Adelaide Marathon - Continent #3 August 19th 2012

This was a tough race.  

I have spent the last 12 weeks since the GWM working on my speed.  I had thought that my results last year especially indicated I could do a marathon in under 3hrs 40 - both my 10km PB and my half marathon PB indicated that.  The NY marathon I did really comforatably, much to most people's surprise when they ask me - how much did it hurt? did you hit the wall? I bet you couldn't wait to get to the end.  I had an awesome day that day, and it genuinely didn't hurt until I finished, and even that was moderate.  The ice bath was definitely the hardest part of the whole day.  I had little soreness the next day, and none the next.

So the aim with this one, on home territory and without factors like travelling and different cooking and eating arrangements to worry about, was to see just how fast I could go.  I contacted a coach online who prepared a program for me, and I had a Skype meeting with him every 3-4 weeks to check in with how I was progressing.   I did a lot more sprints in an effort to get faster, but I wasn't able to improve my sprint times by much.  I also did some tough anaerobic sessions that were a little longer than sprints, as well as long hard runs (in contrast to the more typical long slow runs) whereby I was running at marathon race pace for the long run.  I also tried using gels in training, to see how I handled them, as I had only ever used one before in NY.  I was also able to run the 6 hr GW marathon with only 2 bananas, so it was worth experiemnting with them to see if they would help me.

I was pretty tired in the last couple of weeks before the marathon, so I was careful with my diet (lots and lots of veggies) and careful with my sleep (plenty of it) and I reduced my weight training 2 weeks out as well as reducing some of the volume and intensity of my training sessions.  I worked only a half day on Friday, and a shorter session on Saturday as well.

My preparation went well, otherwise.  I slept ok the night before the run, after carb loading through the day with sweet potato in the morning and at lunchtime and pasta for dinner.  I was well hydrated (always am) and had a good yoga session on the Friday evening at Yogafusion.  I woke bright and early around 4 m, and got up at 4.30.  I had my normal green smoothie for breakfast as well as a banana.  Showered, dressed, taped up bits that need taping and put Chafe free on the bits that need protection from chafing.  Vaseline on my feet and then into the socks.  Another drink of water to be safe.  A phnoe call to mum, as we were going to park there before walking across to the start area.

Charlie (chief photographer) and Beck both met me at Mum's, where I had another pit stop, then we walked in the pre dawn light across to the finish area to drop gear bags and do a final pitstop (I tell ya!!).  A quick chat to a few other folks, then the walk across to St Peters Cathedral for the start.  It really made for a pretty start line.  A cool, still and cloudy morning, it was perfect running weather for the 450 runners that entered the full marathon.  All together, there almost 1600 entrants for the full, half and 10k events.

We started on time, and I was careful to keep to my goal pace.  My aim was 5.00 mins per km for the whole way through.  I knew that there were some hilly sections, having run the course a few times in training, so I was prepared to let my pace drop a little for that.  I also keep an eye on my heart rate, knowing that I should be staying below my anaerobic threshold which kicks in at about 167 bpm.  The Garmin is handy for that.   I started off feeling good, getting established in the field.  I could see my friend Andrew ahead of me in his very fluoro yellow top, about 100m ahead very quickly, and he stayed that far ahead for the first 7 or 8 km.  

The first uphill started about 3 km in, and although I slowed down a little, I can see now on my Strava link that my 'grade adjusted pace - GAP' was too fast for 7 of the first 11 km. By about 10%.  My HR was also rapidly too high.  I then tried to bring it down by slowing down.  I slowed by over 10%, and then 20%, but my HR stayed high.  I knew that it would be a problem at some point, but I didn't want to slow down any furhter.  It was hard watching people pass me, not trying to keep up with them.  I thought I was going slower (according to my watch) than the link above tells me in terms of my GAP - there are more km showing there that are close to pace than I was actually running on the day, according to my watch.  Check out the Strava link to see what I mean.  

Most of the run was pretty enjoyable.  As always, the volunteers were great - calling out encouragement, many using my name (as it was on my top again) or remarking on the tutu I was wearing to promote the Jodi Lee Foundation.  The best bit of the run was probably the start of the second lap, just after half way, when all the half marathon people had started, and the faster marathon runners were all coming off the North Adelaide hill.  I was running West on War Memorial Drive, and loads of people were now running East.  I saw friends, patients, new running friends and strangers.  And because I was wearing a tutu and had my name on my chest, so many people said 'hi', called out encouragement, smiled, waved, high fived.  It was lovely - and the best way to distract me from the start of the third quarter - always a tricky time in any event, of any length.

I was feeling ok with the extra workload until the point that I wasn't.  Sounds complicated - huh?   It hit me quite quickly at about km 34/5 - I was slowing down a little for a couple of km before that, with my HR dropping a bit but my 'perceived rate of exertion - PRE' pretty high (perhaps 8 or 9 /10).  Then my HR dropped another 10 points and my distrss went up.  I guess it was a bit like that transition stage of labour - it hurts, you want out, and it kind of hurts everywhere, but especially in the mid section.  Skip to next paragraph if you get sqeamish - right now.  Especially the boys.  In the interests of being brutally honest, sharing my experience, and perhaps helping other people realise that they are not the only ones that experience such things, as well as my professional experience, I'm going to hold no prisoners here.  I started to cramp in most of the muscles around my groin - the front of my left hip has been a bit sore on and off, but this got very tight and sore, my hamstrings started getting grabby, my hip flexors and then a terrible acute proctalgia fugax.  Cramp of the anus.  Oh. My. God.  This is where the the labour comparison came in.  I didn't know if I needed to stop (I have had this once before - about 10 mins after finishing the NYM), needed to go to the loo, had part of my pelvic organs falling out or what.  Very sore, very distressing.  My breath was all horrid and gaspy.  I slowed to a stagger, hands onto my knees.  This was when I was on North Terrace, outside the new RAH building and near the skate park.  Lots of traffic stationary in 2 lanes.  Probably lots of witnesses.  I couldn't have cared.  I may have wailed a bit.  Another runner asked if I was ok, if I needed anything, and I managed to assure her I'd be alright.  I moaned a bit when I staggered past a volunteer who I know from facebook, as she egged me on.  

I kept plugging along, trying to 'run', although my pace was dramatically slower (6:54 for that km).  At the top of the hill, I saw Charlie, cheering me on, noticing I was falling further behind people who had been only a little ahead of me.  I muttered something about really struggling with this one.  On to the downhill, concentrating on relaxing, realising that the cramps had reduced and that I didn't need a pitstop (all those pitstops before the run paid off - none on the actual run this time) and trying to get focussed on the remainder of the run.  I checked my watch as part of getting focussed.  I realsied if I could keep running at least 6 minute km's, I could still come in under 4 hours.  I had let go of the aim of a 3.30's in the first 10km.  A PB (sub 3:50) was still possible until about km 34, if I had been able to hold pace.  But now, at km 36, that was no longer an option.  But I could still finish under that big 4 hour mark.  So I held myself as tall as I could, and tried to relax, and tried to keep running.  My pace improved from km 39 and held consistent.  The cheers in the last km or so were great, and really helped me when all I wanted to do was get to Charlie so he could hold me up.  My pride was wounded, I was frustrated that things had gone so wrong after so much work, but I was determined, always, to get there.

In the last little bit - the finish 'chute' - I saw Beck, who had had to retire injured half way, and our friend Leanne who was in town for the day.  Apparently my running style wasn't technically very good anymore, but there had been other people needing assistance to finish, so they weren't too hard on me .  I rounded the corner, crossed the line with Charlie right there to get a picture, threw my arms up for the end, then staggered out of the way, absolutely beat.  Water, an apple, a warm top, seeing my friends, Mum made it down to the finish as well, and a back track to collect my medal.

I didn't do the proper cool down this time - we walked slowly around to a cafe for coffee and breakfast, then home and a hot shower and a rest.  Charlie went off riding, so I was able to spend the afternoon lying down.   A gentle walk later in the day down the road to get some food (Tom Yum soup - yum!) and a very early night.  Sore hips and pelvic joints, a pillow between my knees like when I was pregnant, and lights were out by 8:30pm.  Some hip stiffness on Monday, a little bit of tenderness in my right knee (that I didn't worry about - I figured it was a bit cross cos I just ran a marathon).  Some shoulder soreness on Tuesday - perhaps I was holding myself up by the sholders for those last few km's!!  Yoga on Tuesday night helped, and I was back out for a gentle trail run on Wednesday - it's good to be back out on the trails.  The Yurrebilla Ultra Marathon is next month - my first Ultramarathon!  56km in the Adelaide hills.  I'm really looking forward to a fun, no pressure run that day.

Thank you to all of you that have supported me so far.  Please, please donate to the Jodi Lee Foundation and to help continue to spread the word about screening for bowel cancer - every year from 40.  I actually said that to a few people on the run on Sunday!  And you can follow my progress on Facebook - Running for Jodi Lee.

Next big run (after the ultra) is the Kilimanjaro Marathon in March 2013, and I have now been confirmed a place for Antarctica in March 2014.  So exciting!!  Stay well

xx