The first in a new feature How Was It (HWI)… Sunday the 29th of April…The date has been firmly in the diary since I first thought of the #project345 and to enter the Stirling Marathon. I had entered the ballot for London, but unfortunately I never got in. A group of us decided to enter the Stirling Marathon instead.
It’s all about the journey, not the destination
The training for the marathon had gone really well. I arrived on the line injury free and had amassed over 1145 kilometres this year alone and 1154 miles since the start of the project. I stuck to the plan religiously contesting against the Beast from the East, two trips to Tenerife (one work : one holiday), Christmas / New Year and curling championships.
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The day came… We lined up in the pens set up for the different paces…elites at the front, fast recreational runners then the rest of the pack. Big Ross Murdoch was starting the race so I made my way over to the side to give him a wee shout. The countdown reached 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and we were off…. I managed to give Ross a massive high 5, which stung my hand until at least the 10th kilometre.
I had a set plan for the day. I had split the marathon into 8, 5km runs. Each to be 24:18 (4:52min/km) in timing and the aim was to be as close to this as possible…This would take me into the finish line around 3:25…a little adventurous but it would allow me to bank time should anything go wrong (I had been advised this doesn’t work and anything you pick up, you lose 3 fold).
The first 5 Km’s were 4:59, 4:44, 4:46, 4:46, 4:53. These were too fast but the roads were flat and I felt really good. The second 5Km’s were 4:52, 4:50, 4:56, 4:55, 4:51 – a better level of pacing but the route had started to increase in elevation and I had already felt I was having to work a little harder than I should have been. The scenery was lovely taking in Blairdrummond Safari park and dropping into Doune before going up to the town centre.
The third 5km was again all up hill – 4:48, 4:36, 4:54, 5:02, 4:38. This took us along a undulating country road. Very little crowds but beautiful scenery. The first time I entered into the 30’s which again was too fast. On hitting the small villages, the crowds were great and this gave me a really great buzz, I had picked up the pace but knew I had to calm down or pay the piper later in the race.
The 4th 5km 4:57, 4:49, 4:33, 4:37, 4:43. This part of the run took in Dunblane (Including a steep uphill, downhill, uphill – to take in Andy Murrays Golden Lamppost) and long down hill into Bridge of Allan. This 10km, upon reflection, was pivotal in the outcome of the run. I spoke with a fellow runner who was looking to achieve 3:30:00 for his run and he told me we were running too fast, we did slow down but on the down hill it was easier to let the body go with the hill. It was a beautiful part of the run and the scenes over looking Stirling were breath taking.
Over halfway led me into to a tough circuit around the university which again was a large uphill followed by a steep down hill. There was a great level of support around the campus but the hills were starting to take their toll on the body. The 5th part of the race reflected the altering terrain as the splits varied by 24s from the quickest to the slowest 4:54, 4:46, 4:39, 4:53, 5:00.
I knew I had to keep the original goal, I was repeatedly recalling the split for the next 5km and starting to work a little harder than I needed to be. I was able to keep the splits where I needed them to be (4:49, 4:41, 4:52, 4:58, 4:56) and we started to merge with the half marathon runners. I found this a boost, the pace I was holding I was able to go past people and this was a psychological positive and allowed the next 5 kms to pass without anytime (4:59, 5:01, 4:56, 5:01, 5:07).
To reflect on my training at this point I would highlight another training error on my part. My longest run was 33km in 2:37:40. I should have focused on time on feet rather than try and keep my long runs at race pace. A few of the marathon spotlights had mentioned this….”spend time on feet” and this is a large learning experience for me.
The wall came. The rain came. The final hill came. I started going backwards. 5:11, 5:12, 5:23, 5:39, 5:54. I was hurting. I was in survival mode. I kept on reciting the blog by Ali “Endurance running and the Brain” – trying to replicate all the tips given. I was counting to 100, I was repeating my mantra, I was trying to draft off other runners… I was deep in the hurt locker. My goal changed to not stopping in this km, followed by the next and the next. I visualised the 5km of the beach park run to finish off the run.
The last 2km, my quads were gone, my cadence had dropped and I was shuffling – the pace from early on in the marathon was coming back to haunt me but I was determined to not stop running, keep running…6:01, 6:07 took me to the final 300m and I was able to cross the finish line. 3:30:59 the official time. I was relieved on crossing the line and also delighted with my time. It had been a great day at the office but the like any long day the clock just seemed to slow up at the end of the day, and each minute took an hour to pass.
A special shout out to all the Rebel / Metros taking part over the two races – well done and an absolutely fantastic job!!! Lairig Ghru …I’m coming for you!!!
Positives
Splitting the marathon into smaller sections made it feel easier to manage and allowed me to keep myself in the current 5km and not focus on the next one until I was in it.
My trainers were fantastic and had no issues with my feet.
The crowds were fantastic.
The High-5 gels were great and mixed with Active Root start had no stomach issues.
Areas for Improvement for the next marathon
Pacing early helps with pacing later.
Take a gel at 34km.
Spend time on feet in training rather than race pace runs.
Go to 3hrs 15mins in a training run to get use to the wall.
I had a great experience. Tactically I loved the run and loved the distance. Did it hurt, yup. Was it worth it, you bet. Learning about the distance was one thing but experiencing the distance was completely different. I had been round the distance twice before but I hadn’t prepared for it as much as this time. I truly feel that the better you prepare the better the experience.
A marathon is a definitely a great experience, and with determination and commitment, an achievable experience. I hope the blog helps you like it has me. There is a wealth of knowledge shared in the posts, share and take the advice.
Like a tree that grows stronger with more branches and roots, you need to find more and more ways to be inspired
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Good Luck
Run Long and Prosper
Thanks for reading
James
