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A Slow Journey to Faster Times
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Tbh I'm supposed to take the next two days off and then do 2miles on Saturday which I'm feeling isn't enough runs so was checking up to see what you are doing as I'm already feeling that I'm losing conditioning after only running 10.5 miles over three runs in the last four days!
I'm trying to decide how to spend this €20 I won't have to pay you
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Ah good. I thought you were complaining after taking a minute offPb is 1:20:17, so around 80 seconds slower. Not easy out there though. I'm not as happy as I would be with a pb, but not disappointed either if that makes sense?
yeah, it makes sense especially if the conditions and wind were tough. Well done! 0 -
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I'd heard good reviews about this race and wanted to fit a half-marathon in during March, which should allow me sufficient time to recover for Hamburg. I was tempted by Mullingar on St Patrick's Day, but in the end decided to come here instead.
Pre-Race
I've hit some decent weekly mileage lately despite some constraints on my time. Was feeling a bit jaded during the week, so took both Friday & Saturday as rest days. Woke up after a good night's sleep this morning feeling like I wouldn't have any excuses. Whatever I ran today would be as fast as I am at the moment. PB pace is around 6:10min/mile so I was hoping to go out at that speed and hold on as long as possible. Calvin Johnson did the driving today with myself & MKDTH the passengers. We got down there in plenty of time, spotting Duanington jogging down to the start of the 10k as we drove in. Collected my t-shirt, got a final toilet stop in and jogged down to the start with about five minutes to spare.
The Race
I noticed when I got down there that the 1:30 pacers were very far up the field. Only about five rows from the front. I knew I had to start in front on these as a crowd was likely to congregate around them early and prevent me moving on as I wished. I climbed in and out of ditches on the side of the road until I was in front of them and ready to go. The gun went and I was off. Martin Fagan appeared out of a ditch on my right to get to the front just before we passed under the gantry having possibly encountered the same problems as me. Wasn't long before he was out of sight!
Miles 1-2 (5:52, 6:22)
I sprinted the first hundred yards or so to rid myself of the usual annoying people who start way too far up. After about 200 yards I looked up and I was almost clipping Pauline Curley's heels. I could see TRR's head towering over the group ahead twenty yards in front of me and thought to myself: "I'm going a bit too quick here". A glance at the watch confirmed my suspicions, 5:27! I immediately eased off, but the first mile is probably the quickest you run all day as is mostly downhill with the wind. About half a mile in I checked the watch again to see it still showing 5:33. I've got to slow down! Really tried to relax without being ridiculous and it gradually crept closer to six minutes. Next time I looked it was 5:47 and it beeped just below 5:52. I knew this might come back and bite me in the ass later on, but there was no point in worrying about it now. Just stay comfortable. aero2k passed me at this point. I never said anything as I was already conscious of wasting energy unnecessarily. This mile was a complete contrast to the first, with a headwind and a bit of a drag. I barely checked the pace for the duration and was happy enough with 6:22 when that one passed. Still early enough to do a bit of maths, calculating that I had a few seconds in hand. Long way to go though.
Mile 3 (6:12)
Having said to the lads in the car that I expected a high standard in this race meaning I wouldn't be isolated like I so often am, I began the third mile with only one guy in a Donore singlet (I think?) keeping me company. Already I could feel the wind hurting me badly and I dropped in behind him as he appeared to be moving at my pace. I really struggled through this mile and I remember tunguska passing me somewhere here too. Again I said nothing with the thoughts of that first mile still having me paranoid about getting the trip. Even at this early stage the mental battles were commencing: 'Barely on pace, uncomfortable and not even 25% of the way there. No chance of a good time.' I knew there were more difficult miles to come too. I wasn't relishing them.
Miles 4-11 (6:15, 6:10, 6:16, 6:19, 6:09, 6:07, 6:07, 6:16)
Just as I really felt things were really working against me, some people appeared from behind. I was swamped as they moved by and about five yards ahead of me. I realised this was more to me slowing than them accelerating. I picked up the pace and latched on to the back of them. After about half a mile tagging onto the group, I checked the pace and saw they were moving at almost exactly my target speed. I also realised that my inner turmoil had suddenly disappeared. The focus on staying with the group had vanquished the negative thoughts. It also seemed far more comfortable than it had done on my own. Decided to stick with these unless the pace started to slow considerably as it was much more manageable than trying to plough a lone furrow. The guy I mentioned earlier in the Donore singlet had vanished at this stage, probably suffering badly from his lone crusade in Mile 3. Miles ticked by nicely here. Not that they weren't tough, but I felt I was part of a team. I never spoke a word to anybody but it felt like we were all in it together. About 10-11 in total. All men bar one lady (who at the time was 3rd female). We cruised on the flat, battled up the hills slowing slightly but we always seemed to claw it back. I was barely checking the watch at this stage. I felt I could trust these people to bring me home. As we passed water stations, the group leaders grabbed bottles and offered them around when they had taken what they required themselves. The hills were difficult, the wind was punishing and I was really struggling to hang on a lot of the time. But I always felt if I slowed, it would be far more difficult to get home alone. So I made the extra effort each time, hanging on for dear life and praying for the next stretch where I could take a breather. Just after the seven mile pole we took the left that brings you out onto the second lap. One of the guys in the group's coach cycled up alongside and pointed out a girl in a Mullingar singlet about 100 yards ahead. "That's the second lady. I want you to beat her. That's what you've got to focus on from now on in." I decided that's what I was going to do too. I harboured no ambitions of accelerating, but felt if I kept her in sight I'd run a good time even if I didn't catch her. The group continued along the rolling route taking the bridge over the motorway before dropping down towards the bottom of the two mile plus hill we had left to the finish. I had been dreading this on the first lap and I didn't feel any different as I approached it for the final time.
Miles 12-Finish (6:21, 6:13, 1:05)
As we moved towards the bottom of the final punishing stretch I noticed the girl in the Mullingar singlet was backpedaling. She had been running very strongly up to now, but appeared to be running out of gas. The girl in my group seemed to be the opposite. She obviously smelt blood and put in a spurt to move herself up to second lady. We passed the Mullingar girl right as we turned up the hill. The group quickly started to disintegrate. Some powered on, some fell off. Myself, three other lads and the girl were left to battle up the hill. The crowds screamed for us to 'bring her home'. I thought 'F*ck that. I'm bringing myself home'
I put everything I had left into distancing myself from these people who had been so good to me up to now. I really am a selfish bast*rd!!
I felt a gap opening up and now that I was alone, started to get cheers for myself. But I was f*cked. A look at the watch told me I still had the guts of a mile left to run. I had nothing left, but sheer stubborness meant I couldn't allow them to get back by me. I quickly picked out some runners ahead and tried to focus on catching them. It was a lost cause. I just couldn't get myself to accelerate any more, but it did keep my mind off the pain and although I never got them, I made ground meaning I held off the few 'friends' I had deserted. Happy enough to pass under the clock around 1:21:40.
Official Time: 1:21:37
Garmin data: https://connect.garmin.com/activity/714373726
Post-Race
I spotted aero2k bent over a railing as I crossed the finish line and he was unable to communicate with me when I went over to speak to him. I remember feeling exactly the same after the Jingle Bells. At least no one can accuse you of sandbagging S!
Met a plethora of boardsies after the race, most of whom put in respectable performances with special mention to laura_ac3 who annihilated the handicap. I would say a good day overall, other than the fact that I'm now €40 poorer at the beginning of Cheltenham week due to a double or quits bet with MKDTH. Not to worry, I'll get it back when Top Notch wins the Triumph on Friday (around 10/1. Get on!).
Thoughts
On the race itself, I thought it was pretty faultless bar one thing. When you turn off the main N51 to climb over the motorway, the road is open to traffic coming in both directions. This seemed extremely dangerous. As I mentioned, I was running in a group of 10/11 and we got very tight for space. I can only imagine what it was like in one of the pace groups. Will it take an accident to get this looked at?
Regarding my own performance, I'm pretty pleased considering how fit I actually was when I ran my HM pb in Longford last August. McMillan predicts a 2:51 marathon off this. I feel my current training has improved me aerobically and is definitely geared towards the longer stuff, which can only be a good thing with Hamburg in mind. I would have loved a pb today, but if you gave me a choice between a pb today or 2:51 marathon next month I think you know which one I'd prefer. Speaking of Hamburg, that's likely to be my next race. Seven weeks to go!0
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