Sunday 10 February 2013

Long Weekend

I pushed out the boundaries a bit last weekend by doing back to back Marathons. I say "a bit" because I am not new to back to back weekend long runs, having covered 53, 60 and 64 miles on consecutive back to back runs over 3 weekends in May 2011, when training for the Portumna 100k. Although last weekend was different in that the marathons were organised by the Director of the Clonakilty Back 2 Back Marathons as a bit of a taster for the real event, next weekend. The main reason for running the Back 2 Back(s) is to see how my body copes with running a marathon on tired, fatigued  legs, while attempting to keep a relatively even pace across the 52+ miles - trying to find my "Forrest Gump" pace perhaps. The target last weekend  (set by my running partner, John D) was to run 2 x 3:45 marathons, with the intention of pushing that up to 2 x 3:30 marathons next weekend, assuming the 3:45's were achieved.


The short story is that we acheived our target on both days, managing a 6+ minute improvement  on Day 2 to push under 3:40. Strangely enough Day 1 felt tougher for me, with my breathing heavier than normal from the first mile but not getting any worse, managing to build up a cushion and keep it until the finish despite the rising fatigue over the last 4 or 5 miles. We eased up a little over the last mile as we were well within target and were already thinking about recovering for the following day. The weather was perfect for running, with clear blue skies and the warmth of the sun taking the sting out of the morning chill. The physio on hand at the finish line was great for keeping my legs in shape for Day 2, particularly as the queue was short ;-) - Thanks Meadbh.


The opening miles on Day 2 were slower than the day before as I expected my legs to be stiff and achy, requiring a few "warm-up" miles to get into any sort of rhythm. John was talking away about keeping on pace for another 3:45 finish - although I wasn't as confident, giving myself a 50:50 chance of hitting the target - my main motivation being that I have never run a marathon slower than my first marathon (3:47:08.) By mile 5 we were behind target, especially given that all the hills were still in front of us. Over the next 5 miles we picked up the pace and were back on track by mile 10 and running at a comfortable steady pace - making hay "while the sun shone", half expecting the wheels to fall off at any time. Thankfully the wheels stayed on long enough to get us to the top of the last hill at mile 20 and heading for a sub 3:40 finish. John wasn't the complacent sort of guy though and kept pushing the same steady pace until I told him that we had less than a mile to go with 3:28 on the watch. Those last few miles were tough going but at least we didn't have to worry about saving our legs for the following day and pushed on for a 3:36 finish. Thanks to Bob for organising the weekend and his Wife Ia (and Killian's mum)  for the support out on the road and at the finish line.

Splits Comparison between Day 1 and Day 2

Official Results
Day 1 - 12 Starters


Day 1 Finish

 


Day 2 Finish



With Ia - Official Starter, Timekeeper, Mobile Water Station & Race Marshal




Post Race Picnic with the Marathon Moms


12 comments:

  1. another great weekend's work. interested to know how the hr behaves during these runs?

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    1. Had no HR monitor with me Marty. Will take one next weekend.

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  2. Two marathons in two days is amazing to me. However, two more the following week, and faster, is pushing the limits of credibility, for me at least. I guess you like running marathons! Hope you make your goal without excessive wear and tear.

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    1. A 2 week gap Bob. Don't know if i'll be able to pull off the faster marathons next weekend.

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  3. I think the spread of times is interesting (cutting you and John out of the picture). 4 - 5 hours seems to be the order of the day.
    What sort of food did you take in on the day after the first marathon and how long on the second day before you got over your stiff legs.

    I think the discipline to hold a slow pace over the first 20 of the 52 miles is the real challenge.

    See you next weekend (at the start)

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    1. Richard I ate normally on the Saturday after the first marathon, satisfying any hunger pangs I had. The Physio advice was to keep reasonably active throughout the day so as to avoid seizing up and recommending that I stretch before getting in the car and driving back home. My legs weren't too bad on the Sunday but I felt a bit more sluggish than normal for the first 4 to 5 miles. It's always good to start out slower than target pace in a marathon but certainly when you have run a marathon the day before. See you Saturday.

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  4. Very interesting, especially the fact that the second marathon seemed to go better than the first one. Obviously there was no need to hold back for the next day, but I wonder what it would have been like had you run more than 2 marathons in a row.

    I guess I'll find out.

    Well done. That's some nice mileage and pace.

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    1. I thought that when I woke on Monday morning Thomas - what if I had to run another 26.2 miles. I guess you'll find out before me seeing as you have signed up for the 10 in 10. I can always rely on you to beat me in the "nutter" stakes.

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    2. As you said after the pacers' dinner in Dublin: some of use are there mainly to make you look normal in your wife's eyes. ;-)

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  5. Well done Grellan, must have been nice to be running so well on the home turf again Best of luck again this weekend. Would love to be doing it.

    Liam (Cousin)

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    1. Cheers Liam - all the best in Donadea on Saturday.

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  6. Like Bob, I find that incredible! Even off an 'easy' marathon I wouldn't be able to back up. Anyway, will be interested to see how this coming weekend compares. Have fun!

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