Back in the summer I decided to step my training up a notch and do the more advanced
marathon training programme from Pete Pfitzinger. In preparation for Brighton I had completed
the 55-75 mile per week, 18 week schedule. Speed was replaced with distance and my expectations
were exceeded. This time around I wanted to complete the 70-85 miles per week plan over 18 weeks. Quickly I realised that the 18 weeks was a no go so I moderated it to the 12 week plan. Fitting in the
training became very difficult, I had a new job and was attending a residential courses. Long runs
of 10-15 were being split into 2 due to time restrictions and I wasn't getting time to recover, we also had a family holiday and I all but gave up running for a week. The schedule was becoming only a guideline now.
I wasn't feeling great and after seeing how others were coping much better on the training
sessions at the club I decided to incorporate the new Insanity Asylum. As usual not doing
anything by halves I went properly over board, I became exhausted and really struggled when I
met up with the others for the long Sunday run. It took a telling off from the coach and a few of
the guys for me to lay off the extra cross training.
Still I was very tired and ultimately I got an injury. Diagnosed as a hamstring strain I was getting pain behind the left knee and my lower left glute. A number of physio sessions seemed to help but in the end I felt like I was relying on these sessions to get to the start line. Bottom line I messed up my prep for this one and I fell out of love with running big time :(
At least going to Amsterdam and getting involved felt like a holiday with the guys. A bunch of
from the running club went, stayed in hotels and had a really nice time. Even on race morning
we were up early and to the stadium all cheery, I had rock tape in places the sun don't shine and
painkillers on the ready. Ideally 3 of us wanted to go sub 3 but I felt this one had passed me by
even before we started. To cut a long story short it did but for a very different reason.
Amsterdam marathon starts from inside the stadium, you run 200m on the track and out onto the
road, complete the marathon and finish again on the last 200m of the track. We were allocated
the yellow start pen (3hr) but we never found it. We got stuck outside the stadium behind about
10000 people when the gun went off, not a good start. It took us 15 minutes to cross the start line
and when we did we were pretty much at the back of the fun runners. We were hopping up and
down kerbs and zig zagging inbetween people. Put it this way it took 7 miles before I overtook a
guy dressed like Elvis and 18 miles before the road opened up ahead of us. This was all really
unfortunate as Amsterdam is a beautiful city with some great architecture and the very pretty
canal which you run up and down.
The three of us stayed pretty much together throughout the race and unbelievably I finished in
3:03. Considering the effort required, the pre training, my injury and everything else I was very
happy indeed. Sub 3 will have to wait, I need to remember why it is I love running first ..
On a side note ... there was a guys having CPR only 1/2 a mile from the finish line, he died in his shorts laid in the road. He would of finished ahead of me and reminded me just how precious life is and how fortunate I am to be able to do the things I love.
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