Running race (Belfast City Marathon) 3:15:30 [4] 42.57 km (4:36 / km) +200m 4:29 / km
shoes: Saucony Ride 7
...so, how not to run a marathon -go hard and nearly go home!
Simply started too fast, the road ahead was opening up easier than ever before and I took off into it. Planned for 20min 5kms but as it felt so easy it was 6km before I looked at the watch and 22mins. Then turned into the headwind on sydenham bypass and ran harder again just to keep some momentum and to get it done. A 1hr 5min 10miles was the reality check to ease off up the antrim road and down to Gideon's green. Thought I might stick with the 3 hour pacers but that group had disintegrated and splintered. Duncrue was tough mentally, I had blown up, not sufficiently trained for the distance and couldn't find any rhythm, even walked a while. Approaching the final relay change I thought about quitting -briefly. I got handed a caffeinated gel from a fellow waterworks parkrunner and that sparked the mind into calculating that a 3:15 finish was possible. It was a horrible pace to run, I wasn't catching anyone and I was passed by the 3:15 pacers at mile 23. I concentrated on form and breaking down the distance ahead and was spurred on by the noise of Ormeau and Ravenhill roads. Halfway down Ravenhill a guy in front was weaving unsteadily around and then went down. I got to him a he wanted lifting up so managed that until a paramedic came over and then a spectator who could then both support him. I carried on, finished and then meandered back to Botanic for a closing shift.