nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Child Item

Race report thread

Woddle

Just wondering if this might be a runner. There are still a few who don't have logs but might want to share their race experience, so why not do it here and even if you have a log sometimes it might get missed so just copy and paste. I know Daithi ran yesterday and elliwallach. Just an idea.

Find more posts tagged with

Quick Links

Comments

TheRoadRunner

RunForestRun wrote: »

The early miles slipped by fairly nicely - too nicely probably. Mile 1 and 2 were at 6.28 and 6.32 on the Garmin but I was just on the shoulder of TheRoadRunner (sub 3 pacer) so wasn't too bothered.

Crap. I had issues pacing early on. I was doing manual lapping at each mile and had 6.51 for first mile and 7.18 for second! Mile markers were way off. Should have went with autolap on the garmin, after 10 miles I wasn't too worried about mile splits as I didn't trust them. I'm just hoping we didn't feck anybodies race up. Having said that I thought we were a minute ahead of schedule at half way but tds timing has us close to bang on at 1.29.30ish

Woddle

Going to stick this in here aswell

tunguska wrote: »

Sorry for the hijack but I've no log to post in so just gonna slap it in here.......

Think Im still in shock over what happened yesterday. I trained like a beast for this marathon, some of the things that I put myself through I dunno, I questioned my own sanity on more than one occasion. My body took a battering but it was a calculated battering because as the months went by I found myself getting stronger and stronger. Confidence was sky high, I knew I could nail a good one. However 10 days before the marathon, in what was to be the last session of significance on the program I was following(daniels)I strained my right calf muscle. Nothing major but enough to concern me. Got it treated and didnt run for 5 days, felt it get better so I was back in the game, albeit a bit concerned about whether or not senor calf would hold up.

Anyway enough waffling, its all about the racing. Lined up alongside heffsarmy and off we went. Crusing along at a very very conmfortable pace. After the torture I'd put myself through in training this felt like jogging. Went through 5 miles in 30mins dead so all was going great. The calf was behaving itself and I was starting to think that this was gonna be a great day. But as we headed out of the park through teh chapleizod gate my hamstring gave me a jolt. I thought nothing of it, **** like that always happens to me in races or training. But the hammer started to tighten as time went by. Went through 10 miles in 59xx so all still fine. Felt great, was straining at the lead to let it rip, but I held back and bided my time like I said I would. Pain in the hammer didnt get any worse so I thought I'd gotten away with it, so now I could forget about it and concentrate on racing. We made the turn onto the crumlin road which is a tough drag, but I felt fine. Heff was alongside me still and seemed to be crusing too. We were churning out a nice clip on this stretch, passing a fair few runners as we went along. We were catching those that had set off too fast at the begining and all was looking good. But then as we came down the hill towards the turn left that led up towards superquinn(halfway)the hammer gave out on me. Literally I went from running at 5:50 pace to hobbling in a matter of yards. I couldnt believe it, no way could this happen. So I ignored it as best as I could hoping it would just go away and tried to continue on. I got to the halfway mark and I corssed it in 78 mins but I had to pull off the road as my hammer was gone completely. Vinney muulvey, fair play to him, came running over to me and tried to help me out. I got tried to get going again but I made it to the walkinstown roudabout and that was it, hammer was screaming at me and I couldnt run, had to step off the road again but this time I knew it was game over. My mate was there at the roundabout so he helped me to his car and gave me a lift home. I went back in to town to collect my gear and arrived just in time to see the sub 3 hour lads come through. It was hilarious. I've never been on the other side of a marathon, watching form the sidelines so it was an experience. There were guys coming in and they'd literally stop dead with 250m to go!! I couldnt beleive it, how could that happen???? One guy stopped and everybody shouted at him, there was a dude with a bullhorn and everything trying to get him going again. And he did get going again, which was greeted with a massive roar from the crowd. It was inspirational stuff.......but then he collapsed in a heap after shuffling about 10meters. Cue stunned silence from crowd.
Saw the roadrunner come through with a big ass sub 3:00 baloon stuck to his hand. He seemed to be pretty much on his own but then a few lads who looked in an absolute jock came trailing in his wake. Great stuff.

Like I said Im still in shock about the injury. Stuff like that happens to other people. I never thought I would have to pull out of a marathon. Its my worst nightmare come true. Which I suppose is a good thing, I mean if you experience your worst fear then theres nothing to be afraid of. Anyway I went to the physio and the official diagnosis is a grade II semitendonosis strain. He reckons I'll be back running in 2-3weeks, which isnt bad at all. But its not the physical scars Im worried about..........I'll go again next year, and I'll keep going until I get what I want from that marathon, no two ways about it. But its a bitter pill to swallow, I put my heart and soul into trainning for that race and to have something as random as my hammer go is just cruel. But I suppose thats life, it can be cruel and random and all you can do is pick yourself up and go again.

I have to say a few words about the guy I trained with, Phil kilgannon. I'll try not get overly sentimental, but Phil is probably the most decent, most honest and honourable bloke I've ever had the privilage of knowing. Men like him are very few and far between. I can honestly say that if I ever had to go into battle he would be the guy I'd want at my side. It was an honour. Cheers dude.

ThePiedPiper

Background and buildup:
I came into the summer race series off the back of a 2.58 Spring marathon and had a very good season in terms of the shorter distance races. All of my results from 5 miles to half marathon pointed towards a 2.55 marathon so this was the goal. Some of my early long runs were quite poor but by the end of September, I was doing exactly what I would have wanted on the long runs and feeling great.

Race day:
Like everybody else, I was worried about the prospect of a windy day in Dublin. I knew that if I played it safe and stuck with the sub 3 pacers, I could run 2.58 or 2.59. By the time I arrived at the start line, it was hot and humid, more tough conditions. But I decided to take a risk and go for the 2.55.

The early miles slipped by fairly nicely - too nicely probably. Mile 1 and 2 were at 6.28 and 6.32 on the Garmin but I was just on the shoulder of TheRoadRunner (sub 3 pacer) so wasn't too bothered. In the Phoenix Park, I was stunned to see people already stopping to stretch, slowing down, talking about stitches. I was feeling ok, but was aware that it was hot. Then it started getting windy too. I got chatting to a guy who was also targeting 2.55 so we decided to stick together for a while.

After crossing the Liffey, the pace which had seemed easy now was an effort. I was losing pace on the hills and the wind was into my face. I was still knocking out 6.37-6.41 miles but starting to feel it. After Crumlin, the pace dropped to 6.50, mile 16 in 7.01 was a kick in the teeth. I managed to pick it up slightly to 6.50s for 17 and 18 but then the sub 3 pack passed me. Clonskeagh and Robuck killed me, mile 21 in 8.03.

I tried to pick it up again with 22 in 7.20 but at this stage, I couldn't see the sub 3 group and I was knackered. People were dropping like flies. In 12 marathons, I've never seen so many people stopped, slowed down, walking, getting medical attention. I was noticing loads of people who'd been ahead of me and in and around my pace earlier on. I was just jogging it in at this stage, enjoying the atmosphere. At 25.5 miles, my companion from earlier on was slowed to a standstill practically. We got going again together and crossed the line in 3.07. Loads of text messages informed me that we were shown on the TV for about 20 seconds coming in. My 2 year old was thrilled to see me after my wife refusing to put Peppa Pig on. She informs me she's doing it next year when she's bigger!!

Post marathon thoughts
I know that my tactics were risky given the conditions. But I was happy to take the gamble. Yes, a 2.58 or 2.59 would have been nicer but I would probably be sitting here kicking myself for not going for the 2.55 when that's what I feel I'm capable of right now. Looking at myself finishing on RTE, I don't think I've ever looked happier and more comfortable finishing any marathon. I've no regrets whatsoever.

In the past, I used to get completely distraught if I missed a time target. Now, I'm happy that I've ran PBs at every distance from 4 miles to marathon in a calender year. I've gone from running because I love marathons to running marathons because I love running.

Mr Slow

Donadea 10k Race Report
I picked up Ray and Chinguetti this morning and off we went down to Donadea. Once we left the motorway we were guided in with luminous signs the whole way to the clubhouse. Registration was done in a matter of seconds and we had plenty of time to peruse all the goodies supplied in the race bags. I was given a sub 40 wrist band in error much to the amusement of Spaghetti

,(next year I'll be making use of it)

Race Start: I positioned 3 rows back from the front right behind the sub 40 pen and as I was going for sub 42 figured I'd have a clean getaway, wrong

. I had a bit of weaving to do and had to b1tch at some giant idiot who nearly took the head off of me by waving with both arms across my face to his supporters, I knew I was going too fast at 6:30 here but figured I'd pull it back in the next mile. I then passed the middleaged woman without a bra (seriously

) bopping along like she was out for a stroll.

Miles 0 - 2: I was finding it tough to get into my stride and my breathing was quite heavy, I had to banish negativity here as the devil on my shoulder was telling me how hard this was and it's not even a goal race, just take your foot off the gas and enjoy it but I resisted and dug in.
Splits: 6:30 and 6:48

Miles 3 - 4: Really struggling now heading towards the half way point, wishing it was all over and not caring about the guy who just passed me (I caught him later

) I suddenly lifted myself out of self pity city and pushed hard, I had a target....there was a guy ahead of me from Raheny Shamrocks that I was neck and neck with in a 5k earlier in the year, he wasn't beating me today. I started picking people off one at a time, I didn't feel like I was going any faster but I was pushing harder.
Splits: 6:51 and 6:48

Miles 5 - 6.2: I was in the horrors now but passed my target at 4.5 miles, I used a trick I read somewhere, (When you get to the top of a hill, no matter how bad you feel just keep pushing because most people are so relieved to get there they take a brief moment at the top to recover, if you pass someone at this point and give it that extra push it's mentally crippling for the victim) this gave me more confidence and allowed me to push harder even though the pace wasn't increasing but people were coming back to me and I was on target. The last mile was me pleading with the Gods for an end to this nightmare and telling myself how much I hated running at that pace, I snapped out of it quickly when one of my victims came back to haunt me and his heavy breathing spurred me on to push over the line at 6 min pace.
Splits: 6:54 and 6:54

All told 41:44 and a new pb by almost 2 mins on Dunshaughlin, placing 44th out of 800+

Summary: A fast but challenging course, great organisation by Donadea AC with a fantastic spread and goodie bag - I will be back next year without a doubt.

pgibbo

So there I was reading "Becoming an Ironman" back in January - I'll return it when you call CW. Orla arrives in to the room and says why don't you do an Ironman this year. I think she's taking the pi$$ as she has always said she'd go nuts if I decided to do one. And with her being nearly 4 months pregnant I definitely thought she was winding me up. Turns out she wasn't. All the IM's are sold out. A mail to tunney the next day to ask his advice on a race. Frankfurt was due to re-open and IMUK was still open as was Nice. All 3 were too close to the due date. Challenge Barcelona it was. :cool:

The journey was always going to be a cautious one as I was coming in to this from a very low base (4k swim, 50km bike and 25km run per week) the previous year. It was acase of making the most of the time available and trying to stay injury free. I had lofty ideas about times for the race but the reality of a newborn, etc soon makes you realise that you're kididng yourself. After some advice from fellow boardsies it was decided that you only do your first IM once and that I should enjoy the experience and see if going long was something that I liked.

So thanks to everyone on here for the advice and support - be it emails or PMs. A huge thanks to tunney for all his help and advice. The guy is a fountain of knowledge. And most importantly, thanks to Orla for all her support and patience over the last 8 months. So here's my report. It's a bit long so apologies in advance.

Wednesday was a bit nuts at work but I managed to get away at 1:00. Got my swim done and then headed to the LBS to collect my bike. Thankfully the LBS had offered me a hard case bike box and also to show me to box the bike. Happy days. After loading the bike in the car I had a few quick bits to get and then home to finish packing. All a bit manic but sure that's me all over.

Sean had offered to collect me at 6am on Thursday morning and drive me to Knock. A good nights sleep and before I knew it we were in Knock. Checked in and had some eggs and beans before boarding. Had a freaker when I saw the box at the bottom of all the luggage and was glad I had a hard case box. I slept for most of the flight which was great.
Bags and box all came through fine and it wasn't long until I was bombing along the Spanish motorway towards Calella. Found the hotel pretty easily and got checked in. I decided to head down to the expo area and get my bags and race number. All went smoothly and there was a nice atmosphere around the place. A short stroll around Calella to find my bearings and chose a spot to eat. Picked a nice Italian spot and had some melon with cured ham followed by a tasty pizza. Back to the hotel to put the bike together, have a quick roll and I was in bed by 10:30.

I woke around 8 on Friday morning and filled a water bottle and headed for a swim. As I was changing I noticed the 3 people beside that had finished their swim were Irish. Got chatting to them and turns out it was Joyce Wolfe with Joe and Aoife Lynch. Joyce and Joe were racing but Aoife wasn't. Joyce's husband was coming over the next day. Said goodbye and good luck to them and hit the water. There was a large swell but the water was lovely. Crystal clear and very warm. A very enjoyable swim and I felt good. Back for some porridge and eggs with rye toast. After that I hit the supermarket, had a small snack before a bike and run. The gears on the bike were acting up and it was quite frustrating. Why did I not take some time to learn more about maintaining my bike? Something that needs to be put right! A stretch and shower after the session before heading for a tasty Spanish omelet and potato bravas. Back to the hotel for a siesta and a power nap before hitting the web to try and fix my gears. Finally figured it out and took the bike for a short spin. Gears were A1 again. Out for dinner which was a chicken salad starter and a nice steak with more salad. Back to the hotel for a roll and in bed by 10:30 again.

Saturday started with a bike & run off the bike. Some breakfast, a final once over of the bike and off to the race briefing. First time having a race briefing in a cinema but at least it was seated and comfortable rather than standing for 30 minutes. As it happened, I was sitting beside Joe Lynch from Pulse TC. Got chatting after and wound up hooking up with him, Aoife, Joyce and Mike for lunch and dinner. Felt green and hairy but who cares as I was sick of dining solo. Lunch was Spanish omelet and some salad. Back to the hotel to relax for a while and then check my bike and bags in. A few minor heart attacks packing bags but a few deep breaths kept me calm. I was half way back to the hotel after checking in my bike and bags when I couldn't recall what I did with my helmet. Better safe than sorry so back to the bags to ensure it was in the bike bag. Shock horror, it was. Headed back to the apartment for some rest. Tried to nap but alas I couldn't sleep. Stayed off the feet and met the gang for dinner. A lovely dinner with great company. Home before 9, a quick roll and I was in bed by 9:30. I finally fell asleep at 10:30. A quick look on boards and spotted the well wishes. That gave me a nice lift. :cool:

The days in the lead up to the race went pretty much as planned. I didn't change my eating habits or routine and did a few short sharp training sessions. I was feeling pretty calm overall and looking forward to the race. I got the odd chill and tummy flutter but in general I was calm and looking forward to "going long".

I had a decent nights sleep and only woke twice for a minute or so each time. Up at 5:45 and prepared breakfast - porridge, 2 boiled eggs and some rye bread toast. Did some mobility work before putting on my sun cream and heading to check my bike. Surprisingly enough I was very calm and enjoyed the walk to the start area. I put the water and Garmin on my bike and made sure the tyre pressure was fine. A trip to the portaloo and then in to the bag tent. One final check of my bike and run bags before putting on my wetsuit. I sat in the tent sipping water until 8:25 and then I headed out to see the PRO race start. It would have been nice to have had more water to sip but the 750ml bottle was gone when I left the tent. Must bring more water next time. In for quick dip before heading to the starting pin. Next thing I knew I was popping a gel at 8:40 and entering the starting pin. Orla and the crew weren't in site which was probably a good thing as it kept me focused at the job at hand.

So from 8:45 to 8:50 I was lined up a few rows back from the water. Music blaring and me smiling like a Cheshire cat. Off goes the hooter and I strolled in to the water.

Swim 1:14
All very civilized. It's a long day ahead so I guess people weren't as eager as in shorter distance races. It was a little physical but nothing major. I settled in to a nice easy pattern and swam around a few people that were slower than me. I didn't think there would be many of them but shock horror there was. I decided to swim bilaterally as this is the only way I have of knowing I'm swimming easy. When I can't breath bilaterally it means I'm working and I didn't want that. The plan was to swim easy and enjoy it. Right from the off I felt very comfortable. I struggled to find and stay on feet. Any time I tried to I found it too slow and swam around them. The one time I found a good set of feet they took me off course. So after that I decided to swim solo. I did go off course a couple of times but not a huge amount. The swim course is a 200m straight out to a buoy before turning right for 1450. After that I was turning right for 100m, back 1750m and one final turn for the shore and a 300m swim home. So in my head it was a swim to the first buoy to get going and settle in to a rhythm. After the turn I was swimming an Olympic distance course before doing 4 lengths of the pool. After that I was swimming a HIM distance and winding down for the last 300m. That's how I broke it down and it worked for me. I was passing a lot of people on the swim to the first buoy. By the turn I was feeling really relaxed and confident. I focused on trying to keep the elbows high on the pull and breathing every 3 stroke. Anything else would have confused my little brain. There was people around me up until around 1200m. I had given up on finding feet at that stage and did my own thing. It was around this time that I got a very pleasant surprise and a real lift. I passed someone from the wave that went off 5 minutes ahead of me. Now that was a real lift for me and my confidence really grew. Just before the turn at around the 1500m mark I noticed someone from the wave after me was swimming by me. This happened a few times and each time it did I jumped on their feet for as long as possible without increasing my work rate. The longest it lasted was a minute but it still helped. Not sure if it did in reality but it did in my head and that's all that mattered. By the time we rounded the buoys for the swim back up (the HIM swim) my neck was very sore. The wetsuit had dug in and was cutting the sh1t out of it. I just blocked it out and got on with it. Soon after this I had a bigger problem. How do you pi$$ and swim at the same time? Figured it out but it was damn strange. This happened once more too before the turn for home. As I swam along the HIM section as I called it I passed a lot more people from earlier waves. I also noticed that although guys had caught me from the wave after me, they weren't pulling away when they did. This really helped the head too. Any time I felt a little fatigue kicking in or form going I just concentrated on breathing and arm pull and before I knew it I was fine again. I got held up a few times by swimming in to a group that was 4 or 5 wide and couldn't muscle my way through so I went around them. I remember thinking today is going to be a good day as I swam up along that 1750m stretch. The hardest parts of the swim were trying to pi$$, ignoring my neck pain and running up the very soft sand after the swim.

T1
As I walked up through the soft sand I suddenly heard the frantic screams from Orla, my mother and my sister. Irish flags and hats going 90. Now that was a great lift. I had a sense that I had a good swim when I left the water as I passed a lot of people on the course. I was pleasantly surprised to see around a 1:16 or so swim time from quick math's when I saw my watch in T1. That really made me smile. In to the tent and found my bags easily. Grabbed my bike bag and then off with the wetsuit. Pulled on my socks and then my cycling jersey that was fully loaded with tools and nutrition. On with my helmet and sunglasses. As I threw my wetsuit in to the bag I had a brain wave. Grab your Garmin Paul from your run bag in case the 500 fails on the bike and you need a HR backup. Quickly did this and then grabbed my shoes and ran to the bike. Turned on the Garmin, put on my shoes and out the gap. As I mounted I heard a come on Wicklow shout and twigged I had a Wicklow AR top on.

Thumbs up to the guy and off I went.

Bike 6:15
HR wouldn't work or cadence. SH1T. Don't panic. Get over the first 3km of speed bumps, etc and worry about it then. The HR started working quite quickly once there were no other athletes around me and the "multiple HR detected" message disappeared. Another roar from the 3 women as I headed towards the first roundabout and then it was time to focus. My HR was quite high initially so I relaxed and took on some water. I was passed by what felt like a shed load of people on that first 10km. I just let them go and focused on taking on water and letting my HR settle. I got the 500 to rescan for the cadence kit and all was right in the world again. A lot of people classify this as a flat and fast course. While it is flat I felt that the drags and climbs in the first 15km or so were tough enough when trying to control my HR. Once past that section it was pretty flat and easy to settle in to a nice rhythm.

Nutrition went to plan and I felt it worked really well. I didn't miss any of the planned eats and apart from a few big burps felt good. I took on 1 or sometimes 2 water bottles at the aid stations and I pi$$ed at least 5 times on the bike.

The first lap felt good and my HR settled once I passed the initial drags, etc. One mistake I made on the flat section was thinking I was on the big ring when I wasn't. This cost me a bit as my pace went up as soon as I realised and my HR stayed in low easy. That also reminded me to keep my concentration though so it was probably a good thing too. At the end of the first lap I felt really good. I was a bit concerned by how high my HR went on the climbs and drags on the 15k back to the turnaround but I just kept dropping the gears and spinning up the hills as best I could whilst staying in the easy zone.

As I started the 2nd lap I noticed the wind had picked up and there was a tough headwind on the outward leg. Them's the breaks I guess so I just got on with it and dropped to the small chain ring and let my HR dictate the pace. I was getting frustrated a little by people passing me but soon put it to one side and raced my own race. I did notice later in this lap that I started to catch and pass people. One thing that I found hard was pacing the overtake as people often reacted and didn't like being passed. This sometimes meant free wheeling and dropping back and them finally realising they should let me go when I came along side next time. Once I reached the turnaround I figured there would be a good tailwind. I wasn't wrong. I decided to be cautious and the HR was mainly below easy on this section. I was still feeling good and enjoying the day. When I got to the roundabout in Calella to start the last lap all the crew had arrived and I got a huge roar. The 7 of them went nuts and I gave them all the thumbs up and a big smile. Still feeling good but I was worried about the headwind. By the end of the second lap I was starting to feel some discomfort and my balls were quite sore. The odd stretch helped but I blanked it out as best I could. I did have one reason for concern on the way back on the second lap. I noticed that if I took a deep breath my chest felt strange and my breath got caught and I found it hard to breath. This happened a few times but only if I took a deep breath. Not sure what it was but it was a little worrying.

It felt like the wind had picked up even more on the last lap. I got a bit mad that there was no water at the aid station but managed with what I had on the bike. Sure it's only 20km head and then a tail wind. Sure that's only 2 sprint distances Paul - no bother. Keep calm and focus on the HR. That's what I did. I struggled to stay on the bars on this lap and felt I was up off them a lot. Not sure why exactly as I felt comfortable when I was down on them. Can't put my finger on it exactly but I kept popping up. Maybe I was drinking more but don't rightly know. When I hit the turnaround I knew things would be fine and I enjoyed the push home and passed quite a few people.

I don't think I felt bad at any stage, a little frustrated or anxious at times but I remained positive and thought of all the advice I had received and stuck with it.

The last 3km through the town was great as there was loads of support. The previous 30km or so was a bit of an anti-climax as all the supporters had left and gone to the run course. The magnificent 7 were on the 3km run in and gave me another huge shout. All the speed bumps, etc were a bit of a pain but I was soon at the dismount line.

On the bike I had a gel every 20 minutes except at hours 1, 3 and 5. The gels on 3:20, 4:20, 5:20 and 5:40 were guarana gels. A total of 15 gels and 3 bars on the bike. I went through around 2 bottles per hour of water on the bike also.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/119120291

T2
Off the bike and stop the watch. 6:15, not bad at all and the legs felt great. They felt better than getting off the bike in Galway. I instantly noticed the heat though. Man it was damn hot. Racked my bike and took the Garmin off and ran to the tent. Grabbed my run bag and took off my helmet, shoes, socks and cycling jersey. A volunteer asked if I wanted some suncream so I said yes as I put my socks on. When she put it on my neck I nearly jumped out of my skin. The pain from where the wetsuit had cut me was unreal. I then noticed my heel was a little black so I put on a compeed to be safe. On with my socks, runners and hat and I was out the gap. I walked initially to let the Garmin pick up a signal. I popped an IsoGel as I walked waiting for the Garmin to kick in and started running once it did.

Run 3:53
I felt really good initially and settled in to around a 7:30 pace. As I ran the first 1km or so from transition I noticed a lot of people walking. Down the underpass and up the far side. There were the magnificent 7 roaring their heads off. A smile and a thumbs up to them and I was on my merry way to the first aid station. I decided once I got off the bike that I'd be walking every aid station. As I ran along those first couple of km I felt good but noticed my HR was very high and my throat very dry. My legs felt good though. Given the smile and enjoy it approach I decided to dial back and run off feel and HR rather than pace. I was passing lots of people that were struggling badly. I took on some water and popped one of my 3 IsoGels at the first aid station. Given how thirsty I felt I walked longer than 30 seconds to get as much water as I could in to me. This would be the case over the course of the run. Before I knew it I was back at the underpass and getting greeted by the 7. Still feeling good as I headed to the finish area.

The second lap started well but I thought my left hamstring was going to pop as I ran up the underpass. I then decided that I'd be walking up the 2 hills on the course from then on. I could see the look of horror on Orla's face as she saw me walking up the hill. That eased a bit as I started running again at the top of the hill and she ran with me for a 100m or so to see how I was. Told her I was fine apart from heavy quads and not to worry. I was still feeling good but the walks were taking longer now at each aid station. I tried some coke on this lap but it had no magic effect like people say so I stuck to the water and gels or banana after that. I was soon back at the underpass again and getting more encouragement. I had to stop running as I went down the underpass as my quads started to pop. No more walking uphill or downhill for me. Back up through the finish area and the athmosphere gave me a great lift. My quads were very tired at this stage and I was really feeling it.

Off out on to lap 3. No sign of Orla with the others when I walked down and up the underpass. I started to run/shuffle at the top of the hill and got lots of encouragement including a VAMOS, VAMOS from my smart ass brother.

I asked him how Spurs got on and smiled when he told me they won. Off around the corner and O was waiting for me. How are you she ask? Quads are in bits said I as I started to walk. Keep running she says so I oblige and take a couple of jelly babies off her. Off I go and reason that I only have to run to the bridge before I can walk again. Pace is falling off badly at this stage but I make it to the bridge and walk up and down it. Short run to the aid station for some food, water and a walk. When I start going again after the aid station I decide I'm going to walk once between aid stations on this lap. Small targets and before I know it I'm 5/8's of the way around the run. Next target is the walk before the next aid station, then the aid station and a walk at the bridge before one last walk at the underpass and then I'll be 3/4's of the way there. Another chill and a realization that I'm going to finish this thing smiling as I go through the finish area for the second last time. Next time I'll get to turn left and go down the finishing straight. :cool:

As I start the final lap I get mad with myself and realise I need to run the last lap sub 50 to ensure a sub 4 marathon. HTFU Paul and get going. Time to go to my happy place and dig in. I pick up the pace and am feeling the hurt straight away but I reason it's only a 10km run - how bad? As I reach the underpass this time Orla is waiting halfway down the hill and walks and talks with me. I ask her how Finn is and how she is? The little man is fine back home. She asks how I am. I tell her to go to the finish area with the gang. I'll be there in under 50 minutes no matter what. Huge roars from the 7 and off I go. I keep an eye on my pace and ensure it doesn't go near 8 minute miles. I averaged around 7:51 to the first aid station. OK, now lets get to the turnaround point. 2.5km Paul, let's do it. It's tough going and I'm blowing hard but focusing on form and my happy place. As I hit the aid station at the turnaround I take on some water and a gel and get back running. Keep the pace sub 8. Just over 5km to go. An easy lunchtime jog over to the racecourse and back. No problem Paul. You can make it. I'm passing lots of people but struggling to see the pace as it’s dark out at the turnaround area. I just focus on my happy place and push on as best I can. I'm happy to see 7:5x on the watch for pace when I hit the streetlights. I check the time and I'm on track for sub 4. It's a far cry from my 3:15 target but I don't care. I know now I'm nearly home and I'm finishing feeling strong and smiling. I decide not to stop at the last aid station. I reckon I'll walk the bridge and pop my last IsoGel before hammering home. Oops I have to walk the underpass. Straight in to a run again and I'm hitting sub 7 min minute mile pace. Feeling great. Endorphins going 90. All the training, all the times I held abck in races over the season was more than worth it. I was flying and loving it. As I rounded the corner to hit the red carpet Orla, Laura and Caroline were there and they handed me an Irish flag. I threw it over my shoulder and pegged it around the finish area. The announcer spotted the flag and started shouting go Ireland. The grandstand was electric. I passed 4 or 5 people and finally got to turn left. Under the inflatable bridge and down the finishing straight. Arms overhead with the Irish flag and feeling like I could walk on water. What a buzz. I had done it. A look at the clock and I knew I was around 11:35 or so. Happy days. :cool: Anyone would think I had won the race.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/119123587

Got my photo taken holding the flag overhead and then Orla and the gang came around the corner. Me smiling like a good thing and feeling on top of the world. A few photos taken and then I get my t-shirt and head to the finishers area. I arrange to meet the gang at the bike area. I can't stomach any food or fluid. Have a quick chat with a few Irish and decide I want to see my family so I slip off and get my bags and bike.
Alan and I headed back to the hotel soon after and the others got the train to Barcelona. Alan and I take the bike apart and box it. I have a shower and pack, check out of the hotel and we head for Barcelona. A drive through on the way there and before long we're at the hotel in Barcleona. The gang are wiped so we just have a chat and some munchies. I get 3 hours sleep and before long I'm in Barcelona airport having pastries and a burger for breakfast.

I'm very happy with how the race went. I was delighted with my swim. I still find it hard to believe I swam 2.4 miles. I was probably too conservative on the bike but when it's your first outing it's better to be safe than sorry. I had planned on running faster, but in those conditions I reckon I would have died a death on lap 2 if I kept going at 7:30 pace. I was happy to have the sense to listen to my body and adapt on the go. I'd highly recommend the event and I'd definitely do it again. Yes, I will go long again and no matter what happens, I'll always have a positive first IM to reflect on. Yes, I'm still smiling. :cool:

Gibbo.

bryangiggsy

I signed up to do this race in July as I was late starting training this year and want to get a bit in before the race came around. The race was held in Aix en Provence about 15 miles from Marseilles and 90 miles from Nice. Because Aerlingus stop flying to Marseilles at beginning of September I went down the Nirvanaeurope.com route and flew into Nice. I booked my own flight however the hotel and transfers Nirvana took care off. Transfer time was about 1hr 40 min s from Nice and my hotel Saint Christophe was in the center of Aix about 200m from the finish line. The race organisation was excellent. Very professional from start to finish. It was run by triangle events who I believe run IM Austria & IM Nice so anyone who has done these events will know what to expect. I registered fri night and on Sat morn rode my bike about 23k out to the lake. It was a split transition with T2 in the center of Aix. Race morning we were bussed out to the lake with no problems at all.

Race start.

Carnage. There was no gun at all. Tape went up and people entered the water busted thru the canoes and started swimming. First few hundred metres were brutal. I moved out right and got some open water in front of me and put the foot down. Pretty uneventful from there apart from a few smacks in the face. Exited the water in 27.47 which was a little on the fast side for me. I normally swim 25-26 mins 1500m so I feel the swim may have been a couple of hundred short.

T1 was long as there was an 800m run from the lake to the transition. Got in and changed quick enough and out on the bike. T1 5.48

The bike. Quite possibly the hardest bike course I have ever rode. The first 10 k I was moving along well on the flat at 35k an hour and thought if this keeps up im in for a good time. My hr dropped below 150 and I though perfect but then the climbing began and kept going and kept going….. Average grade was 8-10% and on one of the climbs it hit 14% for 500m. It was carnage. All the climbs were very long Its very hard to describe but I have never encountered climbing like it. The descents were insane and extremely technical and I just could not make the time up. Overall over the 90k the climbing profile was 1302m altitude change. To put this into perspective IM Nice one of the hardest IM’s in the world climbing altitude over 180k is 1800m altitude change. We went over 1302 m in just 90k going over 5 cols . My hr on the climbs was 171 which was not good and I had no more gears left. I got off the bike in 3.04.59 and got ready for the run. HR average on the bike was 155 about 7 bps higher than what I wanted and I did not feel fresh for the run unlike Frankfurt last year

T2 was also long from bike drop off to bag pickup but I managed to get out as quick as I could . I started of at 4 30km pace and held this for as long as I could. The run was a 7k 3 loop course with 2 climbs on each loop. By lap 3 I was hurting and walked thru each aid station to get nutrition on then started running again. I buried myself on the last 3k and left noting out there crossing the finish line in 5.15.46 with a run time of 1.35.

Overall I was delighted as even though its not a pb course I have not done a harder triathlon . Again the race organisation was second to none and if your looking for a challenge this triathlon is the one to sign up for. Myself been there done that and got the t shirt I wont be back.
Bryan H
www.ironmanpaysdaix.com

baza1976

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

How many times have I visited this forum, and never seen this thread until today

Shows how effective stickies are :pac:

I was just going to post the same comment

Oisin11178

Cork boie wrote: »

thanks marthastew ...........wasnt sure i should post my race, as the standard in other posts is fantastic but hey, for all my fellow grinders out there, never give up !!;)

very funny report, enjoyed reading it:D

Cork boie

thanks marthastew ...........wasnt sure i should post my race, as the race times in other posts are fantastic but hey, for all my fellow grinders out there, never give up !!;)

Marthastew

Thoroughly enjoyed reading your report, I imagine it was the virus that affected your time, however you were so lucky to make it to Boston (first qualifying then recovering from the virus). I was lucky enough to make it to Boston last year, nowhere like it to run a marathon. Well done, congratulations:)

Cork boie

been reading these and found them a great help to me soooo........

brief history;
46 year old male, running since 2007, 4 marathons now run...
paris 2008- 4.50.xx.....knee went after 3 miles,basically hobbled around
chicago 2009- 3.44.32....
berlin 2010- 3.30.52....scrapped bq here.
boston 2011- read on........

followed my trusty hal higdon plan, advanced 18 week . tempos and fartlecks tend to injure me so i do them sparingly, i just shovel extra miles on......got a virus week before race and went to doc to get antibiotic...
didnt run at all the last week....
arrived boston sat 4pm, did expo sunday morn, collected bib, got suckered into buying some gear, as you do, .....went to finish area to take pics and soak up atmosphere...great buzz around the place......getting nervous now......
set alarm for 4.45 am sun morn.....woken up by mobile at 4.20am.....friend wishing me well.....grumbled thanks...... back to sleep......
up 4.45 am, breakfast of bagel,yogurt,banana,coffee.......got the t to boston common to get the shuttle buses to start area at hopkington....stepped out of the t staion into the biggest que i have seen since standing in a field with a couple hundred other ejits waiting to use the one usable portaloo left at the "trip to tipp" gig back in the day.....took me an hour to get on a bus and then another hour journey to hopkington....huge athletes village.....drinks,energy bars,massages available.....found a quiet area to chill out and try and stay warm....munched a bagel and sipped water.....nervous now......time to go to start pen...check gear, gels, laces, garmin.....garmin?...wtf?....my 405 was dead,maribh,deceased,not friggin working.....tried everything, reset, hard reset, violence,cursing, to no avail....the bloody thing decided to stop working.....you couldnt make it up....ok, ok, dont panic, think......i have no pace bands, no watch.....there are no pacers at boston....how to pace myself....ok, i'll calculate from time on clock as i pass start line and at each time station from then on....a pain in the ass but it would have to do....hoping to do 3.20 ish.....wave 2, corral 4, and we're off!...
the first bit is uphill and then a good bit downhill.....no need to dodge or weave here.....runners are really motoring.....decided to get into a nice easy stride and not push it early on....****e, forgot to look at time at start!!.....ah the hell with it......run as you feel......weather was sunny and pleasant if a little muggy.....got to 13 m iles feeling good...no idea what time or pace i was doing.....felt like shouting out, anybody going for a 3.20 ish time....can i tag along please....at wesley college the noise was deafening.....hoards of girls screaming, signs with kiss me.....saw one particularly tempting sign...." free bj"......hmmmmm.....sorry luv..aint got the time...gulp down a gel.....mile 15.....starting to hurt....sweating profusely....mile 16.....feeling sick, dizzy.....the hills are getting relentless now....stay focused....ignore the pain.....i know heartbreak hill is coming......mile 17....another godamn hill...mile 18.....people are passing me in droves.....jesus that guy looks bout 70 and he just flew by....mile19....mile20...hurtin bad....dont stop....keep going..force down another gel....mile 21.....turn a corner and there sits EVEREST!........heartbreak hill finally shows her face....it aint pretty......jesus, this thing looks like a down hill ski run at kitzbull.....how the feck am i to scale this....grit teeth and begin the ascent.....dont stop, dont stop,...maybe a little rest would be good....yeessss my precioussss.....a rest would be niceeee....yessss...it hurtssssss...jus a little resteeesss...out, damn you!..begone!..........i struggle on and even try to pick up the pace....mile 22....marshall shouts 3 miles to go buddy!.???.....if i had the energy i would have ran back to the guy and told him to move down the friggin road!......mile 23.......mile 24.....dog
tired.....mile 25....mile 26.... where is the finish line ?......turn a corner and praise the lord.....try and up the pace...probably looked like a drunk kangaroo......remember to smile for cameras......and.........yesssss!!!!!!....
never ,ever, felt as bad after a run......can hardly talk....keep moving through finish area...collect medal....collect bagel and water....so distracted nearly ate medal and wore bagel around my neck.....remember eying a marshall with an empty wheelchair......found a quite corner and slowly changed into dry gear......felt a little better after about 30 mins....still no idea what time i did......got on t to accomadation where i looked up finish time on pc............................................3.47.43.. first half at 8min mile pace...last 10 miles my times collapsed....
..left boston airport that evening, 8.50pm flight home ......feelin good..just dissapointed about time but hey......i ran the boston marathon.!!!!!

as i write this i am already looking forward and intend to do the dcm...funny how quickly you forget the pain, eh ?.......looking back the virus took it out of me more than i thought it would......but theres not much you can do at that stage is there ?.......i thought a 3.20 ish time was on based on a 22miler at 8min pace i did 2 weeks before race....i felt good and strong after it.....i had done 10 milers and halfs at 7.10 pace feeling good after each.......looking at my training log i noticed i missed 9 days through various injuries and 10 days through illness.....maybe that told in the end ...i dont know....but im good to go again!.....bring it on!:D
hope you enjoyed this rambling account of my experience.......
cork boie:)

Woddle

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

How many times have I visited this forum, and never seen this thread until today

Shows how effective stickies are :pac:

It probably should be a sticky in training logs. Going to move it and I'll leave a link here for the next week.

tHE vAGGABOND

How many times have I visited this forum, and never seen this thread until today

Shows how effective stickies are :pac:

opus

Oisin11178 wrote: »

You can pick me up off the ground now if you want. Thats just amazing. I need more details mate about your training and what your 10 mile times were. Usually 99.99% precent of guys who decide at the starting line to go for a goal fall apart.

Being totally honest, I was a bit surprised myself as well

Wish it was as dramatic as deciding on the start line but actually it was the week after the Mallow '10' that I decided to chase the sub-3 pacer so I changed the training paces slightly for the three weeks before Leipzig. The first time I admitted it to anyone was at Sonia O'Sullivan's training camp for CCM two weeks beforehand when she asked everyone to write down their marathon goal time, actually writing it down made it more concrete for me I think.

The training plan I followed was the standard P&D 55 mile/week plan that I photocopied from a book that someone left lying on a shelf at work. Followed it fairly rigorously, for the LSR's that didn't involve any MP running, I split them into three running the first third at MP+20%, the middle third at MP+15% and the final one at MP+10%.

Oisin11178

You can pick me up off the ground now if you want. Thats just amazing. I need more details mate about your training and what your 10 mile times were. Usually 99.99% precent of guys who decide at the starting line to go for a goal fall apart.
Edit
Just looked up your times for mallow and ballycotton. Not surprised you got sub 3.

opus

Background

Running for ~1.5 years, this was my forth marathon, previous best time was 3:18 in Berlin last Sept. I followed the P&D 12 week 55 miles/week plan with a target pace of ~4.25/km aiming for a time in around 3:10. After running a better time that I expected in the Ballycotton '10' & then a little faster again in the Mallow '10', the McMillian running calculator was suggesting I should aim higher. There was a 2:59 pacer in Leipzig so I decided to roll the dice & try and stick with him as long as I could & hoped that if things went wrong I'd still be able to make it in under 3:15.

Pre-race

Didn't have a great trip to Germany, an accident on the autobahn & lots of Easter holiday traffic meant it took me an hour longer than normal to make it to my friends house. Was pretty knackered when I got there so was looking forward to a lie-in on Sat morning. Unfortunately their three year old was meciless & called me at 6:40am! Took a train to Leipzig to pick up my number, there were ~800 entered for the marathon so it was pretty relaxed. Picked up the souvenier running top for €12 which was pretty good value. Had a bit of a stroll around Leipiz & stuffed my face in an Italian resturant along with a few beers (non-alcoholic of course!).

Race

Got a lift to Leipzig on Sunday morning, no problem with parking & we caught a tram which dropped us right outside the marathon hq. Ate an energy snack 30 mins before the start & did a bit of a warm up jog. Was able to watch the start of the in-line skating half-marathon which was one lap of the city centre course, the marthon being two laps of the same course.

After that it was time to get in the start area so I spotted the guy who was pacing 2:59, he was holding a few ballons at the start & had the time on the front & back of his singlet. I was standing right by the sign that said 2:59 & must admit I did have a few moments of self-doubt wondering what the hell I was doing there! I'd guess there were around 80 or so people in front of me. Lot of speeches ensued, looked like some local dignatries were dragged out but eventually it was time to get going. There was a count down from 10 & then the guns, all three of them, went off.

The guy pacing must have walked up the side of the other runners before the start because when I went to look for him, he was already around 25m in front of me so my first km was run faster than I wanted to catch up with him. Once I was in tow things settled down, there were ~20 people in the group. Aid stations with all sorts of stuff popped up every 5km with a water station in-between them so you were never too far from a drink. It was plastic cups for the water which were a bit ackward to handle. I had four of the GU gels in my belt which I planned to take at 8, 16, 24 & 32k with an extra one in the pocket of my shorts just in case, as well I'd planned to take a drink at every water station.

Everything went fine & I felt pretty comfortable as we passed the half way stage to start our second lap of the course. At the back of my mind I knew that half way in a marathon isn't 'til 20m so I wasn't counting chickens just yet. By now our group had dwindled to around 15 runners. We passed through 30km and still things were ok, at this stage we'd caught and passed a few other runners, was thinking it must be tough for them when the pacing group went by particulary if they were aiming for the sub-3 time.

Things stated to get tough for me around the 38km stage, around three people in the group obviously felt good so pushed on and a few more fell off the back leaving four of us running with the pacer. It was around then that I started to struggle, it wasn't a huge drop off but I could see a gap opening up that I wasn't able to close. Thought I'd slowed down a lot more but when I checked the Garmin times, it wasn't as dramatic as I expected. But still the effect was the same I was being slowly dropped. The next five km were pretty tough & was wondering if maybe I should have taken the spare gel as a boost but deicded it was too late at that stage.

As the pacer was aiming for 2:59 figured there was still a sporting change of making it sub-3 so was anxiously waiting for the finish line to get into my sight. Eventually I turned a corner & there it was in front of me! My watch said 2:59:30 so that gave me one final burst of energy. The other three in the group were just crossing the line but the pacer stopped & stated shouting back at me, as well there was a screaming commentator who was encouraging me in German cause I was the last person who had a chance to come in under 3 hours so made one last big effort to get to the line. Pressed the stop button when I heard the beep on the mat & was amazed to see 2:59:50 on the watch, I'd made it!

Took a few mins to recover but then I tracked down Christian (the pacer) & thanked him in my pidgin German, of course he turned out to speak perfect English! Met up with my friend & drank a bottle of slimfast as seemed the quickest way to get some nourishment into myself.

Splits were:

10 km 00:42:30
1. Halbmarathon 01:29:29
2. Halbmarathon 01:30:21
Zielzeit (Netto)02:59:49

Garmin track is here.

All in all very pleased with how it went, I took a chance & it paid off. The P&D plan worked very well for me so I'm going to try it again for Berlin next Sept but will stick to the pace I train for this time. One thing I can definitely say is that the miles I put in last year have made a big difference as five mins after the race I felt fine as opposed to feeling near death when I finished in Cork last June!

Roll on September

Condo131

This report appears on-line here.

Last Sunday was my 27th consecutive Ballycotton. It’s one of the key races that I look forward to each year. Nevertheless, I’ve NEVER been happy with my runs there. It’s probably primarily because it comes at a time of year that I’ve rarely prioritised as a key period, and I reap the rewards of that strategy – you can’t have your cake and eat it.

Training for the last few weeks was supplemented by a lot (in my terms) of bike work, measuring several race courses. Each of three separate days took between 6 and 11 hours on the bike. Not great prep for Ballycotton, but there’s only so much time to do these weather dependent things. Other than that, I felt in reasonably good form, with sub-70 as the declared target. In Dublin last October, I’d gone through 10 in 72:31, so 70 should have been well within my capability, but I wasn’t confident.

The article title? The first bit is obvious, the second will become so as you read this – I was accompanied by my daughter, Aoife, who runs with Crusaders AC, in Dublin. The final piece relates to an unwise (in hindsight) wager I made, a few months back, with Trevor O’Neill (St. Finbarr’s) - the loser was to buy the cream buns.

Ballycotton day came and it was off to 9:30 mass and a handy parking spot, relatively close to the start/finish. After that it was a case of swanning around the place, savouring the atmosphere. I reckon there are few places like Ballycotton on race day, with a real buzz about the place...everyone pumped up and raring to go!

The couple of hours weren’t long going; there was the mandatory visit to Race HQ, the local primary school, to renew old and no-so-old acquaintances, and see what Ballycotton gear was on offer, (Are you like me? A lot of my ‘best clothes’ consist of Ballycotton 10 jackets, hoodies and jumpers. God only knows what the neighbours think of all this! I’m happy in my gear, though). “Hmmm...that’s a lovely jacket Johnny Walshe has....can I have one of those?” “Those ones are special! You have to have run thirty Ballycottons before you can have one of those!”, she says, probably thinking “That’ll sort him out”. I reply “Good, I’ll have one in three years.” Her jaw drops, and then a smile. I think Johnny’s special jacket is unique, so I won’t hold my breath.

After that, it was off to the annual Eagle AC group photos on the church steps at 12. This is always a good-natured moan, with late-comers being barracked and heckled as they make their last minute dashes, looking red-faced for the photos. Then it was back to the car, change the gear and try to do some of the usual warm-up ritual, even though we were over an hour away from start time.

We managed to cajole our way through the barriers to get near the start. On the way through I was collared by Michael Joyce who mans the PA for the day. A quick interview about my 27 consecutive Ballycottons ensued – please God I’ll line-up again next year. “Any chance of a plug for C-Team?” I ask, so we’re off again into a commercial for this year’s C-Team squad in the Cork City Marathon Relay. [If you are a Cancer survivor, or know someone else who is, we’d love to have you run with us on June 6th – just make send me a PM.]

It was cold enough, but I’d brought a bin liner to keep me warm and was I glad. 1.30 came and starter Dan McCarthy gave us the usual notice – none! Down the road without any problems – no trips or clips. Next thing Aoife flies by. “Hiya!” and she’s gone. No way I can match that pace. “Hopefully I’ll catch her in the later stages!” Coming up to the mile, Joe Roche comes by. “What are you aiming for?” “70” I reply and he does a bit of a wide arc, indicating that I should come alongside. He’s already 3 metres ahead and going faster, so I tell him to “Go ahead, I’m happy with this pace.” I’m not really, I’m tight as guitar string all over and 10/15 secs per mile off my pace. I think it’s a case of do your best. First mile is 7:16.

Meantime there’s no sign of Trevor. Hopefully he’s behind. Two miles (14:21) and I’m passing a few, but more are passing me. Normally I wouldn’t be bothered, as my strategy is to hold off a bit until 5M and push on when I hit the long straight at about 5.5M or so. This time, I’ve been working from the start – Can I hold on? Three miles (21:29) goes by. I hate the 4th mile – windy narrow road and poor surface. 4 miles (28:49), with the fifth in 36:02. Thoughts of 70 are now probably wishful thinking – it’d need a 34 second half, but what the hell, I ain’t gonna give up that easily.

As I said, I’d been working (too) hard, but upped the effort a bit and started counting off bodies passed/passing. 6 miles (43:20) and I’d made a net loss of 20 places. Two of those were the Rising Sun duo of John O’Riordan and Jimmy Murray. I’d been chasing down John for some time but Jim, who is enjoying a new lease of running life, came by and brought John with him. At this stage I was working pretty hard, drawing on my stamina and endurance and started making ground. 10k went by in 44:53. Passing the water station at 3/7 (50:34), I’ve made up the net loss of 20 from the previous mile. The Rising Sun duo are in my wake.

I always find the 8th mile tough and long, and this was no exception, but I was still hoping to spot Aoife up ahead. 8 miles went by in 57:38 – that was a better mile. “Compose yourself for the battle ahead”, the hill looms. The first quarter mile of the hill is the worst, so it’s generally a bad idea to go at it “hammer and tongs”, so I go hard, but not all out. 9M goes by in 64:59 and I’ve made a net gain of 47 places since 5M. Still no sign of Aoife. I hit the 1k to go mark in 67:41 and figure “4 minutes”, giving it pretty much all I could. 100 to go and the clock is reading 71:50. I give it everything I can and come home in 72:08 (dunno where the extra 10 secs in the official gun time came from). A look back, after I finish, and the Rising Sun duo must have been hanging on to the back of my Eagle singlet - they're only a few metres behind.

I finished knowing that Aoife (70:12) had beaten me for the first time – it’s been coming but I’d hoped to keep her at bay for another little while. No such luck – I’ve lost the household bragging rights! At least I was sure that I’d left Trevor in my wake! My hopes were swiftly dashed when I spotted him a fair bit up ahead, chatting with his Barrs colleagues. So I was buying the cream buns after all - They’re in the garage and I’ll give them to Trevor next month. Who says I’m a sore loser!! LOL

Later on Sunday night, after hearing Aoife had taken my scalp, John Desmond sent me a text “The King is dead, long live the Queen!” I responded “The King is alive and kicking, but the Queen now wears the crown.”

Roll on Ballycotton 2012!

MREGAN

Causeway Coast Adventure racing Round 2 Bangor Co. Down

http://acunamatadaar.blogspot.com/

misty floyd

DCM 2010

12 weeks leading to race.
I wasn't happy with things on the lead up to the race. 7 weeks ago, throwing my toys out of the pram, I had serious intentions of packing it in to try to enjoy my running again and relieve the headache that is 'sub 3'. So I was bullied into doing it by fellow boardsies on this log

Then onto the Dublin half marathon and things were starting to click...I got an ok time of 1:24:45. I did struggle home for the last couple of miles but for the most of that race I felt stronger than I had in training since the Spring. Sub 3 was back on the agenda.

........and then it was off the agenda when on the final week of taper I got a flu/cold and a stomach bug. To avoid stress, I accepted 3:05 would still be worth going for and I'd be happy with that. For reasurance I asked Tunguska at the expo if I'd blow up trying to stick to the sub 3 pacers. He comfirmed what I thought and said no. Sub 3 back on the agenda. I got a pace band from Krusty and got good advice about pacing. Being sick that week meant I wasn't worried or stressed as I had nothing to loose. I was ready for the bad news of not making it. The bummer of that last week was not getting the confidence you get from those final few runs when you really have to work to slow down. Still, I had decent training in the bag and I trusted it.

The race
The plan was simple: stick to the sub 3 pacer unless the wheels came off. I was positioned about 5meters from one (Jason) when the race started but by the time he crossed the line and I did, he was already running away from me. Down to O'Connell street, he was maybe 100m ahead. My first mile was 6:57 and I was happy to do my own thing and run my own race. I was glad I had that pace band as I would use it a lot over the next while.

The miles ticked off and I checked my time against the split time on the pace band. The ~6:50 pace felt alright. My legs felt fine and my sinuses were feeling good...finally.
I did this stupid thing a lot throughout training and even in the race yesterday, I kept comparing how I felt during training and during Rotterdam and feeling a little pissed that things were way easier back in April. Today, I'd carry on regardless and what will be will be. Job to do.

Every so often I'd look up and see the pacer baloon about 40-80m ahead. It was nice to see he wasn't pulling away from me. I was doing my own thing but its a great reasurance. Then his baloon burst when it hit trees in the park. Sh1t!! Up popped a '3.00' sign, lovely.

The amount of support I had was fantastic, not to mention the crowds out there.....unreal. Met a mate to give me gels, my gf, some of her family, my family and some of my friends all out to cheer me on. It was great. Going by the club and got another lift from everyone. I met Kaymin in the Park and it was good to see him.

The crumlin road was a bit of a drag for me. It was starting to hurt at this point. I was checking all of the split times against my watch and I knew I was going to be under for the first half. I didn't see any of the auto lap mile splits, but I used the average pace window. I was around 6:46 or 6:47 and I knew it would have to be this to allow for the longer distance the garmin records. Crossing the half way point and I was under by about 20-30 seconds.....I can't remember exactly. EDIT: turns out I was 1:30:03. At 14miles I hit a low point. I started thinking about how sore I felt and how far I had to go, how better I felt in Rotterdam. My body wanted to ease off the pace and it was only at 14m! I snapped out of it and started saying to myself 'relax, relax'. I also did that thing of rubbing my index fingers with my thumbs, supposed to help with tension in the shoulders ? but it was a distraction and I tried to think positive thoughts. Next thing I know and I'm flying along, feeling good again

.

There was a big group formed up ahead around Jason and every time they got near crowds (supporting), he would raise the 3'00 sign and the crowd would go mental. I wanted a bit of that so I decided to slowly try to catch up. I finally caught up at around 18m and I would stick to that guy like glue. As soon as I caught him, I really felt like I could do it. I ignored the pace band and watch and switched off. I might have switched off too much as I stepped on a bottle that was still full and nearly done in my ankle. It was sore for a minute but I got lucky. Being in this group was just excellent. To be able to switch off is such an advantage and the crowds cheering was brilliant.

20-22 mile, tired but still going well, a nice rhythem, fueling was going well, no niggles and best of all no negative thoughts. By mile 23 and I was dying for the miles to chip away. At this point i felt a bit ill but my legs were not letting me down and seemed to be doing what I wanted them to do. Nice feeling that. Jason said to us a few times that we were at '2:59 low' pace so I started thinking about how much I could fade and still get away with sub 3......best to stop thinking and stick to him. Man, it was tough. I mean seriously, it was like my legs were working but I wasn't in control of them. It was weird, like a motor turning over, I was just moving forward, still at the same pace but kind of out of it. At mile 25, I thanked the pacer for doing the pacing job. He assured me I'd get it and said its supposed to hurt. Anyway, we were about to get to the front of trinity and he kind of took the foot off to gather people "are we still on?" ..."yep your well on mate, your gonna do it" he said. I turned the corner by Trinity and my family/friends spotted me. I let out such a load roar at them with closed fist "YEEEEAAAAHHHHH". I don't know what came over me, I just knew I had it and I was so happy. Coming down to the finish and I saw the clock with 2:58?? on it, I didn't give a **** about sprint finishes or anything and just shouted my head off for the last 50m, waving my arms and trying to get the crowd going. Not that they needed it. Amazing feeling, I don't give a sh!t I shed one or two tears right after finishing. I did it.

2:58:59

misty floyd

Forgot to add these race reports. Taken from my previous two training logs: (Everything in its right pace and 12 weeks of DCM training (A sub 3 attempt)).

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. 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

ger664

Training
Athens is not flat or cool, but it is run over the original course taken by the first marathoner Pheidippides, so all my training was done on hills with long runs while on holidays on the Algarve. Training went extremely well and I found a new found love for hills.
As I sat on the tarmac in Shannon on Friday Morning I was extremely happy with how I had prepared for this Race. Tomorrow was to prove otherwise.

Expo
Got to Athens late on Friday evening after a long day travelling, herself indoors is eager to go and see the sites the next day as she is really into all this Greek stuff. I am not keen on a long day on my feet so I agree to some sightseeing the following day after I pick up my Bib from the expo which is 5 Minutes walk from Hotel.
Early rise on Saturday after breakfast check for race acknowledgement and to my horror its is not in my bag and neither is my watch so much for preparation. No panic, find an Internet Cafe and printout a new one and should be able to pickup a watch at the Expo. Go to hotel reception and get directions to nearest internet cafe, hop on Metro (all runners received a free travel pass for all public transport for the weekend on arrival at the airport) get out at wrong exit and spend next hour trying to find said internet cafe.
Herself rings me to know how long I would be so I start to explain my predicament, to which she replies there is a Computer and Printer in the hotel lobby, and access is free to all hotel residents. Okay so Homer hops back on to the metro back to the hotel and gets said printouts.
Expo was heaving when I got there pickup my bib and chip but had to fight through crowds to get the Addias shirt. Good ploy to get all the runners go through the expo, but the narrow halls made it quite an uncomfortable experience.
Along the way could not find any stands selling watches, pickup shirt (worth the trouble to get it) and left the expo to return to the hotel. Still had not picked up a watch but herself had itchy feet so I would just have to pace myself without one tomorrow.
Back to hotel and hit off with herself to see the Acropolis’s Museum. On the way find a street trader selling watches, so after a bit of haggling I purchase an Analogue watch for €5. On to the Museum for mandatory sight seeing before making my escape back to the Hotel for some relaxation and a lie-down.
That evening a quick 5 Minute walk to Italian for some Pasta. Portions sizes had been small so far in most restaurants so I ordered 2, when quizzed by waiter as to why I explained and he duly obliged with a large plate of pasta, turned out he was running it as well.
Back to hotel get everything ready for the morning set alarm for 4:45, Hotel staff are laying on Breakfast for us at 5:00 as last Bus leaves for the Marathon start at 6:30am.

Race Day
Alarm goes off at 4:45 and I surprisingly have got a good nights sleep. Get dressed and catch elevator to Roof Top restaurant (which has a spectacular view of the City) to read the following, Dear Guest Please be advised that clocks will go back by One hour at 4:00 AM to 3:00 AM on the 31st of October 2010. So Homer goes back to the room to catch another hour’s kip.
Second time of asking up at 4:45 AM new time dressed up for breakfast. Start strong cup of coffee to move bowels, I suffer from colitis and if I do not move before the race start I will have a guaranteed pit stop during the race. Have my usual big breakfast and set off for Bus to start at 05:30. The majority of the guests are running the marathon so the hotel is buzzing.
Hats off to the Greeks for organisation, they bussed 12000 runners to the start (45 Min drive) in one hour with the minimum of fuss.

At the start found a very quiet area at the back of the warm up track with changing rooms and seats. Sit down for the next Hour or so and chill out. Just before getting changed bowel duly obliged, was quite amazed that queue for Porto loos was only 3 or 4 deep. Got changed and head back to bag drop off point, on leaving the area notice a sign for Elite & CISM runner’s only. Absolute mayhem at bag drop off point and the usual deep queues at Porto loos for the mere mortals.
About 15 minutes before the gun, get into the correct corral for start. There is a good buzz around the place now and DJ is thumping out the music. Few speeches from organisers and the first wave Elites and CISMs get the gun at 9:00 to balloons and Ticker tape, 5 minutes later were off and I make a mental note of the time on my new €5 Garmin as I cross the mat.
Its a very pleasant sunny morning and the first few K's are not so slow. This is my first Wave start and I think Dublin really need to start doing it.
The Greek population took to this event and really embraced it. The support along the way was massive with waving of flags and shouts of bravo. I passed one Greek runner at 5K dressed in costume with no footwear,it takes barefoot running to a new level. Below is a picture of him at the 30 K mark.
After 2K I notice the thin blue line, this is obviously the shortest route to take along the course so I proceed to stay as close as possible to it. My plan for this race is a sub 4, get to halfway in 1:58 to 1:59 climb to the 30K 2:55 to 2:56 and then do the last 12K in an hour (downhill section).
A group of 20 pass me at 15K with one sporting a big Blue Balloon, I assume they are the 4 hour pacers so I try to tag along, after about a K I let them go as the pace is faster the 5:30/K. I get to half way on 1:54 this is faster then I wanted so I decide to take the next 2K @ 6 minute pace.
After passing 22K I look and my new Garmin and it has stopped, well u get what you pay for. From this point on I will just have to go on feel. Now we are half way through the climb and its has got noticeable hotter and several runners have stopped or are walking.
We receive sponges every 5K so I stuck one in my pocket, also I can run and carry a bottle of water in my left hand. This really saved me as I was able to use this and the sponge to keep the ill effects of the heat away. We get to the last 400M of the climb which is very steep and there is an overpass on the road which is full off supporters. I get to the top without having stopped or walked once since the start of the climb, my hill training really paid off. Once over I put the shoe down all the way to the finish.
I felt like **** around the 38K and I put in a recovery pace K and then I spot the Big Blue Balloon up ahead, so I dig in and catch up with them. There is only 2 guys at this point and I ask them are they the 4 hour pacers, one replies in an American accent no they are not. I enquiry as to why he is wearing the balloon to which he states to attract some women, clearly it was not working. As I pass the 40K I am felling much better and I make a final push for the finish.

The finish
The finish of a marathon is a special experience but the finish in Athens in the original Olympic stadium is up there with the birth of my children. Coming down the last K the route passes a tree lined avenue to the east of the National Gardens. The crowds are quite big here and the support is fantastic, its downhill easy to run but my quads are in bits but I keep pushing, on entry to the stadium I see a clock for the first time since halfway it is 3:56 which makes me 3:50, next you see the stadium its self and the rush of adrenaline in my veins pushed me flat out to the finish of 3:51:25 and a PB.

Post Race
Collect my Medal. Now this medal is the best Medal I have every got. Its twice as thick as your standard medal and its in the shape of the stadium itself. Hand back my timing chip, only quibble I have with this event is that no cable ties supplied so you have use your laces, so at the finish bending over and untie your shoes to get the chip off is painful.
Go for the massage and shower, meet herself get some photos, and off to an Irish Pub for a Steak and some pints of the black stuff to celebrate.

I really enjoyed the challenge that this race presented to me. You will get out of a race what you put in and the bigger the challenge the better the reward.

I would advise anyone to skip Dublin and run this at least once.

yaboya1

DCM 2010

I only decided to do this in late July having had no running experience other than a couple of X-country events in school. 12 weeks of hard work and maybe I could go under 4 hours were my original thoughts. Training went well and I gradually saw myself getting faster as my times started to improve. 1:25 for the 10 miler. 1:47 for the half. Did the Athlone 3/4 in 2:38 but felt I injured myself in the last 3 miles as my left leg really started to hurt. Last 2 weeks of training didnt go so well as I had abandon my last 2 LSRs to rest the leg in the hope it would be ok for the big day. Last week before the DCM I felt nothing on my last few short runs so was relatively confident going into Monday. Set myself a new goal of sub 3:40 which I felt was achieveable once my leg didn't play up again.

Now I just had to decide which pace group to go with. 3.30 for as long as possible and try to hang on or the 3.45 and try to pick up the pace in the last few miles. I decided the 3.30 option was the best one for me. Lined up about 10 yards behind the 3 pacers at the start and was feeling fit and ready. Lost about 60-80 yards on them due to congestion in the first 2 miles but manged to get back into position by the time we had reached the Park gates. Running with this group was a terrific experience and the camaraderie was unbelieveable. The pacers hit every mile almost on the button and one of them would inform us of our progress followed by a roar of "Come on the 3.30". Brilliant stuff. I felt really comfortable at this pace and didnt even notice the miles going by. I was passing under the halfway mark at Walkinstown before I knew it.

Down Cromwellsfort Road, Kimmage Road and onto Fortfield Road. We had now passed the 15 mile mark and I was feeling my first semblance of pain. My dodgy left leg was playing up again. The pace was now hurting but the loud roar as we passed mile 16 inspired me to stick with them. Coming down through Terenure I started to slowly fall behind. Pain was getting greater and they were moving further ahead. Passing the 17 mile pole I knew I had to let them go. I might hold on for 2 or 3 more miles but not 9.2.

Now I was on my own. But I knew sub 3:40 was still on. Once I didn''t stop to a walk I felt it was achieveable. It was very lonely from then on but the support from the enthusiastic crowds lining the streets through Milltown and Clonskeagh kept me moving at a consistent jog. The hill at Roebuck Road/Fosters Avenue was a real struggle. I would like to thank the elderly man who informed me that once I got to the traffic lights it was all downhill from there. I hadn't got the energy to do it at the time. This really perked me up and once I got there I seemed to glide through the next 3 miles down the dual carriageway, over the flyover and down past RTE. Just over 3 miles to go now. I can do it. My body is aching. Feels like it's constantly telling me to stop and is punishing me for disobeying. It was getting really painful now.

Past the 24 pole and onto what felt like the biggest climb on the course over the canal. Approaching the 25 pole I can hear the crowds cheering and the sound of the mega-phones. I'm nearly there. A glance to my left and I see runners going the opposite direction to the finish. Right turn coming up. Torture! So near, yet so far. Up Pearse Street and around the bend at College Green. At least I'm heading in the right direction now. Managed to pick up the pace for 200 yards as I neared the 26 pole. I'm in agony at this stage. I pass the 26 and I still can't see the finish. Where is it? When will this torture end?

Finally the finish is in sight. I'm running on empty. Must be pure adrenaline keeping me going. I pass under the clock and it reads 3:40:xx. A quick glance at my own watch says 3:39:xx. I did it! My first thoughts are: "Never again. Why would you volunteer to put yourself through that pain?"
Eight celebratory pints and a nights sleep later and I want to do another one. Where do I sign up?

This running lark is addictive!

misty floyd

I'll throw mine up later Woddle. Pity the first race report on this thread is so crap (mine). I only wrote one paragraph on the actual race! At least it didn't set the toan.....lots of good ones here.

Izoard

Doing a few hours on the pacer stand on Sunday, definitely got the juices flowing. I'd never really paid attention to the pacers before as I usually run-by-feel, but I was amazed at how busy the stand was with eager pacees.

Despite the freezing conditions at 7am, you could see it was going to be good day for running.
An apprehensive Mrs.I dropped me near the Conrad before continuing on to a marathon "safe house" close to the start.

It was good to put faces to the many boardsies milling around - I was lucky to be doing my first pacing gig with the experienced crew of Wally Runs, ITB and SPB100.

Getting the bus to the start with the elites was a nice touch - I think each Dublin Bus seat could take up to 4 Kenyans

- perfect build for marathoning.

Quick pacer photo at the start and then made our way to our perch near the back. No sign of Mrs.I - I was guessing she was starting ahead of our group, with a few of our mates who were also doing it.

The crowds acted as a good pace restrainer for the first few miles and by that point, I was comfortable with the shortened stride.

Beautiful conditions in the park and with no wind around Crumlin, the half way mark was upon us with about 40secs in hand. We were forming a nice "pace line", with a growing crowd behind us and a bit of space in front.

The family were out in force at Bushy Park and it was pointed out to me in fairly direct terms that Mrs.I was "whoopin' my butt!".

Around by Orwell and Pink Balloon #1 starts heading skyward - a wardrobe malfunction with a number belt, the root cause.

Still, armed with Balloon #2, a 4.30 sign and the truth, we headed onwards with our merry band.

Eventually caught Mrs.I at mile 18 and she's looking in pain - a long dormant knee problem re-surfaced around mile 8 and she began to slow from there. She hung in until the hill at Roebuck, which had the effect of temporarily shedding some of the stragglers.

Reassuring the group that it was "all downhill from here" we made good time to the canal, at which point we realised we were a little ahead and we should spend the rest of the time cajoling the punters to the finish.

Great support in the final 2 miles (and indeed all the way around) and all 4 pacers crossed the line together, with ~15 secs to spare.

Mrs. I crossed in 4.36 - very proud of her. Was a serious effort to finish.

Lots of happy punters at the finish, but one conversation made me smile:

Punter: You were slower than 4:30 - My wife ran with you to the finish, but her watch says 4:32.
Izoard: Ehhh, we were under by 15 seconds or so.
Wife of punter: Look here's the time on my watch!
Izoard: Right...you sure you STARTED with the 4:30 group?
Wife of punter: Oh, I needed to start with you guys?

Brisk walk back to the Conrad with the 4.30 crew and an increasingly erratic balloon.
Shower, quick pint and exit to relieve a babysitter.

Great day, good fun and an excellent pacing crew.

Where do I sign up for 2011?

Woddle

I'm going to sticky this for a while. I love reading race reports and I'm sure others do and not everyone has a log. It's very hard to follow everyones race report in the DM thread with all the traffic.

If it's not popular I'll unsticky it.

osnola ibax

misty floyd wrote: »

Aero2k, thank you for your race report. You mentioned hard times in the past.....

Sorry to move from the point of this thread but I had a tough time of things on Monday and have been feeling pretty low (mentally) all week. Some people around me think I'm being silly but that is how I feel. I'm taking a lot of heart from your report. Thank you very much and well fcukin done!

[shakes hand ]

Hi MF, I've been feeling the very same way all week if it's any consolation. I felt the same way, though not as bad, after the 10 miler adidas. TBH, after a race that you feel didn't go well or provide the proper return on the training investment, there is SFA anyone can say to you to make you feel better. All you can do is put in a good performance in the next race to banish those demons.

misty floyd

aero2k wrote: »

I hope I didn't overstate the hard times in the past; compared to 99% of the world's population I've had a charmed life - nonetheless it can be tough when things don't work out as we want.
Get back into it gently, and remember that which doesn't kill us will make us stronger.

Not at all, I knew you meant tough races you had that you learned from. Cheers mate

aero2k

misty floyd wrote: »

Aero2k, thank you for your race report. You mentioned hard times in the past.....

Sorry to move from the point of this thread but I had a tough time of things on Monday and have been feeling pretty low (mentally) all week. Some people around me think I'm being silly but that is how I feel. I'm taking a lot of heart from your report. Thank you very much and well fcukin done!

[shakes hand ]

Right back at ya Misty.
I think the point of this thread is for us to share all our experiences. I really enjoyed last year though my race day was a bit like yours, and I had the same low feeling afterwards which didn't really go away until I started logging in here on a regular basis, and started back with a (sort of) structured training programme.
I hope I didn't overstate the hard times in the past; compared to 99% of the world's population I've had a charmed life - nonetheless it can be tough when things don't work out as we want.
Get back into it gently, and remember that which doesn't kill us will make us stronger.

aero2k

Abhainn wrote: »

aero2k excellent report and well done. In your summary account it seems we shared many of the same experiences in the race.
Did you finish with a 2:58 or 2:59?

Thanks Abhainn, reading your report inspired me to write mine.
Chip time 2:58:55, I think it took 12 seconds to cross the start line.
Maybe could have shaved off a few seconds in the finishing straight, but I was just savouring the feeling for the last 800m.

misty floyd

Aero2k, thank you for your race report. You mentioned hard times in the past.....

aero2k wrote: »

It seemed that all those experiences were necessary stepping stones on the way to the start line – part of the entry fee if you like, and yet those memories all seemed to float away like the errant pacer’s balloon as soon as the gun went off.

Sorry to move from the point of this thread but I had a tough time of things on Monday and have been feeling pretty low (mentally) all week. Some people around me think I'm being silly but that is how I feel. I'm taking a lot of heart from your report. Thank you very much and well fcukin done!

[shakes hand

]