Damn that was hot…

It may have been hot, slow and painful, but I finished.

I’ve taken about 10 months to get to this race report, primarily because the race really didn’t go well and I’ve tried to block it out of mind. Normally my reports are long & rambling but not this one. I’ve tried to forget it all!

October 27th – take a mad guess at the weather you’d find around October 27th. Wind? Probably, Rain? Pretty likely, and at a 9am start, the temperature would be around 10C maybe?

Not in 2014, no siree, it was reasonably calm and 17C. At 9am on a Monday. I tried my best to enjoy this race, I started with the 4:15 pacers, got passed by the 4:30 group at about 10miles, started walking at about 15miles and finished in 4:53 or thereabouts. I certainly slowed down to try to ensure I enjoyed things but that still didn’t work, it wasn’t fun. 20minutes outside my PB and I’ve just chalked this one down to experience.

Now there are some positives…

1. I finished, despite wanting to bow out many times I walk/ran the last 11 miles.
2. I realised things weren’t going well and I had a ‘Plan B’ to move to. Unfortunately I needed a Plan C, Plan D & Plan E as well.
3. I tried to enjoy things, The crowd for the Dublin marathon is one of the best in the world, it’s not known as the friendly marathon for nothing. Looking back now, it wasn’t too bad, but on the day I tried my best to have fun. The last mile was one of the best finished in any race I’ve ever experienced.
4. I learned from my experience. Know your limitations. Look & learn. There’ll be other races.

Link to Garmin data

As it turns out that race was the one that put my back injury over the edge and sent me to surgery not long afterwards. I should have realised it at the time.

But you know what, I have the medal, there were lots of people behind me and I finished. I am a three-time marathoner and the experience didn’t put me off one bit. I run for fun. It helps me keep a little trim and allows me get out and off the couch. I’m never going to win and the only people I really have to beat are the numbskulls in my head. On October 27th 2014 I did just that.

Roll on October 26th 2015 and medal number 4.

Garmin data HERE