The 'I just ran 5km, is anything (eek!) possible now?' log

Lisbon race report
21.1km, duration 2:58:39, avg pace: 8:16min/km

Not a great day for me as you will probably have gathered looking at the above

Pre race
I slept well at the hotel, close to the start/finish line. i had packed my instant porridge to have for breakfast, however there was no kettle in the room and only a nespresso machine with machine espessro size cups. So it was off to the supermarket last night to find something i'd be able to stomach for breakfast. The mantra 'nothing new on race day' already out the window. I settled on weetabix with peanut butter on top - i'd sometimes hace a rice cake with peanut butter before a run so figured this would be a safe combination and a lot more filling than rice cakes. I had the alarm set for 6.30 which was crazy early given the race didn't start until 10.30 and the buses were leaving from directly opposite the hotel, but i didn't want to stress and wanted plenty of time for breakfast to settle as well. As it was i woke not long after 6 and enjoyed my breakfast - the combination being surprisingly good. Showered and tried to do some dynamic stretches / movements to limber up. Normally i'd foam roll as well before a long run but that wasn't possible today. I headed downstairs just after 8.30 and out into what was already warm weather. The race was starting on the Vasco da Gama bridge which meant we were all bused to the start. The queues were long for the buses but moving surprising quickly and i was in a bus (and managed to bag a seat!) for what was about a 25min bus ride to the start. The vasco da gama bridge is one long bridge and it had some spectacular views back over lisbon. When we were dropped off, it was about another 20min slow walk up to where the starting area was. Both the half and a 10k(i think, it could have been shorter) fun run were starting on the bridge, with the fun run starting beind the half. The effectively sorted us so the two two groups weren't mixed which was good. I'd say i was in place by 10am with nothing to do but wait and no idea how far forward or back i was.

The race
The race started on time and we started moving forward. I can't have been too far back as it only took about a minute or so to cross the start line. As we were running in the bridge and had one whole side it, there was plenty of space to run and i didn't have to weave at all. However i noticed from the start that my hip was hurting with each step i took. I tried telling myself that yes it was hurting, i knew it was most likely going to hurt and to keep going. I was also doing the same with the sun, telling myself i knew it was going to be warm/hot. The first km soon enough came up at 6:30min/km on my watch, strava says 6:19. I'm not sure what has caused the difference there as i hit start on my polar going over the start line.
2nd km brings a downhill and i really notice it in my hip now, a shapr pain every time my foot lands on the ground. We're still making our way off the bridge so i try to tell myself it will lessen when we get to flatter ground. Km 2 in 6:18 which was a tad fast, but given the downhill ok. Km 3, more of the same, 6:19. At around the start of km 4 is the first band, appropriatley playing 'highway to hell' as i run past. The first water stop was around here as well and i grabbed a water, had a few little sips and then poured the rest over me. Already there was very shade on the course. Km 4 done in 6:46, a little slower than i would have liked, but avg pace was ok. Km 5 done in 6:23 and other than the hip pain which hadn't really gotten any better on the flat and the heat i was feeling ok and my breathing seemed under control. Km 6 passed in 6:33, km 7 in 6:45. Some point around here was the fire briadge with their hise which was very much appreciated . I also took more water, sipped in it and then poured it over myself again.

Km 8 to 10 i really started to struggle, 7:01, 6:53, 7:08. My hip was really hurting and there was absolutely no shade. I told myself to make it to 10km which i did in around 1:05ish time i think. I then told myself to keep going until the turn around point, thinking it had to be just up ahead. However i couldn't keep going and had to stop to walk. I tried twice in the next 3km to get going but wasn't able to do more than a couple of hundred metres. After what seemed to be the longest 3km ever ( 9:58, 10:06, 10:32) i finally reached the turn around point.

I managed to get some sort of shuffle going here for the next 2.5kms (8:08, 8:15, 9:23) but my right hip decided it wanted to be part of the party as well so with bith hios now hurting each time i put my feet on the ground i was back walking. The one good thing here was that some clouds had appeared that offered brief respite from the sun. I tried twice again between kms 16 & 20 to get running but it just wasn't going to happen - (10:52, 10:12, 10:55, 11:23). Finally the final km and a bit had finally arrived and i was determined to run them, managing to do 7:51 and crossing the line in just under 3hrs.

A mini magumn ice-cream was waiting for me which was a nice touch, along with my medal and another goody bag which contained a bottle of water, two small cartons of milk (one plain, one chocolate and some halls throat lozenges i felt tears welling up, which was a bit stupid but managed to hold them back.

The course
Other than the start on the bridge which is very nice, the course is not in any way scenic. A lot of it runs alongside shipping docks/ train docks (and thats describing it as nicely as i can) and as it is essentially an out and back course this is what you see (and smell) most of the time. Other than a few inclines over bridges it is a very flat course. I counted only 4 bands, one of which we went past twice so that was dissapointing. The marathon joins the course at the 13km mark so there is plenty of people around. The marathon starts in Cascais, a beach town and runs along the coast into Lisbon. I heard one person say it was a nice course, although from what i saw of it on my two day trips to Cascais you're not exactly running directly alongside the beach. The full marathon starts at 8am and the half at 10.30. In September lisbon still averages 6 days over 30 - today i saw the temp at 24 at one point and thats the coolest it has been all week. Even next week is back up to mid/high 20s. Given the temperature (although maybe i'm just a wimp) and the lack of scenery on the half marathon course i'm surprised this race is as big as it is. There were people from all over the world doing it. Overall though, while i've enjoyed my sun holiday and exploring Lisbon & surrounds i wouldn't recommend the half to anyone.

What's next?
An appt with a physio! Can anyone recommend someone in Clare/limerick? The plan is to concentrate on my 5/10k times for the next while to get these under 30/60min respectively. I've signed up for the 10k mini marathon in limerick at the end of Oct and the 10k gingerbread run in Nov but at the moment i'll just wait and see how things go.

Physio update #2

Back to the Physio tonight. My hip is still hurting while climbing stairs or inclines / hills, otherwise I'd say it's pretty much back to what had become its normal achy self while walking and doing other everyday things. However that still means no running. Physio tonight did some shockwave therapy and more dry needling, which thankfully wasn't as painful as last week and I was able to walk out of the physio pretty normally at the end of the session Next week hopefully I'll be able to start some exercises for rehab.

Bit of a mixed bag to report. Woke up at stupid o'clock fri morning and realised that my hip didn't hurt stretching or rolling over in bed anymore so took that as a good sign. Several hours later when it was actually time to be awake and out of bed, my hip no longer hurt going up and down the stairs so I was really happy about that and looking forward to todays run.

I took my gear with me so I could go after work without the hassle of having Cooper with me. Headed off full of hope and the first km was pain free Not a niggle, nothing. However after that first km the pain was back Not as bad as Lisbon, but I'd say it got to probably 60 - 70% and did seem to get worse as I progressed. As a result I only did just under 3km. It's now sore again walking around. So not sure where that leaves me, but I need to update my physio on Monday anyway so I guess I'll know more after then. In the mean time I need to continue with my exercises and stretches.