A Question of Time and Pace

The trouble with the marathon is that its such a damn, long way. It makes pacing yourself correctly very difficult. To push on in the early stages is nigh on running suicide but if you take it too easy you'll never know what you may have been capable of.

In my first marathon (London 1999) I got carried away in the euphoria of the event and blasted the first 10K. By halfway I was noticeably slowing down even though I clocked a sub-1:30 first half. At 16 miles I was dead on my feet and from there on in it was a run/walk strategy to the line interrupted by a serious cramp at the Tower of London (22 miles). I finished in 3:37 proud to have completed the distance but seriously disappointed with my performance.

As soon as I returned home I stuck a postcard of the Tower on my fridge as motivation to return the following year and do better. Despite being in an inferior state of fitness I did return in 2000 and knocked a whole 10 minutes off the previous effort. I took it steady from the off and aimed to run consistent 7:55 min/miles. It paid off and I had a great experience but still a little part of me felt disappointed wondering if I could've gone quicker.

2007 saw me run my first marathon in 7 years. I'd trained meticulously and was fitter and better prepared than on either of the previous occasions. A 1:26 half-marathon in mid-March convinced me to revise my target time down from 3:15 to 3:10 but on the day it all went wrong. Unseasonably high temperatures were a problem from the start and instead of lowering my targets I tried to push on regardless. I hit 10K in 46:18 and halfway in 1:36:57 but I wasn't exactly comfortable. To be honest, I didn't feel good at any stage of the race. By 16 miles the heat was really beginning to hurt and dehydration was becoming a dangerous possibility. Somewhere around 18 or 19 miles I had to stop and take a lot of water on. As in 1999 I faced a long, slow last section of the race interrupted by cramps. Ironically I crossed the line in exactly the same time as then with another disappointing 3:37 to my name.

This time around 3:15 remains the target but my approach remains vastly different. I aim to run from the start at a comfortable pace which I believe I can maintain for the entire course. I will of course be checking my mile splits but won't be held ransom to them. My mind and my body will decide the pace I run with the stopwatch merely being an innocent bystander in the whole process. I've prepared well for this race and won't let it go up in smoke by pushing the legs too hard. I have to listen to what the body is telling me and adjust my pace accordingly. Hopefully, this will get me home in under 3:15 but if not I'll be able to complete the entire course without a devastatingly awful last 6, 8 or 10 mile stretch.