Where ever I may Rome!

mixer7

All roads lead to Rome!

Yes, you've guessed it , on the 8th of April 2018 I will be lining up with around 13,000 others outside the Colusseum to take on the Rome marathon and I am starting a training log with just over 18 weeks to go !!

Background

I am a 39 year old male , starting running 8 years ago in Australia . Had the below pbs in 2017 and I am following the Hal Higdon Advanced 2 plan. Looking to go sub 3:15 in Rome, had a comfortable 3:21 in Cork in June.

PBs

5km 19:08
10km 41:20
10 mile 68:45
HM 1:34:03
Marathon 3:21

healy1835

Best of luck mate.

mixer7

I decided to start the 18 week programme a week early in case of injury etc and beacuse I have a week off before starting a new job on Monday.

Monday

Easy 5k 4:59 /km

Tues

3 x hill

I found a nice 400m hill 1km jog from the house, sprint up and jog back down x3,
Easy jog home.

400m Intervals
1:36
1:31
1:30

Wed

Easy 5k 5:12/km

mixer7

Thurs

30 min tempo 7k 4:17/km

Steady start 4:24 1& 2k , 4:20 on 3k, 4:16 on 4k,
Took off a bit on 5k 4:11 and started to struggle a bit on 6k with 4:16 , then realised I wouldnt get to 7k in 30 mins if I didnt put the foot down , so ran last k in 4:00 , should have kept it steady but the chimp side of my brain took over !

I felt like I just finished a 5k at the end and Heart rate was up at 180bpm .

So week 1 tempo run was a mixed bag , lesson learned to keep it steady for future tempos and forget about the kms and concentrate on the time given, last km should have been closer to 4:30 than to 4:00.

mixer7

Friday

Rest day - managed to avoid booze and the toy show , result !!

Saturday

8km race pace

For a 3:15 marathon, the pace I would need to run at is 4:38/km.
I felt a bit sluggish today , didnt get out to 12, contemplated going with a running group at 7am and the park run but missed both through general faffing around .

I decided to run 4km out the country from my house and turnaround to avoid traffic, was pushing hard on the way out but relaxed a bit on the way back and finished by doing a lap of the gaa pitch ,which was quite boggy so got a bit of cross country in too!

Ended up running average 4:43 /km pace heart rate 155bpm, which would give me a 3:19 marathon, but as its only week 1 , I wont worry too much , Rome wasn't built in a week 😉

Murph_D

Best of luck with this.

Why HH Advanced 2as a matter of interest? I’ve seen it and looks like decent plan, but just wondering.

Watch that tendency to overcook the tempos. Finishing at 5k pace is good for the short term confidence but not the point of the session.

How recent are the other race times? The struggle with MP over 8k is maybe a slight red flag, but certainly not a dealbreaker yet.

mixer7

Murph_D wrote: »

Best of luck with this.

Why HH Advanced 2as a matter of interest? I’ve seen it and looks like decent plan, but just wondering.

Watch that tendency to overcook the tempos. Finishing at 5k pace is good for the short term confidence but not the point of the session.

How recent are the other race times? The struggle with MP over 8k is maybe a slight red flag, but certainly not a dealbreaker yet.

Hey Murph_D

Thanks for the post.

I chose this plan as most of the speed week is on a Tuesday , which ties in with speed sessions with my club and I have completed the interermediate programmes from HH and was comfortable with them.

My pbs are from Spring 2017 in the lead up to the Cork marathon in June , have been ticking over since June with cross country etc and haven't had any injuries so should be back to full fitmess soon.

mixer7

Sunday

Long Run 16km 5:31/km

I am attempting to run my long runs at around 45 secs to 60 secs slower than my race pace.

Another beautiful day to go running out the country , I focused on keeping my shoulders relaxed and generally taking it easy for the first 3/4 of the run and then pushing on for the final 4km , didnt get to race pace but was close.

1st week done - 45km , little bit sluggish but overall felt good.

mixer7

Monday Easy 5K 5:38/ Km

I started a new job Monday , didnt get much sleep Sunday night, so was glad to just get out and stretch the legs.

Tuesday 30 min Tempo Run 4:54/km

Sleep depravation once again , heart rate quite high , average 154 bpm . Last weeks tempo too fast, this weeks too slow , will nail it next week ,
bed early tonight zzzzz

mixer7

Have had a crazy week with new job with long commute, Christmas stuff , hospital visits and of course bad weather but managed to get the miles in the legs .

Weds
Easy 5k 5:08/km
Hump run

Thurs
5k race pace 4:33/km
Little too fast , probably trying to make up for sluggish tempo.

Sat
8k easy run 5:20/km
Cold morning light

Sun
18k long run 5:35/km
Born slippy

Total for week 2 : 47km

mixer7

Mon Easy 5k 5:09/km

Started running at lunch time in my new job ,great shower facilities, felt much better than running in the evening and morning.

Tues 4×800

Very cold day, so jogged 200m and sprinted 800m × 4 think I was doing 800s at around 3:20/km.

Weds Easy 5km 5:11 /km

Another cold day , had to wear a jacket for once !

Thurs 30 min tempo 4:34 /km

Eased in gently for the first couple of k and settled into some nice 4:20 ks and winded down for the last k , happy enough with this tempo.

ThebitterLemon

If I were you I'd look at the paces your are running at, your tempo runs seem to fast this early in your plan and your long run pace is far to quick in my opinion. If you overcook this early you'll get injured or burn out, either that or your target is too soft for you ability.

Good luck with it

TbL

mixer7

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

If I were you I'd look at the paces your are running at, your tempo runs seem to fast this early in your plan and your long run pace is far to quick in my opinion. If you overcook this early you'll get injured or burn out, either that or your target is too soft for you ability.

Good luck with it

TbL

Hi TBL

Thanks for the reply.

I like the sound of slower tempo and slower long runs at this early stage , I may have sped up due to the cold weather ! have had a stop/ starty year since June with life getting in the way so I am not near full fitness yet , but Im back to a normal routine for the next 4 months .

appreciate the advice.

Cheers

M

gassan

Best of Luck in Rome, one of the worst marathons for PB aspirations I fear. Reduced to walking at the 2k mark as the crowd makes its way through the narrow streets... Start up front!

mixer7

Sat 10k race pace 4:39 /km

Have a bit of a head cold , so went out well wrapped up . Felt good throughout the run ,beginning to get that bounce back in to my stride , good rhythm and fairly relaxed and running on the balls of my feet.
Had a bit of a warm down but was absolutely soaking and when I checked my garmin back could see my HR was quite high, 161bpm average, didnt feel like I was above 150 as breathing was fine .
The extra layers and head cold maybe the cause but will monitor this over the next few days . Either way the long run will be very slow tomorrow.

mixer7

13k Long Run 5:55/km

As its the third week in the HH programme the mileage drops . Took it very easy, ran 1st 10k in an hour and quickened up a little for the last 3k.
Average HR 139, normal.


Total for week 44km

mixer7

Mon Easy 5k 5:37 /km

Touch of man flu , so took it very easy on my lunch time trot around the block from work.

Tues Hill × 4

Felt a bit better , but crazy busy at work missed lunch time run ,so had to run after the long commute home . At my hill, traffic was at a standstill so I had some spectators as I sprinted 400m up hill and jogged back down . Repeats were 1:35 , 1:32 , 1:35,1:31.

Weds Easy 5k 5:22/km

Manflu pretty much gone , got a lunch time run in , a little bit stiff but nothing serious.

mixer7

Thurs 40 min Tempo Run 8.33k 4:50/km

This was supposed to be a 35 minute tempo run but was trying to find a shortcut back to my new workplace at lunch time and essentially got lost!, anyway it was a nice little warm down .

Started off the first 2k @average 5:00/km, then the next 4k @ 4:35/km and finished back at 5:00/km for the last 2 and a bit.

A little bit stiff from the hills on Tuesday but nothing major, lunch time running seems to suit me better at the minute , as it gives the body time to wake up and avoids the late night restlessness from night runs.

mixer7

Sat 10k Race Pace 4:40/km

May have indulged a little bit too much on Friday night but pushed on through , wasnt as relaxed as I should have been , tis the season !!

Sunday 21k long run 2:00 5:43/km

Tough going , very wet and windy in Galway.
But felt ok . Feet up tomorrow!!

Happy Christmas to one and all !!!

mixer7

Happy New Year folks !!

Monday Christmas Day ! Rest

Tuesday Easy 5k 5:10/km

A nice run on the beach in Donegal on St Stephens day , considered doing the Finn Valley 5k , but didnt get organised in time . It was like a Summers day up there !!

Wednesday 35 min Tempo Run 4:57/km

Eased gently into this one and ran about 3 k tempo pace and had a nice warm done , felt ok.

Thursday easy 5k

Back to work , very busy didnt get out for run at lunch time , compromised with the other half to have dinner and 5k walk when I made it home.

Friday Rest

Managed to pick up vommiting bug , I was knocked for 6 for full 24 hours , horrible .

Sat 5k 4:49/km

Considered taking the whole week off , but decided to take a chance on a 5k and see what happens , luckily enough I was fine , first 2k around 5:00 min and managed to get 3k around race pace.

Sun 12km 5:25/km

Club run , was either going to do 12km run which I was supposed to do Saturday or 22k slow run as scheduled for Sunday , decided to go with the safe option and do the 12km given my bug on Friday , think I can safely say I have weathered the storm .

35km for the week , not great , will leave that week behind me and monitor my health over the next week and adjust the programme to suit how I feel and hopefully get back on track.Not too worried as I started the programme a week early , so I have a week to spare.

Thanks for reading , may you all have a prosperous New Year!

mixer7

Monday

I signed up to do the New Years Day Resolution 5k in Galway. As I am still recovering from that nasty stomach bug , I decided I would run the first 4 k at 4:15 pace and finish off the last 1k in 4:00 , this worked out fine and I felt good .
It was a great day and was also great to meet up with so many from the club and other familiar faces from around Galway , a real sign of the times when 12pm New Years day is more of a social highlight than 12am New Years day!
I had a 2k warm up either side also .

Tuesday Easy 5k 5:42/km

Lunch time work run in Limerick before Storm Eleanor , took it very handy.

mixer7

Wed 4 x 800

It was very windy at lunch in Limerick , but found an ideal 800m stretch 1km from work at the bottom of the industrial estate . Averaged about 3:20s with 1 minute rest , finally used that feature on the garmin 235 !! Was a bit sluggish after Monday and weather not great , will probably go back to Club speed session next week to up the intensity.

Thurs easy 5k 5:21/km

Nothing to report here , felt ok.

Sat 12km 4:54/km

Went down to Carrigaline on Friday night to finish up the Christmas festivities and ran on the fantastic old railway line walk way to Crosshaven around by the inlet. Took it very easy the first 4k( probably recovering from the night before too !) Then got the next 7k at race pace and easy warm down for the last k.

Sun 22km 5:30/km

Club run back in Galway , fresh sunny day , fairly stiff so had no problems keeping at the 5:30 pace , was happy to let the 5:00 min group storm on ahead.

Total for week : 58km

mixer7

Mon easy 5k 5:49/km

Tuesday 5 x hill

I found nice 400m hill at the side of my workplace in Limerick, unfortunately it was very wet and windy and the wind was against me running up thd hill . Averaged about 1:40 per hill.

Wednesday easy 7km 5:36/km

Took it fairly easy , was a little stiff after the hills , must do more stretching.

Thursday 35 min tempo 4:40/km

Felt good, bulit it up to 4:15/ks and had a good warm down.

Friday Easy 6km 5:15/km

Saturday 26km Long Run 5:38/km

I ran the first 10k with a group on Saturday in Galway , was close to around 5 min ks then went to the racecourse to do a few laps , ended up doing 7 ! slowed down to nearly 6 min ks .I took a high5 drink with me and felt fairly hydrated .

Total for week 55km

mixer7

Monday Easy 5km 5:14/km

Nothing of note ,Another easy 5km lunch time run in Limerick.

Tuesday 40 min Tempo run 4:37/km

Like everywhere else in the country awful day in Limerick , as I sat looking at the window at work , I thought I must be mad but went for it , on the first 10 mins I was hit with hailstones , gail force wind and snow ! averaged around 4:55 per km , the next half hour actually brightened up and the wind the wind dyed down and I was able to get in a few k in around the 4:15 mark and had a nice warm down then , not a bad run given the day that was in it.

mixer7

Weds Easy 7km 5:30/km

Hat and gloves weather , my colleagues thought I was crazy going out in it at lunch time, but was actually fine once I got going !

Thurs 8km pace 4:47/km

Same as above weather wise, hailstones and snow for a bit at the start which helped me ease into the run at 5min pace for the first 2km . Then slipped into marathon pace for the next 5km as the sun amazingly came out ! had a good warm down ,felt good.

mixer7

Sat 13km Run 5:12/km

A bit stiff on Friday , hamstrings inside leg area , noticed on the Plan , I should have done 5k at pace rather than 8k , so had to do plenty of stretching to get put the door on Saturday lunch time . It was great to run out in the country again in Galway , loosened up after a few k and finished with 3k at race pace.

Sun 28km 6:05/km

Absolutley abysmal day in Galway , legs sore but in no particular place , I just put it down to the increased mileage of the week .It was a bit like a long slow stepplechase , lots of the roads flooded . After 18km I picked up a high 5 caffeine extreme drink , found it a bit sickening , so will stick to the non caffeine tabs and the gels for future long runs. It was a real grind but its miles in the legs at this juncture, stepback week next week.

Total for week : 70km

mixer7

Monday 5km 5:50/km

There is a lot to be said for a recovery run , like the hair of the dog after a sunday session on the high stool, the first 3 were tough but I was flying again for the last 2!

Tuesday 6 x 800m

1km warm up and warm down ,almost like a Spring day in Limerick . Alternated between 3:20 & 3:10 reps as the wind was in my face for every second rep ! Had a minute off in between.
Finished strong on a 3:05 rep.

mixer7

Weds Easy 7k 5:26/km

Actually dont remember much about this one ,seemed to keep at the same pace all through the run.

Thurs 40min Tempo 4:34/km

I enjoyed this run , 9km at lunch was the furthest Ive gone at lunch since I started the new job and was still back at my desk within the hour after shower and eating etc. Started off easy and reached nearly 10k pace 2/3's in , hewt!

Sat Easy 10k 5:14/km

This was unscheduled , as I was supposed to run a half this weekend according to the plan , but I will be running Kinvara half at the start of March . Had to catch up with a running buddy for a chat so went for an early morning trot , how things have changed used to be hitting the pub for a chat now its the road !!

Sun 11km

Woke up fairly sluggish and thought about doing the club long run , but somehow got sense and decided to give the legs a run out and do the Coldwood 4 mile race however the motivation was a bit low . Anyway Got there early and had a 2k warm up , it was quite windy so I figured we would have the wind behind us for the 2 miles and in our face for the last 2 mile as it is a loop .
I passed a club mate on the 1st mile and thought to myself Ive gone off a bit too hot here , but made sure he didnt pass me . Overall happy with this run finished 26:25 , was a PB for a 4 mile (1st 4 mile !) but not back to my best yet . Had a 2k warm down and a chat and a cup of tea and biscuit back at the school , great spread put on but managed not too indulge too much, very well organised event . I should be fresh enough for the week ahead giving the absence of a long run this weekend.

Total for week : 49km

mixer7

Bit of an up and down week , busy with work and visitors etc blah , blah ,blah!

Monday Easy 5k 5:30/km

Tuesday 4xhills

Made a mess of this , was supposed to do 6 , but construction works was ongoing on my hill !

Weds 8k tempo 4:19/km

Great run, enjoyed this one.

Thurs 8k easy 5:00/km

Fri 5k easy 5:24/km

Sat 10k race pace 4:39/km

Felt ok , bit too much of a push for my liking at this stage .

Sun 30k long run 5:50/km

Had to split this up, ran 10k before breakfast on icey roads around Claregalway and 20k in the afternoon from the prom out towards Barna , glorious spring day .

Total for week :70km

mixer7

Monday 5k Easy 5:55/km

Was stiff after long run , but great to get out at lunch time in Limerick for a recovery run , was fine by the last k.

Tuesday 45 min Tempo 4:27/km

Felt good , longest I have ran on my lunch break .
Showered and Back at my desk within the hour , promise!

Weds Easy 5k 5:17/km

Ending up working late and decided to get the 5k in after work before my commute home .
Started to feel a bit wired on Weds , have been waking up very early , if had been my 10th day running , so Thursday had to be a day off.

Fri 7k 4:32/km

The wife and I headed to Kerry for Valentines weekend , I took Friday off work and went for a tempo /pace 7k before the drive down and as the weather was crap all weekend I took the rest of the weekend off . I had started the 18 week programme a week early in case of injury /burn out , so will use this week as a week off, thankfully no injuries yet but was defo feeling burn out , had a great chilled out weekend in Kerry to recharge the batteries.

Total for week 27km

mixer7

Monday 6k Easy 5:44/km

Lunch time run back in Limerick ,was stiff even though hadnt ran since Friday! , must havd been all the driving around Kerry at the weekend.

Tuesday 7 x 800

Went to the outdoor track at lunch in UL, kept to 3:20 s for the first 6 and 3:00 for the last , tough going but felt good after.

Wednesday Easy 8k 5:10/km

Nothing wild or exciting for this one , job done.

Thursday 45min Tempo 4:27/km

Eased in nicely and peaked 2/3s in and had a good warm down.

Saturday 16km

7km warm up around Oranmore and out to the Parkrun in Renville, took it handy enough , as Im not a fan of the hills kept it to around 4:15s for the first 4k and finished on a 4:00.4km warm down back to Oranmore.

Sunday 34 km

Club run at 9:15 , woke early and decided to run 16k in 90 mins before it and ran 18km with the club at a faster pace for a change in 90 mins also .

Total for week 83km

mixer7

Mon Easy 5k 5:22/km

Easy lunch time run in Limerick,felt fine considering the 20 odd miles the previous day .

Tues 7x hills

400m hill beside work , kept to around 1:30 for each one and 2 min jog back down.

Weds easy 8k 5:30/km

I didnt get a chance to run at lunch time , so had to run when I got back home partial light arounnd 6pm , much prefer lunch time running.

Thurs 50 min Tempo 4:24/km

I felt good for this one , first k and last k were around 4:50 mark, and kept the rest to 4:10-15s.

Sat 16k pace 4:44/km

Nice flat run on the Prom . Bit of a windchill when running into the wind but nothing severe.

Sun 32k 5:24/km

Club run ,possibly too fast for my liking in places but I was glad of the company , have my gel and hydration down, I think !. Weather permitting will do Kinvara half next Saturday to see where Im at , so will take it easy this week , legs fairly stiff this afternnon , time for the roller:) !!

Total for week : 77km

mixer7

Mon

Day off as I was in taper for Kinvara half on Saturday.

Tues 45 min tempo 4:30/km

Was slighty cold but no snow , switching back to night running as evenings getting brighter and work is getting busier! Felt good .

Weds 8km 5:13/km

Easy enough run , ran 4 km out from the village and turned around and got hit by a snow blizzard on the way back in.

Thurs & Fri

Took days off as held up at work and staying in hotels with no gyms open in Limerick, no harm in the rest .

Sat 10k Race Pace 4:39/km

Back in Galway , Kinvara half cancelled , 10km around the village and country roads , lot of slush still on the roads , fair few hills on the route so worked up a bit of a sweat.

Sun 21km 4:55/km

Sunday morning group run, stepped up the pace a little ,got about 5k at race pace.

5 weeks to go and back on track with the programme as I started a week early and this was the 2nd of 2 half weeks. Bundoran 10 mile next Sat should give me a good indication of where Im at for Rome .

Total for week :50km

mixer7

Tues

Speed training at Ul 4×1km with 1 mins off , averaged around 3:55s.

Weds 15km

Got an easy 5k in at lunch and then had a tempo run of 10k with work group after .

Thurs Easy 6k 5:23/km

Sat 10 mile Bundoran Race

I decided to take it easy for the first 5 mile and passed half way in 35 mins , little did I know the next 3 miles were into a very strong wind on the bypass had to work very hard and had the wind at my back for the last 2 miles and finished in 70 mins , happy enough with that.

Sun easy 10km

Had a nice recovery run on the beach , took about 55 mins!!

mixer7

Monday Easy 8k 5:46/ km

Getting very busy at work , so no more lunch time running this week. Very easy 8k Mon night.
Skipped Tuesday speed session as still a bit tight from the 10 mile race on Sat.

Wednesday 10k 4:52/km

Met with work running group bit of a tempo run , sticked to around 5min Ks for the 1st 7 km and stretched the legs put for the last 3 k.

Thurs 40 min tempo 9km 4:25/km

Proper tempo run on thurs night felt good , not completly flying it but will be able to tell more during taper.

Sat 16km 5:30/km

Ran 6k solo on my own and met sat morning running group for easy 10k,plenty of chat and took it fairly handy ahead of the last 20 miler on Sun, plus it was St Patricks day so went the parade and watched the match and had a family event that night managed to avoid booze but broke out of lent for the day with plenty of chocolate and bread !!

Sun 32km 5:16/km 2:50

Ran 7km very easy on my own and met with the club group run for the next 18km ,was with some fast runners so got a few ks in at marathon pace and had a good warm down for the remaining 7km. Taper is now upon me , no major niggles just a little tightness in right heel which I have been rolling . Not back to my best yet but will see what a bit of rest can do over the next few weeks , gut feeling is around 3:25 time now.

Total for week 75km

mixer7

Mon 8k 5:46/km

Very stiff after the 20 mile, loosened up near the end.

Tues

Went back to the club speed session , possibly big mistake!, 4 x 400 90 secs off the 3 mins off and 4 x400 and 4x 200 .

Thurs 8k 5:09 /km

Was stiff after speed session and worked late weds , so missed the work run . Still stiff thurs around glutes but felt fine , had a few k at marathon pace also , ok.

Fri 45 min tempo 4:25/km

Lunch time run, Felt like I put in too much effort for this one got through it fine but heart rate was a bit high .My legs started stiffening up as the day went on , especially left calf .

Sat 5k

Done 2 laps of the racecourse to test out the calf ,still pretty sore . Nurofen, ice , rest , raised feet etc for the next few days , will try and get to physio also . Absolutely sickened at week 16 to get injured but wont take any risks between now and 8th April, wont lose that much fitness by resting up.

mixer7

Week 17 Week off:(!

I went to the physio on Wednesday , done a few exercises and tests , physio predicts I will be ok to 15 mile in Rome and then a world of pain after that . Getting lots of rest anyway , epsom salt baths , KT tape , ice , rolling , you name it ! I ran 2 km today with the group run felt a bit heavy and funnily enough my other leg was sore from compensating !! Might try and run a very easy 5k on Tuesday and see how I am then and try not to over indulge in the Easter festivities!!

mixer7

Rome Marathon 8/4/18

My Wife/Coach /Nurse and I arrived in Rome on 6th of April and stayed 5 mins from the Coliseum in 49 Marco Aurelio which are very colourful art deco inspired apartments. We arrived late and made it into a nice pizzeria to sample the local carbs and a cheeky glass of vino.

On Sat , we made our way to the Expo that was 20 mins away on the Metro from the Coliseum in the Rome Convention Centre. At this stage around 11 am we already could feel the temperatures rising in the 20s and Sunday was supposed to be hotter !

The Expo itself was easy enough to navigate through, upon arrival I produced my passport and was given a printout of my number and followed down through the centre to a number of booths to pick up my race number and token for t shirt and sports bag which were pretty cool looking as you would expect from the Italians.We met up with a group of German runners who called themselves the " Mountain Heroes " (even though they live in the flattest part of Germany ) and had a bit of craic with them . Plenty of pasta available at the Expo with all kinds of sauces that went down very well.

That evening we had a quick tour of the Coliseum and more carbs that night and we were off to bed early , funnily enough this was probably the best night sleep I had before any marathon , I think this was due to the pressure being off as I knew my calf injury was not properly cleared up yet having only ran 2 km in 2 weeks , I would have needed another 2 weeks for this and the fact that temperatures were going to be in the 20's.I was conservatively giving myself an extra 30 secs per kms for the injury + 30 secs extra per km for the weather and that would still get me under 4 hours but there was still a little chimp in my brain saying I could do this in 3 :30 !

Race day arrived , as is tradition I had 2 travel size Flahavans and honey and a bottle of lucozade sport , a litre of water with High 5 electrolyte tablets and I brought 2 more high 5 tablets and 6 gels ( 3 caffeine &3 reg to be taken every 5k) and 2 nurofen & my trusty handy water bottle which was well needed as it was only cups available at the water stations.

The crowds orderly entered in through the pathway in front of broken side of the Coliseum ( as I called it ) for the bag drop area and followed around the outside of the Coliseum over past the Metro stop to the start line and finish area where the views were absolutely breathtaking with the Altae Della Patria on the other side, the sun was beaming down and dramatic music was being played with a full band and Tenor, in fact the music throughout the course was excellent .
I started in the first wave at 8:40 with small hopes of finishing sub 3:30 but unfortunately this ended after 400m when I lost my footing on the cobblestones and went over on my ankle /calf that I was carrying the injury on, I took my Nurofen at this early stage and was only comfortable running 5:30 /kms for the rest of the race. I did try on a number of occasions to run 5 min Ks but it was not happening today.

On the bright side , I was able to enjoy much of the views along the course after this . The race passed by Circo Massimo, Bassilico di San Paolo, Temple di Ercole and out along the leafy suburbs along the Tiber river, at around 18km we passed St Peters Square where I could hear a choir singing which was very inspiring ( I heard later the Pope was actually saying Mass) .

Temperatures really started climbing up at this juncture and I made good use of the water stops & sponges that alternated every 2.5 k also there was plenty of food on offer - Oranges , Bananas and Biscuits etc.

We then passed by the Olympic Stadium in the north of the city and then headed back south , the route then passed the Spanish Steps and through Romes main streets , the streets were packed but seemed to be a lot quieter than the final stages of the Dublin marathon , however the sites kept coming with spectacular views of the Colonna Traiana and the gardens of Quirinale .

The heat was getting to a lot of people near the end for the last 5k ( mostly Italians being treated by ambulances as far as I could see) but at my 5:30 pace this didnt really bother me and I was able to trot home to the finish line in via dei Fori Imperiali with the Coliseum in the background in a time of 3:55.

All in all I would recommend Rome for a sightseeing Marathon and perfect place to carb up and recover and no issues with the organisation and the course is pretty much flat but not as a PB marathon course due to the unpredictable weather, the next day was a complete wash out and quite miserable as we trudged through the Vatican tour .

Not sure if I will have another crack at a marathon this year but tempted to pencil in Paris next year and hopefully get back to PB territory . I will take the rest of April off and let this calf injury heel and concentrate on 5ks coming in to the summer.

Ciao for now.

Kellygirl

Well done. It sounds like a fab marathon and maybe it was a good thing that the pressure was off to make the most of it. Hope the injury clears up soon for you.