Murphy's Law

All week I had been looking forward to the Athlone 3/4 marathon. Thursday I did a mile warm-up and a 6 mile tempo at 6.40 pace with a short cool down. Friday was rest, and Saturday I did 4 miles at 7 min pace. I was working on lates all week, which meant finishing and getting home after midnight every night, so I was pretty tired as the week came to a finish. I got home about half past midnight on Saturday night and bed just after 1. I didn't pack my bag with my gear for Sunday morning, sure I could do it while my breakfast settled before collecting the lads.

As usual before a race I am nervous about, I didn't sleep very well. I kept having dreams about waking late and missing the race, so when I woke up at one stage I looked at the clock. 8.19. Shiiiiit, I was supposed to collect the lads in one minute, I slept in. Well that will happen when you forget to set the feckin alarm! So, no bag packed, no breakfast, not a great start. Phoned the lads, eh, running a bit late! Raced around, packed back, porridge in microwave, took bowl and spoon and into the car. Going out I took my sports drink, and, even though I don't use them, I reckoned I might just take a spare gel I had in the press, 'just in case'.

We swapped about half way and Brian drove so I could eat my breakfast. 8.20 was already a tight time schedule, and now we were 15 mins behind that. Got there, found registration, got changed. Couldn't find guy who would place my sports drink at the 8 mile point for me. So, to be delicate, normally in the morning, I have a certain 'routine' which the body likes, and this did not happen at home due to the hasty departure! So the rest of the time before the race was spent looking for a facility, of course anyone who has been to any race knows there are always queues, so when I eventually got a portaloo, no toilet paper! So off I had to go with a 'full load' as it were. This was not going well. Brian C could not run the race due injury, but was marshalling. When I came out of the hotel looking for a toilet, everyone had gone! Off they went to the start line and I had to try and pass hundreds to get near the start, then GO!

Off I went, gel in one hand, 500ml bottle of lucozade in other. The weather was good for running, when we started it was calm and overcast and about 15 degrees. I had planned a 6.55 pace.

Mile 1 @ 6.45
Mile 2 @ 6.52
Mile 3 @ 7.04
Mile 4 @ 6.41
Mile 5 @ 7.06
Mile 6 @ 6.54
Mile 7 @ 6.48

So the timings were not too bad, the slower miles were generally on the uphill segments, and I banked a small bit for the hilly miles on the downhills. What was really annoying was carrying the lucozade. Those big bottles are pretty heavy, and throw your form out a lot, so I decided to drink as much as I could from about 4 miles on to get rid of the bottle.

Mile 8 @ 7.10 (hill)
Mile 9 @ 6.49

I had drank 3/4 of the bottle and decided to throw the rest away. I wanted to free up both my hands, so I decided it would be a good time to take the gel.

Mile 10 @ 6.39
Mile 11 @ 6.57

To this point, only about two runners had passed me, and I had passed quite a few. I was feeling strong and thought I was going well. It had started to rain quite heavily at about mile 7 and I was soaked through, but that's the joys of running and we were all in the same boat. At about this time I began to get a bit of a stitch in my side and tried to ignore it. I needed to burp badly but couldn't, and when I did, I got sick lucozade sport in my mouth. The stitch began to get worse, much worse.

Mile 12 @ 6.47
Mile 13 @ 7.20

On mile 13, I had to stop with the pain of the stitch. I bent over touching my toes to try and get rid of it, and it helped a bit.

Mile 14 @ 6.58

I was really struggling with major stitches and pain, and trying my best to shuffle through. The legs wanted to go, but the pain under my ribcage and lower abdomen was killing me. I really felt like crying, I wanted to run but couldn't. I stopped again, bent over in agony, and I could see some concerned faces running up from behind me, the phoenix park tragedy probably still fresh in everyone's mind, and I waved them on to keep going saying it was just a stitch.

Mile 15 @ 7.09
Mile 16 @ 7.16
Mile 17 @ 7.31

The stitch had started to subside at about 17 miles, but at that stage, I was spent. Whether it was the stitch or I had gone out too fast or a combination of both did not matter. I was NOT enjoying this. My feet were squelching with wet and I was fed up. I just plodded along praying for the finish, but with the dreaded 18 mile hill to go. And so I met the hill, which is at 18.5 miles. I put the head down and kept running. I passed a few guys who were walking, but I just kept thinking, a slow run is faster than a fast walk. ( unless you are Robert Heffernan ).

Mile 18 @ 7.34
Mile 19 @ 8.15
Last .7 @ 5.24 to finish at 2.20.20. A nice even time.

It was a really tough race for me, the hills were killers. After a hot shower and a coffee on the way home, I felt pretty good, with not much soreness in the legs after a stretch out. The run reminded me of why I don't like marathon's, or runs over 15 miles. I don't enjoy them and I am not good over the longer distances. having said that, my target for the run was 2.20, and I achieved that, so its not all bad. I knew before the run that gels didn't agree with me, but of course, I just don't learn that quickly!

Well done to my fellow club mate Glen, who came in two minutes behind me with a very solid run, steady as always. And of course our coach, Gary O'Hanlon, who won the event in fine style!