Woke to perfect conditions on Sunday for the Canberra marathon.

 

I had a great training build up and had been on a program from CT @ Rejoov from January which incorporated lots of HuRTs sessions and I also regularly joined the HuRTs Sunday morning session at Centennial Park.

 

When I kicked off with the program in Jan I said to CT I wanted to beat my previous best time of 3:29 (set in Melbourne 2005) but as my fitness increased I had put a loftier target of a sub 3.10 and was aiming for as close as 3hrs as I could get  – so aiming for 4.20 avg.

 

10km 43:26

Got to 10km bang on target for the 4.20 avg race plan. I told myself I now just have a Sunday CP training session left to go.

 

20km 1hr:26min

So got through 20km and my wife and 3 kids had come out to see me which was great. Still holding 4.20 avg and feeling ok.

 

At that stage I was pacing well with a couple of other runners but then came the dreaded merge. For those of you that don’t know they merge the marathon and the 1/2 marathon at approx. 24km. It was crowded and hard to get past people. The race then turns onto Parkes Way and it was wall to wall runners and now the leaders of the 1/2 and marathon have turned so they are running the other way so it’s packed.

 

At this stage I had lost the couple of marathon runners I was running with and the next thing I hear “Go Chris” and it’s Brendan F flying past the other way and I try and yell something but he is in the distance before I could get anything out. That perked me up a bit and I start looking for other HuRTs people running the half. Next to run past on the other side was Elle and got a high five. I then see Erika and couple of other familiar HuRTs faces all running strong. I looked Craig but couldn’t find him in the crowd – probably he was running to fast!

 

The energy kick from seeing the HuRTs crew flying the other way came to an end pretty quickly. But, then I see the turning point and think thank goodness – I am heading for home. Unfortunately the marathon continues on for a further 2km down the road – bugger! So I find myself running solo again which was a weird feeling after just running in a crowd.

 

30km 2hr:15min – starting to struggle…

Turned at 30km and I have slowed and I am fading badly. On the turnaround I see that I am still ahead of the 3:15 pacer and thought I just have a Monday HuRTs recovery run left – I can hold this together and when they catch me I will work with them.

 

I continue on and look up ahead and there is a sea of people rounding the 1/2 marathon turnaround – this isn’t going to be good. Legs are gone and now I am thrown back in with even slower 1/2 marathoners runners and on one of the many hills on the Parkes Way. The 3:15 pace bus passes and I can’t hold on to them for long. Every aid station from now on was a massive battle due to the amount of people and my legs just don’t want to go any faster and the course continues to throw in hill after hill, rise after rise.

 

40km I don’t care now.

Legs are gone I want to walk but I can’t walk cause it hurts more than running (if you could call it that it’s more like shuffling). I am still trying to keep with it and I am now struggling with my times tables in my head so still can’t work out what time I have blown out to.

 

Approx. 41.6km where the f$&k is the finish and who was that guy…

The shuffling is continuing but where is the finish – I must be close?! I see a spectator ahead and yell “mate where the f$&k is the finish? He must have heard the desperation in my voice and he jumps onto the course and starts running next to me and goes “you have almost done the marathon man it’s just around the corner.” Now imagine the Brownlee brothers at the finish of that tri race – I am thinking that’s what it looked like as this bloke then throws his arm around and starts running with me on the course. He keeps yelling at me “Mate you are gonna do this!!” my legs are gone but the shuffle has now increased back to a run but I still can’t see a finish so I ask again “no seriously where the f$&k is the finish??!!” and after one last turn he goes “there it is!” – thank goodness!!! He gives me a big push in the back and I am on my way – not all hero’s wear capes and a big thanks to that random bloke!

 

I battle across the line in 3hrs 26min 18secs. It wasn’t my day and I would have and probably should have had a better race but at the same time I am stoked – I left nothing out there. I was well truly spent and I went out with an ambitious target and an aggressive pace and on a perfect day that may have come off for me – it just so happened it was a 3:26 type of day for me. Even with the hills, the crowd etc. – there are no excuses the legs just didn’t have it in them.

 

Well done to all those that ran at Canberra on the weekend (especially Lachy and Andy doing the Ultra!) as well as including those who ran in Boston.

 

Massive thanks to CT – if you told me 3:26 in Jan I would have taken it! Thanks mate!!! And to the HuRTs crew – I have only been running with HuRTs since June last year and HuRTs has really brought back my running desire and for that I will always be thankful but most importantly I have met some great people as well. I would have loved to be sharing a quicker marathon time with you all but that was the best I could do on Sunday – but it won’t be my last.

 

Thanks again to all of HuRTs for the support and encouragement!

 

Sydney marathon is 151 days but who is counting.

By: Chris Robbo