nerves to be honest, I was going to run a good race and I was going to take in a lot of pain while doing so, I was ready for whatever lay ahead.
A very quick countdown and we were off, none of the slow buildup in pace that I recall from previous marathons, it was pretty quick going from the off and I was swept away with the crowd really, watching the 3 hour balloons up ahead, happy enough to keep them in sight. The streets were packed on either side, a huge amount of supporters for that hour of the morning, the start of a marathon is such a strange thing, there’s so little effort involved in running, it’s like freewheeling a bike along a super smooth path with adoring fans either side of you telling you how awesome you are at freewheeling your bike!
The field streaked through the twists and turns of the city, winding its way up past St Patricks cathedral (taking in a climb that just didn’t feel like a climb) before diving back down around Christchurch and arriving at the quays. I spotted P up ahead , maybe 20 metres away, sitting in the middle of the 3 hour group. Everyone was moving well, there was a huge group forming in around and just behind the pacers, I was happy enough to sit behind them and planned to work my way up to them in the park. Over the Liffey we went , got a welcome shout out from Yaboya01 and onto another climb, this was the deceptively tough section that people had warned me about and yet it felt pretty easy – “deceptively tough D, you dunce DECEPTIVELY tough”, we turned left onto the NCR , through a very narrow street actually, I had to run along the path to avoid tripping or getting tripped up.
My gelt belt was pi$$ing me off, it was twisting around my waist and I was constantly having to tug at it, I had it loaded with 5 gels – 3 of them had tape to keep them from slipping out of the loops that held them in, I had planned to take 3 or 4 gels so brought a spare just in case. I hate gel belts.
The NCR is a blur, before I knew it we were at the entrance to the park, another huge crowd had gathered to roar us on.
Miles 1-3 - (6.51, 6.30 ouch!, 6.49)
No sign of the wind as we came into the park, if anything, we had it at our backs, the trees were certainly blowing around the place but the direction was different than normal, I was still hanging around the back of the huge 3 hour group, starting to think about taking a gel, as much to get rid of the f*ckers as anything.
Through the 4 mile marker and onto Chesterfield, I felt good, the pace was fine, the crowd was too big and crammed for my liking, I was doing a lot of Michael Flattley impressions to dodge stray feet but things were on course. Chesterfield is always a drag and while the wind was probably at our backs here, the huge group probably meant that nobody benefitted as it dissipated the wind before it really hit anyone. I grabbed water for myself at the next water station, opened a gel, almost choked on said gel and eventually washed it down with some water. Moving towards the 6 mile marker, I resisted the urge to move up through the field and stayed with the last of the 3 pacers, I could hear him telling people all around him that this was early days and we were moving through some hills and drags that would make themselves known later. I was happy to hold the pace and let people pass me by.
Miles 4-6 (6.39, 6.57, 6.45)
Another huge wall of noise greeted us as we came into Castlenock, supporters, people with music blaring through amps and I think an official cheering zone too. We turned left in the village and the group squeezed our way onto the downhill stretch, I was mindful not to overdo it here but let the legs float down the stretch to the park entrance at the same time. It was a bit of a squeeze to get in through the gate, the group was still pretty large and I could see my running buddy P, moving out ahead of the pacers, he had either decided he was better off in the space in front or else he was feeling like 2.55 was on ( and I know he’s capable for sure). I steadied the mind and focused on staying with the group, the wind was more obvious now, we’d had a free run of it until now with shelter and the general direction helping us but we had turned around and while the trees along the route provided some shelter, the wind was there and was making its presence felt.
We wound our way down through the park and out the gate at Chapelizod, the group felt a little more spread out now, just a little.
Miles 7-9 (6.52, 6.39, 6.47)
Over the bridge and through another huge crowd, we veered left for the big climb up into Ballyfermot, we seemed to grind to a halt on the hill, or at least move up it in slow motion, it was the first real test of strength and possibly sapped a little more energy than I had expected. Once we reached the top, I felt fine though and gave myself a few seconds before getting the pace back up into the target range. We ducked under the bridge into Inchicore, moving alongside the stopped traffic for a bit before turning into yet another packed crowd at Kilmainham, the crowds were just getting louder and louder, this particular spot was deafening. Down the hill and a sharp climb again before turning for Rialto, we’d gone through a sneaky series of ups and downs now at this stage, carried by the crowds and the big group and I could feel it in the legs, not necessarily pain, just a level of fatique I guess that wasn’t there over the first few miles. Rialto into Dolphin’s Barn and we turn into that caldron of support that I have always loved, the crowd seems to roar in unison creating this incredible uplifting feeling that lasts all the way to the bridge at the canal, I notice that the pacing group have moved a little bit ahead but I’m not worried, my plan is to keep them in my sights until Walkinstown and call it then. I grabbed another water and managed not to choke myself with the gel this time as we set off for the rest of the long drag up towards Walkinstown.
Miles 10-12 (6.48, 6.53, 6.50)
That drag always hurts, always and by the time we got to the roundabout, I was bringing up the rear of the 3 hour group. I wasn’t feeling bad to be fair but I wasn’t feeling great either, I had to remind myself that I was running a marathon though, that was surely good enough reason to not feel great D? And surely the fact that you don’t feel bad is most definitely a positive?!
I had a huge shout out from a pal here who had squeezed her way to the front of the crowd, funny the mental boost you get from these as your mind is momentarily released from its world of concentration and work. Pretty sure I heard a few other shout outs too but I couldn’t spot any more familiar faces in the crowd.
Left turn at the roundabout towards Kimmage and I am very aware that I am running slightly isolated from the group, the wind is blowing straight at us too so I’ve left myself pretty vulnerable here – first big mistake? 2nd maybe? No wait, that 2nd mile was pretty quick too, 3rd big mistake ?! The change in effort levels was noticeable straight away, while the first 10, 11 even up to 13 had been pretty straightforward, I was slap bang in the middle of a marathon now with a strong wind doing everything it could to f*ck me up. Great
Miles 13-15 (6.45, 6.48, 6.51)
I spotted P, my running buddy ahead, he was coming back to me pretty quickly now , I was working hard, trying to keep touch with the 3 hour group. If I could keep them in my sights for another few miles then maybe I would have enough left in the tank to squeeze a sub 3 out of this yet. High fived a few kids to lift my own spirits – selfish , I know
P came right back to me at the Submarine pub, I called out to him just as I reached him in the hope that he would snap out of it and we’d get some sort of little group going, “I’m struggling D, the wind has me” – not what I wanted to hear, “we’ll hold this pace for a few miles and recover” – no response, none needed, he was hurting, I was hurting, everyone around us was hurting and the group ahead was sailing off ahead like a rescue boat, leaving the rest of us threading water and battling the elements! P sank away and I ploughed on ahead, he’s a strong runner and a stubborn bloke too, while the boost of the shout out at the roundabout had me buzzing, seeing someone like him struggle brought things home to me, I had a serious battle on my hands here.
We turned right at KCR, veered left into the drag just before Templogue Rd\Terenure Rd, providing some relief from the wind , I was hanging on by a thread now, maybe 20 seconds or so behind the group, brief thoughts of packing it in fluttered around my mind for a second but I put them to bed quickly and got the head down again, Bushy Park was providing some shelter from the wind and the profile was dropping slightly so I recovered the pace and started to feel a little better about life again for a few minutes.
Miles 16-18 (6.51, 7.02, 6.48)
The right turn onto Orwell Road was another spectacular success for the occasion, noise and positive energy seemed totally focused on the individual runners doing their thing. The section of the field I was moving in was pretty thin and people were coming back to me in their droves now, many looked completely drained and void of any energy at all. Normally I get a boost from passing people but when they are coming back to you looking like victims of some sort of physical assault it can play on your more humane side.
Passing the Dropping Well, I was starting to feel pretty rough, my legs were starting to ache and while we were getting intermittent respite from the breeze, each section of the route that exposed us to the elements seemed to have an exponential effect on me, I felt a little like a battered boxer taking punches at this stage, there was always the towel of course but there was just no way I was packing it in. Sub 3 was most definitely slipping away from me but then 3 hours is a number, nothing more, nothing less. From the very first moment I decided to take on the marathon this year, my aim had been to run to the best of my ability on the day, whatever “number” that ended up being - I had to remind myself of that at this stage, I wasn’t chasing numbers, I was chasing an all out performance.
A few more ups and downs and we were passing the 20 mile marker, 10k to go, “I can definitely do another 10k” I thought but I don’t know if I can stop the pace from turning into a death march. The wind may actually not have been too strong at this point but you could probably have knocked me over with a feather as we approached Clonskeagh, I saw 3 lads within 100 metres pull up sharply with sore looking cramps, all hamstrings of course. I also saw someone passing out on the side of the road, thankfully his mates were there to help him out. Things were starting to feel a little surreal!
Miles 19-21 (6.59, 6.55, 6.57)
Roebuck Road was upon us and while I wasn’t particularly dreading the hill at the top, I was battling hard against the long drag that leads you up to the hill with the breeze trying to push me back down, everything was an effort now, breathing was an effort, the soles of my feet were sore and my legs were crying out for relief now, I knew the pace was really dropping. Mentally I was trying to stop myself from slipping into the twilight zone, working hard to stay focused and to keep the basics going, so long as I was doing that much, the rest would take care of itself. Another shout out from Yaboya01 (he really got around on that bike!) at the top of the hill, it helped to keep me from dropping off into a bit of a daze actually and sharpened the senses. I knew it was downhill from here on but I also knew that I had spent a lot of energy in the middle section of the race and had almost nothing left in the bank.
Popped a gel around here somewhere – I think, didn’t choke
The drop down to the N11 gave some the legs some relief and I tried to just stretch my stride out to keep up some sort of decent pace, I knew I was slowing but I also knew that the next few miles were downhill and we would have that wind at our backs now. Through the crowds and out onto the N11, no relief, just more running. I spotted the flyover ahead and was pleasantly surprised at how flat it looked, I always remembered it being a little steeper. Just over 3 miles to go, people were passing and people were dropping, it really was a strange feeling, more people pulling up with sniper shots – I don’t think I’ve seen it happen to as many people before.
The spare gel slipped out of its loop and hit the ground, I laughed for a second, bleedin gels, poxy belts.
We turned down towards the 24 mile marker at Elm Park golf club and I was running alongside a Foyle Valley runner, he was getting huge support from the crowd – all of whom seemed to know him by his name. I did the maths, name on the top, it must have been, I couldn’t turn around for fear of falling over! We spilled out onto Merrion Road, this was the last straight right? Less than 2 miles to go, thats less than 14 minutes, I checked the pace on the watch, ****e, less than 15 minutes to go.
The crowds were getting thick now and I was sensing the finishing area ahead, not long to go and the good fight would be fought, keep it going D.
Miles 22-25 ( 7.33, 7.18, 7.14, 7.30)
Around the 25 mile marker I heard another runner getting incredible support from the crowds, another name on the tshirt job? Maybe but there was something more intense about the shouts she was getting, I was running side by side with her and the noise levels increased dramatically as we passed through the crowd. I stole a quick glance over and sure enough, our very own Sonia O’Sullivan was the lady in question. Moving as elegantly and smoothly as ever. We were completely separated from anyone else for about 500 metres, Sonia and myself - it was pretty amazing to witness the love that people have for one of our greats, I was lapping it up to be honest. The sign for 800 metres to go appeared up ahead on the right, my family would be there and sure enough I spotted them just as they spotted me, I started the long kick for home – sure it was only 800 metres!
Gradually I started to wind the pace up, leaving Sonia to lap up the glory while I ploughed on into the finishing straight to what seemed like a massive roar from the waiting crowd, I was pretty much all alone at this stage, 3.02.x on the clock – would I make sub 3.03? F*ck it, I’ll try...I squeezed every last ounce of energy out of my legs over the last 200 metres, this was brilliant, the pain is gone, this is the marathon, I’m nearly done, this is a massive PB, listen to the noise!
Over the line I went and stopped the garmin for 3.03.08 – happy as a pig in ****e, I was wiped out, completely spent, there was nothing at all left in the tank and I was done. I slowly made my way to the goody bag area to get my gear and find somewhere to lie down. My legs were tying up now, muscles releasing whatever it is they release during and after an effort like this, it stings whatever the hell it is. I lay down for a bit and enjoyed the moment before heading up to the massage tent to get my legs worked sorted out.
Great atmosphere in the tent with people getting rub downs and doing warm down stretches , I was happy to just sit down to be honest and even happier to get the legs rubbed down! The relief was almost immediate and I headed off to meet up with the family and friends that had come in to support our crew.
And so the end of another training cycle which will hopefully lead me well into the next training cycle. The beauty of long distance running is that if you play your cards right, all the sessions and all the races can lend themselves to each other, gradually improving your performances over time.
I’m glad I raced the marathon this year, I had hoped for a slightly better time if I’m brutally honest but it just wasn’t there on the day, I can’t make any excuses other than on another day maybe it would have happened – maybe not though, who knows. I am in good shape now and gave it everything I had on the day and for me, that is exactly what I wanted to achieve.0 -
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Great report and performance, D. You can't ask for more than to walk away knowing you gave it all you had on the day.
While I thoroughly enjoyed window shopping in the sweet shop your report has made keenly aware at how good those sweets can taste
Catch up soon.0 -
Fantastic report, D, you really paint the picture of the day very well... seems to me that the wind was a much bigger factor for runners at your end of the race (less of an issue for us plodders).
And getting to run with Sonia... wow, what a privilege!! (not to mention finishing ahead of her
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and almost forgot, great result too!0 -
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20.11.2015
Monday - rest day. Got a good weights session in
Tuesday
6 easy miles after work. The wind was tugging at the building in work by the time I got out and I had it at my back for most of the run home, so much so I'm not even sure this counts as a run !
Turned around for the last mile and I knew all about it then.
Stretching and core work after
6 miles @ 8.10 min\miles (ish - no watch)
Wednesday
AM - run into work in awful conditions, high winds and stinging rain. The rain was coming straight at me and got so heavy at one stage that I had to duck in behind a tree for a bit of respite for a minute or so, it was pelting off my face with brutal force at one stage ( ouch !). I was a sorry sight by the time I got into the office needless to say.
5 miles @ whatever pace!
PM - dried the running gear out as best I could on various radiators throughout the day and got going just after finishing time, the runners weren't quite dried out but there was no squelching which was all I could ask for really .
Easier conditions than the earlier run but I did feel a little tired towards the end
6 miles@ 8 min\miles approx ( no watch)
Thursday
Planned session today was for;
2 miles easy
2x2miles@6.30( 5 min easy between)
2 miles easy
Good session, got off the coast road after the two mile warmup to get some bumps and drags in on the main part of the session.
The wind was pretty strong on parts of the route which made things a little more uncomfortable than planned at times but then the last mile took me onto the main avenue in St Anne's which was very calm and felt much better
8.15
7.45
6.25
6.33
8.15 (pace - 5 min recovery)
6.23
6.26
8.20
8.17
Weights and stretching in the PM
Friday
Run home from work this evening, freezing cold conditions but this often makes for a nice run which proved to be the case. Felt great all the way through this one, took in the extra couple of miles around St Anne's.
6 miles @ 8 min\miles approx
I've noticed that I am starting to obsess a little bit again about running during work which is obviously a sign that things are returning to normal
Looking forward to the next few months training0
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