Notes
Rotorua Marathon race report May 2nd 2009
Short version: 3:00:21
PB by over 10min!
1 sec/mile faster and I would have broken 3 hours. Bugger, I'm still a sub-3hrs wannabee.
Long version:
My confidence took a bit of a hammering as I drove around the course the afternoon before the run. There were a couple of hills at about 20km (12 mile) and 28km (17mile) that looked a bit tough. Would they slow me down? I eventually decided to stick with my planned splits for as far as the hills, and see what happened from there.
It was a perfect day for a marathon. Cool weather (12C: 54F), plenty of cloud cover, but a whisper too much wind. Perhaps the only thing that would have made it better would have been a gentle shower at about midway . I joined the sleek runners at the "about 3 hours" marker, the gun went off, and we were away.
During the first 10km almost everything was telling me to go faster. I felt great - running easy & it seemed like a few hundred people passed me, but my Garmin was telling me I was going a touch too fast so I held back, held back, held back.. At the first 5km mark I was 9 sec ahead of target, at 10km I was 8 sec up, at 15km I was 15 sec up. From about 10km people stopped passing me, and from about 15km I started picking them off a few at a time.
The first big hills from 18-20km were a breeze. I kept my eye on my HRM and did not push too fast, but kept on passing people. I even had a chat with a guy - we compared our target rates, agreed that too many people pushed too fast at the start and stayed together going up the hill. After the top he disappeared behind me.
The downhill roll after the big hill was FUN. I took a free ride and let gravity pay me back for the uphill slog. km # 23 was over in 3:58 (6:22/mile) and my HR took a bit of a rest at the same time - plus I was still passing people! I was now over half way and on the way home. At 20km I was 12 sec ahead of target , and at 25km I was 37 sec ahead (due to that free ride down the big hill). My hydration and energy plan was working well - a drink at every station, and a GU at 7km, 17km.
The next largish hill from 26 to 28km slowed me down a bit more giving me my slowest pace for the race at 4:31/km (7:16/mi) for km #27. I had a small game of bounce with tall guy in yellow, with me passing him, him passing me (while a gobbled down GU #3), then I passed him and his mate for good just before the top of the hill. After the uphill I got another downhill roll with 3:55 (6:19/mile) for km #28.
I was still feeling good and passing people. Unfortunately that include cute-girl-in-pink so the view got a little worse after that. Perhaps that was the turning point as now the dreaded fade started to happen. At 30km I was still ahead of target, but I'd dropped 17 sec and I was back to 20 sec ahead. At 35km I'd dropped another 18 sec and was back to only 2 sec ahead. The engine was still running, my body felt good, but the speed governor seemed to be kicking in and I could not drag my speed up to the 4:15/km (6:50/mile) pace that I needed. My final GU at 37km gave me a little pep, but not enough. One speedster managed to pass me at about the 38km mark. He was looking good, but there was no way I could tag on to him.
No one else managed to get past me, and I managed to pick off another couple of people, but that sub 3 hour goal looked like it was getting out of reach. At 40km I was 29 sec BEHIND my target pace. I put on my angry face decided to HTFU and kept grinding. I managed to be back on pace for km #42 @ 4:16 (6:51/mile), and poured it on for 4:04/km (6:33/mile) for the last 200m, but I did not quite make it.
Final time 3:00:21. The person in front of me managed to get under 3 hours, but I did not. Bugger.
I did not manage that elusive negative split, but it was much closer than the 6 min positive of my first attempt - the first half was over in 1:29:39, and the second was 63 sec slower at 1:30:42.
But it was not all bad - actually I feel bloody pleased with myself. I managed to take 10 min off my PB on a tough course, only one person passed me between the 10km mark and the finish - but I passed LOTS. Now it is all on for my next Marathon: Auckland Marathon on November 1st 2009 - goal time 2:59:00.