Running a marathon in less than 3 hours requires each of the 42 (and a bit) kilometres to be run in slightly under four minutes and 16 seconds. This is a simple fact, and I expected those who shared my starting pen (goal time 2hr 40 – 3 hrs) in Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium this Sunday to be acutely aware of it. Unfortunately for me, my fellow runners seemed to have wandered in from a parallel universe where minutes last precisely 8.6% longer and accordingly, despite my best hustling, I was 25 seconds down on target by the end of my first kilometre. Recalibrating the requirement, I decided to run the next 20k at 04:12 pace with a goal of being back on track (with a small buffer) by half way. I knew 3 hrs was theoretically well within my capability, however my ‘training’ during the summer was characterised by too little mileage and too few speed sessions. In addition, as I reached the 5k mark and felt a heaviness in the legs I began to wonder if my over exuberance at Wednesday night’s golf club sprints might have been a case of too much, too late. With little choice but to continue at the same pace, I consoled myself with the thought that as my legs already felt tired, my own condition when compared with the rest of the field (who I assumed felt fresh) could only improve as time went on. So it proved. The flat course, autumn sunshine and light breeze made things so much easier than my previous race outing at the Two Breweries and I passed through 21.1k in 01:29:29. The second half of the course, along the Amstel river and then back through the centre of town ticked by pleasantly, with periodic mental boosts as I started to overtake more and more of those who had gone too hard. At 35k with 30 mins to go I had a one minute cushion and despite slowing slightly, eased over the finish line in 02:59:24, a new PB for me. My younger brother John, fellow Carnethy, Amsterdam resident and budding marathon specialist was waiting in the stands, having run a far more impressive 02:46:06, also a PB. As part of a very pleasant family weekend our (much!) younger brother Andrew was also in town, and despite his youth rendering him ineligible for the marathon, ran the half later in the day in 01:27. Flat, fast, a nice route and great support, definitely an option for any Carnethies who fancy taking to the road next autumn.
Results here: http://results.sporthive.com/events/6191605479316130304/races/393896
Chris Busby