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Rotterdam Marathon 2010
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Join Date:Posts: 23654
Was all going great until about the 32km mark and I was less than two minutes behind the 6:50/mile pace I'd set in the Garmin. Then it all went a bit wrong and I was reduced to walking and occasionally running for about 30 seconds at a time depending on how many Dutch people were shouting at me at the time. Somewhere around about 39 or 40km I think, the 3:15 pacer balloon went past me, and a short while later so did KentukyPete. Tried to pick it up and run the rest of the way but it just wasn't happening. I was at least able to walk a faster than other people who were walking.
Managed to lift the feet off the ground again though to cover the last km and crossed the line with it saying 3:28(?) and my Garmin saying 3:26. That is a PB still over my Dublin time from '08, and the added bonus being I don't appear to have broken my leg this time so despite blowing up over the last 10km it's still a result.
I think KentukyPete got 3:15(?). I've not seen anyone else yet, but next stop the pub.
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My race report, it's going to dampen the mood apologies in advance.
Lead up to race. After my 3'22 in dublin last year and my 1'28 half i felt 3'15 was a realistic target. I followed the pfitzinger advanced marathon schedule for the last 12 weeks, for 55 miles a week max. This had me running some of my runs at over 8'00 pace which i have never done before but i had only been doing my own "make it up as i go along training" and pfitzinger is one of the world leaders in marathon training so i took it as gospel for this training period.
9 days before the race my coccyx (tailbone) became really sore for no reason in particular, i was in total agony for 3 days and could barely stand up (strange i know) so i only had one run in the last 8 days before the race.
Race Day. Woke up roughly 3 hours before and got there in plenty time for the start. Did my usual pre race routine and off i went. I was about halfway back in starting pen D which meant i passed the start line proper 2 mins after the real start. There was real traffic trouble for me (and the others) for the first 5km, until we passed the feyenoord stadium. Too many 4hr+ runners had started in the sub 3'30 pen so this meant i was 2 mins behind my target 4'37 per km pace after 5km. I told myself this is good though, as it stopped me from going off too fast.
I picked up the pace then to something like my pmp, i knocked out about 10km at about 4'40 pace but i felt i was writing cheques i couldnt cash, i wanted to slow down but my training pointed to 3'15 so i told myself it was just a bad patch, and every runner has them. Passing the Ahoy arena, where i watched nadal play murray last year, the wheels really started coming off the bike, i dropped to 5 min km's, i felt cramp coming on in my legs even though i had been drinking oceans of water and sports drink. Truth be told i felt like i had done a track session the day before, even though i hadnt. I passed halfway in 1'41, and i was almost spent, i went through halfway in 1'37 the last 2 DCM's feeling pretty good, and on a tougher hillier course. At this stage i knew the game was up. I passed my parents a mile later, got my club energise, but if failed to have the desired effect. At this stage i started to walk, in truth i gave up at this point. 2 lads from Inishbofin AC encouraged me at this point (i was wearing my brothers Ireland singlet) so i continued on at 8'30 miling approx, if you are reading lads thanks for the encouragement, which was the pace of the pack at this stage. But to be honest i only kept on so i could get back into town as fast as i could. My legs were aching and on the verge of cramp as i ran back over the erasmusburg, the link between the north and south of the race. I was now looking for a suitable drop out point which was free of crowds even though i was back in the city centre, there was 16 km left, 10 miles, which felt like a long long way. I finally "put the dog to sleep" at a nice switchback point just before the underpass. I ripped off my number and walked back to get my bag without even looking at the semi elites finshing in 2'30 ish. I was cold, fed up and wanted to get the hell out of there. I had come over here for a time, not a finishers medal, if that sounds defeatist well i'm guilty as charged. I could have finished in 3'40 - 3'45, but i felt i should save myself for another day, i mean if its not your day, its not your day.
I signalled to my parents that i was on the way out just after halfway so they put 2 and 2 together and met me at the meet up point, an hour ahead of schedule. I wanted to get out of town, go off to amsterdam or somewhere for the day and just forget it. We went somewhere for food, which cheered me up and made me see sense and i went back to the coolsingel to cheer on the 3'59 athletes. From there i went to the nearby irish pub and had 2 pints while watching manu blackburn. After that i headed to the hotel then met the other boardsies back in the irish bar, KentuckyPete, misty floyd, 04072511, robinph and moycullen1. They felt pretty good about their performances and i congratulated them all. We had a good night and i couldnt have met a nicer bunch of lads. They put things into perspective for me and really cheered me up, thanks guys!
Aftermath. Some questions continue to linger in my mind. How could someone who ran a 7 mile tempo run in 47'20 4 weeks ago be so out of it after 10k at a slower pace given taper, rest, etc. I trained harder and smarter, in all weather conditions making huge sacrifices at times for the last 4 months, i followed all the trainng runs to a tee, so why did i fall apart on race day? I know everyone has bad days but why me, why now?
The Race, pretty well organised, bar the congestion early on, good crowds, great atmosphere and i would recommend it. Not too hot and ideal conditions, bar the wind. The winner Makau, said he would have broken the wr if it wasnt for the wind.
The future, where from here? Do i accept it and target DCM later in the year or do i try another in the next 2 months. Cork possibly but it could be too hot. Dropping out when i did at least gives me the chance to prepare properly for another one in the near future.
Below are some of my photos from the weekend.
A marathon sign in the city centre.
The erasmusburg the day before
The lead woman at mile 14 approx
The 3'59ers on the last 350m on the coolsingel
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Join Date:Posts: 23654
Just spotted that they have the photos and videos up via links from the individual results pages, sure I didn't spot them there earlier. I think I at least managed to "run" through all of the spots where they were taking video so didn't shame myself too badly there.
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So to Rotterdam for my second marathon. At the age of 46, I’m coming to this late but I suppose the mid-life crisis just took longer to hit me. I had a great run to 18 miles in Dublin but fell to pieces after that so I was keen to take maybe 5 minutes off my time but just as importantly to run the race in control all the way.
Stayed at the slightly flea-bitten (but otherwise fine) Grand Hotel Central. A bad back all week meant I was munching anti-inflammatories by Saturday but I felt I could chance the run OK. Sitting down was the sorest activity and I wouldn’t be doing that on the road…
Dinner in the select company of Robinph on Saturday evening, then early to bed after I dropped him off at his posh digs in the Hilton.
Next morning after the obligatory bowl of porridge, tea and a lie-down, I was hyped up to the nines and in the pen ready to go. Temperature was ten degrees with a fresh cold breeze from the north-east. After a rousing chorus of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” in Dutch accents the cannon fired and off went the Kenyans. In theory we could go then too but the pens were so narrow and cramped that it took an age to get moving over the start line. Then the extent of the overcrowding became clear – we were barely above walking pace as we headed for the bridge, running on tram tracks, cycle lanes and footpaths trying to get going. As the race thinned out it became apparent that loads of slower runners had congregated near the front of the pens. It was taking ages – and loads of crashes – for people to get by. After a mile or so the guy behind me got jostled and poured his sugar drink all over the backs of my legs – jaysus – stickyville for the next 25 miles.
Things were improving very slowly. I had 3:20 in my mind and the splits for 3:15 on my wrist. By seeing how far I was dropping behind 3:15 pace I’d know how much buffer I had above 3:20. I had the Garmin set to miles so I could see my speed at all times. At the 5k mark I was with the 3:15 pacer but due to the crush he was a full 2 minutes behind the target pace. Finally things started to open up after yet another narrow stretch and by 6km we were beginning to move freely. The 3:15 pacer tore off ahead but I let him go. My shins were sore after the slow running and jumping around the road trying to pass people so I focused on just getting into a rhythm and letting the 7:25 miles flow.
10k in 47:32 – time for the first gel and in accordance with the plan I stopped and swallowed the gel with a full cup of water while walking. I was 90 seconds behind 3:15 pace – due to those slow first miles. Picked up the pace and on we went. Things were flowing well now – no pain and I was passing people all the time. There was great support along the route and bands every couple of km. Still loads of slow runners strung across the road in groups – a real pain but a minor one at this point. The second 10k was a much healthier 45:56 – I knew now this was my day and I was going well for sure.
We turned a corner and pushed up an incline to the half way mark – 1:38:55, still off 3:15 pace but no more time being lost – steady progress. Now we hit the hardest part of the race. They say the dead zone of any marathon is always just after halfway but in addition to that from now out to 32km, apart from a few twists and turns, we were going to be running onto the fresh headwind. The stretch to 25k was hard (23:28 for the 5k) but I managed to keep the speed up into the wind by focusing my mind on all the training I’d done and by regularly consulting the watch. When we turned the corner to the bridge at 25k there was a huge roar from the crowd and the bands were really giving it socks. On over the bridge, through the underpass (more mega-music) and on up the hill towards 30k. Now we could see the elites coming against us on their way home. Stopped again for the gel and proper drink at 30k - this strategy worked really well for me – and was happy to feel OK in getting the speed up again.
So, now it was time to analyse and make some decisions: I’d done 46:31 for the third 10k which meant I was still that elusive 90 seconds from 3:15 pace – no change since the early part of the race. This meant if I held pace I was good for a 3:17 or 3:18 finish, 8 minutes better than my debut in Dublin. However, I felt good, maybe there was more in the tank? We were still climbing gradually (in a woodland park) and I decided to keep it steady until my Garmin told me there was 6 miles to go. Then I’d try to add some pace. I was still passing runners all the time so I knew things were going well.
My luck was in – around the 32km mark the road flattened and by 33km we were slowly beginning a gradual descent. Nice one. “OK here we go, 540 miles done in three months of wind, ice, snow and rain, no booze since Christmas, 5:30am starts and thousands of flexibilities and core exercises all for this moment. Here is your opportunity, you feel strong and won’t be back at this point for quite some time so take what you can.”
I began to stride out more strongly and noticed that I was really starting to nail other runners now. A good feeling getting better. The Garmin confirmed it and told me the next mile was 6:59. Alright, calm down, take it easy, still 5 miles to go. The sun came out and I found I could hold 7:05 ish in reasonable shape – on the outside I looked rough but on the inside I was smiling and was moving through the field very well. Spotted Robinph ahead around the 39km mark and gave him a shout as I went by. His only response was “Jesus!” I don’t know if that was praise or not
As we rounded the bend at 40km we passed a blaring music booth where the DJ had just dropped Madness’ “One Step Beyond”. I ran by just as the beat kicked in and pumped the air with my fist! I was actually enjoying the last 2k of a marathon - ridiculous. On down towards the city towards the Coolsingel. Getting hard to hold the pace but still passing people all the time. Keep thinking positive, all the training, so much support from darling wife and three great kids and all the good luck wishes I had got during the week. On to the 41km mark, then 1000m to go then 500 then round the bend to the finishing straight. Last look at the speed - 6:45 pace. 300m to go then 200, then the sweet realisation that I was going to break 3:15. Just time to pass one more Dutchman and cross the line in 3:14:27 with arms aloft – what a feeling!
Finish line clip - I'm the sartorially inelegant 3868
Got my medal and chatted to a few others. Hung on until Robinph came through and we scoffed a few bananas and talked our way down to normal level again.
Apart from the extra-slow start and the headwind, everything went well in this race for me. The 3:15 pacer destroyed his crew by trying to get back on target too early. Apparently almost all of them got dropped. I was glad I stuck to my pace and didn’t go after him. That Rod Dixon post from Friday really sorted me out on that one. Of course the mileage and the last month of focused pmp preparation made me sure I could hold my pace too.
However, to make the push closer to the magic 3:00 I think I’d need to become a faster runner. I can hold 7:20 for a marathon but I would have no hope of holding 6:50 – that’s my ten mile race pace. Maybe my short race pace is just too slow. We’ll see. For now it’s tri-season for me. TriAthy here we come.
Great night out with the other boards lads in Rotterdam. There was a good buzz about. Hard to fault the event – the early pace is a big issue they could look at and the goody bag was fairly thin but for €40 it’s major value. All your photos and even video clips are also free.
Garmin mile times for the 26 (allow the usual approximate 1% error). Stopped for gel in miles 7, 13 and 19.
1 08:21
2 07:27
3 07:28
4 07:23
5 07:25
6 07:16
7 07:34
8 07:22
9 07:20
10 07:14
11 07:12
12 07:18
13 07:26
14 07:25
15 07:16
16 07:16
17 07:16
18 07:18
19 07:28
20 07:24
21 06:59
22 07:11
23 07:05
24 07:06
25 07:04
26 07:050 -
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Just spotted that they have the photos and videos up via links from the individual results pages, sure I didn't spot them there earlier. I think I at least managed to "run" through all of the spots where they were taking video so didn't shame myself too badly there.
Where's the sunglasses?0 -
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KentuckyPete wrote: »Did you see Moycullen1 made the official video on the website? An actual interview - wouldn't doubt ya Barry boy!
I saw that, nice one Hey well done KPete. Reading that, I nearly punched the air when you crossed the line.
040...well done. You weren't walking that funny in the airport all the same. You must of got (and should have gotten) great encouragement from the last 2km's.0 -
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From my training log.
What got me here
I suppose this all started at around mile 19 of DCM 09. I worked my ass off for that race and that sinking body shut down feeling was something I never wanted to feel again. Investing so much into one race for it to fall apart like that was hard for me. I had to fix it.
Training
Hiding at my desk in work the week after DCM, I came across this thread (Improving for next time) and some posts by Tergat. It was time to make things simple and address the endurance problems I had in my two marathons (Belfast 09 3:40:?? and DCM 09 3:25:??). No more weekly racing guys in the club during tempo sessions. I completed two marathon specific runs per week and lots of easy miles in between. I’ve attached my training plan again. I really enjoyed training this time around, no injuries and lots more energy. I also dropped a few more pounds which was a bonus. I ran a 10m race 4 weeks before the marathon in Craughwell (great race) and finished strong with 62min 12s. This, and confidence in my training, confirmed for me what several people had suggested....go for sub3.
Race Plan
I made up my mind to go for a negative split. I always perform better when I do that and I thought it a safer approach plus I felt confident about that. Starting off with ~ 7:00 m/m for the first couple, reach half way at around 1:31:00 and take it home at 18m. I was confident of this, why not.
Race Day
I woke up and felt no butterflies, no worries. It was like any morning getting up for work. I just got it done. I went for breakfast and scoffed strange tasting muesli and 3 slices of bread. I said goodbye to my girlfriend and got into the D pen pretty early. It was windy, which I wasn’t worried about but it did make things colder having to wait around. It was nearly time and we were treated to “You’ll never walk alone”. “Boom”, the canons went off and it was time to go....finally.
The Race
I punched the watch at the mat and started the weaving. Despite being at the top of the D pen, there were lots of slower runners. I missed the first km so I didn’t get to check my pace band but my watch did beep at the first mile: 7:18. That’s ok; I expected that, so I continued at a similar effort. Still avoiding people, I missed the 2km mark.
You know when you are driving your car over the speed limit (e.g. the roads on the way to Heuston?) and out of nowhere, a transit van is parked on the side of the road or a garda with a speed gun? ..............“Beep”, mile 2: 6:07:eek: Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck! I hit the brakes. Ok man you’re an idiot but you’re in control here. I didn’t panic, it’s a long race. I thought about it for a bit and thought that the plan of ~6:50 – 6:55m/m would be important now. I couldn’t take the chance of eating into those vital glycogen reserves especially now that I had made a withdrawal so early.
I followed that up with a 6:59. Miles 3-18 were like an LSR for me. Not in terms of effort but the way they past uneventful like, lost in my thoughts, thinking about how I felt and what my pace was like. I wasn’t thinking about anything else. I did start talking to a guy that I had spotted at our hotel. “Are you Irish?” I asked. A Kilkenny man, going for the 3. He asked me if I was on for it and I said “about a minute behind....that’s alright”. I was surprised with myself that I talked to anybody but I also noticed how easy it was to talk. How easy 6:50m/m was compared to the PMP miles in training. For these 15 or so miles it was just a case of getting the job done. The wind at points was tough and trying to shelter, I found myself running a little slower than I wanted. So I took wind quite a bit. Again, no panic, this is part of the race. I got a shout at around miles 12&13 from my GF and a mate from the club. I smiled and thanked them, that was great. I was enjoying it.
Splits mile 4 - 18:
6:54/6:52/6:47/6:52/6:50/6:57/6:51/6:40/6:53/6:52/6:58/6:51/6:39/6:48
During lots of these miles, any km marker I saw, I would check my stopwatch and check my pace band. The font was too small and it was pissing me off. It was a total distraction. When I did read things correctly, I seemed to be 60 – 70 seconds behind sub 3 up to mile 18. My half marathon time was 1:31:04, just 4 seconds outside where I wanted to be.
Like most of my LSR’s that ended with PMP miles, I went into mile 18 not knowing how it would feel. It felt ok.
18: 6:41 / 19: 6:39 / 20: 6:39 / 21: 6:44
So 20 came and went and I didn’t feel it, not that I feared it. I started to see people walking and I was overtaking lots and lots of people. I felt great doing this. Mile 22: 6:34 and it was starting to hurt. Not a shutdown, more of an all body ache. I saw two people puking sub 3 on the side of the road and tons of dutch people shouting encouragement. I didn’t need any. In the past I needed it but I was in the zone....kind of loving it in a weird way.
I got so fed up looking at the watch and trying to work out what I was behind sub 3 that I just dropped that plan and decided to run to the end as fast as I could...what more could I do. This was the case from mile 18 really.
Mile 23: 6:47 and mile 24: 6:46.
I knew I was close but serious work to do and I remembered what Tunguska told me to read 2 minutes before I left the house the day before the race. He told me to read a piece from Jack Daniels book. If you are struggling, increase the pace. I wanted to see how that felt. I put the foot down. Within 300m I came across a sponge stop, grabbed one and some water went down my nose. Increasing the pace like that felt horrible and I think the water gave me an excuse to drop that faster than fast pace. I just couldn’t do it, my body was screaming at me.
My left quad started to tighten and I feared it could pull me to the side of the road if I wasn’t careful. I could only manage Mile 25 at: 6:51. That tightness kind of went by kicking my ass with my heel (if you get me). Mile 26: 6:40 and with teeth grinding and arms pumping the last half mile (26.5 on garmin) was at a pace of 6:06 m/m.
I think I knew at mile 24 that the sub 3 was gone but it wasn’t really until 200m to go that I looked at the watch and knew it wasn’t there. “Go Andy”, I heard my GF say. I crossed the line completely overjoyed. I ran a damn solid race.
3:00:30
Afterthoughts:
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a bit of regret about the 31 seconds. The second mile? The wind? Should I have worked harder on earlier miles to go slightly under 6:50m/m? Should I have taken the 4/5 people advice on this log to run even splits? It’s funny when you get a time like that. Everyone’s reaction is like the reaction people have when watching you’ve been framed type clips of people falling. I feel like I have to say, “Relax, it’s ok I’m delighted”. That’s my time and nobody can take it from me. Nite nite DCM.
Sorry for the ramblings, the long post and the me me me, I did this , I did that side of things. Its good getting this out of the head and I’d recommend posting a race report regardless of a good or bad experience. Thanks to everyone for posting on A/R/T especially in the logs. They are a huge benefit to read through, and figure out what might work for you. The good wishes and advice are also priceless. It was also great to put some faces to names in the Irish bar that night and great to hear of so many great performances.
Almost Everything in its right PACE 0
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