42.2

What to say about running 42k? (marathon distance, 26.2 miles)

I guess the big thing is that I achieved the goal I’ve had in mind for the last few years. I was going to say “working towards” but that’s not really true. I’ve just been running. Just enjoying being able to get out there and do it.

Considering I was aiming for 40 secs/km faster than the last time I ran 40km, it was definitely not a sure thing. If I had a good run I'd think it was possible, and if I had a bad run I'd think it was out of reach.

I managed to finish two minutes under my goal. Secretly I had hoped to do slightly better but considering it’s my first marathon, and at the age of 61, I’m happy with it.

I was quite nervous before I started. I'm not sure why. There certainly wasn’t any pressure. No one even knew I was going out to do it. Of course, once I got started the nerves went away. 

It wasn’t perfect conditions, but it wasn’t too bad. These warm fall days get quite cool at night and then heat up fast. At 7c it was a little cold when I started, and at 19c it was a little warm when I finished. Thankfully it was sunny with almost no wind when it was cold, and breezy and overcast when it was warm.

I probably should have tapered a bit more before this effort. I reduced my mileage for the week but it was only last Sunday that I ran my fastest half marathon. Two major efforts within a week probably isn't ideal.

I went twice around a roughly 21 km loop. I deliberately chose familiar ground that I’d run countless times before. I thought about running one of the loops in reverse for variety but I decided for this I wanted familiarity and comfort more than variety. I think it was the right choice.

I wore my running vest with two 500ml bottles. That wasn’t enough fluids so I stashed a refill bottle in the bushes at the start/end of the loop. To speed up the process refilled the soft bottles without taking them out of the vest. It worked, but I spilled sugary water on myself which made for a somewhat sticky second lap. In the end I drank about 1.5 liters. As expected, I drank more in the warmer second lap.

I used Tailwinds in my water and got about 400 calories from that. To ensure I get a consistent intake, I make a point of drinking a small amount every kilometer when my watch beeps with my pace. In addition I ate three Huma gels (at roughly 10km, 20km, and 30km) for another 300 calories. (I prefer the Huma fruit puree rather than the usual honey/syrup texture.) That’s about as much calories as I could stomach. As it was, I wasn’t too excited about that last gel. But it was a caffeinated one so I had some motivation to choke it down. I had practiced on long runs with Tailwinds and Huma gels so I was pretty sure it would go down ok. I didn’t bonk or “hit the wall” so I’d say it did its job. By the end, puking seemed like a possibility, but I think that was just the effort. The feeling went away as soon as I finished.

My pacing went pretty well. Almost all my kilometers were within a few seconds of my target pace, mostly under. I had a slight negative split (second half slightly faster) which is what I was aiming for. At about 35 km things were going pretty well and I remember thinking I might have something left for a kick at the end. That was overly optimistic. By the end it was less a question of whether I could physically go faster, and more a matter of convincing myself that I really did want to keep running.

I read recently that if at any time in the first 30 km you think you went out too fast, you probably did. I forced myself to stick close to my goal pace for the first 30 km. If I wanted to go faster I would do that in the last 10 km. Of course, by the last 10 km I didn't feel much like going faster.

By the time I finished it was getting busy, as you’d expect on one of the last nice days of fall. But by that time I didn’t really care. I was in a world of my own. Other people were simply obstacles I had to go around to finish what I was doing. I made a point of trying to smile since that’s supposed to improve performance (and it was a beautiful fall day), but I’m afraid that went by the wayside for the last few kilometers.

I did gaze longingly at my usual coffee stop. It seemed unfair that I get to stop for coffee on my training runs, but not now, when I really needed it.

I ended up with a black toenail but that wasn’t a surprise, that toe is often an issue. Otherwise, I got through it relatively unscathed. As usual after really long runs my neck and shoulders were a bit sore. I can feel my quads slightly. During the run I had a slight ache in the outside of one knee, probably a remnant of my old IT band issues. But it never got painful and disappeared after I finished. I think I was in adequate shape. Not in shape to go any faster, but enough to do what I wanted without any damage.

Could I go faster? I think so, if I could keep up my mileage. Not a lot faster, but I could probably cut a few minutes. I think I’m pretty close to the Boston qualifying time for my age group. Not that I have the slightest desire to run with umpteen thousand other people, but it would be a number to aim for.