Manchester Marathon April 2018

On Sunday 8^th April 2018 I ran in the Asics Greater Manchester Marathon.

This was my 5^th Marathon and the 2^nd time I had run Manchester.  The last time I ran this marathon was in April 2014 and I hated every minute of it!  I even wrote in my race report “I won't be doing Manchester Marathon again or any marathon come to that!”  So why was I back? 

To be honest, I have no idea why I booked this!  I think perhaps I had had a glass or two of wine and my memories were a little jaded! 

I travelled up to Manchester, with my husband by car on Saturday 7^th April, my nervousness getting a boost along the way from the rain that was bouncing off the car and the roadside boards warning of road closures and delays!

We arrived at The Copthorne Hotel in Salford Quays at around 3pm. After checking in, I frantically unpacked to make sure I had all the necessary kit with me.  I felt a lot calmer once I had all my race day things set out ready for the next day! I had taken a wide array of clothes to fit every weather scenario possible!

We decided to have a little walk around and investigate where the start line and athlete’s village etc was situated.  Thankfully, the rain had stopped by this point and according to the forecast it wasn’t expected to return before the Marathon!

We followed the map to the start line which was less than a 10 minute walk away – ideal for the morning!

Once I was happy with where everything was we headed back to the Quays and went in to a pub for a drink!  I was very good and only had J2O’s! After months of training I wasn’t prepared to throw it all away for a pint or 3!

We headed back to the hotel at around 5.30pm and had time to relax before getting ready to go out to dinner.  We had a table booked at Bella Italia for 7.30pm, and when we got there it was heaving!!  It was full of runner’s who were carb loading with pasta!  Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long for our table or to be served despite how busy it was.

I didn’t want to have anything too rich or creamy so I stuck with basic garlic dough balls to start, followed by Spaghetti Bolognese washed down with water!

Just after we had finished eating, we were joined by a couple of FB friends (but hadn’t actually met before!) who had been walking past and saw us through the window.   Jonno was running the Marathon and was going for a sub 4 time, the same as me.  His partner Denise was his support crew!  We compared race notes and said we would look out for each other the next day and then we headed back to the hotel for 10pm.

After setting both our alarms for a 7am start, I was settled and asleep in bed for 10.30pm.   Unfortunately, I didn’t stay asleep and after about 1am I was very restless suffering pre-race nerves! Consequently, I was already wide awake when the alarms went off!

I immediately got up and looked out the window to check the weather! I was delighted to see that the weather forecast had been right and although it was cloudy it was dry!

I then ate 2 porridge pots (The just add boiling water type which I had brought with me from home) and washed it down with a mug of coffee.

I opted to wear my ¾ length running tights and a vest.  I also wore an old top to keep me warm which I was going to discard at the start.

The race was due to start at 9am and we left the hotel at 8.30am to get to the start and in the right starting pen in plenty of time.

However, once outside, I realised it was far warmer than it looked and decided I would be too warm with my tights on and rushed back into the hotel to change into shorts!

By the time we left the hotel for the second time it was getting close to 8.40am.

I tried to calm my nerves as we leisurely made our way to the start. One positive about having a hotel so close to the start is I didn’t have to endure the long toilet queues!

 I was desperate for a sub 4 hour finish and was debating whether to run with the 3.59 pacer or go it alone. I had run London Marathon last year in 4:06:28, and my training this time had gone well, despite an initial bad start when I suffered with Achilles’ Tendonitis. I was hopeful that I could shave 18 seconds a mile off my PB to bring me in under 4 hours!

The race start was different to the last time I ran and this year it was at the Trafford Arch on the A56 at the White City roundabout near Old Trafford. We arrived in plenty of time and I was in my starting zone by 8.50am.

My Husband said good-bye and good luck before heading off to find a suitable place to spectate. At this point I ate a banana to top me up and looked around for any pacers nearby, I couldn’t see any so I was left to go it alone!

My plan was to try and run an even paced race staying at around the 8.55 minute mile pace to give me a little buffer in case I ran further than the 26.2 miles!  In London I actually managed to run 26.51 miles! The plan this time was to look ahead and take the shortest possible line with no weaving around people if at all possible!

The race started promptly at 9am, and as we shuffled towards the start line I discarded my top ready to run!  It took me approximately 4 minutes to get over the start line and it was a relief to be running and I could feel the nerves seep away.  This was what I had trained for so I was going to try and relax and enjoy it.

The crowd support at the beginning was immense and I felt quite the celebrity running past them all.

As well as the start being different the first 3 miles of the course were different from the last time I ran, now with a loop around Old Trafford before joining the previous route towards Sale and then on to Altrincham. The new first section removed the awfully congested section that really annoyed me last time so at least the race organisers had listened to the runners’ complaints and done something about it!

As I settled into the run I was conscious of my pace, desperate not to get swept along by everyone else’s pace!

I was aiming for an 8.55 minute mile pace and hit the 1^st mile marker in 8.48. I knew I was going too fast and tried to rein myself in, which is very tricky when you have race day adrenalin pumping through your body and you just want to run as fast as you can!

Thankfully, I had plenty of space around me to try and relax a little and slow it down. I think not being near to any pacers was a positive as there wasn’t the big groups of runners I have experienced in the past!

I managed to slow it down and ran the 2^nd mile in an 8.53 minute mile pace. but then sped up again for mile 3 which was my fastest mile at an 8.44 minute mile pace.

I picked up a bottle of water at the first water station and kept it with me so I could have a sip as and when I wanted. By this point in the run I was pleased I had changed into shorts as it was becoming extremely warm!!!

The miles ticked by with mile 4 being at an 8.50 pace, mile 5 at an 8.46 pace, mile 6 at an 8.51 pace, and at this point I took my first gel as per my fuelling plan.

I continued too fast and finished mile 7 at an 8.49 pace and mile 8 at an 8.47 pace. 

Although I was running around 10 seconds a mile faster than my planned pace I felt comfortable and happy and wasn’t too worried about it! 

At around this point Jonno caught up with me as he had started in a later pen.  I could feel my pace creeping up as I talked to him, so after about half a mile running together I told him to go on ahead as I didn’t want to jeopardise my race by being silly and going even faster than my already too fast pace!

Through Sale and onto Brooklands, we made our way to the 9 mile point and my pace was still too fast at  8.46, followed by mile 10 at a 9.05 pace.

At this point I took my second gel. I sped up in mile 11 and did an 8.58 pace, followed by mile 12 at a 9.02 pace and mile 13 was at a 9.05 pace, as we hit the long stretch through Timperley and towards the half marathon mark.

I went through halfway at 01:57:19 which is an average 8.57 min mile pace, so despite my pace being too fast initially I was perfectly paced at this point, and we were now heading towards home. I truly believed I had a sub 4 coming!

Although the pace wasn’t feeling so easy anymore it wasn’t uncomfortable, however it was now slower than my target with mile 14 being at a 9.07 pace. I took my third gel, this time I had one containing caffeine in the desperate hope it would give me the boost I needed to get me back on track.

I ran mile 15 at a 9.06 pace. Back up the long straight to mile 16 and this is where I started getting a little concerned. My pace had now dropped to a 9.18 pace. My legs were now fairly tired and I had another 10 miles to get through and I needed to keep the pace. Mile 17 was slightly faster at a 9.11 minute mile pace, but then it started to drop and there wasn’t anything I could do to stop it!  My head and heart desperately wanted to push on but the legs and especially the Quads said NO! Mile 18 followed at a 9.28 pace, then mile 19 was 9.36 and it was time for a 4^th gel but it didn’t help and mile 20 was slower again at a 9.41 pace.  By the time I had run mile 20 I had been running for 3 hours, 1 minute and 59 seconds! To be on target I needed to hit mile 20 at 3:01:33

I gave myself a stern talking to and managed to pick the pace up for mile 21 to do a 9.19 pace.  I was fighting my way to the finish line and I told myself that if I could just push a bit harder I could still conquer the sub 4.

However, by mile 22 I knew I was defeated I had nothing left in the tank.  I took another caffeine gel in a last-ditch attempt to spur me on!

I went through mile 22 at a 9.52 minute mile pace, then mile 23 at a 10.01 minute mile pace, and mile 24 at a 10.01 minute mile pace. There was great crowd support during the last 5 miles which made a huge difference and helped motivate my tired legs, however there was also lots of people walking and limping and I had to tell myself “It’s easier to run than to walk”.

On hitting 25 miles at my slowest pace of 10.08 I decided to do everything I could to get to the finish line as quickly as possible. This seemed to be one of the longest miles I’ve ever run, especially after turning onto the last straight with about half a mile to go and having to squint to see the finish line in the distance. The crowds were great cheering me on but I felt like I was running through treacle and the finish line didn’t seem to be getting any closer!

A last push and I was finally across the finish line for a time of 4:03:52. My garmin said that I had run 26.37 miles, still further than a Marathon but I obviously kept a better line than I had in London.

Once over the finish line it was a bit of an anti-climax!  There was no friendly Marshalls placing a well-deserved medal around my neck, just a long lonely walk without any water or food to where they were handing out the Goody bags and T Shirts.  As I was handed a bag I was told gruffly “Medals in the bag”.  A quick root around in the bag and I was able to locate the medal and wear it with pride.  Next it was another long lonely walk to the family meeting point as no spectators were allowed in the athletes’ finishing village. I was tired and weary and just needed someone to be there.  Before leaving the athletes village I got a free pint of non-alcoholic beer, but after the first sip it was evident that I wasn’t going to enjoy it and quickly disposed of it.

Once outside it took me quite a while to locate my husband.  I then had a 20 minute very slow walk to get back to the hotel where our car was parked.  We had chosen a hotel near the start line, in hindsight perhaps a hotel near the finish would have been kinder on my legs after 26.2 miles!

Not the sub 4 time I was desperately working towards but a 3 minute PB from last year and a staggering 19 minutes faster than the last time I ran Manchester Marathon so I am happy.  I really couldn’t have done any more on the day and I had tried my hardest!

Despite not getting the time I craved I still enjoyed the weekend and the run.

On reflection I think that if I’d gone out at a slightly slower pace I may have been able to keep it going and finished strong resulting in a faster time. I’m still happy with the performance on the day and I’ve learnt more about race day pace. It is often said that a marathon begins at 20 miles, and that is now very clear. I need to be hitting that point in the race with legs that aren’t feeling exhausted and that can push on from there.

I’m feel that I’m very much still on course for my sub 4.00 marathon in May when I run Edinburgh! There’s no time to sit back on my new PB. The hard work starts again this week working towards this next one.

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