DNFing in Lanzarote... :-(

Thursday, 5th December, 2013 – 6.5km Recovery Run (5:30/km)

This was just a relaxed run to keep the legs ticking over. Nothing to report.

Friday, 6th December, 2013 – Rest Day

Arrived into Lanzarote around 6pm and spent the evening with family who were already here so kept this as a rest day. Still feeling good for Sunday.

Saturday, 7th December, 2013 – 6.0km Recovery Run (5:23/km)

Went out for a run along the seafront this afternoon. It was pretty breezy out which both helped to cool but also to slow me down a little. Not sure how this will work tomorrow...

Sunday, 8th December, 2013 – 19.3km Lanzarote marathon - DNF

Well that wasn't the way it as supposed to happen! After going for a meal last night where I had Chicken Cordon Bleu I woke this morning with dodgy stomach issues. 2 visits to the toilet pointed towards an eventful race in store! I had to get a taxi from my apt to the race HQ and then get a free bus from there to the start. While waiting around at the start area I had to use the facilities once more and things weren't much improved.

I decided I'd stick to my plan regardless so off we went at 9am. The first 5km were uphill and I had accounted for this with my pacing strategy. By the end of this section I was pretty much on track so it was now meant to flatten out for the next 7km. This never really happened though as it was quite undulating so hard to zone in on a consistent pace. By the 8km marker I was beginning to realise that I simply was not in racing form today so I paused at this water station to take a salt tablet, knowing I'd be especially prone to electrolyte/hydration issues with my stomach the way it was. 

The next 5km was an out and back section to the same water station and this was getting to be more and more difficult. My HR was not especially high but the effort felt much worse than MP effort. I stopped at the same station to take more water and let the body relax. By now all thoughts of a fast marathon were out the window and I was more concentrating on a strategy to simply finish the run. Worse case scenario I thought was I 'd do the HM course and at least finish one of the races.

Immediately after the 13km station we turned right towards Costa Teguise and this signalled the start of a 5km downhill section to the town. Things should be easier here and I felt it was a good stage to ease back and recover somewhat. The truth was far different. About 1km later I had to pull in to the side of the road thinking I was going to throw up but after 10 seconds I knew it wasn't gonna happen so I rejoined the race. This was feeling physically very sore now as well as my stomach issues, so it was no surprise to me that when I hot the 15km marker and there was a tiny uphill section which forced me to walk that my race was over. If I was feeling this bad since almost the start and it was only getting worse then there really was no point in continuing. Not that it was a mental choice - My body was simply saying no!

After making that decision I still had to walk the 4.5km back to race HQ and even this was a real struggle. I couldn't even force myself into a slow jog on the remaining downhills. I was very relieved to be back at HQ when I eventually arrived. The heat had added it's tuppence worth to factors by now so all it took was a small sip of coke to set me off. I had to go off and find a discreet spot to heave my guts up! In the mix I could see the remains of last night's dinner which I cursed as the offending party.

Oh well, nothing to be done now. That evening I went home and slept for 16hrs solid. Definitely not right! To be honest, with the hilly/undulating nature of the first 20km and the ever-present wind on the course I doubt I'd have managed to get the time I was hoping for anyways so not quite as disappointing as Rotterdam DNF earlier in the year but a pain in the guts regardless!

Week 48 Summary:

RTW: 5 from 7 days

DTW: 46.6 km

DTY: 3,692.2 km

The following week I was recovering from the food poisoning and effort before just relaxing and enjoying my hols until I returned to Ireland. Decided to take the rest of the week off too and start afresh on the following Monday.

Week 49 Summary:

RTW: 0 from 7 days

DTW: 0.0 km

DTY: 3,692.2 km

Dublin Marathon

Monday, 28th October, 2013 – 42.2km Dublin Marathon (4:00:34 – 5:42/km)

Lead-up:

I jumped straight into a taxi and arrived home to Santry within ten minutes whereafter I was lying in bed within no time. Again though I struggled to sleep and in what felt like no time I was on my feet again getting ready for the final piece of the jigsaw.

Race morning:

I managed to find a spot on Haddington Road to park and after a short walk I found myself bumping into some of the 3:50 and 4hr pacers (Olwyn, Frank & Dave). Lots of congratulations from the folks regarding my two US marathons before settling down. I eventually managed to locate my work colleague Colm who had collected my race number in my absence. Around this time I ran into Felim also who had agreed to run at my pace (approx 3:55 marathon time) as he was coming back from injury himself.

The dreaded weather forecasts of the previous week managed to highlight Met Eireann’s deficiencies yet again and we were all very happy to have such pleasant conditions instead of the gale force we’d been promised. I decided to take off the MCM white cool down jacket before we started but persisted with the gloves and cap for the first few miles at least, til I warmed up. The rough plan was to stay in between the 3:50 and 4:00 pacing groups and maintain that until the end. Ideally I was looking for sub 4hrs but I wasn’t too hung up about times at all as the main goal was just to finish it.

Miles 0 - 13.1:

We were very close to the front of the second wave so the congestion wasn’t too bad really, although we did have to stop and walk around the first corner. The organisers set it up so that we started exactly 10 mins after the first wave. This was useful to me because before leaving home I noticed my Garmin must have turned itself on during the flight as it was now dead. In its absence I decided to use the Garmin Fit app on my phone. So, once we crossed the start line I initiated the tracking and then stored it away in my belt wallet as I have done many times before. By the time I crossed the line an extra 11 seconds had elapsed which meant I could simply take 10:11 off every clock I’d see around the course and that would be my time.

The first few miles passed by quickly by chatting away to Felim (who was wearing 2 litres of water in his backpack, yet he never went near his personal supply once during the race, instead preferring to take the course water provided!). As we were discussing plans for next year I mentioned something about the 24hr race in Belfast when a fellow runner pricked up his ears. It turned out to be George from Athenry/Australia who is the husband of RuthAnn Sheehan - the ladies winner in Belfast! And so it was that the three of us kept each other company til the halfway mark having a bit of craic and generally helping time pass.

Photos courtesy of here.

We maintained position – approx 100m behind the 2:50 pacers - all the while and things were good all round. I could feel my left quad getting a pounding coming down the Upper Glen hill in the Park but once we were back out on the flat it was fine again. Some great crowds lined the route through Chapelizod, Kilmainham and Crumlin which was a great distraction too. Caught up to Kevin/Sideswipe around Crumlin who was pacing the race for his brother. We chatted for a couple of miles before the pair of them kicked on for a sub 3:50.

Passed through 10km at 8:52/mile pace and then through halfway a little quicker at 8:41/mile pace for 1:54:47. Well inside my target but it just felt like the most comfortable speed to run at.

Miles 13.1 - 26.2:

Not long after halfway I could feel that Felim’s pace was increasing further and that my breathing was getting a little heavier so I cut him loose and told him I’d see him in the pub afterwards. Around this time George drifted off into the distance too so I was left to concentrate on getting to the finish line in one piece. To be honest I was happy enough that this was the case because even the casual chatting was beginning to take it out of me!

By the time I reached Terenure College water station I stopped briefly to spray water onto my legs to help soothe tight muscles. While walking I took a gel and some jelly beans as I was quite hungry by now. By the time I was back running I’d only lost about 50m on those around me so not bad at all. Spend a few seconds here to avoid spending a few minutes later!

I managed to keep going solidly for the next few miles but by the time I reached the top of the hill at Miltown it was time for another cooling off for my legs. There was Lucozade Sport here too so I took a mouthful before realising my body didn’t take too kindly to this! My stomach was beginning to feel a bit nauseous now so I had to be careful about what I consumed from here to the finish.

I only lost about a minute here but it was enough to turn around and see if I could spot the 4hr pacers. Thankfully they were still nowhere in sight so I continued on my way, up past Clonskeagh and eventually up Roebuck Hill. I’ve got to say this was a really enjoyable area with the way the organisers had laid on the music and the arch/wall. It was enough to ensure I continued up the incline without fail and then could ease off back down Foster’s avenue. Before long I was on Nutley Lane, down by RTE. I knew there was a water stop around here and I was eager to soothe the legs again. I also downed a couple of jellies but this was tricky by now with my dodgy stomach. It wasn’t long after here that I managed to spot Felim on the side of the course getting some treatment from a physio. Thankfully it wasn’t too serious and he was back running again not long after.

I never really enjoy the run in from St. Vincent’s to the finish and this year was no exception. I plodded along, all the while getting slower – mainly due to the dodgy stomach and poor nutrition. A couple of more short walking breaks to pour more water on my legs before cresting the Everest that is Grand Canal bridge! I was now on the final two miles of the course but as I reached the water station I had to step off the course briefly as I thought I was going to get sick. Thankfully it didn’t happen but when I returned to the course the 4hr gang were in sight, just 50m behind me. I was thinking that as long as I stayed about 20 secs in front of them I should be good for sub 4. However, within a minute I was back off the course again around the 25mile mark. This time there was no holding back and I ended up dry heaving against the wall for about 2 minutes. Eventually a bystander asked if I was ok, and thankfully by that time I was pretty good to go on. After my first few steps I realised I actually felt quite a bit better than a few minutes before. I then realised the 4hr gang had passed and were now out of sight. Running more freely now though I managed to pick up the pace on the final lap of Trinity College and by now I was passing people every 5 seconds. It felt like I was sprinting I was passing out so many and my main concern now was that I’d blow up before the line. Instead however, I ended up passing about 70-80 runners over that last mile and by the time I was running down Nassau Street I was full of life again! With 200m to go I knew sub 4 was gone so decided to showboat a little by doing a poor man’s 'airplane' on the run in and then attempting a very tired ‘Dargan’ jump over the finish line. I didn’t care though, I was finished at last!

Immediately post-run I started to feel cold and stiff so I had to make a choice between getting to the warm pub or returning to the car which was further away and less appealing. Pub won out and I got to meet lots of familiar heads in there with many having run great times and others simply having enjoyed pacing duties. A few disappointing runs but there will be other days to fix them! Unfortunately not all finishers got to enjoy the after run party spirit and one 27 year old – Ricki Savage from the UK - failed to recover after collapsing just after the finish line. Condolences to his family and friends.

I took the remainder of the week off from any running in what was the longest non-running period I can remember for quite a while. No harm though and definitely good in the long term I’m sure.

Week 44 Summary:

RTW: 1 from 7 days

DTW: 42.2 km

DTY: 3,389.4 km

Marine Corps Marathon, Washington DC

Wow, it's taking me bloody ages to catch back up to date on this blog! Anyways, here's another 10 days worth...

Friday, 18th October, 2013 – 8.0km SLC Recovery Run (45:57 – 5:36/km)

For most of the following week all thoughts of running were ignored. We did lots of touristy things as well as too much drinking and eating than what was good for us. In amongst all that we caught a Chicago Bulls v Detroit Pistons game at the United Centre, followed by rushing to see Bell X1 play in a local bar later the same night. But by Thursday it was time for myself and Stephen to depart Chi Town for Mormon town, or Salt Lake City as it’s properly called.

A quick visit to their Temple was not very enlightening on their belief system. In fairness the religion does seem to mean that there is little crime and the city feels anything but dangerous. On the flip side though all that clean living leads to a boring old town so we were happy enough to be out of there once Aidan arrived from Ireland.

On Saturday morning we met up with local residents Tim, Brian and Carmen and set off for Moab in the South of the State for some mountain biking. This was great craic but my limited MTB skills meant that some of the trails were simply too demanding and technical for me so I missed out on the lads trip down Porcupine Rim. Fortunately Stephen had a ‘Go Pro’ camera so he managed to catch the experience although I'm sure biking alongside 400m cliff drops was much more terrifying in reality! It did make me pine for my own MTB to be brought out of storage though!

Week 42 Summary:

RTW: 1 from 7 days

DTW: 8.0 km

DTY: 3,264.6 km

Monday, 21st October, 2013 – 15.8km SLC Easy Run (1:21:56 – 5:11/km)

Tuesday, 22nd October, 2013 – 8.0km Philly Recovery Run (45:32 – 5:26/km)

Thursday, 24th October, 2013 – 8.5km Philly Recovery Run (47:02 – 5:28/km)

Saturday, 26th October, 2013 – 7.3km Washington DC – National Mall (39:54 – 5:27/km)

Just a few easy runs to keep me fresh for the MCM/DCM double and again there’s not a lot to report about them. Lots of travel this week and also too much beer and food in the early part of the week so at least I eased back on the beer in the second half! This last run was around the National Mall in DC and things were feeling good!

Sunday, 27th October, 2013 – 43.0km Marine Corps Marathon (3:50:01 – 5:18/km)

Morning:

The alarm clock had me awake by 6am and even at that there was no time for dallying. A small breakfast of some pre-bought food and I was out the door. Fortunately, my hotel was only a 2 min walk from the metro station and then it was only 4 stops to race start. I had read that it was a good idea to purchase a day pass for $14 as the queues would be very busy post race. So, this I did as I would be getting three journeys on the train today so it almost made financial sense too. The journey itself took less than 20mins in total, and so by 7:15am I arrived at the Pentagon stop and casually made my way to the starting line. This was a 1 mile walk and it was pretty easy to skirt along the side of the crowd before reaching the 4hr pacers. While on my way to the start area I was on the lookout for portaloos but the queues were ginormous! However, just before I jumped into my corral area there was a row of toilets with zero people waiting on them - My lucky day! A quick visit and I was back to my starting position within 2 minutes. As we waited for the race to start I did notice the distinct lack of non-Americans. Perhaps the jingoistic nature of the Marine Corps turns foreigners off the event I guess. Personally I didn't really care as long as it wasn’t too ‘in my face’ and so far it wasn't (apart from the Expo with the multitude of stands dedicated to all forms of US Defence Forces, and God!).

Kms 0 - 10km:

Another US Marathon another dodgy PA system! The announcer was doing his best to get the participants going but the system failed to match his enthusiasm so in the end the only real way we knew the race was started was the fact that the slow shuffle forward had begun! There was approximately 6.5mins elapsed on the clock by the time I sauntered under it and we were away.

The first 4 miles on the course are pretty hilly with very little even ground. The good news though was that it all flattens out after that. So, my main aim was to hold a relaxed effort for this section and then get to grips with a 22 mile race when we arrived in Georgetown. This tactic was the only one available to me in reality as there was so much congestion that I wouldn't have been able to go any faster if I wanted! I also seemed to be accompanied by the most selfish runners in the World as many of them veered left and right (with headphones on!) without a care for their fellow runners who often had to brake suddenly to avoid tripping over them. This really got on my nerves so I was happy when pockets of space managed to appear about 30 mins into the race.

Surprisingly, by as early as 5.5km I needed another bathroom break. This was unexpected for me as I usually manage the whole race without a visit but here I was having to use the toilet twice in half an hour! To make matters even worse there were no portaloos around but after holding it in for a couple of kms we passed through a tree-laden section of the course and there was a bunch of other male runners using the natural facilities, and I thought I may as well avail of the opportunity too. So, after a loss of about 40 seconds I was back running the downhill again.

We passed over the bridge and into Georgetown briefly around km 8 and that was the worst of the hills behind us. Now it was just a wee jog to the finish! I decided to maintain the effort so what was a tough enough opening 5km was now transformed into a much improved pace for the next 5km thanks to the flatter profile.

0 – 5km: 30:08 (6:01/km)

5 – 10km: 27:02 (5:23/km)

Kms 10 - 20km:

There was an out and back section between 9km to 15km. This was along a river park type area and fairly pleasant but it got boring after a while. Also, the turnaround point was basically a point in the road so as we had about 10 people wide trying to take the 180 turn we inevitably slowed to a walk. Hardly ideal 12km into a marathon!

Once we were done with this section though we were back out amongst the crowds and were now heading along the North/East bank of the Potomac river. This was a very pleasant and flat part of the course and it was around here that I noticed myself speeding up, hence the 5:16/km for the fourth 5km split. Things were feeling pretty good now.

10 – 15km: 28:38 (5:43/km)

15 – 20km: 26:23 (5:16/km)

Kms 20 - 30km:

I got a little anxious that I was going too fast too soon so I reigned myself in a little bit over the next 5km as we passed through Halfway in 1:57:59 – Well up on my 4hr target and I felt I hadn’t even started running properly yet. Around this point also I passed the 4hr pacers. I didn’t bother to pause with them any longer than I needed to pass through their gaggle of runners and overtake the whole group.

Over the next 5km I got chatting to a guy also wearing the Chicago 2013 top. Turns out he was from Illinois and we chatted about Chi Town and the Marathon briefly. After about a mile he had enough and wanted to ease back to his own pace – I’m sure it had nothing to do with the sparkling conversation! This 5km split was the fastest of the day and my first sub 5min segment. I was still holding myself back for Dublin a fair bit though so I had faith in my quicker than planned pace.

We were now running around the National Mall with all the sites spread around us. It made for a really cool place to run and the time passed by in an instant so before we knew it we were facing into the final 12km stretch!

HM1: 1:57:59 (5:35/km)

20 – 25km: 26:52 (5:22/km)

25 – 30km: 24:54 (4:58/km)

Kms 30 – 42.2km:

The next few kms were somewhat boring as we passed over a very long bridge with a bit of an incline and little support. The bridge lasted the guts of a km and once back across into Virginia we had a loop of Crystal City’s boring streets to complete but at least the crowds were back out supporting in abundance once more.

Things were beginning to get tougher now though. The pace started drifting a bit slower so I was in consolidation mode now. Keep it steady til the final mile and let loose again. As we passed the Pentagon we ran by the 25 mile mark so sure enough I started to up the effort again. I figured I’d be close to 3:50 by now so made this my short term target  With about 600m to go I saw a guy 80m up ahead with an Irish flag on his back so made it my mission to catch him and say hello before we crossed the line. However, as I began to close the gap I suddenly spotted the guy slow to a walk! I couldn't just go straight past him so I gave him a shout that we were almost done - ”Less than 3mins and it'll all be over”. He got back running again as we chatted for 100m before he told me to go on ahead. Which I did! I was now at the bottom of the short incline to the finish, only 400m from the end. I gave it all I had going up the incline but there was several others who had slowed to a crawl and the course had just gone from motorway width to country lane width which led to congestion again! I did my best to dodge around a few people and in no time I was cresting the hill with just the 150m run-in to the line remaining. I kept the hammer down and as I was approaching the line I knew it was gonna be close but alas when I crossed the finish my time registered as 3:50:01! A tiny bit disappointed not to go sub 3:50 but all things considered I was very happy with the run. I negative splitted by 5:57 and managed to come home feeling relatively fine.

HM2: 1:52:02 (5:19/km)

30 – 35km: 26:54 (5:22/km)

35 – 42.2km: 39:10 (5:26/km)

Aftermath/reaction:

After the line I waited for the Irish guy and he crossed about 30 seconds later, well inside a sub 4hr run for him. He was very thankful for the help over the final km. After a short rest with the legs upside down against a fence I moved off for the Metro Station. I was in a little hurry now as I was moving slowly, however nothing can excuse me for forgetting to pick up my free after-race beer!

Once inside the metro station my wise decision to buy the day pass in advance this morning bore fruit as the place was mobbed! As it was it took me about 10mins to get through the turnstiles but if I had to buy a ticket at that time this would have been 30mins easily! Fortunately, my stop was now the next stop on the train and I was back at the hotel in time to shower and late-checkout (as agreed at check-in!) by 1:30pm. Straight back on the train to Ronald Reagan Airport this time. Thankfully this airport is only a stone’s throw away from the finish line of the MCM so I arrived in plenty of time for my 3:30pm connecting flight to Boston and so managed to at last get a quick bite to eat. Unfortunately the choices were limited so I had to settle for a ‘5 Guys’ fast food meal which included a delicious burger but an offensively over seasoned cajun chips which I couldn’t finish!

After a 70 minute flight to Logan International airport (I used to work there as a baggage handler back on my J1 in 1999) I had a layover just long enough to savour a pint of Boston’s finest - Sam Adams – in celebration of my morning’s achievements. There wasn't much time to spare afterwards before I was boarding the Dublin flight however. Once aboard I managed to nab an aisle seat by the wing so I had lots of legroom. This good luck was counter-balanced though by three children under the age of 2 years old within 2 metres of me. Such is the way though that I got no sleep on the flight with their incessant whining and by the time I reached Dublin I was pretty knackered. It was just about the last hour of the flight before they shut up properly but no sleep was forthcoming after that. We landed in Dublin airport at 5am and it was all about to start all over again!

Week 43 Summary:

RTW: 5 from 7 days

DTW: 82.6 km

DTY: 3,347.2 km

Chicago Marathon

Monday, 7th October, 2013 – 11.9km Dublin (1:01:45 – 5:10/km)

Wednesday, 9th October, 2013 – 7.9km Dublin (42:02 – 5:18/km)

Thursday, 10th October, 2013 – 7.1km Dublin (36:54 – 5:10/km)

I can’t really remember anything about these runs but they were done at easy/recovery pace and I was just biding my time til the main event!

Friday morning, I got back from work with little time to spare before heading for the airport in the afternoon. The rest of my fellow travellers had flown out on the morning flight and had pre-clearance in Dublin but, due to the timing of my flight, I had to do the immigration clearance the far side in O’Hare airport.

All this meant that I landed at just after 5pm local time and I even managed to get through Immigration before my bags had arrived out onto the carousel – nice one! When I went for the train there was a huge queue waiting to purchase tickets so I decided to get a day pass instead because there was no queue there. Cost about $10 as opposed to $5 as a result but it was more than worth it.

By the time I arrived to the hostel I was starving so caught up with Stephen and Sarah (who had flown from Philly) in a restaurant for some grub. By 9pm I was back at the hostel and hitting the hay. Jet lag works brilliantly like that when you are travelling to do a US marathon!

Saturday, 12th October, 2013 – 3.9km Chicago (22:34 – 5:48/km)

Myself and Johnny went for an easy jog to the Expo to pick up our numbers. It was such lovely weather that we were getting a bit nervous it might be too nice tomorrow morning for fast times! Picked up a few things at the expo so instead of jogging home we reckoned we had walked enough to simply get the free bus home instead.

At midday everybody met up and went on the Chicago Architecture Cruise which was just the job. It allowed us to see lots of the city’s great architecture without having to spend time on our feet. Afterwards we went for food and made our way home for a rest up. Later in the evening we went out for dinner and once more we were all ready for the sack by 9pm!

Sunday, 13th October, 2013 – 43.0km Chicago Marathon (4:40/km)

Race Morning:

Thanks to the jet lag there was no issues waking up early for the race. A few nervous heads about the place worrying that they may not make the start in time due to increased security since Boston. Strangely Stephen wasn't the worst in the regard. Instead Johnny was the most worried and so much so that he left early with Aonghus and Kieran to make his way to the baggage area. Myself Stephen and Sarah weren’t long after them though. 

It was still dark as we made the short walk (only a few blocks) to the baggage area. There were fairly stringent security checks on the way in but a few people with wheelchairs managed to avoid most of the searches so it was a bit half hearted to be honest. More a show of security than anything.

After searching around in the dark we eventually came across the boyos who had managed to add two lads from Castleblayney to their numbers. We sat on the ground in nervous anticipation for the next hour. We got to see the sun rising though and set against the Chicago skyline it was pretty cool! Around this time I saw an Irish shirt passing by a few yards from us. It later turned out to be Peter who was the final member of our Boards.ie team and we’d get to meet him properly later.

Starting line:

Eventually it was time to make our way to the start. I was in Corral B but the rest of the lads were in Corral A so it was time to go solo. I managed to get into the corral about halfway to the front. I was positioned between the 3:20 and 3:25 pacers and with my race strategy being to start easy I felt this was ideal. While awaiting the start we were treated to an invisible flyover by a jet and a dodgy PA system messing up the National anthem. Hopefully there would be no more disappointment today though! Just before race start I ditched my old jumper which I’d been using to keep me warm and almost spot-on time we were away. 

Miles 0 - 6:

So, my plan was to take it nice and easy as far as 15km and then step it up a little before maintaining a solid second half to the race. My target pace was 4:44 for the first 15km but immediately there were issues with this. The 300m of a tunnel and the high buildings of downtown started messing up my GPS data so I wasn’t sure what pace I was travelling at. Thankfully I had a pace band on me so I was able to track my progress off the mile markers. I gave up running by pace in the early stages and instead kept an eye on effort through my HR. Thankfully it was well under control and as the early miles passed by I was well within my limits as I started to hit my goal pace through the mile markers. I even heard the earliest “You’re almost there!” shoutout ever after just 4.5 miles!

5km – 23:44 (4:45/km)

10km – 23:07 (4:37/km)

Mile 6 - 13.1:

Things were going well. We were passing through nice areas of the city now including Lincoln Park, Old City and River North. Several Irish flags on the course but anytime I gave them a shoutout they seemed too engrossed in trying to locate their own runners. After about 7 miles we turned back Southwards and around this point I ended up pushing on a little and upping the pace slightly. The crowds were great around here and a couple of the streets here reminded me of the streets of Rathgar in DCM - lots of leaves on the ground with red brick period buildings lining the streets.

By about 11 miles we were back in the heart of the city and again the crowd support increased. These miles felt almost effortless and I passed the 3:20 pacers somewhere around here. As I approached them I briefly considered slowing down and running with them but realised I was moving freely and also I simply preferred to run my own race anyways, so I just went right by them over the course of 200m.

We eventually headed out West through Greektown and towards the United Centre, home of the Chicago Bulls. I didn’t quite get to see the building itself unfortunately but we’d be back there later in the week anyways! The Halfway mark appeared just before this point and for the first time in the race I was beginning to feel the strain. My first half was 1:38:05 so I had been looking at getting home in sub 3:15 if I could keep the pace constant from here til the end of the race. Overall I was really happy with my pacing so far.

15km – 22:57 (4:35/km)

20km – 23:09 (4:37/km)

HM – 1:38:05 (Av Pace – 4:38/km)

Miles 13.1 - 20:

The landscape was not quite as attractive now as we passed by close to a Freeway and also went through a few more industrial type areas. The crowd support was waning a little around here but to be honest I was happy enough to give my head a little peace! We passed through Pilsen around here and this was home to many different ethnic groups such as Italians, Mexicans and other Latin Americans. Each area’s main street had it’s own type of distinct carnival atmosphere.

Some times it was easy to lose focus by getting caught up in the crowd and so it happened around here. The pace slipped a little bit but I suppose I was finding it tougher now also. I managed to reign in the pace a little bit from km25 – km30 but the 3:15 target was slipping away from me again!

25km – 23:36 (4:43/km)

30km – 23:27 (4:41/km)

Miles 20 - Finish:

I was now into the final quarter of the race and things were becoming much more difficult now. I began thinking back to my training and the fact that I’d only managed 3 x 20 mile runs but nothing longer. I was paying for that now.

We turned the corner into Chinatown but to be honest I was working so hard now that I barely noticed what neighbourhood we were in! There was a little bit of a quiet spot after Chinatown with another section similar to the bit after halfway. Except this time I could really have used the support. 

Apparently the home of the Chicago White Sox was just South of us now but it may as well have been in another State for all I cared as my focus was now firmly trained on the City centre to the North. 3 miles to go and I was doing my utmost to simply keep going. I could sense the pace dropping all the time. The final 2 miles are pretty straight and I was looking over my shoulder a couple of times before the inevitable happened – Bloody 3:20 pacers passed me out again around 2km before the finish. I briefly tried to stick with them but just couldn’t keep the pace.

I tried keeping the pacers in view for the remainder but with about 600m to go there is a 90degree right followed by 300m of a climb over a bridge and then a 90degree left before the final 300m to the finish. We joked beforehand about Olwyn’s tip-off regarding the little bridge. Nobody gave it too much attention but knew it may be different on the day. And so it was! Felt like I was running in treacle for the duration of the incline but eventually I beat it and thankfully there was a slight downhill to the finish and at last it was all over!

I finished in 3:21:12 so even though I managed to haemorrhage about 4-5 mins over the last 5 miles I was still extremely happy with my race. All things considered, my tactic to go out slow was the correct one for sure. It was my lack of long runs that prevented me from keeping pace til the end but I could do nothing about that on the day. Instead I finished with a 5:35 PB and given how badly September went I am more than happy with that.

25km – 24:02 (4:48/km)

30km – 25:44 (5:08/km)

Finish – 3:21:12 (Av Pace – 4:46/km)

Aftermath / reaction:

The usual death march took place immediately after the finish line but soon the light at the end of the tunnel appeared in the form of a free Goose Island 312 beer! I got hold of several other ‘goodies’ before returning to the meeting point to discover that it was a day of PBs with Aonghus, Stephen, Johnny and Kieran all recording PBs. Time for another beer to celebrate that (We would later discover that our team entry – Pi$$ Artists – would place third in our competition. So, I can now officially say I was 3rd in the 2013 Chicago Marathon!!).

We later made our way to Kitty O'Shea’s bar in the Hilton (Official Chicago Marathon event Hotel) to meet a few others including Peter who also claimed a PB. Stephen T also managed to make it around in comfortably sub 4hrs even though he was unable to do much training at all due to injury, so everyone was delighted with how the day went. Unfortunately Sarah didn’t manage to make the start line herself due to her injury problems so hopefully she didn’t mind us all going on about things too much!

We had a couple of beers in Kitty’s before returning the short distance home for a shower and then out for food and more celebrations for the evening. Well deserved all round methinks!

Week 41 Summary:

RTW: 5 from 7 days

DTW: 73.8 km

DTY: 3,256.6 km