Dublin Marathon race report 2012

Dublin Marathon race report -29^th October

I finally cracked the magical sub 3.30 coming in at 3.27.17 and while it might appear to be a tight finish the truth be known I felt very comfortable for the duration of the race. I often read about “achieving flow” and while that might be a bit waffly for my taste I was in a very happy place from start to finish.

Met up with Don Golden in the Cliff townhouse on Stephens Green and we headed to Merrion Sq for the bag drop. This is my 3^rd Dublin Marathon but I just love the buzz and excitement of seeing 12,000 people arriving en mass in this wonderful celebration of human endeavour. The positivity of people never surprises me and I was in great form. Met up and spoke briefly with a few mallow lads a couple of whom were pushing for a sub 3. (Well done Noel and Mick.)

What did throw me was the disorganisation and crush that occurred in getting to the correct pen area. I had visions of Rome again but eventually all was sorted and at 8.55am  i was ready to go. Don was going for a sub 4 and slipped off down the back. I was keeping my eyes on the 3.30 pacers. They were probably 2 minutes in front of me but I wasn’t unduly worried. I had allowed for the usual congestion down Kildare St- O’Connell st and Phibsborough and the first few miles reflect this – 8.15, 7.57, 7.55. Neverthless what was surprising was that points of the course were crowded more so than usual, probably due to the increased numbers. One guy on a motorbike was trying to get through the crowds before we hit Phoenix Park. Some of the runners were not happy and I was worried it could get nasty. Either way he/she shouldn’t have been there but then again neither should have the slower runners who constantly slowed me down. I nearly tripped over a few guys feet going into the park and while I was hitting good times I wasn’t any closer to the pacer than I was when we started.

I also mentally couldn’t get into a proper race focus and my breathing was a bit erratic. I was feeling unsettled so I started to count backwards from 100 to 1. I know it sounds silly but by the time I got to 53 I was a lot calmer.  After mile 6 had to stop for a bathroom break  but managed to catch up with the pack by running along the pavement in the park. This was a bit of a godsend as it allowed me plenty of space to give slower  runners the slip and get closer to the pacers.  At mile 7 my watch read 55mins 40 seconds and things were slowly coming together. Mentally I was become totally tuned into the job at hand and I was taking no notice of the spectators, fellow runners or attempts at conversation by some crazy deranged Ennis woman. Heading down Chesterfield Ave my pacer guy pulled off the course to relive himself by a tree. It brought a great reaction from the crowd but I suspect John’s neck went a bit red. At mile 9 I consumed my first gel and almost got flattened at the water station for the 3^rd time. This was to prove a hazard throughout the course. Passed John Quigley of Eagle AC and cancer survivor fame at mile 10, a admirable and decent man. Came to a hill at mile 11 but managed it easily enough. At this stage I was running right beside the first 3.30 pacer  and I was feeling great. By mile 13.1 I was running alongside the other pacers passing the halfway mark in 1.43.54 and I was very relaxed. Miles 13 to 18 I ran right behind the pacers, close enough to tip them on the shoulder. I consumed gels at 13 and 17 and these were a great help. While it was cold weather wise, the temperatures were a lot warmer in the increasingly large group behind the pacers.

I nearly tripped up a few times as crowd down the back now started to push up. Annette Golden cheered me on at mile 17 and as we approached Dundrum I was beginning to wonder if this was the time to make my planned break ahead. The legs felt great and the heart rate and breathing was steady. Just was I was sizing up the options – a red haired lad from Offaly tapped me on the shoulder and introduced himself as Ultan. He complimented me on the blog and we exchanged pleasantries. Whether it was ego inflation or I was just feeling good I pressed ahead of the pacers. Thanks Ultan and well done on your time.

 I increased my pace to 7.50 a mile which wasn’t all that faster than my previous pace, the difference being I felt very comfortable. I toyed briefly with the idea of running all out but of course that would have been stupid. Spotted Paudie Birmingham at mile 19 (he was watching and taking photos, running New York next week). Again his support gave me another boost. I just couldn’t get over how relaxed I felt and I hit mile 20 after 2hrs38mins36seconds.

Nothing was going to stop me and all I had to do was run at a appropriate pace and keep the legs moving. The so called heartbreak hill at Roebuck road passed by without effort. Mile 22 at Stillorgan was negotiated without much effort and the next 4 miles were all downhill. The miles were flying by and after 3 hrs02 mins of running I had covered 23 miles which meant I was scheduled to get in under 3hrs28 minutes. I was getting a bit giddy at this stage at the prospect of reaching my goal and for the first time since mile 8 I became a bit tense.-

 At mile 24 I was finding things a small bit tougher but the adrenalin was pumping all over my legs. No chance of hitting the wall either. I kept the pace at 7.45- 7.50 and this was working out brilliantly. Susan O’Hanlon cheered me on at mile 25 and I got a lovely surprise spotting my buddy Aidan at Pearse St complete with camera. Rounding Trinity college and facing onto Dawson St I went a bit nuts doing a “Marco Tardelli” at mile 26. I looked around for Aoiffe at our prearranged spot but no sign of her (she was actually across the road – my mistake). Crossed the line in 3hrs27mins17seconds. A very very good day.

Post race went shopping with Aoiffe and out for a  meal. Met up with Don Golden and Annette and a few others in Keoghs for 4 or 5 pints. Happy times indeed.

Next marathon? Maybe Cork in June and Dublin or Frankfurt in October 2013. The plan will be even more ambitious- sub 3.15. Either way I don’t want to be going over 210 again, that’s for sure ;-) Sure I will take a few weeks off and take it from there.

Dublin marathon 3.27.17, 7.54 pace, No HR.

Mile splits at 10km 49.22, 13.1 miles-1hr43mins54seconds, 20miles -2hr38mins26seconds, 26.2miles-3hrs27mins16seconds