Beating the blues

It's the third weekend since the marathon and I still haven't really managed to get back into a normal running routine. The weather has been amazing but evening runs hold less appeal, perhaps the lack of the carrot of a marathon dangling in front of me has drained my motivation. This evening I had to battle with myself to pull on my shorts, lace my shoes, and step out at 10pm for a steady 6k around the 'burbs. I'm nowhere near my pre-marathon best but at least I'm building up the km again. My goal for now is a PB for the 15k in Versailles in mid-June, and to continue this blog, hopefully with some insights about running in general and what it means to me. For now I'm just happy to be back out there pounding les pavés and vaguely dreaming of the Viking Marathon back in Waterford next year.

Back in the saddle.

I spent the last week going over the marathon in my mind, backtracking on every tactic, kicking myself on how I utterly unprepared I was for the the final 10k of the race.

Having analysed everything in relative detail, I think that my biggest issues were:

• insufficient mileage in general
• more longer runs needed
• fueling and hydration strategy sorely lacking

I don't necessarily want the marathon as an event to become my sole objective, but I would like to tackle it again, and acquit myself better.

After a week of rest, and wound licking, I slipped on an old pair of shoes and headed for the tried and tested today. 15k around the Ile de loisirs in St Quentin en Yvelines, right next door. This is my go-to running spot, and it's a perfect blend of forest trail and stretches of flat tarmac. 

Typically it takes around 10k for a standard run, but I eked out the km to see how I would react after the marathon. Everything went surprisingly well. My hamstrings and calves did feel feel a little leaden towards the end, but it was a gentle, steady run overall and it felt fantastic to get back out again. I recognise I'm falling into the trap of making this a boring review of every time I lace up a pair of runners and run a few km. I hope to make it more interesting, and much more profound, than that.

I'd like to investigate why I run, and by doing so, why running in general has become such a passion for so many people.

One reason, maybe:

"Running, like literature, like arts, helps you to remember and re-experience some of the impossible strangeness of what it means to be who and what we are, of what it is to be human."

Vybarr Cregan-Reid - Footnotes: How Running makes us Human

Not bad, eh?

Well, that was chastening. I ran my first marathon this morning and I now fully understand why it this event is such a test of human endurance.

I thought I was prepared, I thought I would acquit myself well, but this all fell by the wayside around the 35km mark as any strategy, pacing, or just general awareness of my surroundings fell away in favour of simply keeping one foot in front of the other and making it in the general direction of the finishing line on Avenue Foch.

 But, let's back up somewhat. Saturday evening was spent preparing equipment, nutrition, and ensuring my checklist was fully ticked.

This was followed by a good night's sleep with an early start so that I could be in Paris an hour before my starting time of 09:20. The organisation was impeccable, the atmosphere was electric, and I really felt prepared, something I always struggle with before races.

I started well, keeping a steady pace of of 00:04:50 per km all the way to the Bois de Vincennes, all the while enjoying the roadside music and dancers, and the fantastic spectators.

Things went haywire, however, as we left the city and entered the Bois de Boulogne for the last 10k or so. I didn't just hit the wall, I fully embraced it. I had to will my legs to keep going and slowed down considerably, to the point where any thoughts of maintaining a decent time were soon forgotten. Perhaps this is par for the course for a first marathon, but I seriously struggled.

I did manage to finish on a high and had a sprint finish on Avenue Foch, but it was difficult to find any pleasure in the whole experience, apart from the general atmosphere and involvement of everyone concerned.

It was a long journey home, with cramps and light-headedness, but the welcome more than made up for the gruelling experience.

I think I'll try to pen some more thoughts on the overall marathon experience in the cold light of day but for now, all I can say is cheers/santé and here's to the next race (a real Royal Run, and a lot shorter than a marathon...)!

Here it goes. Finished my last training run this evening. Just a gentle 6k in the local neighbourhood, but what a feeling. It's been 3 months, 537km, 47 runs, one 15k race, and a lot of late night pondering while treading the pavements of Montigny, Guyancourt and Voisins. Now, it's a question of relaxing, hydrating, and making sure everything is ready for Sunday morning. I picked up my bib on Thursday at the Salon du Running and had a wander around the huge venue, mostly open-mouthed at the sheer volume of running-related gear, nutrition and events on offer. I didn't buy anything but I was somewhat tempted by these:

A dimanche, Paris!

Look back - Course du printemps 2018

No run today. I was in two minds earlier, it being a quiet Easter Monday and all, but the need to rest up and take it easy before the marathon won over. I thought I'd revisit a few old races and note my experiences. I'm not going to do them all, since starting running properly I've run taken part in 22 official races either locally around Versailles or in Paris. Some leave lasting memories, others I was only too keen to forget. My very first race was the Course du Printemps in the neighbouring town of Voisins-le-Bretonneux back in 2013. It's a 15k mixture of flat road surfaces and forest trails. My most recent race was the 2018 version, the same distance but a much different route.

It's a lovely event with a friendly atmosphere and around 500 runners. I also got a shout out at the beginning as the sole Irish runner, especially as it was the day after St. Patrick's Day! Things were quite steady for the first 7k or so but then deteriorated rapidly as we descended into the Vallée de Chevreuse and the Abbaye de Port Royale.

What goes down must go back up, in most races anyway, and between the ascent and the muddy trails from 7k to 11k was a bit of a nightmare. I made it the the line in 01:11:11 with a sprint finish, conscious that the marathon was looming.

No medal, as is often the case with the smaller local races, but I do have a handy torch as a souvenir.

Will definitely be back again next spring.

A gentle 12k run around the local neighbourhood this evening. Easter Sunday is always an enjoyable day in France. Easter egg hunts in the morning followed by a leisurely lunch, and a postprandial stroll in the woods to digest the chocolate. Today we prepared a pierrade, which might have covered my meat protein needs before the marathon.

As a result, my Sunday run was later than usual. I headed out my typical weeknight time of 22:00. The goal was to do around 12k, at a 5:00/km pace. I'm very much aware of the importance of tapering so no long run today.

My son (3) asks me if I'm doing the marathon every time he sees my in my running gear. Only a week to go before I can say 'yes'!