We exchange worried glances with each other; I don't know whether the old man I am running past is concerned or just bemused at the face I am pulling at mile 16 of my final long run. Or is it mile 17? At this point I don't really care, my legs and I seem to be having a constant argument about why we can't just go home and lie down on the sofa instead of doing this long run. So far I have managed to keep them under control, but I start to wonder for how much longer.
March has been a busy month for me. Not only I have managed to train consistently and progress, but also I have been able to race well over two consecutive weekends. Namely the Reading Half Marathon and the Oakley 20.
Reading Half Marathon
Reading was starting to become a sort of nemesis for me, as I came away from the last two times I had attempted to race it feeling frustrated and disoriented. My training had indicated so much more for me those previous times. It seemed like Reading was some sort of implacable and silent foe, every year thwarting my efforts to peak at races during my marathon training. Rather like Ryan Gosling felt in Only God Forgives below (of course he knew how I felt...):
I turned up to Reading feeling pretty tired from the training that I had been going through, with my legs not feeling especially light or 'ready to-go'. My warm-up didn't cheer me up either, with my heart rate soaring far higher than I would have anticipated. My nerves in getting prepared for the race, led me to nearly go the wrong the way to the yellow area and I also forget my energy gel. It turned out the loss of the energy gel snapped me out of my persistent worrying and led to me focus on the race in hand. Learning the mistakes from the last two times I had raced Reading, I stuck strictly to my planned half-marathon pace as runners from all around me rocketed off at the start. A slight wobble occurred in my plan, as I saw a 1hr 20 min pace-maker carry a horde of runners with him, but luckily I caught myself before I did anything too crazy.
My plan was simple; hope that my legs would start to feel less heavy as the race progressed and stick with my planned half-marathon pace. Once I got to mile 10 I would make a decision about whether I could speed up. The key aim was to ensure that I didn't blow-up like the last two times and finish strongly. For roughly the first quarter of the race I noticed that a) my legs were starting to wake-up a bit more b) there was a some significant wind resistance on parts of the course and c) as the race started to space out a bit more, groups of runners started to appear.
It was as I got to mile five that I noticed a presence close by to me. Someone was running directly behind me, as though we were running a track race. This sparked an inner-monologue of annoyance, with some choice language, as I couldn't figure as to why this runner was doing this. It wasn't as though we were cyclists? Admittedly the wind was a factor and irritating, but I really didn't see the point of trailing behind someone. It occurred to me that I was now going to be someone's pace maker for most of the race, and then they would bolt off near the end. Following my this internal discussion, a rather comical scene entailed where I tried to 'shake' this runner off; which basically involved me moving from side to side and him following me. It didn't work. Not what I had signed up for, but I would have to decide what I would do near the end of the race.
Once I got an understanding of how the wind impacted my running- that I just had to put more effort to stay on pace and that the wind was affecting my garmin- I started to relax into the race and find a steady rhythm. I even forgot about the guy behind me for periods of time. Around mile seven a breathless runner started to talk to me about how his garmin didn't work. I gave a brief reply. If I am honest I didn't really want to talk about the garmin watches being affected by the wind, it was just a distraction to the job in hand. A few minutes later I realised he had fallen behind me and my dopple-ganger. I wondered if the long-line of people ahead of me were in the same state as this runner, had they been too keen in following the 1hr 20 min pace maker? There was only one way to find out.
I used the tried and tested marathon trick of picking off runners ahead of me one at a time, partly to take my mind off keeping at the planned pace but also in effort to get rid of my unwelcome accomplice. The former worked, the latter didn't. Then things started to become interesting at a relatively windless mile nine, my 'shadow' decided to make his move. I decided now was as good a time as ever to let loose, my logic being that if I am overtaken at least I made him work hard to get ahead.
From out of nowhere I found a surge of energy and for the remaining part of the race I drop down to my 10k pace. I carry on overtaking runners right up until I get back into the Reading football stadium, even managing a sprint finish, and securing a personal best. The time that I got isn't that important, what I really enjoyed was that the fact that I executed my race plan to the best of my ability and did this with tired legs. Finally achieving success on a course that I had started to become a yearly challenge.
Oakley 20
This race was always going to be different to Reading, as it was a far smaller event, a hilly course, a warm day and most importantly it was 20 miles! Someone I used to know at Bedford & County AC told me that the first larger loop, was the harder of the two; with a steep hill at around mile five. This allowed for the second loop to be at least perceived as easier as it wasn't as undulating.
The start of the race followed a similar pattern to Reading, with a number of people starting off far too quickly than their ability would allow. I found the aforementioned steep hill at mile five and ascended without having too much effort being exerted. All the while I was struggling to find a group that was running at the marathon pace I wanted for Oakley. In the end I jettisoned the group I was with, mainly because of the pacing issues, but also because of one of the runner's heavy breathing. It's not something that usually bothers me, but I didn't know if I could listen to it for two hours in the quiet countryside. It was obvious that he was going beyond the pace that he felt comfortable with.
Whilst taking in the beautiful countryside around the Oakley course, I had a bit of a chuckle to myself. Bedfordshire is largely flat county and yet this course was situated in an oasis of constant hills. Every time I seemed to crest one hill another seemed to appear immediately over the horizon. Luckily I enjoy hills. I always tell myself that once you are at the top you usually have a downhill section to come along. So all in all I was in good spirits.
I eventually found a small running group that was on the way to splintering; it seemed some people were happy to push on and speed up, whereas others seemed to be operating at the limits of their capacity. Up until about mile 11 I found myself tangled up with two other runners, where for a while we constantly changed positions; perhaps the most exciting part of this running occurred when a tractor decided it was going to ignore that there were runners on the road and nearly ran us over. In fact this was the only negative, in what was otherwise a great event, the number of motorists who decided to either drive dangerously close to runners or overtake runners going round bends astonished me. It really amazes me why motorists become so reckless when they see anything else on the road besides another vehicle.
Whilst I had been exchanging places with the two other runners, I had been getting progressively quicker, and as we approached mile 11 I realised I could either stay with them or stick at what was already a pace that was far quicker than I had anticipated. Luckily I made the right decision, as they both gradually sped up and I started to wonder if I could have kept up with them if I had tried. It turns out that one of them was a sub-2:45 marathon runner and the other was pretty much at the same standard.
It was around the same time that a supporter for another runner behind me shouted to them, you've nearly got the guy up ahead and push on! These two pretty much simultaneous events rocked me, and as I passed mile 12 I waited for this runner to come pass. My legs started to feel heavy and I began to worry if I had gone out too quickly. I began to worry about my legs not having enough energy for the upcoming hills and miles, would I crash and burn like the coyote chasing road runner?:
The rest of the race consisted of attacking the remaining hills as best I could, dealing with an exploding gel (no point in going into it here, but suffice to say it was funny) and running hard until the end. One thing that will always stick with me is the sound of the countryside as I ran those last eight miles; running over the bridge crossing the river Ouse with its gentle roaring, seeing butterflies weave in and out of the hedges and hearing the birds chirping. I could see, as well as hear, this all happening as I tried to push myself to go even faster on my tired legs. Like Reading I managed to switch on to a better mental attitude for the rest of the race. I definitely had to work hard, but like Reading I pulled out another strong personal best that I was really pleased with.
I am now at mile 23 of my final long run. I have found this long run the toughest of my training, but somehow I have managed to find a new burst of energy and with it the end of this run drawing nearer. I realise with a mixed sense of relief, but also some sadness, that my training is nearing its completion for London 2019. Next week will be the Sandy 10, where I am hoping I can produce the same performance that I have done for Reading and Oakley. For me the most important thing is to know that I have left everything out there on the race course. Whatever level we are at in our running, we can only do the best we can; and that is all that can be asked of us.
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