Week
ending 25th October 2015
The
evening of the Frankfurt marathon.
I didn’t PB coming in at 3.27.59 , a mere 45
seconds from a PB but this feels like a victory for me. I started training for
the Frankfurt marathon on June 1st but issues in the background made
running very difficult and stressful. Some of my family members were going
through hard times and running was not my priority.
Nevertheless I was able to
get the miles in and by the end of July I was in very good shape before I went
on my holidays. I had targeted a sub 3.20 time and a sub 3.22 as a B time , all
eminently achievable. I also hoped to get close to a 1hr30minutes for a half
marathon and was scheduled to run a variety of 10k and 5mile races. Then the
stomach bug hit me on the last day of my holidays and I missed 3 good weeks of
proper training , DNFing the Tullamore half marathon. My confidence was dented
and my fitness was compromised by September. Motivation was low and I doubted if
I would even get on the start line.
I
started again early in September and concentrated on running a LSR on Thursdays and MP
runs over the weekend.Everything else was rest or easy jogs. By October I was
back in some sort of shape and was hopeful of getting a PB, maybe not a sub 3.20
but sub 3.27 at least. Either way I had to get some measure of satisfaction as
I resolved to stop running marathons for the foreseeable future if I didn’t run
a good race.
Myself
and Aoiffe drove down to Farranfore airport meeting up with the rest of the
Mallow runners catching a flight to Frankfurt/Hahn and a 2 hour bus journey
into Frankfurt town itself. We settled into a solid enough hotel, even if the
area was a bit on the seedy side but only a 10 minute walk from the start line.
I was glad to say I slept very well on both nights and upon checking my resting
heart rate I was glad it was well under 50 beats – always a good sign. Saturday
we spent relaxing- going to the expo, mooching along to a art gallery and
sitting on my rear for most of the day drinking tea, water and eating food. I
felt good and was happy to be here with my wife and clubmates.
Sunday
morning I was feeling in very good form meeting up with a large group of club
mates and feeling pretty confident. I was wearing a 3hr27minutes pace band
which was enough to aim for a small PB. I also had my garmin working off
kilometres rather than miles, a issue which cost me a sub 3.30 last year in
Amsterdam. The organisation of the marathon was pretty impressive and close to 10
am local time our race started.
I
wasn’t too far behind the pacers for the first 8 km but the pace was a lot faster
than 4.55 km pace/ 7.57 mile pace. The first 5 miles involve a series of what
seemed a bewildering series of loops around the city and I was boxed in for the
first 40 minutes or so. However what served to bother me was that the sweat was
running off me in gallons. I was finding the heat/humidity a real issue. Temperatures
wise it was only 10 degrees but the combined heat of the runners as well the
tall skyscrapers ensured there wasn’t a puff of air anywhere. Every other runner
looked to be coping well enough which made me feel even more anxious, so maybe
it was a Irish thing. Paudie and Denis later said they had similar issues as
well. It also meant by around 10km I had drunk the entire contents of my water
bottle and had used my gel a tad early. That said though once we got outside
the central business district and into more open areas I felt a lot better.
After 10km I had also caught up with the pacers and was getting into my stride.
After
that I was in good running form and was running shoulder to shoulder with the
pacers up until the halfway mark. I ran according to the km markers and my pace
band rather than the splits on the garmin as the watch was around 2 minutes out
per each mile or 45 seconds per kilometre. It was however practically
impossible to follow the blue line as the crowding was still a issue so it was
easier to run behind the pacers instead. That said there was the usual argy
bargy at the water cup stations with one guy giving me a handoff at around 20k
that Richie McCaw would be proud of. One of the other runners asked was I ok I
nodded in the affirmative and plodded on. It’s the way it goes, no harm done.
I
reached the halfway mark in 1hr 43 minutes and at this point I had two choices. 1)Stick with pacers for a further two miles or2) push on for the second half. I was
feeling very relaxed and I was enjoying my race so I thought it was time to opt
for the latter approach.
The
people of Frankfurt seemed to be coming in large enough numbers to support the
event and there was good craic from the various bands along the route. I was
feeling very solid and by 30km I was around 10 seconds ahead of my 3hr27min
target. By 32km I was around 15 seconds ahead of schedule and didn’t feel in
the least bit troubled. At this stage it was time to push on a bit further and
see what did I have left. While there was one or two small pulls the course was
indeed flat and straight with a nice few downhills. I spotted Denis Cronin gave
him a thumbs him and he responded in kind. He looked in good shape.
The
crowd around me begin to thin out a bit and there was a lot more walking
wounded making their presence felt. The legs were beginning to felt sore but I felt
mentally positive and with less than 6 miles left or 48 minutes running I was
pretty sure I was going to finish on the upward curve. This was confirmed to me
at mile 23 which came in at 3hrs which gave me a 3/4 minute advantage ahead of the
3hr30min time. I was also running down Mainzerstrasse , the place where our
hotel was situated and where Aoiffe was on hand to cheer me on.
Yeah
I was feeling cocky…
…..then
the car crash happened.
It felt like the air was deflating out of my
body and the energy levels begin to drop. I was also feeling a bit lightheaded
with one spectator shouting at me to keep at it. (At least I think that’s what they
said- no Deutsch). I was resolved to keep running or shuffling along as long as
I could but I was feeling fckud.
What was really beginning to cause the damage
was having to run the last 4k in the same route as the first 4 k which meant
looking at those horrible skyscrapers. I also had to deal with the small path of cobblestones and
a mentally draining out and back portion where all the faster runners were
belting it.
I
stopped and walked for around 20 seconds at mile 24 and shuffled on again at
mile 25 before I walked for a another 20 seconds. I really thought I was going
to drop down, the brain had gone into a freeze and the legs were really throbbing.
However as they say “Pain is only temporary”, and I knew I was well able to
finish out the last mile.
Perhaps
my breakaway at mile 13 was a bit early or maybe my band aid training methods
in September were catching up on me. The last half a mile seemed to go for ever
ending in a straight run up towards the
Egbert (sic) strasse taking a sharp left towards the Festhalle. The run in into the
hall is pretty cool alright. I managed a half token arms up in the air gesture
crossing the line in 3hrs27mins59seconds. No repeat of Amsterdam 2014, this
time the clock was on my side.
I
was shattered. I had left it all out there. It wasn’t a PB but it was a
personally satisfying time. It was also my 10th marathon and my
second sub 210 minutes. Next time I hope to set my heights higher.
The
rest of the clubmates ran some cracking times, in particular Noel who came in
at 2hrs49minutes35seconds while Sharon ran a brilliant 3hrs10minutes54seconds.
My time was a lot more humbler. It was probably the poorest training cycle I
ever undertook but in many ways my best ever marathon.It was also the best
course I ever ran on.
When's the next one ? I don't know.
Happy
days.
 |
| Post race drinks and chats in O'Reilly's, Frankfurt. |
 |
| The morning of the race |
