Last Sunday I completed my second marathon. Here is my race report:
I didn't do as much training as I should have. Part of me is using moving house as an excuse but I know really that it only really used up two days of my life and I had plenty of time to train. I'm just a bit lazy sometimes. Plus I find it a bit of a waste of my weekend to spend 3 hours pounding the pavement, its not that I struggle its just I think of the other things I could be doing. I guess if its an interesting pretty route you don't resent it as much but if you are covering 30+km its tricky to do it all in a scenic environment.
Michael-clease decided he was happy to come with me and busy himself while I was running and I was happy to have the company on the journey. I got up at 5:45am and had my usual breakfast of champions,
Porridge, banana, sunflower seeds, chia seeds and honey, and we left at 6:15am. We arrived at the start line at about 7:15 for the 7:30 start. The website had said arrive an hour early, I know from experience that thats not normally necessary unless maybe theres a big group of you and it takes a long time to get organised. 15mins was maybe not quite enough time as I didn't have time to go to the toilet!
So after just a few minutes we were off. The first part of the run is over the harbor bridge, its a great start! Great views, you feel happy to be alive and wonder if this is one of the great races on earth. I found myself next to the 4hr15 pace group and ran along happily. Little did I know Michael-Clease was watching from the foot path! I was going strong, the 4:15 group didn't seem as strong so I sped up a little. I ended up near the 4:00 group. I dared myself to wonder if this could turn into a sub 4:00 marathon, sure my training hadn't been that fast but i'd carb loaded and this was my second one!
As we headed up Oxford street 4:15 pace group caught me, turns out I was struggling a little already. I must have been about 8km in.
We reached Centennial park and boy that was tough! Lots of rounds and there and back agains. It did give us a chance to see the leaders which is always inspiring and give them a little clap as they came by, I doubt they appreciate it really but we tell ourselves they do.
Midway though the park at around the 21km mark I wondered if I really could finish this run. It is a long walk back to the finish line so I had little option but to keep going for now. If I am still going by the 30km mark, I thought to myself, I won't give up.
I think it was towards the end of the Centennial section, 28k, that the 4:30 pace group overtook me (hangs head in shame). I persevered through Hyde park and into the Rocks. At around 32km I could see Circular Quay, my hip was a little sore. I moved over the edge of the road limping a little, I started to stretch out my hip. It didn't need it. The shame of giving up was too much to bare, I couldn't tell my friends that I had quit. The only good excuse was an injury so I was playing along in my faux injury charade.
I snapped out of it! I have put in hundreds of kms of training to give up 10 from the end!
Little did I know the next 8 where the most boring 8 you will ever run! Lucky I didn't know! I slogged it out, running for 5minutes and allowing myself 1min of walking in between, I stuck to the shade as by this time it was nearing midday and getting up to 22C.
Finally I made the 40km mark. I managed to run the rest. The section round circular quay was amazing, crowds were cheering my on, I felt like an elite athlete. After 4hrs 42mins I crossed the finish line, unlike my first marathon I vowed I would be back again! And this time it would be a PB!
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Sorry Marathon-photos I do plan to buy the official one but just haven't yet
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