BQ or Bust!

Thu 26 Oct

11.2k (7m) easy

The plan had 10k easy, and even though I should know the Phoenix Park pretty well by now I contrived to find myself over a km from the car when that distance had elapsed, thanks probably to a rare detour through the People’s Park at the start of the run. Didn’t feel great during this, but definitely had to reel in the pace, which isn’t a bad sign.

Fri 27 Oct

No running. 10k easy on the plan but skipped it. Sponsored walk with the kids instead, which was more than an adequate substitute, I reckon. Headed to the expo later to pick up the number. Definitely a home marathon, couldn’t believe the number of friends and acquaintances and workmates we bumped into. Mad, Ted. Everyone in a good mood, but Redrunner was the happiest of them all, and I can understand why! Didn’t hang about too long, but still managed to buy some unneeded bits and pieces. Pacers stand was the busiest I’ve ever seen it, lots of interest in the glamorous pacers and the pretty little pace bands.

Sat 28 Oct

Two easy miles before some parkrun volunteering at St Anne’s. And that’s it. Feet up now for the day, see ye on the other side. Thanks for the good wishes, always appreciated.

WTD: 35k (22m)
MTD: 314 (196)
YTD: 2,642 (1,642)

Well that was a tough day, I thought. 3:22:11. Happy with the effort, definitely my most committed marathon yet and a very decent PB. Good to catch up after with some of ye. Report to follow.

chickey2 wrote: »

Well done, that's a great pb. How is Anna?

She’s grand, C, will have a better day another time. Thanks for asking.

Sun 29 Oct

Dublin Marathon


After a successful Charleville expedition in September, it was nice to contemplate doing Dublin, for the sixth year in succession, without any pressure to achieve a result of any note. The New York qualifier had been bagged and boxed off. The Hanson HM plan had proven effective. So I just transitioned to the last five weeks of the marathon version, which doesn’t differ much, the only real variation of note being the length of the long runs, none of which goes beyond 16 miles.

In the end I did no 16 milers, but managed a single 19.7m outing at the Irish 3/4 Marathon. That would have to stand as the only long run of note this season. While that had gone very well, as an aficionado of P&D over the last two years I had a nagging feeling I might be a little lacking in the endurance department. The positive side of that negative coin stemmed from the confidence instilled by the successful completion, week after week, month after month, of the Hanson strength and tempo sessions. Whatever it is about this plan - possibly the leniency of the Tuesday speed/strength workouts, paced a few seconds slower than the P&D equivalent, say - it seemed to suit me, and bar a few early hiccups, I’d carried it off pretty well.

So in the end, having contemplated a sightseeing tour of the capital, I opted to step it up a bit and see could I get close to the 3:20 that proved elusive during 2016’s various attempts. I would join the pace group, try to switch off the doubts as much as possible, put in an honest effort and see what happens. While my 94-min Charleville time suggested that 3:20 was achievable, I’ve learned enough about myself over the last two years to accept that I struggle, as my times for shorter races have improved, to run the equivalents that the calculators suggest. 3:20 would be hard: consistently over the last few years, my marathon time has tended to equate to double my HM time plus 14 minutes. That gave me 3:46 in 2013, 3:36 in 2014, 3:29 in 2015, 3:28 in 2016, so a more likely result would be 3:22 in 2017 currency.

Was there a plan B? It would be nice to achieve the :23 NY GFA. Beyond that, I knew my 3:28 PB was soft after a good year, so it would probably be bested even on a mediocre day. This kind of progression is probably nearing an end, being realistic, so it was important to go out there and have a go.

I am not an easy adopter of popular mantras, but an inevitable exposure to Donegal GAA over the past while has left me familiar with Jim McGuinness’s Focus/Commit/Believe/Achieve schtick, so I thought it might prove useful for keeping my mind on the job at hand.

Focus

I wish luck to Anna at the bag drop and find my way to the start area. Spot FBOT's 3:30 balloon and we wish each other well. Make my way to the 3:20 group. A few words with Killerz, who is pacing. I am most interested at this stage in being disinterested - trying to relax and avoid wasting energy on pre-race nervous jitters. I stand in the start area, relatively serene. I chat to V, who finished a place ahead of me in Donadea. Wave at some nearby clubmates, including one who might well squeeze me out of the M50 team reckoning. We usually manage a medal of one sort or other so I am determined to score. A couple of minutes before the start, I discard most of the extra layers and the bin bag. At 9am on the dot, we are off. 44 secs to cross the start line, and we’re in business.

It’s a warm enough morning for October and my final layer is discarded on Stephen’s Green. I immediately feel less constricted, and just go with the flow through the congested streets. Singer pulls alongside in Mile 2 and I’m happy to have his company for the first quarter of the race, which goes in a flash: wave to my sister and brother and high five my nephew in Stoneybatter, enjoy the Park, keep it steady through the Castleknock gate. Take a first gel somewhere around here, and over the 10k mat in 47:06.

Kms 1-10
4:52 4:32 4:38 4:43 4:44 4:38 4:39 4:43 4:35 4:40
Miles 1-6
7:41 7:24 7:37 7:30 7:32 7:23

Commit

I’m enjoying myself now. It’s relaxed, although it doesn’t have the ridiculously easy feeling you sometimes get at the start of a really good day. Maybe because we've been climbing steadily for some time now. Maybe I should have held back a little, but that didn’t work out for me last year and I’ve hooked my wagon, for better or worse, to an even pace with the pace group. The Castleknock crowd is electric as always, and I spot a couple of familiar faces. When the noise has faded, Singer pushes on after mutual good wishes. We are in the quieter environs of Tower Road, and I remind myself to enjoy the moment but be ready for the far less tranquil moments that almost certainly lie ahead. Almost fall over an eejit who’s not only brought his phone, but manages to drop it and then stops dead to pick it up. He is roundly and rightly scolded by several runners as the pileup is narrowly avoided.

Commit to the pace. We’re in the Park again, through the Upper Glen then out to a shout from Mrs Mc and co. The Chapelizod turn is noisy. Gel 2 at 10 miles. Some oggies and oys at the underpass, then the climbout takes a bit of a pinch. The sun has been out since the Liberties and it’s been annoyingly in my eyes for a good while, forcing me to look down when I’d rather be holding my head up. Doh! Bad day to decide no sunglasses or visor needed. But never mind. Kilmainham and SCR, past SIPTU college where I spent many dusty hours in recent years. A good thought, because those research years required unprecedented levels of endurance. We are nearing halfway, and I am still firmly ensconced in the pace group - Killerz is up ahead, the other two lads just behind. All good.

Kms 11-20
4:43 4:48 4:35 4:37 4:38 4:42 4:54 4:36 4:42 4:40
Miles 7-13
7:39 7:31 7:26 7:31 7:41 7:33 7:41

Believe

I’ve always refused to be disheartened by Crumlin’s drag. The halfway point (1:39:52) reminds me to move to stage three of the McGuinness progression. Do I believe? I try to visualise a triumphant jaunt down Mount Street. I am feeling good and it all seems so achievable. I have remained intent on the job at hand: no chit chat, no high fives with roadside kids. But the support for the singlet is great, and I acknowledge with a smile (or grimace) whenever I can. We are soon around the Walkinstown roundabout and facing into the sun again through Kimmage. Third gel somewhere in mile 15. The sun glare is still annoying me, but otherwise the conditions are fine. The pace seems even enough, and I’m still in the middle of the group. I decide it's time to get up to Killerz and his lead sub-group, about 20m ahead. I probably should have just legged it up there, but resolve to reel them in slowly. This is not particularly easy, as the pace is starting to bite now. Nevertheless, it’s keeping my head in the game. We round Terenure College where my elderly aunt/godmother is always there to cheer. I hear her voice but can’t spot her in the sea of faces. Adrian is marshalling the bend and gives me another shout. I remember how it was all falling apart here last year, and am thankful that the wheels are still most definitely on. Believe! Gel number four goes down. Through Terenure and Bungy Girl is there, right where she said she would be, with a container of powergel sweets. I manage to grab two. Over the 30k mat in 2:21.

Kms 21-30
4:42 4:45 4:38 4:46 4:37 4:41 4:38 4:43 4:34 4:42
Miles 14-19
7:41 7:30 7:27 7:33 7:24 7:37

Achieve

We enter the final quarter. Showtime. I'm almost up to the front of the group, where I want to be for the final push. But a few little things are starting to go wrong. Near Milltown, I take a water bottle and drop it. I shout to the runners around me for some water. No one seems to hear and in fact the guy nearest me just throws his away. I pick up a discarded bottle and take a swig to undry my mouth before inserting one of the BG jellies. I look up and I’ve lost some yards and the front of the group is no longer in touching distance. All that nice steady work undone in an instant. Oh well. Keep it going. We round the corner before the Clonskeagh drag. Shout from Ferris in the crowd. I’m still in the group, but now it’s time to really dig in. Each km feels harder than the previous one - because it is - and the splits are starting to drift a bit south. I remind myself I just need to get to Fosters Ave in reasonable shape and roll home.

It starts to unwind. The rear pacers roll past. “Just going to join up with the front pacer”, one of them says, and speeds off, the other lad in tow. Some follow, others, like me, don’t seem to have quite enough. My legs feel OK, my breathing is good. There has been the occasional beginnings of a stitch, but they’ve all been warded off. Achieve! Achieve! But the balloons are inching further away as Heartbreak Hill approaches. I’m annoyed by all the motivational “What Wall?” signs - I don’t really believe in The Wall, it’s hard enough dealing with the hill, my pace is slowing and these signs are just rubbing it in. Heartbreak seems even shorter than ever, but as usual with me, it has taken a toll. At the top of Fosters I glance at the watch and the pace band, and it’s still on. Four miles to go. There’s some respite on Fosters, and the split beeps at the right pace for the first time in a while. Achieve! But on the dual carriageway I find it impossible to keep this positive momentum going. I pull the last gel from my belt and manage to drop it on the ground. Another small error. There’s no way I’m stopping to pick it up. Irrationally, I’m happy that I don’t have to stomach it. The BG jelly has lasted for miles, anyway. But there’s a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. Is it the fear of failure? I’m grinding it out as best I can, but I can’t get the pace back to where it should be. More shouts from Cru supporters on Nutley Lane. A final swig of water at the Merrion Centre and the stretch to the RDS feels long and lonely and very blurred. I won’t catch the pacers, but it’s going to be a good PB. I trade places for the fourth or fifth time with a Raheny runner I know from parkrun, and a clubmate I don’t know who’s been in the vicinity all the way since Inchicore. Then what’s this? An aul lad in tights goes past, very short stride but very high cadence, ICRC Runners emblazoned on his shirt. I can’t stay with him. A nice shout from Emmett Dunleavy in his usual spot somewhere around Ailesbury Road. Then Ferris again at the RDS, Duanington down the road. I knew they’d be there and it has helped keep the wheels on, keep me honest, despite the distress. I’m really just hanging on now and can’t wait to get to Northumberland Road. Raheny runner passes again near the US embassy. I focus on the runners ahead and try to reel a few of them in. Achieve! On Northumberland, ICRC runner has shot his bolt too soon and I pass him again. Then at last it’s Mount Street Bridge and the finish looms into view. The crowd is three deep and I manage a slight uptick in the wall of sound and get sucked over the line. 3:22 and change.

Kms 31-42.2
4:41 4:37 4:48 4:56 5:04 5:13 4:43 5:03 4:55 5:15 5:10 5:12 (2:07/4:42p)
Miles 20-26.2
7:36 7:42 8:07 7:56 8:06 8:16 8:21 (7:48p)

I am absolutely spent. I have failed again to hit 3:20 but it has been an intense experience, committed from start to finish, and I am more than happy to have been in striking distance after last year’s multiple implosions. The walk around to the baggage area is littered with bodies. I could do with a sit-down but I think it’s safer to keep moving. At the baggage area I’m startled to see Anna waiting, and am momentarily disoriented before I realise she has DNF’d. This dampens the spirit somewhat, and reminds me to be grateful for the kinder fortunes I’ve enjoyed.

Dublin is a fcuking brilliant marathon. But next year New York, New York, so good I GFA'd twice. That'll do.


Previous PB: 3:28:28 (Dublin 2016)
Target: 3:19:59
Official Time: 3:22:11
Overall: 1,676th posn (of 15,888), 22nd M55 (of 441)
Championship: 10th M55 (of 70)
Age grade: 71.6%.
VDOT 47.5
Verdict: Hardest yet, and unquestionably the best

WTD: 82k (51m)
MTD: 279 (174)
YTD: 2,607 (1,620)