Cork City Marathon 2017

Alfie Tupper

Following Dublin's lead the Cork City Marathon will be on Sunday June 4th 2017

run_Forrest_run

about time some common sense prevailed, pity they couldn't have done it sooner...how will this affect mass??? I remember hearing mass times & road closures being one excuse for not having it on a Sunday in the past :eek:

noelearly

Ah Christ the one time I wanted it on the Monday its moved to Sunday. Typical. Probably see an increase in numbers now which is a good thing.

Murph_D

There goes my aul lad podium repeat.

TheBigGreen

YES!! Delighted with that date, feed of pints after it.

Itziger

Great news for me. If I can find relatively cheap flights I'm good to go. That time of year suits me training wise cos April and May I have lighter workload and longer days to do decent training spins. Also comes before the long Summer in Spain where the heat and the beer and tapas don't help for Autumn prep.

ger664

This will clash with the Derry Walled Marathon

Itziger

ger664 wrote: »

This will clash with the Derry Walled Marathon

There would surely not have been many looking to do the two. Derry on Sunday and Cork on Monday? You'd barely make it down!

hot buttered scones

So are there many from here doing this? How's the training going? I signed up a couple of weeks ago and have a decent couple of weeks training down, then Ballycotton next week and a nice 12 weeks then to get ready. Ran the first 4 and last 9 or so miles today as part of a long run - I'm really starting to look forward to it now.

Itziger

hot buttered scones wrote: »

So are there many from here doing this? How's the training going? I signed up a couple of weeks ago and have a decent couple of weeks training down, then Ballycotton next week and a nice 12 weeks then to get ready. Ran the first 4 and last 9 or so miles today as part of a long run - I'm really starting to look forward to it now.

I'm targeting it meself. First time for me. Training fairly low key at the moment. Looking to do a 10k race in two weeks time. Upping the mileage a bit but doing a bit of speed too. 28.5k this morning slowish.

After the 10k I'll concentrate solely on the marathon. April and May should be good months for training, longer days, better weather.... Hopefully stay healthy.

Too early for table though! (And weather forecast )

hot buttered scones

There's never any point in a weather forecast for Cork! Best of luck. After Ballycotton, I'm doing a 10k in April and a 6 miler a few weeks before as tune up races, but the focus is solely on the marathon, so I'm not too worried about the shorter races. By first time, I take it you mean Cork? It'll be my second time doing it (did the half last year). Great buzz rounding the corner onto Patricks Street and hearing the roar of the crowd.

Itziger

hot buttered scones wrote: »

There's never any point in a weather forecast for Cork! Best of luck. After Ballycotton, I'm doing a 10k in April and a 6 miler a few weeks before as tune up races, but the focus is solely on the marathon, so I'm not too worried about the shorter races. By first time, I take it you mean Cork? It'll be my second time doing it (did the half last year). Great buzz rounding the corner onto Patricks Street and hearing the roar of the crowd.

Yep, I think it's number 12 overall. PB of 3.03 and gunning, once again, for the old 2.59! Be nice to do it in my home town. Hopefully there'll be a few from here doing it.

ThebitterLemon

Itziger wrote: »

Yep, I think it's number 12 overall. PB of 3.03 and gunning, once again, for the old 2.59! Be nice to do it in my home town. Hopefully there'll be a few from here doing it.

Might see you there D, I whoring myself around in pursuit of sub 3

TbL

Itziger

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Might see you there D, I whoring myself around in pursuit of sub 3

TbL

Lemony, that would be great. I see you're going through one of those rather fallow periods which I think affect us mature lads. We've got 3 months to the day to get our butts in shape for Cork. Take a week or two to get back into it and then get yourself a plan for the Rebel City.

If we nail the sub 3 the first round is on me, in the Valley or the Hi B.

CR 7

I'll be there myself too, going for 2:59, after 3:03 in Dublin last year. First time doing the full in Cork, ran the second relay leg and then jogged the rest of the course 2 years ago so I've some idea of the course. I've just been kind of keeping the training ticking over since Dublin with a few shorter races thrown in, so training will officially start the day after ballycotton.

TheBigGreen

Just started week 6 of P&D Marathon 55 miles 18 week schedule, going good. Ballycotton 10 up next then Mala 10.

hot buttered scones

Seems like there's some course changes on the way. For some reason I can't post links using the app but there was a Facebook post from the course measurer earlier showing the 26 mile marker on Washington Street. The finish will be going across the North Gate Bridge, down North Main Street the next onto Washington Street and onto the Grand Parade and Patrick Street. There's no more info other than it's not coming straight in from the Straight Road. Possibly avoiding churches because of the Sunday morning (pure supposition on my part)?

Itziger

hot buttered scones wrote: »

Seems like there's some course changes on the way. For some reason I can't post links using the app but there was a Facebook post from the course measurer earlier showing the 26 mile marker on Washington Street. The finish will be going across the North Gate Bridge, down North Main Street the next onto Washington Street and onto the Grand Parade and Patrick Street. There's no more info other than it's not coming straight in from the Straight Road. Possibly avoiding churches because of the Sunday morning (pure supposition on my part)?

Keep us posted when you know more. Corkrunningblog is usually very good to be fair.

hot buttered scones

Itziger wrote: »

Keep us posted when you know more. Corkrunningblog is usually very good to be fair.

Here's the link to the Facebook post:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/corkathletics/permalink/10155880095665830/?comment_id=10155880996645830&notif_t=group_comment_reply&notif_id=1489934912917876

Your right though, it'll probably be up on the Cork running blog fairly quickly once it's sorted out.

robinph

Few questions for the more local than me as my better half will now be running the half marathon and I'll be minding a toddler and grandparents for the day.
Does anyone know the route for the half marathon? There is a link from the website, but it goes to someones private MapMyRun page. I know from having done the relay a few times back in the day that it went in and out of the city a few times making it pretty good for spectating, does the half course do something similar?

Are there any decent children's playgrounds around the course to entertain/ exhaust a toddler at, or if there are any indoor entertainment options if the weather is awful?

Is the only option for collecting even the half marathon numbers to make the trek to the expo on the Saturday? What ID would they need if I was collecting the number, or if I recruited another local to do so and save me the drive?

opus

Last year, the (~14 mile!) half marathon route was essentially the 2nd half of the marathon course. Haven't seen any details yet for this year though. The nicest play ground around is very close to the last mile of the run as it happens in Fitzgeralds Park where you have this!



Would help out with number collections but I'm away that weekend.

robinph

That playground looks excellent.

hot buttered scones

The Fitzgeralds park playground has been done up recently:


https://goo.gl/images/KxloZe
I might be able to help with number collection - I'm at work myself that day, but my better half is going in. I'm running the full though - if you're in Cork the night before the number collection is usually at City Hall which is in the City Centre - not far from the half start.

robinph

That playground looks even better now, I'm glad I drew the straw for toddler minding.

Not going to be in Cork the night before and will be driving down from Shannon direction on the morning. Thanks for the offer of assisting with number collection, I'll see how the rest of our plans develop and may need to take an offer of assistance up.

eoinryan435

Anyone know of any discount codes that can be used when registering?

eliwallach

robinph wrote: »

Few questions for the more local than me as my better half will now be running the half marathon and I'll be minding a toddler and grandparents for the day.
Does anyone know the route for the half marathon? There is a link from the website, but it goes to someones private MapMyRun page. I know from having done the relay a few times back in the day that it went in and out of the city a few times making it pretty good for spectating, does the half course do something similar?

Are there any decent children's playgrounds around the course to entertain/ exhaust a toddler at, or if there are any indoor entertainment options if the weather is awful?

Is the only option for collecting even the half marathon numbers to make the trek to the expo on the Saturday? What ID would they need if I was collecting the number, or if I recruited another local to do so and save me the drive?

You're just fishing for someone to post "THAT" photo.....

eliwallach

Go on then...........

robinph

eliwallach wrote: »

You're just fishing for someone to post "THAT" photo.....

What me, don't know what photo you are talking about.


A post from myself with that photo appeared in the wife's Facebook search results about Cork Marathon the other week. It's not always helpful for Facebook to know all your history Mr Zuckerberg!

andrew1977

Tempted to sign up for this but the number collection/registration on the Saturday is putting me off.

Any way of getting numbers posted our before handy/pick up on the Sunday ?

Thank you.

opus

The new route details have appeared - THE COURSES!

heebusjeebus

opus wrote: »

The new route details have appeared - THE COURSES!

Thanks. The half marathon start is a lot more straightforward. Should be no confusion like last year.

hot buttered scones

opus wrote: »

The new route details have appeared - THE COURSES!

Cheers. I'll reserve judgement until I go out and run the course, but my first impressions are the climbs have been made a bit longer, but there is also a longer downhill section of just under a mile from Dorgan's Road to Farranlea Road at around the 20 mile mark to compensate for that. There's a few more twists and turns, so you'd have to be sure to run the tangents.

I've mapped the 2016 and 2017 courses on Strava for anyone that wants to have a look:

CCM 2016

CCM 2017

opus

Out of curiosity I took in the section from Orchard Road to the North Gate bridge at lunch time as I'd never run it in that direction or order before. You can see the details in the chart below, ignore the bits before the line on the elevation chart as that was me getting to start of the route which is the blue dot on the map. Hope it's of some use.

TheBigGreen

Is there water stations every 5km? Energy and water sponge stations?

opus

Lots more info on the route changes on the Running in Cork blog - Route changes for the 2017 Cork City Marathon

Condo131

The AIMS/IAAF Course Measurer's maps, including elevation profiles & photos for Marathon, Half-Marathon & each individual Relay Leg are on the Cork Athletics website. These maps have been embedded into the Cork City Marathon website.

Photo: The 25 Mile Mark

Megager

I have signed up myself. Those hills at the end look tough. Knew they were there but the reality that ill have to run up them in a few weeks, as novice, is a bit scary.

Best of luck to everyone doing it.

hot buttered scones

Megager wrote: »

I have signed up myself. Those hills at the end look tough. Knew they were there but the reality that ill have to run up them in a few weeks, as novice, is a bit scary.

Best of luck to everyone doing it.

Just take it easy. It's your first time out - go out and enjoy the day. You only get one first marathon. If you're in Cork, go out and do a few training runs on the course - it will help on the day. The hills look worse than they are due too scaling - yeah they're not great, but they're not mountains either. You'll be grand. Best of luck.

hot buttered scones

I've exported the Strava routes above into myGPSfiles.com just to compare them. The orange track in the new course. You can ignore the big spike between 5 and 10k - thats just a dodgy altitude reading caused by an overpass. I think I feel a bit better about it looking at it like this. I'm still not looking forward to the climb at around 34k though.

hot buttered scones

I ran a lot of the new route this morning - up to mile 5.4 and from 8.7 to 17.8 miles on the strava activity above. The changes at the start make no difference.
The Ballyphehane section - this as not as bad as though it was going to be. I always hated the drag up Lower Friars Walk to the church in Ballyphehane. This time you turn left onto Connolly Road and the road seems to drop off a small but before the climb to the north end of Tory Top Park. This climb did not seem very severe and I ran it at MP. The surface isn't the greatest around the park and the road narrows a bit so if there's a lot of runners around you this could get a bit congested. The road continues to rise slightly as you pass by Reendowney place and then drops off until you reach the bottom of Hartlands avenue. Honestly, I think I almost preferred this to the old route.
Next was the climb up Hartlands Avenue - familiar territory - but instead of turning right onto Glasheen Road you go straight through to Dorgans Road - this only adds about 100m or so to the climb. The road then drops off almost all the way down to Victoria Cross - it has a few turn alright which might use problems. Also St Francis Avenue - basically about 200-300m long and is like a massive speed bump. It's about 0.8 miles of downhill running, so plenty of time to recover from the previous climb. The big drag at the bottom of the Glasheen Road, leading to that horrible short but steep hill by the credit union is thankfully gone.
The last new bit is Farranlea Road. This is going to be tough coming as it between miles 20.5 and miles 21.5 (roughly 0.8 miles of climbing). There's a really steep bit by the back of the county hall with speed bumps that's going to take a lot out of the legs. Then there's a more gradual climb that didn't feel too bad and another short sharp rise (300m?) to get up to the lights at the Rendevous on the Junction with Model Farm Road that wrecked me! When you turn the corner onto Model Farm Road then, the road continues to rise for about another 200 or 300m, and then your running downhill to the next relay changeover where its all downhill to the straight road and home.
North Main Street is a bit narrower than what we're used too for the final mile. There is a very small amount of cobbles at the start of the speed ramps so the shouldn't be too much of a problem (although if it's wet they may cause a problem for tired legs). It was full of parked cars today, so I hope they are gone for marathon day. It'll be a great spot for supporters and I hope it's packed on the day to give that last bit of encouragement for the final stretch.
Overall perception: The only change which may cause a bit of trouble is Farranlea Road - it may end being Cork's own Heartbreak Hill. Other than that it's business as usual.

innuendo141

Like an eejit I put off registering on Sunday night for some reason or another not realising the price went up on Monday. Oh well.

Thanks to those with the new course info- looking forward to my first Cork Marathon. Hope the T shirts are as nice as the ones everyone got last year. Lovely ragouts!

hot buttered scones

I ran the new parts again yesterday afternoon. I parked down the Lee Fields and ran to he finish, then cut across town to Turners Cross and ran back to the car via the marathon route - so about 10 miles. Then I repeated it. The organisers have very kindly painted directional arrows on the road so you can't get lost!! My impression of the new route didn't change much during the first lap - the second lap was another story altogether. I hit Tramore Road at about 14 miles and the sun had come and it was roasting. Tramore Road seems very very sheltered - like a sun trap and by the time I hit the hill up to Tory Top park I felt sapped of energy. I found the hills very tough on tired legs in the heat, and the downhill section did not give much respite - there was very little shade. Farranlea road broke me to be honest and that was at easy pace. There'll be carnage if it's a warm day I reckon. Loads of the hardest parts of the course seem to be in direct sunlight and come just at the time in the race when your digging deep and the wall is looming. I'll be hoping for a drop of rain in the second half anyway.

robinph

Incase some people are still not aware the swapping of race numbers is not permitted.

docker.io

Looking at the Route for 2017, the hills don't seem to be two stressful

I would like to see the route use all of the carrigohane road and up the hills by the guide dogs and up the hill by model farm road instead of running down that hill

https://www.strava.com/routes/8729473

Done this route a few times a lung opener.

hot buttered scones

docker.io wrote:

Looking at the Route for 2017, the hills don't seem to be two stressful

Can't agree with you there. Running up Farranlea road is one thing. Running up it at marathon pace during during mile 21 of a marathon on a potentially hot day is a different story. The changes to the course are a negative whatever way you look at it. The extra twists and turns are also unwelcome. I think most people would like as flat a course as possible. The flatter the course, the faster the times. That way you'll attract more people. I also think it should kick off at 8am. An earlier start would work well if the day is hot. If the day isn't hot then it won't matter either way. It might also help with the church situation. As far as numbers are concerned - the relay and the half far outnumber the marathon. There was 1100 did the full last year. To put this into perspective 845 turned out for the John Buckley 5k on the Tuesday of the same week. It's a small field. Maybe the move to Sunday will attract more people, and maybe the course changes will put some off. Anyone I've spoken too isn't happy with them. A few aren't going to bother. The council certainly left it late enough too to approve the route.

murphm45

I think I need to stop reading this thread - all this talk of hills is really freaking me out ... which is all I need on top of a rubbish set of long runs but my curiosity has been piqued now so I'm going to have to ask. Looking at the Strava profile that was loaded there doesn't seem to be much of a difference (the peaks and troughs looks the same and the relative total increases and decreases, between say 25 and 40k look more or less the same) - don't get me wrong I'd much rather the hills weren't there but I'm at a bit of a loss as to why the new route is so much worse than the old one.

Oh and while I do appreciate the exceptionally detailed route details hot buttered scones posted as I'm not familiar with Cork I keep getting lost in the detail (sorry).

On a slightly more practical point does anyone know if they give out anything other than water on the route (e.g. gels, lucozade, fruit etc)?

Itziger

murphm45 wrote: »

I think I need to stop reading this thread - all this talk of hills is really freaking me out ... which is all I need on top of a rubbish set of long runs but my curiosity has been piqued now so I'm going to have to ask. Looking at the Strava profile that was loaded there doesn't seem to be much of a difference (the peaks and troughs looks the same and the relative total increases and decreases, between say 25 and 40k look more or less the same) - don't get me wrong I'd much rather the hills weren't there but I'm at a bit of a loss as to why the new route is so much worse than the old one.

Oh and while I do appreciate the exceptionally detailed route details hot buttered scones posted as I'm not familiar with Cork I keep getting lost in the detail (sorry).

On a slightly more practical point does anyone know if they give out anything other than water on the route (e.g. gels, lucozade, fruit etc)?

This. All info most welcome. Bottles or paper cups......? Orange quarters? Bananas...... water only Vs Sports drink. And so on.

TheBigGreen

My time all depends on the weather!

hot buttered scones

murphm45 wrote: »

On a slightly more practical point does anyone know if they give out anything other than water on the route (e.g. gels, lucozade, fruit etc)?

Itziger wrote: »

This. All info most welcome. Bottles or paper cups......? Orange quarters? Bananas...... water only Vs Sports drink. And so on.

CCM water stations

Copy and paste job:

The water stations are as follows:

All water stations will have 250ml bottles of water. Lucozade Sports will be provided in cups at 3 stations (11, 15 & 23 miles). The stations are as follows:

Watercourse Road (c. 2.5 miles)
Horgan’s Quay – station staffed by Boots Pharmacy staff (3.7 miles)
Lower Glanmire Road (c. 6.2 miles)
South Ring Road (8.5 miles)
Blackrock Castle carpark/walkway (c. 11.5 miles) & Lucozade Sports (in cups)
Railway Line at junction with Skehard Road (c. 14 miles)
Marina, Lee Rowing Club (15.5 miles) & Sponges – staffed by Lee Rowing Club
Curragh Road (18.3 miles) & Lucozade Sports (in cups)
The Lough (c. 19.5 miles) & Sponges
Model Farm Road (c. 21 miles)
Inchigaggin Lane/Carrigrohane Road (22.7 miles) & Lucozade Sports (in cups)
Carrigrohane Road, Kingsley Hotel (c. 24 miles)
Mardyke, approach to Mardyke Bridge (c. 25 miles)
Finish Line: Staffed by the River Lee hotel. 500ml bottles of water (kindly sponsored by the River Lee Hotel), organic Fair Trade bananas & Nature Valley cereal bars.

Supporters en route will be handing out jellys and the like. I think someone was handing out orange slices last year. The Lucozade sport is given out in those small white plastic cups - about 150-200mls I reckon. They had sponges soaked with cold water at a lot of the station last year as well.

TheBigGreen wrote: »

My time all depends on the weather!

Me too!!

hot buttered scones

murphm45 wrote: »

I think I need to stop reading this thread - all this talk of hills is really freaking me out ... which is all I need on top of a rubbish set of long runs but my curiosity has been piqued now so I'm going to have to ask. Looking at the Strava profile that was loaded there doesn't seem to be much of a difference (the peaks and troughs looks the same and the relative total increases and decreases, between say 25 and 40k look more or less the same) - don't get me wrong I'd much rather the hills weren't there but I'm at a bit of a loss as to why the new route is so much worse than the old one.

Oh and while I do appreciate the exceptionally detailed route details hot buttered scones posted as I'm not familiar with Cork I keep getting lost in the detail (sorry).

My opinion on the course has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I'm heading towards the taper. Honest!!
But to be serious for a minute - The first 16.5 miles are fine - relatively flat with a small pull out of the tunnel just past the 10k mark, and another up the ramp off the N40 at around 8 miles. From there until 16 or so miles it's either flat or there may be the smallest of drags (but nothing to worry about). Just before mile 11, the route goes off the roads and onto the Mahon Walkway - it's wide enough tarmac surface very popular with runners, cyclists and walkers with great views over the Harbour. It is quite exposed and the wind is invariably blowing against you here, and can be quite strong, so tuck in behind a big lad (as they say!). Just before half way you cross a footbridge to get onto the old railway line - steep but short so don't blow a gasket here! You follow the old railway line back up to Pairc Ui Caoimh and onto the Marina and Centre Park Road. The thing to note about this section is that there is very heavy tree cover - so you'll be sheltered from the sun/wind/rain (or all 3 - it is Cork after all), but your GPS watch might go a bit loopy here so try and keep the effort consistent and don't panic if your starts telling you lies!! Mile 16 is Albert Road - a really changeover point and lots of supporters here. It's quite near the start, so it's a good place for anyone cheering you on to catch sight of you again.
Off onto the South Link then (17th mile) - a big wide dual carriageway, This section is a bit of a drag and ends with a sharp climb up the off ramp at the 17 mile marker to Turners Cross. You run past the Turners Cross stadium and then the road gradually climbs again towards the junction with Tramore Road (big McDonalds on the right). If the prevailing wind is strong you'll have it in your face again for this section. As you turn the corner onto the Tramore Road, just before the 18 mile marker, the road drops off slightly. I found this section tough last year because it was a warm day and it's a bit of a sun trap here. Load of runners running on the wrong side of the road to get some shade, even though it added distance.
This when the changes start to take effect. See this post for more:

the new bits

I recently ran the newer parts twice as part to a long run. It was a warm day, and it was way tougher the 2nd time round on more tired legs.
The main difference with the 2nd new hill (just before the 21 mile marker) is that, compared to the old route, you drop lower before climbing back up to the same point. Parts of the climb are more severe than the old route up the Model Farm Road past the church. With Cork, I think, the difficulty is that the hills appear late in the race making the second half of the course harder than the first half. There's some that will relish this and see it as a challenge. Then there's others (like myself, I suppose) who will see it as lost time because we see it as a slower course than before. Who knows? I may feel differently come Marathon day when I well tapered and rested.

Megager

hot buttered scones wrote: »

murphm45 wrote: »

I think I need to stop reading this thread - all this talk of hills is really freaking me out ... which is all I need on top of a rubbish set of long runs but my curiosity has been piqued now so I'm going to have to ask. Looking at the Strava profile that was loaded there doesn't seem to be much of a difference (the peaks and troughs looks the same and the relative total increases and decreases, between say 25 and 40k look more or less the same) - don't get me wrong I'd much rather the hills weren't there but I'm at a bit of a loss as to why the new route is so much worse than the old one.

Oh and while I do appreciate the exceptionally detailed route details hot buttered scones posted as I'm not familiar with Cork I keep getting lost in the detail (sorry).

My opinion on the course has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I'm heading towards the taper. Honest!!
But to be serious for a minute - The first 16.5 miles are fine - relatively flat with a small pull out of the tunnel just past the 10k mark, and another up the ramp off the N40 at around 8 miles. From there until 16 or so miles it's either flat or there may be the smallest of drags (but nothing to worry about). Just before mile 11, the route goes off the roads and onto the Mahon Walkway - it's wide enough tarmac surface very popular with runners, cyclists and walkers with great views over the Harbour. It is quite exposed and the wind is invariably blowing against you here, and can be quite strong, so tuck in behind a big lad (as they say!). Just before half way you cross a footbridge to get onto the old railway line - steep but short so don't blow a gasket here! You follow the old railway line back up to Pairc Ui Caoimh and onto the Marina and Centre Park Road. The thing to note about this section is that there is very heavy tree cover - so you'll be sheltered from the sun/wind/rain (or all 3 - it is Cork after all), but your GPS watch might go a bit loopy here so try and keep the effort consistent and don't panic if your starts telling you lies!! Mile 16 is Albert Road - a really changeover point and lots of supporters here. It's quite near the start, so it's a good place for anyone cheering you on to catch sight of you again.
Off onto the South Link then (17th mile) - a big wide dual carriageway, This section is a bit of a drag and ends with a sharp climb up the off ramp at the 17 mile marker to Turners Cross. You run past the Turners Cross stadium and then the road gradually climbs again towards the junction with Tramore Road (big McDonalds on the right). If the prevailing wind is strong you'll have it in your face again for this section. As you turn the corner onto the Tramore Road, just before the 18 mile marker, the road drops off slightly. I found this section tough last year because it was a warm day and it's a bit of a sun trap here. Load of runners running on the wrong side of the road to get some shade, even though it added distance.
This when the changes start to take effect. See this post for more:

the new bits

I recently ran the newer parts twice as part to a long run. It was a warm day, and it was way tougher the 2nd time round on more tired legs.
The main difference with the 2nd new hill (just before the 21 mile marker) is that, compared to the old route, you drop lower before climbing back up to the same point. Parts of the climb are more severe than the old route up the Model Farm Road past the church. With Cork, I think, the difficulty is that the hills appear late in the race making the second half of the course harder than the first half. There's some that will relish this and see it as a challenge. Then there's others (like myself, I suppose) who will see it as lost time because we see it as a slower course than before. Who knows? I may feel differently come Marathon day when I well tapered and rested.

Absolutely super synopsis. I'm going to read this post a few times before the day. I have to say that climb has been on my mind a lot since you posted it. I think the key is to keep plenty in reserve for the second half of the race. Hopefully I'll pace it right. Ive climbed the hill of howth on my last 3 long runs so hopefully there will be enough muscle memory (ie pain) to trick the body in race day.