I had a great run on Sunday last. It wasn't my fastest half, it wasn't my slowest either, but it was so, so satisfying. I think that I just gave it my all. I came home in 1h57mins17secs chip time. This isn't a bad time when you consider how much time was lost to nursing that pes anserine injury (4 to 5 weeks). I did keep up the cycling and swimming, which maintained a certain amount of fitness, but I wasn't running. By Sunday morning, I was sure that my calf muscles had lost too much tone to be able to carry me through the half marathon, but it seems not so.
For the first time since I began doing these races, I was there without a supporter. Unfortunately, poor P had to go to Cork on a work-related matter. Although practical about this, we were both kind of lonely too. These races had become one of our things. Anyway, I was out the door by 9.10, in Bantry by 10.30, on the bus back to Glengarriffe in five or ten minutes and then hung around Glengarriffe with the rest of the crowd (growing all the time) for about an hour. It was a long wait. And I do prefer an earlier start: far less distraction and it's cooler and so on. An added consideration for the race organisers might be the question of traffic; it was very busy at times. We were running on the left-hand side of the road and cars were going past us in both directions. This wasn't such an issue on the earlier runs.
I decided to strategise this time. In truth, I think this might be the first time I approached a race with some kind of plan. I have gone all out or measured/controlled my pace based on how I felt, but this was different. I held back for the first 3-4 miles, until the long climb out of Glengarriffe was over. I did this in 9minute + miles, the fourth was a 10minute+ mile. At this stage, a few familiar faces passed me and I feared it was going to be a long, lonely run. I was hugely conscious of not having run for some time and so felt the need to test the legs, be gentle, wake them up as it were. Once the route levelled out, I opened up the engines a little and gave it a bit of effort and speed. It felt great. I kept checking my breath and my legs and my Garmin. Before I knew it, I was cruising at 8minutes miles (give or take 3 to 4 secs). The best bit was the movement up through the crowd, most of which never caught me again. I greeted some of the Clon people, got a few words of encouragement or teasing (it's what we Irish do) and ploughed on.
It was a much hotter day than any of us anticipated and I couldn't help but feel for those who had dressed for the cold. For my own part, I used the mile markers as a reminder to sip water from the bottle I was carrying. I really did drink more water than usual on a race and I think it stood to me. As we descended into mile 9, I knew the pep was going out of my step. Still, I dug deep for the long haul up to Bantry. We go from sea level up again (must check feet); it's not high, but at that stage of the race it can take its toll. It did the last time I ran it. A slight temptation to stop came over me, I had a slight sense of nausea but knew enough to just ease back. I paced it, knocked out the hill, one foot in front of the other, step by step. The satisfaction was immense, I was completely in that race. Before I knew it, I was pushing down the hill and found myself in some kind of a sprint off with a guy to the finish line. He won! It was a most satisfying day and I can't wait to get out again.
I don't quite have a plan at the moment. It's silly season with work (corrections!) etc. it can be hard to get out. Procrastination abound, around correcting and running. A sort of paralysis can set in! I found my discussion with the bio-mechanics man discouraging. It seems my q-angle is wrong, I'm putting pressure where I shouldn't and so on. I will get the orthotics later in the Summer, but what to do for now. The physio signed off on the injury on Tuesday, it didn't even require treatment this week. I swam yesterday for 1.25km. I will run later today and might do a combined cycle and run tomorrow, depending on how these essays go. Then, I should plan the coming weeks up to June.
Ok, confession, I am not feeling so confident about the Dublin marathon. As I say, the biomechanics man was less than encouraging about my gait. I so enjoyed strategising the half, that enduring the full marathon seems less appealing. Still ... I have been procrastinating from essay correction by reading my marathon blog of last year and still, it appeals. The question will be how to build back up the miles and to see how the injury holds out.
