Week ending
19th October – Amsterdam marathon
For those
people who like to get to the point...... Three hours:thirty minutes:six
seconds. To put it another way – 3.30.06.
Coming into the Olympic Stadium for the final 500 metres I was pretty
sure I had done enough to sneak other the 3.30 barrier by a few seconds or so.
Then I started to panic when I realised with 200 metres I was going to fall
short by a few seconds. I gave it a mighty lash on the astro turf track,
sprinting full out, nearly bowling over a guy in front of me. The axe fell with only a few feet to spare
and I crossed the line pretty upset. I stopped the garmin with a reading of
3.30.14 with the course measuring 26.54 miles. So what happened?
In the week
leading up to the marathon I had done very little running, a six miler on
Tuesday and a 4 mile run up in Mayfield on Thursday. In terms of a goal time I
had started the training cycle in June with a ambition of sub 3.20 but I had
realised by August that was a tad ambitious. By October i had now revised my ambition to
3hrs25mins or failing that a sub 3.30. Training had gone well despite the
absence of any PB’s over 5 miles and 13.1 miles. In fact in most of the races I
entered I achieved a lot of second fastest times. Perhaps a portent of things
to come?
There was a
big gang from Mallow Ac going most of us doing the full marathon others doing
the half marathon. The main organiser Darragh Wiley had it all sussed out right
from the beginning from hiring a bus to the airport, directions to the expo,
booking a dinner the night before in Amsterdam, even getting a club flag and
organising a photo shoot right before race time. Most of the club runners were
heading over on the Saturday morning but I had booked my flights on the Friday
instead figuring that the extra days rest would be of benefit to me. Aoiffe, my
wife, came along as well determined to fit in a few art galleries and get a few
bargains in the flower market’s while we were there. Sharon, Caroline and Neil
were on the same flight. Everyone was in good form. I tucked into Roy Keanes new
book on the flight – a cracking read from a fellow Mayfield man. I appreciated
his humour.
Meeting up
for dinner on the Saturday night was a excellent idea- a very good social
occasion with everyone chatting away, drinking plenty of water and eating
enough pasta. Sunday – the morning of the race- was all business.
I was very
nervous on the morning, not so much about the race but getting the right train
and metro to the stadium. I need not have worried – all the marathon runners
were heading in the same direction. The bag drop in the stadium was slightly
confusing with some of the bags that were dropped in being passed out again by
the stewards. Apparently they didn’t have enough stickers to go around!!!!
I completely
forgot about the photo shot outside the stadium and headed in with Dermot,
Sharon and Caroline. The setting was lovely and the organisation (provided you
got there in time – race started at 9.30 am but you needed to be in there at
8.20 am) was good with people being guided to their correct pens. Maybe a few
more portaloos would have helped. Standing around with Dermot we did note there
was no sign of the pacers, this was to be a problem later on as many of them did a poor job of keeping time.
Anyway the
gun sounded and once the elites went off we followed suit. As we jogged to the
start line I started my garmin a tad early which meant my time was slightly
fast. By how much I had no idea but I wasn’t unduly worried. I was hopeful of
doing well. My plan was pretty simple. Run the first 15 miles at 8 minute pace
and push on for the last 11.2 miles. It was all on my shoulders now.
The first 5
km were a bit slow though. We seemed to be directed by the stewards in all
sorts of odd ways – some of us to the left and some of us to the right at
various points. Running through the Vondel park was nice and while the sun was
coming out the craic was good and the locals were giving good gusto. I
garmined the first 5 miles at 8.10,8.03,7.45,7.56,7.50 which meant I was under
8 minute pace so all good. John Paul was motoring ahead as was Dermot – they
were looking good for a PB. Another variable on the course apart from the
markers being in km were the water stations. Rather than handing out bottles
the organisers decided to hand out cups. Apart from being totally inadequate to
serve runners needs it meant time was lost walking through the stations or in
my case refilling the water bottle I carried. The sponges were a good idea
though and they were a aid to myself and other runners. To make it clear I am
not looking for excuses – after all it was the same for all other runners but
the water stations and the time lost there was a issue for me..
By mile 10
or 16 km we were running along the canal. This was going to the case for the
next 5 miles and crowd support was pretty sparse. The sun had thankfully
disappeared but the sky became overcast and the wind was beginning to whip up, nothing major but
unexpected never the less. I stopped for
a pitstop behind a tree and refilled my
water bottle for the second time at the water station The splits from 5 to 10
were as follows 7.40,8.07,7.37,7.43,8.38. The last mile was as a result of the
piss and the water refilling at the station. My garmin was reading 1.19.33 so I
was ok keeping in touch and feeling very comfortable. I was fit and I knew it.
Was I fast though?
The splits
at mile 11, 12 read 7.43 and 7.50. I was a minute ahead of schedule according
to the garmin. The problems begin when I hit the half way split. I was pretty
sure i was a minute or so ahead of schedule but the clock read
1hr45mins12seconds which meant i was actually a minute behind schedule.
This threw me slightly – obviously me reading my garmin distance in miles and
racing in kilometres wasn’t completely accurate. There was nothing left for it
but to push on. A PB wasn’t so much in the balance as was a sub 3.30.
By mile 15
we were back on the road again. I spotted Paudie cheering us on as was Brian O’Callaghan.My
watch read the time as 1.58.25 but given the problems with accurate reading of
the course and me starting the watch early meant this time could not be relied
on.
The field
was beginning to thin out quite a bit by mile 18 as many runners were reduced
to walking or in some cases completely pulling up. I felt very solid not in the
least bit troubled but at the same time I wasn’t able to push on as fast as I hoped. Mile 16 to
18 passed in 7.46,8.02 (water station),7.45. That said I was two minutes ahead
of 8 minute pace which probably meant I had made up the time lost at the half
way stage. Mile 19 and mile 20 passed in 7.41 and 7.55. Mile 20 on the course was particularly
important – this was 32km and my time at that point would tell me a lot. When I
reached 32 km the garmin read 20.2 miles and my time was 2hrs39minutes. It was
obvious now that for one reason or another I had made a bad job of racing the
course line but on the positive side I was just ahead of a sub 3.30 finish.
The wind
started to whip up a bit and to my surprise we started to encounter a number of
pulls and dips. So much for a flat course, it was nothing major but it was
unexpected. I know all this may sound negative but i was enjoying myself, some
of the bands and the crowds while small were a real delight.Mile 21, 22 and 23
passed in 7.55,7.55 and 8.14. Mile 23 was the toughest of the lot with a pretty
crappy bridge to deal with and a sharp drop down under a underpass. I spotted
Paudie and Brian again and I was delighted to see Aoiffe by the Rijksmuseum .
She shouted I looked very fresh. I wasn’t too sure about that and I indicated
thing s were beginning to look tight especially as the garmin now read the
course as 23.35 miles. I simply couldn’t get my head around it and as the mile
passed in 8.14, it was beginning to look tough.
By mile 24
we were reaching the Vondelpark again and I was hanging on a bit. I started to
count backwards from a 100 to 50 in order to keep my mind off the dark stuff. A
lot of runners were well beaten at this stage. I wasn’t far off it myself but
after seeing Aoiffe cheer me on I was determined to continue. Mile 24 passed in
8.07 and the garmin read 3hrs10seconds but because of the vagaries of the
course it probably meant I was closer to 3hrs12minutes in real terms. In other
words I had lost the minute I thought i had gained at mile 20. To be honest It
was a right fucking dose at this stage, the course wasn’t going to suit a
runner with such a tight PB.
At 40 km we
were beginning to leave the Vondelpark. It was guts or bust time. I had no idea
as to how i would get on. It was time to stop clock watching and get racing. At
mile 26 I turned back into the road
towards the stadium. I knew I was in trouble at this stage as the 26th
mile in the course read as 26.40 on the garmin and my time was 3.28.20. I started yelling
like a demented lunatic on the final finish on the track going over the line in
a garmin reading of 3.30.14. I was as they say, in soccer parlance, sick as a
parrot. Absolutely livid. The garmin measured the course as 26.54 but because
of me starting the garmin early I had no idea as to how I had really got on.
I chatted to
Dermot and John Paul as i left the stadium and they disappointed with their
times. Neither had Pb’ed but they are very good runners and they will bounce
back, Sharon was the best of the lot of us coming in under 3.15 but she too
felt it was a tough day at the office.
I headed
back to the hotel in slightly better form. My official time was 3.30.06. It was
my second fastest marathon run but six seconds away from a sub 3.30 was hard to
take. I had felt this was my last chance of a PB instead it was another second
fastest time.
I wonder
what would Roy Keane would make of it? Fail to prepare or to hell with the prawn sandwich brigade?
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