I still feel a bit fatigued today (Wednesday)...I am not sure if it is the half marathon I ran on the weekend or the lack of exercise this week post half marathon... the down time this week will do me well as the real training starts next Monday when I take my first steps in the second phase of training for the Gold Coast Marathon!
The half marathon was a fantastic hit out on the way to the Gold Coast Airport Marathon (GCAM) http://www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au/ it allowed me to experience a big event and to practice all the bits and pieces that go along with running a long distance race including: the preparation the night before, the early wake up, starting the race with a few thousand people, drinking enough water along the way, pacing myself to finish in time for that PB.
The night before: I had everything ready to go the night before, my racing gear, maps and directions.
The early wake up: was a shock to the system but with the adrenalin surging, a quick hot shower and a bowl of cereal I was ready to go!
Starting the race with a few thousand runners: I completely forgot how hard it can be at the start of the run to find open ground and to set your own pace! With the large number of competitors at the start everyone moves very slowly for the first km or so and I found myself jumping the curb at times to keep my pace as fast as I could. No doubt there will be a lot more competitors in the GCAM and the start will be a lot slower as everyone starts to stream down the streets along the Gold Coast. Managing to get a personal best in these events can be quite difficult as the starts can be slow. Considering this I was stoked to achieve a personal best on Sunday J
Drinking enough water during the run: I must admit I didn’t drink enough during the run and lost about 1kg in fluid body weight as a result which took me most of Sunday to replace. Normally I am quite good with hydration, when training I take a bottle with me and finish it by the end of my run. During the event however I didn’t have a bottle with me so I had to rely on the drinks supplied. The drinks were is plastic cups which made it very difficult to drink from ‘on the run’ and with the rain pouring down during the event it was hard to really believe I was thirsty at all! No excuse I know, but it was a good experience which I will learn from for the main event. Regardless of the conditions I will stop to have a drink or two...I can get away with minimal fluid consumption in a half marathon but in a full marathon if I don’t drink I don’t finish, so I will make sure I drink plenty of fluid before and during the GCAM.
Pacing myself during the run: after about a km or so the crowd started to disperse and I was able to find some room on the road and I was able to pick it up to a steady pace. Having run the course before was a definite advantage; I knew where the hills were and when I could open up the pace on the down hills. On the way up to the Parliament House (old and new) I pushed hard as I love hill running, around and then down the road from the parliament house I let gravity do the work by leaning slightly forward and ran as fast as my body would allow me to. Soon after I hit the 10km mark in a time of 46mins. I was really happy with this as I have not run a sub 50min 10km for several years it was a good sign as I headed towards a PB.
At the 10km mark I did a quick calculation and believed I was on track for a personal best time of sub 1hr40mins, now... did I do the math correctly...46min for 10km means I was running 4.6min/kms if you multiply that out to 21.1kms you get 97mins so yes I was right in thinking I was on track for a sub 1hr40min or sub 100mins, it would be close but I was on track, just. What I didn’t realise is that at the 16km mark I would be slightly down on time and would have to work really hard to make it to the finish line under my goal time!
After I crossed Kings Avenue Bridge I started to feel the first 10kms in my legs. I had run slightly too hard and my legs needed a rest. I backed off a bit heading down Parkes Way but after running through the roundabout at the bottom of Anzac Parade I tried to pick up the pass again and latched on to several runners going at a modest pace. It worked; I felt fresh again and determined to hold the pace until the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge. I passed two drinks stops without stopping for a drink but promised myself I would stop at the next one. I grabbed a sponge at the next, washing my face and sucking the water out of it as I ran towards the turnaround point for the half marathon.
It was a good feeling knowing that I didn’t have to run another lap and a half of Parkes Way as I turned and headed for home. Soon after the turn the crowds of runners had turned into a single stream of half marathoners as the remainder of runners continued along Parkes Way. This was a good feeling as I knew the finish line wasn’t too far away. As I ran up to the Commonwealth Bridge I passed the 16km marker and it was time to do another pace check. I checked my watch, did the calculation and, damn I was running behind time, if I didn’t pick up the pace over the next five kms I would not make my PB and that just wouldn’t do. I was so close and I wanted it so badly that I decided the only thing to do was to dig deep and set a faster pace that I could hold until the finish line. Would I make it, had I drunk enough, did I have the endurance, had I done enough training, I was hurting and in un chartered territory, I didn’t know if I was going to make it but I had to try, so I gave it everything I could.
I set the fastest manageable pace I could given all the facts and it paid off, I had my legs turning over and my breathing in a steady in in out, in in out If I had done the math correctly I would make it to the finish line with 1min to spare, that was too close for my liking so I picked up the pace a bit more. I checked my pace each km from there until the finish line to make sure I was on track.
I ran hard for the last five kms, in training I had only run up to 16kms before, so the last five kms really hurt. But as I reach the last drink station with a km to go I knew I had made it, I knew there were only two corners to go and I would be running down the finishing straight and crossing the line with a new PB.
I ignored everything around me; dug deep and focussed on keeping the pace and breathing I had set for myself. Second last corner and I was running up a false flat, gotta love those roads that look flat but are really up hill. I continued to push hard with one corner to go. Someone from the sideline called out to a guy next to me, this spurred him on as he looked over his shoulder at me and stated 1m30sec to go. I knew what he was talking about; he had the same goal I had. I looked back at him and said, are you ready? Yes he replied, are you? Sure am mate, let’s do it!
From there we both picked up the pace like we were running for our lives, each man yelling at the other man to Go! Go! Go! It was all the encouragement we needed to get our goal times of sub 100mins, we fly around that final corner onto the home straight and yelled at each other one more time, to Go! Go! Go! And as I looked up at the time clock to the side of the finish line it read 1hour 39mins and 30seconds (official time 1hr 38mins 19secs), I had done it, I had run a PB for a half marathon!
If you have a look at the photos via the link below you can see how relieved I was in crossing the finish line www.marathon-photos.com/scripts/event.py?event=Sports/2011/Australian%20Running%20Festival&new_search=1&match=B728
It was the first run in ages that I really had to give my all to achieve the goal time, it was a fantastic feeling and I loved every second of it. From there I picked up my finishing medal, had a hot shower then off to a favourite cafe for well earned big breakfast and coffee.
This week I am having a rest then starting the second half of training on Monday. With less than 12weeks to the GCAM I have a lot of running to do but for now I will be resting and enjoying the result of three months of tough but enjoyable training.
Chat to you again soon, happy running, Simon.
