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Making every mile count
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AuldManKing wrote: »So, basically what you are saying is, you'd have PB'd if the course wasn't long
A 10k race the week before a Marathon - is this something you've done before?
My PB still stands at 33.30, for the next month or two at least!
Yeah, last year I raced the Simon 5, again 8 days out from the marathon. It's not something I would recommend to all. It really depends what type of runner and trainer you are, I think. It wasn't a full out race effort in truth. I think it's almost impossible to empty yourself when in taper. It's more of a sharpener in essence, helping to get rid of those pre-race marathon nerves. Part of me is happy I wasn't clock watching as I would have upped the pace to grab a PB. That PB can wait until after. It wasn't like I was anywhere 4th place either; a real case of 'us' and 'them'. Great see my clubmate get his first ever win.
The lead pack went through 5km in 15.54, which would have been a PB for me. I think I could have latched on if I was a bit smarter at the start but in hindsight, I think it wouldn't have ended well! Lucky escape me thinks.
On futher reflection, the Simon 5 was a near exact replica. I came 3rd that time, again a case of being totally outclassed by the Top 2. I ran the entire distance solo in that race as well (can you spot the trend?!)0 -
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dublin runner wrote: »Normally Anthony would be rustling together an espresso, before hurdling the barrier, making it with 11 seconds to spare!
I thought I saw you going into the pen with 5-10 minutes to spare and thought, "nah, that can't be him, your man hasn't even started singing yet"
then I saw you running out a couple of minutes later, and decided it must have been you, running back to the hotel for your watch
:pac: 0 -
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The Amble.
Rotterdam Marathon 2018
51st - 2.33:20
I will backtrack somewhat and write that taper went exceedingly well, including an ad-hoc approach to carb-depletion. I had not intended to go full throttle on it but after only one slice of bread on the both the Monday and Tuesday, I went full on. I think that was the sensible approach judging by how I was feeling and the general energy levels. The Thursday night meal flipped the diet, resorting to as many carbs as I could handle. Well, this all meant losing 2kg without trying, meaning that I was as light as I ever have been come Thursday
I felt fresh starting the race, immediately settling into a decent pace. By design, I positioned myself right next to the right barrier. I firmly believe that, even in the top pen behind the real runners, the truly insane start in the middle. You know the sort. The sort that goes out at 3km pace, despite it being a marathon! I was expecting a crazy start but what unfolded was pretty horrific. If you watch the start video you can see what I am referring to! One trip meant one faller which meant carnage. I was very happy to steer clear of all that. I could see Gary just ahead but asides from that I could see nobody I knew. The new start meant an immediate climb over the bridge. After this, the race settled and I found a nice groove. What was immediately apparent was the heat. It was already very hot but really hoped it wasn't an omen for what was to come. I put that to one side and soon after JD appear on my shoulder. The first 5km was completely unremarkable, just how you want it.
5km – 3.33min/km – 00.17:43
I knew it was a confident start pace-wise but I felt in a good place. JD left me for the warmth of Gary's company and I was left running with a good mix of fellow likeminded athletes. Truthfully, I cannot remember much here at all. My drink was easily located on the table at the 5km station, which helped to settle any doubts over the drinks stations to come! I really do not enjoy the opening stages of any marathon, only really ever settling after 10miles. The biggest doubts are usually found here, thinking of what is yet to come. I find it hard to overcome but instead of rebelling against it, I chose to embrace it and work with it. One you choose to embrace the nerves and anxiousness you somehow can have power over it – you take control. That, of course, can be a difficult balancing act; keeping the doubts at bay, being confident. I think this may also down to using the opening few miles as an extended warm-up. I do think it's largely the body adapting to the task at hand, especially after the reduction in miles during taper.
What I did notice was the legs being somewhat uncoordinated, clashing at several points. On reflection, I think that was a sign of what was to come. Around this point, I was joined by Alan, with the two other Irish lads a number of seconds ahead.
I popped my first get at 8km, as per usual. I made a mess of holding onto my other gel, dropping it at some point.
10km - 3.34min/km - 00.35:22
The right turn meant the briefest of respite from the sun, negotiating the lovely shade of the underpass. We then entered the canal section and from poor memory, a nice headwind. I like this bit of road; long, straight, with plenty of support. Alan pushed on here, with Gary and JD slightly extending their lead. No need to panic though, plenty of road left. The dropped gel meant I stretched out the plan, choosing 15km instead of 13km for the next injection of sugar. I was feeling the heat but after running Rotterdam so often, I was conditioned for that particular nagging feeling.
15km - 3.38min/km – 00.53:42
I knew the pace would naturally settle and so it did. There were a number of runners to work with but none stuck around. I was happy to do my own thing for the time being. The crowd support leaving the canal was simply immense. It was, however, a mental relief to get off the canal. Before long we encountered the elongated (2018 edition) U-turn, getting a chance to see the runners ahead. I was back in a good place physiologically, really looking forward to halfway.
The plan was to hold it steady and work off other runners. The lads ahead could do their own thing, I thought to myself. I really tried to switch off and continue the decent clip.
20km - 3.36min/km - 01.11:42
A problem. Well, two problems:
1) I needed the toilet
2) The right quad was starting to give trouble
I knew how to deal with Problem 1 but Problem 2? Well, that was a new one for me. I chose to ride out the stomach issue and motor on. It wasn’t costing me time but it is was only a matter of time before it eventually would. I tried my best to subdue the pain of the quad, both physically and mentally. I tried to pour cold water over it. I never had any issue in that area so I was firefighting.
Get to halfway.
Halfway came and went in 01.15:42. The pace was fine and I thought I could hold it and push on over the last number of kilometres.
I caught Gary and Alan (I think) soon after. I was in a good place energy-wise, feeling very fresh, even in the heat. I am sure I looked awful but I felt ok. Gary said some nice words. My response? ‘I need the toilet so you’ll probably catch me!’ We were very much now it the death zone of the marathon; just over halfway but far from home and a beer! The quad began to seriously aggravate me here and I became definitely concerned. While the pain wasn’t very bad, it was very significant. I had no option but to ease off naturally. The legs were operating at 85-90% but still operational.
25km – 3.40min/km – 01.30.01
The toilet issue sorted itself out (no questions, please!) with a 30-40 second pitstop, making it a slow 5km. The lads had indeed passed me, with me entering just as Gary passed. I caught Alan and we shared the road for a brief moment. It was now 10 miles to the finish and it became every man for himself!
I was very content to compartmentalise the distance. 10 miles? Less than an hour. We retraced our step over the Erasmus, taking it carefully. Bloody quad. The parts of my legs I concentrated on during the week - hamstrings and quads – felt great. I was hurting. Literally hurting. The pace was fine. I just had reduced power. Suck it up, Anthony. Suck it up.
It amazing how much the on-course support can help in times like these. I negotiated the net underpass, again carefully, without incident. I was relishing the prospect of passing the 30km mark – another milestone. The watch confirmed I was over pace. I really didn’t need to look. The legs were pretty bad now, with every stride delivering a sharp stab of pain. I let it get to me mentally which was disappointing. I lost trust in the body. I lost time. I knew I would still PB but I resigned myself somewhat. I became afraid to push on, despite the great energy levels.
30km – 3.45min/km - 01.48:48
It became a question of ticking off the kilometres. 30km came and went. Here I started to lose myself. Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was the pain but I thought the marathon was 41km! I usually love the forest section but I was hurting. The leg got quite bad here but it thankfully leveled off. Unfortunately, it leveled off at a significantly high level. My high pain threshold was being pushed. The pace? The pace hovered in the mid 5.5x. I was too concerned to push on. I was dreaming of the right turn. Dreaming of the next milestone.
I had nothing to prove to anyone. In truth, I just wanted a good time so I could continue my running love affair with Rotterdam. I know it may sound stupid, but I didn’t want to leave the course never wanting to come back. Here I thought of my Emma and our weekend plans (some she knew, some she didn’t!) There was no pressure. No pressure from family, friends, coach……anyone. Racing was my choice, my decision. I guess I need to push myself to enjoy myself. I don’t enjoy taking it easy. I needed to prove to myself that I could apply myself and do something worthwhile.
I was in pain.
I was still passing people. With 33km gone, I told myself I only had 8km remaining. Jesus, I must have been out of it. I pushed myself as much as I thought I could. The next right turn - the next milestone. The sole focus was on the immediate. The stretch here was long and straight. It became like the walking dead. Everyone around me was dying a death, with many shuffling or walking. The sun was beating down. The pain leveled. I thought about injecting a bit of pace – too concerned I declined. I grabbed my last drink, my last gel, my last throw of water over the Irish head and convinced myself I had a mere 6km to go. Then, well then I realised my accounting error. I didn’t like the sound of 7; it wasn’t a round number. Also, I couldn’t work out how many miles it was to the finish!
35km - 3.42min/km - 02.07:17
The next right turn.
Now began the long stretch to home. I was still passing but this wasn’t even Bucks Fizz running, never mind Champagne running! I did what I do best. I was in the trenches, just battling. I can be a right stubborn f!cker at times.
I liked the sound of 36km - it was digestible. Just 3 sets of 2km to go. I tried to rally, I tried to move the legs. They were though stuck on cruise control, albeit at a painful and testing set speed. *Looking back on the paces and splits I was surprised. I thought I died a lot more. I have to be happy with that.
''GO ANTHONY.......GO DONORE HARRIERS.........''
The support again was breathtakingly positive. Somehow the support felt heartfelt and genuine. The left turn just after the 38km meant we could finally smell the finish. I upped the effort somewhat. I knew I had leaked time but I knew I was going to PB. Any day you PB is a good day.
Here, I made the mistake of not going for it. Actually, I should have thrown caution to the wind at 35km and just went for it. That is obviously very easy to write now but the energy levels were really good, just the quads. Oh, the quads!
40km - 3.41min/km - 2.25:42
I saw the clock at 40km and got a shock. 2.32:xx was going out the window. I pushed but I pushed too late, leaving it to the last 1km.
The last 2km (avg. 5.36p/m) showed I had plenty left. You live and learn.
42km - 3.36min/km - 02.33:20
The Aftermath
I crossed the line in one piece. I was fatigued but I was not in a bad way. I think the body ran within itself but the quads finally said no. For that, there is only myself to blame. I knew I had an issue regarding strength imbalance and did Sweet FA about it. I concentrated on the wrong areas. I went for the post-race massage and the physio spotted the issues straight off the bat. She asked did I do exercises: lunges, squats etc. I just laughed! That is not good enough, I knew about this since the Tullamore Half. There a physio took me in after the race and did a few basic tests. Fail! In fact, he told me he knew my issues from my walk in alone.
I did a mile or two warm-down before eating leftover cold pizza, having a hot bath and a beer.
Rotterdam 2018 was one of the best weekends of my life. I had an important duty to perform (a right leg lunge of sorts) before again going to our usual restaurant.
After a long chat with the coach, I think the 1000s of miles and raced marathons finally caught up with me. The day after the marathon was horrific! I honestly could barely look at the stairs. It felt as if the legs were going to buckle even walking down the road! As uncomfortable as I can ever recall.
Time to recover. Time to eat some bad food and drink some good beer.
Rotterdam, I will be back.
I always am.
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Great stuff Anthony and a well-deserved PB. No doubt there was more for you there on a cooler day. At the start I was way behind you (a recognition of your right-hand-side strategy!). I got caught behind the falls, and ended up with a slow first mile. It took me 5kms to catch Zico (and his wonderful new tattoo), then yourself and JD shortly afterwards. The rest is history!
Can you sort me out with the massages and drink table treatment for Tokyo? 0 -
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Amazing performance & a quality read. Approaching Krusty levels in both
Unfortunate about the Quad - with hindsight, how much do you think this cost you?
So more S&C on weak areas and you should have went for it at 35km - any more things you'd of done differently?
BTW - The only Lunge you done was the important one.0 -
Thanks all. You are all far too kind!
After a good few beers and a Subway for breakfast this morning, I have had time to reflect. I will try and answer a few questions and outline a few general thoughts.
Looking back there were warning signals regarding imbalances and weaknesses. I think the first one being the XC race late last year. Sure, I wasn't in good shape but the race showed up every inadequacy. I just could not handle the turns (mobility) and more importantly, sharp rolling hills. Perhaps the bigger red flag was the Trim 10, some 30 seconds off a PB. I don't think it was a particularly poor run, just sub par. What did happen was a tight right hamstring meaning running most of the race below expectations.
I do firmly believe that all the miles, all the races finally told of race day. I cannot pin the issue down to anything else - I did nothing different. In doing 'nothing different', that meant I was overloading the same muscle groups, small tendons, same everything! I ran 4 marathons last year: 2 race, 1 training (2.4x) and 1 pace (3.10). When you add in all the long 24 milers, all the 20 milers it does add up. That was probably all too much and while I never got injured, the body perhaps was more on the redline than I had thought.
Asides from that, my 10km PB never fell after Enniscorthy. My 5km PB never fell from Kilcock in June. Having a PB of 15.56 (5km) next to my just will never cut it. People constantly mention sub 2.30 to me but in my head, the target is far below that. I think you have to think that way otherwise that particular arbitrary time could prove a burden on the shoulders. I may never run that fast but I firmly believe I can. 100%. I was confident I was in 2.30ish shape last week but was targeting 2.31. I hate making excuses but needless to say, the heat and leg cost me a lot of time. I can no longer give the excuse of I am a 'marathon runner'; the shorter stuff has to be tackled.
The legs were very bad Monday and Tuesday. Horrific! The quads were so weak I had to stop and correct myself otherwise they would have completely buckled. Luckily today they feel a lot better and the jogging since Thursday has definitely helped.
I am a 2.33 runner and until I go faster, that is all I am!
'You are only as good as your last performance.' 0 -
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It has been a while!
Yes, I have been running! While I would still class it as 'training' it lacked focus and dedication. I signed up for an autumn marathon but still could not get the mojo back. After a truncated long run in Sligo two weeks ago, I finally realised I was chasing something I didn't really want to do. You have to be 100% dedicated heading into marathon training and well, I wasn't! I knew I could have gone through a cycle and PB'd and knocked a minute or two off my time, the time I really wanted was just a step too far. Basically training my ar$e off to run a good time like 2.31 wasn't enough to make me fully engaged heading into a marathon training block. I need to fully believe in myself (and time target) to do the training - whatever happened on race day, so be it.
It is time to run some decent 10km times. I will throw myself into a 12-week block and see where it takes me. My 10km PB is soft enough at.......well it was on a long course so probably no point comparing! I'll put it at 33.10 or so unofficially, of course! I am at least a minute off that at the moment though.
Monday - 17+ Miles (longest run since April) ~ watch mishap
Tuesday - 8.5 Miles Easy
Wednesday - Irishtown Track: 5x400m - 5min jog - 4x400m - 4min jog - 3x400m ~ all @5km, 40sec between reps
Welcome back to track running! Unbelievably uncoordinated, with a dodgy rhythm. All 75sec, with the last 3 in 75, 74, 72. Slow and fairly ugly but it is a start! I am very fit, just as sharp as a rusty nail Just under 13 miles for the day. 0 -
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