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Frankfurt Marathon Oct 25th 2015
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Fantastic run by Krusty. 2 minutes at that level is enormous.
Anybody know why MMC dropped out? She could still nab a qualifier next spring, but with Olympics just a few months after that her best chance of performing well at the Games (as opposed to just qualifying) are probably gone now.0 -
Thx to all boardsies who were following today. I'm in tears here reading the posts! Would you believe ye crossed my mind so many times during the race. Great to know there's such support. And to think I wouldn't know one of ye if I saw ye. Boards is gas!0
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^^^
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Heading to the Irish pub now, if anyone fancies a scoop.0
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Krusty_Clown wrote: »Heading to the Irish pub now, if anyone fancies a scoop.
Have a few for me between ye. Hopefully see you and Emer tomorrow. Huge congratulations on the BR hat trick! Group hug from me 0 -
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That's a great race, perfect conditions and very quick course.
The course is a mad combination of long straights and then some very twisty bits in the centre of town. The congestion at the start actually plays into your favour overall. I got barged out of it by a guy at 1km who gave me a GAA level shoulder charge but passed him back at 41km - take that!
Support is a little sketchy for bits but overall was good. I was happy with my run, negative split. The lads from Gowran all hit their targets inc. bahanaman and we met a whole lot of Mallow AC runners thoughout the field. Recommended race if you're chasing a time.
Very sad to see MMC not make it - a credit to Irish athletics - I hope she takes another chance in spring.
Well done to the boards runners.0 -
Super running all round here lads & ladies.
Huge congratulations to all of you.
Well done and enjoy the celebrations.0 -
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A long race report!
Oct 25th 2015, Frankfurt Marathon
I was wondering where to start this report. A bit of background about my marathon history, the training for this one etc. But I decided I’d just deal with the details of the weekend itself. It’ll be rambling enough at that! God knows how I’ll do it justice, but I’ll do my best.
So the actual journey to Frankfurt began Friday afternoon when four of us got together to drive up to the airport. It was good that one of us could drive as it put us more in charge of things from the start. We could decide on the right time to head off and not have any pressure getting to the airport on time. All the pent up nervous energy seemed to dissipate a little as soon as were on the road. There was non-stop chat about what lay ahead of us and we were soon at the Poitín Stil where we would have a bit of lunch before getting to the airport. Onto the airport then for a 17:50 flight which was grand. A nice drop of wine during the flight helped keep things calm. I had two glasses as one of the lads was taking absolutely no chances on this trip. He had treated his body like a temple all through the training for this one and wasn’t about to let things slide now! No problems on that front with myself. I had been quite content to contaminate my body with the odd drink over the last few weeks so why change things?
The flight was smooth as was the baggage collection. One of us had been on a slightly earlier flight (he booked later than us and got a better deal!) and when we met up we headed for the train into the centre of Frankfurt. It was all very straightforward of course, being in Germany and all that, but of course us being Irish, we missed our stop at the central station. Thankfully the next stop was only about two minutes further down the line and we got ourselves a taxi to the hotel. Again the fella who booked his trip later than us was staying in a different hotel to us but it was only a couple of hundred metres down the street from ours. So we all got out there and walked the rest of the way to our hotel. By now it was about 11 pm local time and it was noticeable that the area we were walking through was seedy enough with a lot of groups of people drinking on the street and we even witnessed some people openly taking drugs. It was a bit disconcerting to say the least and I dragging a little red suitcase along behind me stood out a little bit!! But the atmosphere was not that threatening as all the groups just kept to themselves. Once we arrived at our hotel we were very quickly checked in. I had a room to myself which was nice as I could be a slobbish as I wanted! The hotel was perfect for what we needed. The rooms were small but very clean as were the bathrooms. The beds were excellent, really comfortable. Things were going well so far. Once we had settled into the rooms we headed out to have one drink to get a feel for the atmosphere around Frankfurt. And where would the best place for that be? An Irish bar of course! At least we had a weissbier! Well two of the boys stuck to the water. Back then to the hotel and a relatively good night’s sleep which was interrupted by intermittent sirens. I reckon the hotel is on a main route to a hospital as most of the sirens were from ambulances passing right by the door of the place.
Next morning we headed looking for breakfast. There were no dining facilities in our hotel, it was lodging only. There was an arrangement with a hotel a couple of doors down from ours for breakfast and we said we’d avail of that option for handiness sake. At €12 it was expensive but there was a good spread and the scrambled eggs were excellent! After breakfast we were going to do the “Pretzel Run” which was a 5k run organised from the marathon start. We could see lots of people passing our hotel on the way to it. But we changed our minds and decided to just head off on our own final jog before the big day itself. It turned out to be a good decision as we had a really enjoyable trot around the area and got a nice few strides in along the banks of the River Main which was a nice place to run. We also happened upon the hotel where the rest of the crew from our group (Asimonov and his brothers!) were staying. They had flown out earlier Friday and we hadn’t managed to meet up yet. It was good to meet and make arrangements for the rest of the day. There was a suggestion about going on a bit of a boat trip on the river later but we still had to get to the expo and get registered (Asimonov had done all tis the day before.) so we said we’d see how things would go. I had booked an Italian restaurant months ago for the all-important carb loading and as it turned out, we wouldn’t meet up again until until dinner time there. So we headed on again and once we got back to the hotel and changed we were anxious to hit the expo and get all that stuff out of the way. It was only a few hundred metres up from the hotel, so our location was very convenient for the race itself. When we arrived the Pretzel run people were still around so of course up we went and got our own pretzel, drink and, most importantly, medal! If things were to go pear shaped the following day at least we’d have something to show from our travels! The expo itself was quite good with a lot of gear on display with the odd bargain here and there. Registration was quick and easy. I like the atmosphere at marathon expos. There always seems to be an energy about them. I suppose it’s the air of expectancy about the place with everybody in the same boat wondering what lays ahead over the next 24hrs or so. The lads headed back to the hotel fairly quickly but I hung around a bit longer soaking up the atmosphere. Also I wanted to find where my name was printed on the big “marathon wall” which was in the centre of the room. After about 15 minutes staring at it I found it at about head height right in front of where I was standing! I should’ve seen it almost immediately! That was my cue to head back to the room and hook up with the boys. The evening meal was to be at 6:30 and already we were getting peckish so we went looking for another Italian to start on the carbs. What we eventually found was a little place right across the road from our hotel that we hadn’t noticed earlier at all. We stuffed ourselves with pasta and pizza. Between us we ate three large bowls of spaghetti and four twelve inch pizzas. With drinks, the bill only came to €52! The food was excellent. Some value. It was 3:30 by the time we left. We’d be eating again in three hours! Where would we put it? Anyway back across the street we went and we all went back to the rooms for an afternoon nap. Another good decision I feel as we all got a really decent rest and were refreshed for the evening ahead.
We met at the restaurant at the appointed time and everyone was in great form. One of the worries we all had heading into the race was that the water would be in cups. None of us had much experience taking water this way. The only time I tried it I almost choked myself. As it worked out though one of the lads had picked up some kind of virus earlier during the summer and wouldn’t be running the next day. He had kindly offered to head out onto the course during the marathon to give us drink bottles at not one but two places along the way! Fair flucks to him!! He even had the route map with him to show us where he would be standing waiting for us. He was going to be at the 15k mark and at 34k also. Another little helping hand that would be very welcome the next day. Myself and the lads who had stuffed ourselves earlier only managed about half a pasta dish but it was just about perfect as all the grub would all have worked its way through the system well in advance of race time tomorrow. Back to the hotels then, all in great form and ready for the challenge ahead. I was quite relaxed myself. As soon as I was back in the room it was time to lay out the gear for the next day. Amazingly I was still quite relaxed and soon after hitting the sack I was asleep. The clocks were going back which would give us an extra hour in the morning. Still though, I set an alarm on my phone and my watch as well as organising a wake up call from reception.
I didn’t need any of the above measures as I was awake at around 6 o’clock and immediately feeling nerves that had so far not really been a bother. After all the months of training, waiting, the day was finally here! The lads were awake early as well so after a bit of pottering around we again headed up the street for breakfast. The lads were in good form and were mad for grub. Me? All I could get down were two croissants with a bit of jam. €6 each! Still though they filled a gap and I wasn’t too worried about breakfast. I don’t think the breakfast has much of an impact on the race. Back to the rooms then and it was time to tog out. The lad down the road was to call at 9 o’clock on the way to the start and from then it took just five minutes to get there. We met up with Asimonov and his brother straight away and had a bit of craic helped ease the tension. I went up to the bag drop with my change of gear for after the race. (The rest of the lads left theirs in the hotel) The conditions were absolutely perfect. Dry, calm and around 12 degrees. We hung around a while and some of the lads went for a bit of a warm up. There was no sign of them coming back so eventually we headed into the starting pen. When we had arrived at the start there didn’t seem to be too much of a crowd actually in the pen but now it was packed and it was very difficult to get up near the start line. I was a bit peeved at this because we had been there early enough to have avoided this. Eventually we made our way up to about twenty metres from the start line and with about ten minutes to go all there was left to do now was wait for the off. It was one of the longest ten minutes ever!
At 10:00 am on October 25th in Frankfurt we were at last on the final 26.2 mile leg of a journey that began in the foyer of the Spring Hill Court Hotel in Kilkenny sometime last February when we got together after a track session to investigate our options for this weekend. Now the race was actually on! We had got near enough to the front of the race to prevent having to weave in and out between slower runners and I got into my stride right from the off. I had always had the garmin set to miles and all my training was done at minutes per mile paces but because Frankfurt was measured in km with km markers I decided to change for this race. I was a little bit worried about that but I had the pace band and knew what splits should be. Even during the first few km it seemed to me that the standard of the “ordinary” runners in this race was higher than what I’d encountered before. For most of the first part there was a fairly constant stream of people passing me. I was determined to hold my 2:55 pace and at this stage was feeling quite comfortable. I was tempted to tag along with the odd passer by but resisted the urge. I had my plan and I would stick to it. I wasn’t coming all the way out here to blow up in the last miles of the race just because of a bit of over exuberance during the early miles or should I say km! Another thing that became clear was that the tall buildings were completely messing with the gps signal and the watch was not anywhere near matching up with the markers. After the first two km I turned off the auto lap function and would do it manually from there to the finish. I was bang on pace so far and feeling good. In fact I thought that I would be under more pressure at this pace so this was great. There were a lot of sharp turns during this part of the race and we had to be careful with the kerbs as we rounded each corner. The first 5k were thankfully uneventful for me at least. It wasn’t the same for Asimonov who was almost bulldozed out of it in the first k by a gobsh1te who came storming up from behind and barged right into him. I have no idea why he did this. There was plenty of room for him to pass. Asimonov’s race could have ended right there but thankfully he kept his feet and ran a great race, passing the gobsh1te about 2 k from the finish. My first 5k split was 20:44. Right on target and feeling strong. So far so good. The next 5k would go along the same lines. A big plus was how drinking from the cups was going. I was grabbing them and squeezing them into a kind of spout which allowed me to sip from them fairly easily without sputtering all over myself! The second 5k split was 20:43. Bang on. The course was so flat. There was a small drag in the tenth k but it was nothing really. It was during the next 5k that I had my first bit of concern. The odd time during the training block my right hamstring had given me a bit of discomfort and just before the 15k mark it gave me a little bit of a dart! It was completely out of the blue and while it didn’t upset my rhythm it did mess with my head. Our drinks man was waiting as planned just after the 15k mark and was a sight for sore eyes. Here I took the first of my gels which I was carrying along diluted in a drink bottle that I was able to carry very comfortably for the whole race. The 15 k split was 20:42. This was going well! Could I keep it together? I was still feeling strong and was even beginning to feel a little confident. The next 5k went by in 20:43. I was sticking rigidly to the plan. The flat course made this a good bit easier. Soon after the half way point was reached in 1:27:22.
Once I got past half way in such good shape I began to push it just a little bit. The reminders from the hamstring kept me from overdoing it which was probably a good thing. This part of the course had a lot of long flat straights and was quiet enough as regards spectators. To be honest though I wasn’t minding the surroundings much. I was really focused on getting this job done. We could have been running in an industrial estate for all I cared. The 25k split was 20:37. I had passed one of the lads who had headed off fast from the start at around 24k. We chatted a little but I was determined not to change my pace and carried on ahead after a few hundred metres. He was in good spirits but was slowing up a good bit at that stage. The kilometres were still ticking by at a nice rate. By now I was beginning to feel that the “A” target was really on! Just keep things going as they are and not get carried away. The 30k split was 20:34 and still feeling good even with the slightly quicker pace. Now the real stuff was to begin. From around this point I began to do calculations in my head. How much could I afford to slow down over the last 10k and still go sub 2:55, sub 3:00 even which would still have made this somewhat of a success. The 35k split was back to the 20:43 mark. For the first time now I began to allow myself believe I could actually do this. But then, as if the marathon gods were telling me to cop on, I began to slow down ever so slightly and the effort levels were rising. I wonder if this was because I lost focus and concentration with the distraction of doing all the maths and beginning to look towards the finish a bit early. I remember making a right turn not long after receiving the second water bottle from our faithful companion (who had hired a bike to get from the 15k point to the second chosen hydration point!) and for the first time in ages seeing the skyline of the financial centre. Only 8k left. I thought of the run I’ve done from my front gate so many times over the last few years that’s the same distance. Getting close now but still so much could go wrong. I could still hit the wall. I was beginning to get worried. Could things still go pear shaped? Maybe the hamstring could still go. I’d heard enough stories of marathons coming off the rails over the last few kilometres. I didn’t want to add to them. I now felt I was definitely slowing. I even began to try and work out what I would need to do to the finish just to break the 3hr mark when I was still right on target for the 2:55. This period of doubt lasted up to the 40k mark which saw my slowest 5k split of the race of 20:50.
So there was a little over 2k left and the 2:55 was still completely in my own hands. I had been worrying way too much about a small drop in pace when in actual fact I was still in reasonably good shape. I was still passing runners, which I had been steadily doing since half way. I had paced myself well and now had a chance to achieve something that, even at the start of the training cycle, I didn’t think was possible. Ffs 2k left, five laps of a track. I could probably walk to the finish and still break three hours. It was time to throw caution to the wind and let it rip! From being afraid of having a dnf I was now going all out with a smile on my face. I’ve never enjoyed the closing stages of any race like this one. I was feeling great now with a renewed bounce in my step. Hamstring? What hamstring? I was passing loads now and really enjoying the crowd approaching the finish. As I rounded the last corner about 300m from the entrance to the Festhalle indoor arena where the finish line was, I broke into what felt like an all-out sprint. I was roaring and waving at the spectators lined up on both sides to cheer louder. Did they not realise what I was about to achieve? The last 60 or so metres inside the hall was full of fist pumps and more roaring. There was loud music, flashing lights and then the finish line. I stopped the watch at 2:54:13! Was I happy? No, I was fcuking delirious! I couldn’t believe that al the training and effort had actually paid off. I made my way around the back of the finish area and waited for the rest of the lads to finish. They were soon in and all had achieved their targets! We all got our medals and met with Asimonov who had run a brilliant race which was almost a pb. There were loads of refreshments available including beer! The sense of elation and satisfaction I felt was not abating and I didn’t want it to. Not only had I run the best marathon of my life but I wasn’t in bits after it! We hung around for ages. But eventually I went up to get my bag before we headed back to the hotel. Before we did though, we all got the medals engraved with our names and finishing times. We were like a bunch of kids.
What a day! I could go on about the rest of the day and our celebrations but this report is way too long already. Suffice to say we had a good one.
So many things worked out for this marathon to produce the result it did for me. Training, lack of injury, travel/hotel arrangements, perfect course, perfect conditions and most of all a great bunch of clubmates who made all of the above so enjoyable. The motivation I got from them all through the cycle and the craic we had during the many long runs and tempo runs we shared was a major factor in the feelgood factor that surrounded this whole project. In hindsight there was no way we were going to fail!
I was a hurler for most of my sporting life and when that came to it’s natural end I thought that my days as part of a team were gone. How wrong I was. Joining Gowran A.C. just under two years ago was one of the best things I’ve ever done sporting wise. It opened up a whole new sporting world to me and gained me a bunch of new friends. There’s a great atmosphere in the club and good advice is always at hand (Thx Asimonov!). I’ve had many memorable days on the hurling field with my club and county and this whole weekend ranks right up there with the best of them. And there’s more to come……
Thanks lads!!0 -
Great report to match a great race.
Very well done again.
Thoroughly deserved.0
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