Pushing my boundaries and making my physio rich...

Pre-Amble:

When I ran the Dublin marathon last year, I had already entered the Paris and Berlin marathons. After the unfortunate goings on at Dublin, Paris was a huge success for me personally race wise and overall experience wise. Still I made some changes to routine in the run into Berlin.

First, I got a custom training plan made for me by someone who knows about these things (nowt wrong with P&D, I just wanted to try something different, designed around what I’m good and bad at, and where I need to work more & factoring in my races and my planned holidays). I also made that a 20 week plan, factoring in time lost to injuries in advance.
The A goal for Berlin was sub-3.30 and B goal was 3.3* - I'm not sure I was ever really THAT confident of getting sub-3.30 at any point tbh. But that said, I did the 10 miler two months before the race in 1.14, which McMillian would point to me being well on for 3.30. So maybe I was just under rating myself!

But this training cycle almost delivered the goal even with it featuring a lot of mistakes and annoying injuries late on. I missed too many quality sessions with real life stuff, but that will happen, nothing can be done only to arrange them smarter next time maybe. I had a lot of injuries, and basically all them in the last 3rd of the cycle, which was a shame. After a lot of injuries, large and small, my bathroom cabinet right now resembles a witch doctors cauldron, with tiger balm, several kinds of bio freeze, deep heat, fancy bandages (to be used to compress injuries, nothing else mind you) and so on - you get the message. The last 6 weeks of training were heavily interrupted with injuries large and small, including two weeks totally lost where I would have done my two biggest training weeks of entire plan.

With the lack of training near the end, I left behind the 3.30 goal, and changed my goal heading into the race, and plan was to run around 5.05/5.10 KM’s and hit 3.3* somewhere.

Race Day:

Marathon day started at 5am, had not slept too badly, but had awoken and just gave up and started reading at that point! Went down for breakfast at 6am and met Meno down there. No porridge in the hotel (the breakfast of champions) so had to go the continental route. There were a whole host of board’s folks staying at the hotel, so a few were seen around here.

Back to bed for a while, but made our way over in the direction of the startling area just after 8am. Our hotel was 10 mins walk away from the start line, so no bags or anything. We left wearing the gear we were racing in. That was so handy, and should ensure no wasted stress and energy before or after the race dealing with bag drop rubbish!
The Berlin marathon is a slick operation it must be said, it's all done very well. We were nervous for different reasons. We eventually got to the starting area. To explain a bit, there are different starting sections to organise folks getting off easily, so it’s not a mad scrum at the start Pen a was up by the elites, and pen g was the back for the fun runners and slower folks - and your pen was decided by your pb not your estimated finishing time. So I was in pen F, the second last one with my humble 3.46 pb!

When we got there, I could clearly see acres of room on left hand side (the start was the “other” side of the Brandenburg Gate, a dual cartridge way) as the lads on boards said there would be. But the right hand of the road was wedged, as that is where folks were entering from bag drop area. Alas we were entering the right of the road. Folks would not move, so I simply could not get onto the road, so was standing beside the road like a spectator [with masses of folks pushing behind me! At this point I was about half way between 3.30 and 3.45 pacers. So it was a bit of needless burning of energy with a bit of stress and worry, which was avoidable. Clearly what I should have done is step back, and enter the road elsewhere or just jump a barrier, but that seemingly obvious idea only came to me a few mins later, as I was running!

When the elite runners went off at 9am on the button [note: I’m still by the side of the road at this point, in a crush of people trying to get in]. I went to set my Garmin, no drama, satellite found quickly. The 610 has a sleep function (if it’s not active it drops connection, which is great for saving battery in every situation….bar this one. At 9.05am they start moving the non-elites off and we begin to see movement. I finally get onto the road, and basically barge my way onto the left hand side of the road. As I'm on the road and moving the 3.45 pacers (who had been a good bit behind me as I went to the road first, were at least 40 meters ahead of me) Thus showing how long it took me to get onto the road.
At 9.06 (you will know why I know exact time in a sec) I went to get my Garmin into action. But disaster, it's locked up and frozen. Stuck at 9.06 and not doing anything. There, at that time, it stayed for rest of the race. There is no obvious way to reset the 610, and I tried holding combo's of buttons for 20 or 30 seconds, but I had a race to run. But what the hell would I do when my race plan was now out the window, and I had no idea what pace I was going? Let alone keep the pace around 5.10’s the whole time!

I must say that all in all, it was really crappy starting experience! Not much of it the Berlin Marathon’s fault. I’m blaming the Garmin 610 development team, and really hope there is a special level of Dante’s inferno reserved just for them, and my fellow runners acting like sheep and not spreading over the whole road. But it ruined my start.

The race:
So my first idea was to catch the 3.30 pacers, but they were (almost) literally a mile added of me at this point, so I set about catching them. I was passing folks at a ferocious rate. My mind is going 90 miles an hour about what to do, how to ensure this does not ruin my race, several months wasted.

After a pretty short while I passed 3.45 guys, and wondered if I was going too fast. So I looked for someone to ask what pace I was going, but with no success. I asked a couple of English speakers and they were not wearing Garmins at all, I asked another [aussie?] bloke, and he basically grunted at me and would not answer! So I said feck it and kept running. I had a good idea around this point, look for someone who knows what they are doing and follow them. I bounced around a load of people, but generally I was going faster than they were. I did not know if this was me going suicidal fast or everyone else going slow, but I was comfortable, so kept going, and kept passing folk.

Eventually I saw my guys. Two Spanish lads, both with [well used] Nike racing flats on, proper Spanish national running gear, tanned like they run all the time, and leg muscles like they have done many miles. They were also going the exact pace I felt like running. I resolved to follow them for a while. After a KM or so following them I go thru 5k, in 25.32, pretty bang on the pace I had wanted to go pre-race anyway. When you’re good you’re good!

One of the Spanish lads was recording a video with a hand camera and the other was doing a bit of chatting, and every so often they would speed up a fraction and they picked a good line at the very edge of the street which made passing folks easy. Around here I heard [with my few words of Spanish] that they were doing 5.06 pace, which again, is close to perfect for what I wanted to do.

I can’t remember much about 5k to 10k. In my head I’m going a bit fast, but happy with the strategy of follow the Spanish lads for a while. But I’m absolutely stunned to pass 10k, again bang on 3.30 pace, passing in just over 50 mins, with a slightly faster 5k split. At this stage, for reasons only known to Jebus, I try to pass and get away from the Spanish lads [er…why the hell do you do that Joe, when they are going a perfect pace?], and after a KM, low and behold they pass me, having sped up themselves. I miss the clock at 15k, and so while on the course I have *no idea* how I’m doing. But looking back on the race later, 10k to 15k was my fastest split of the race by a bit, doing it in 24.32, and I do think I paid for that burst later on, when my legs were wrecked right at the end. [A pace I should be able to handle no problem normally, but after the time off injuries, I think the bursts around here just took too much out of my legs].

One of the good things a Garmin gives you is something to think about and occupy your head, I’m always one to obsess about pace, splits, and estimated finishing times and what not. I had none of that on the course at all. So into that vacuum I had a lot of bad thoughts of pain, and wishing for the end to come and whatnot. A lot more than I would have normally, I think that negatively affected the whole experience of the race for me. I did not really enjoy it all that much, and don’t have great memories of the race, as I had far more negative stuff in my head than normal.

It’s around the 10 mile mark I start to think about pain for the first time, my legs being a bit heavy and stuff. I also start to wonder “are we there yet” thinking of how long it is to the end! It’s around 18-20k point that I decide to slow down a fraction, and let the Spanish guys go after they speed up. Meno hit the nail on the head when he said they were clearly going slower at the start [for them] and trying to negative split. I never saw them again, which is a shame, as I would have bought them a drink or three!

I pass half way in 1.45.10 – perfect time wise, and from the outside looking like a dream. I should be telling you all that you felt strong and was going well. But in reality, I’m starting to suffer a small bit in my legs, my left foot is a bit sore for the first time, and my head is dreaming/wishing/wondering when the end is. Aerobically I’m perfect which was odd; it’s all legs and head issues!

Also around here I run behind someone with a unique name, not unlike Martastew’s real name! I think to myself, “Imagine two people with that name in the Berlin Marathon” as I thought she was going to have been behind me, having spoken to her at the expo. So I did not say hello, I ran behind her for a KM or so and then went on and passed her. It turned out later, it was indeed herself. I felt like a prize clown afterwards, I should at least have looked at her to check! It’s a good lesson for the future. If in doubt, say hello anyway! 20k to 25k were done in 25.22, not too bad, but already started to slow a small bit, but still at good pace and doing the pace I wanted to aim for pre-race.

I’m normally mentally very strong in races, so I flood myself with positive thoughts. I think about by other half, about work, about what I will do next running and other sport wise, about family and friends – anything good to keep my head busy.

Also for the first time around here I get stomach upset and come very close to getting sick. I have taken on 3 gels at this point [start; 11k odd and 18k odd or something like that], and I don’t feel great at all. Who knows what causes it, as I have taken multiple gels in a race before with no issues, but I have to be a bit cautious with it for the rest of the race. But I don’t take water or food for 10k-12k.

My left foot starts to hurt a bit now, not enough to stop by a long way, but enough to be a huge annoyance and to irritate my for rest of the race. I think my legs are sore in a “you should have done more really long runs instead of being injured” kind of way; as aerobically I don’t feel too bad, but my legs are starting to feel a bit leaden.

It’s around here that I decide, consciously to slow down a bit to enjoy the rest of the race and not be in total agony later. I figure I’m still on for a pretty good time, so all is not lost at all. Around now here folks start to pass me, and I think folks are passing me for rest of the race. But looking back with the stats from after the race this 5k split is a still a 26.08 5k, with an average pace of 5.14 (still faster than 3.45 pace) there is no doubt that if I had Garmin I would have slowed a lot more! This leads me to wonder about the value of Garmin’s versus running on feel. I also wonder if I had to slow to 3.45 pace here and stuck there would I have enjoyed myself more?

Chatting about the course the night before with Meno & Digijem, he had said around this part of the course last year he had really suffered mentally, it being most boring (only?) part of the course, and I agree 100% - great tree lined street, nice to live on or indeed train on, but a nightmare here and now on the marathon. It was a *tiny* uphill [on any other course it would not be noticed, but it was one of the longest [only?] uphill drags on the course and like lots of Berlin streets, it went on forever and ever. But at the top of it there was a brilliant band, stage, hot ladies dancing and therefore plenty to distract one and take the mind off bad things for a few minutes.

One of the great ideas of the marathon was a huge message board where folks could leave you a message. So I knew my other half had left a message on there and was really wondering what it was. I thought it was around 31/32k and when I did not see it, I was really annoyed and a bit distressed that maybe I missed it or it had been cancelled or something, having been looking into it for so long? But low and behold at the 34k marker, there it was. A gigantic board showing messages for each runner, flashing up yours just after you run over timing matt and your chip triggers them. A fantastic message put a smile on my face for a while [none of your business what it said!]. It really is one of the best 'innovations' I have seen in any race (maybe loads of races do this and have done it for years, I have not seen it before).

My left foot and legs in general are really at me now. At one point an older guy says to me in broken English -" don't worry, only 10k to go!" - I thought I was doing a good job of zipping up man suit, beating up my central governor, and generally toughing it out - but was clearly not looking the best, or more likely making weird “female tennis player” grunting noises with each step maybe!

Again, while on the course I think I have slowed, dramatically to be honest, and folks seem to be passing me at a fair rate, but the numbers from afterwards tell a slightly different story, km 35 was 26.41 (5.21 km's/8.40 miles or so). So while I had indeed slowed, Im frankly utterly stunned I was going that pace, as I felt I was shuffling and would have guessed closer to 10 min miles? Again, naked sans Garmin!

I had skipped a couple of feeding stations due to stomach issues but the realisation I had 40 mins plus or so more running left to do lead me to walk thru the next feeding stop, to get 2 waters and a bit of fruit. A few seconds lost, but legs and mind thanked me for it

But as I run on, I'm now in pain like I have not known before in quite a while. My left foot is in agony, my legs are annoying me, and folks passing me do not help my general wellbeing. I'm being passed like I'm almost standing still. It's a big effort to keep going and a lot of harsh words being had with my central governor. Again the numbers don't really tell this story, 40k 5k split was 27.55, so slower but again not too bad at all considering everything. So that's 5.36 per km (or just less than 9 min miles). Again, I'm stunned how 'fast' this was. I guess this shows that NOT having the Garmin was a help overall, and not a hindrance, as if I was monitoring it, I would have slowed to x pace, where I clearly slowed to where it was comfortable, not to where my watch told me to based on training and books!

I don’t know where I realised that I can still get under 3.3* - but that gives me a boost, combined with the knowledge that I’m nearly at the end, and that I am running toward the centre of Berlin again. I put in a huge push and really try and speed up. Again the numbers make me smile, as my huge push enabled me not slow down anymore and the left 2k were basically the same speed as 35k-40k!

I have been thinking for months what it would feel like to run under / thru the Brandenburg Gate, such a historic place. To be honest it was not joy, it was relief. I can’t wait to see my pictures as I’m sure it’s a “thank bloody god” face rather than any kind of pleasure, pride or joy!
It’s a really odd experience, “sprinting” to the finish, and not really knowing your time for sure. Only after I get back to my room a while later, and see Mr Slow’s text message of congratulations, and check Facebook do I know my time for sure ☺

I had definite wobbly legs crossing the line which has not really happened before. I clearly did not have much left in my legs at all. I was able to talk, and did not feel aerobically wasted at all, but my left foot was killing me, and my legs could hardly move any more.

One of the greatest things in the history of the world was the [Non-Alcoholic] Beer we got not far over the finishing line. Never has a drink been so wanted, so earned and so tasted so amazing. So good, I had a second right after the first ☺

With regard to my feelings on the whole Berlin Marathon experience. It’s hard to explain, I really enjoyed the city of Berlin, the craic with the folks over there, the huge effort made on the race course by the organisers and fans make it a wonderful race and with regard to the time I ran the race, it went great. If you had of offered me that time a month ago when my back was wrecked I would have been over joyed. But I don’t look back on it with pride or a smile on my face yet. It was a sore and painful race, and thus that is what I think about when thinking of the race. Im sure that will change when I can walk without limping again ☺

Next:

• I’m pacing 4.30 band in the Dublin Marathon, that should be good and I’m really looking forward to that.
• I have no other running plans after that for now. I have no idea what I want to do. I will think about it over a few weeks. There are loads of options and I only really have time for one focus to be honest, so I want to pick my goal carefully. Getting below 3.30 is deffo doable, as I was on that pace for 25k odd [Barcelona on Paddies Day was mentioned], but focusing on another distance for a while is very tempting. What other distance is a question. It’s really just a matter of doing different training for a while to keep me interested. We will see?
• I need to finally complete learning to swim once and for all, I can sorta-ish swim now, but water confidence is an issue, so I can’t/wont swim in the sea, so want to sort that.
• Im thinking of taking up a martial art over winter. Never done anything like that ever, so know a few folks who do different ones, so for something different it could be a laugh.

Still in rest mode from Marathon running wise [I am thinking 2 weeks, with light running thereafter into DCM]- did some kettle bell stuff over the last few days, just to get back into "something"

Left foot still a bit sore from Marathon [again, its totally fine for a while, and gets more sore the longer Im up on it], so getting it X-Rayed tomorrow morning just in case. Unlikely its broken as there is no swelling or anything, but better be safe than sorry given the feet are a fraction important where running is concerned

Odd Day, first run since Berlin and my first double in ages!!!

Played 5 a side with lads from work, first soccer in about 6 years! Put on Garmin [of course the ****er works now!!!], out of interest, and it was 4k on the nose over 50 mins or so. Great fun, lots of sprinting, turning etc I enjoyed it but legs and groin less so - what I [totally] lacked with my complete lack of footie talent, I made up for by being a lot fitter by everyone :pac:

Later, ran home..

6.5k in 40 mins, nice and easy. Groin a fraction stiff since the footie earlier, all the sprinting, turning etc in the soccer were a shock to the legs

With regards to what is next - entered a few shorter races for after DCM. No idea about next year yet, a few plans brewing, but nothing solid at all.

Pilates this morning, a humbling experience in that while I may be fit I was still clumsy oaf, unable to do a large amount of the requested movements

I think signing up to a 6 or 8 week class may be in order

14.5k in 1.22 odd

Been resting big toe [how mad does that sound:cool:] and to a far lesser extent groin all week, in preparation for pacing duties next Monday. Also been really busy at work, and therefore been eating like I was still running 60 miles a week, oops :eek:

Supposed to be an easy Saturday morning run here, but got summoned home mid-way, so became some sort of progression run, with a slow start, faster middle and half marathon pace for last few K's home - so a great workout all in all

New log name

Oh BTW plan for early part of 2013 is Donadea 50k and Conn Ultra

I was walking to work one day last week and thinking about where I could do a marathon, and get under 3.30 and asked myself if I was really arsed for now tbh, go into another marathon of doing the same stuff bla di bla - and Im not. I know I can do it, and therefore I dont think there is a rush and I also know Im same style of training in the same places...

Decided I wanted to test myself on a new distance after Berlin and I still feel like that, do something which right now I ask myself if is possible for me and it was either a hard PB goal for 'sprint' type stuff for 5k or 10k or the longer distance and an ultra, and it was a no contest for me tbh as I thought about it and I made my mind up in seconds.

At least the longer distance training will be good for burning fat [as I ditch the gels and follow the church of noakes!] and also force me to think about new and exciting routes to run, get the dart/a lift to x place and run home and thus keep things interesting rather than another 4 months doing the same laps of the park or routes up and down the canal [while I know there will be a bit of that!]

No fear of me doing any midnight mountain runs tho - your just mad

Oh and my final fundraising total for Berlin is €1770, which is not bad at all for a few posts on various social networks and a few mails to work and nothing else - super happy with that

On note related to yesterday, legs a fraction achey, but not too bad at all, just ran up the stairs to get something before a work meeting, no drama at all - where normally I cant move for a week after a marathon [working from home, thinking I was going to be wrecked ]

9.5k in 52 mins odd

An evening run, sweat out some of the booze from a great weekend in Prague and also first trip out since DCM! Also took the chance to break in my new toys, Pro Guide 5's - got them for a great price when I was in England last, but have not worn until now. They will be good "midweek miles" training shoes for the time being.

There is a work gang running the Race for Mark in the Dark next week, so I added my name down [sorta had to, being "the runner" in the office. But Im going to do it as a training run, doing something along the lines of 2 x 2M and then 2 x 1M with a brief rest in between - as I have done zero but run 2 marathons for 6 weeks or so, therefore zero point in racing it. Best to use it as a hard session, with Aware 10k in a few weeks the PB goal race.