Marathon PB Attempt Blown Away

I went to Taiwan last weekend to run the New Taipei City WanJinShi International Marathon. The target for my 6th marathon was clear, sub 2.30. I had prepared well and everything went according to plan all the way to one week prior the race when my left calf started to feel a bit stiff/sore/cramp-prone. It wasn’t going to stop me from starting the race, but I was worried about how the calf would react after 20-30k of hard running. There will however always be something bothering you, it’s a part of the game.

On the way to race start, my Taiwanese friend and guide told me this marathon was famous for two things; (1) it’s always raining and (2) the course passes two of Taiwan’s three nuclear plants. As you run along the coastline, it’s always rather windy as well. This year was no exception, it was rainy, windy and cold when we arrived to the race venue.

I knew it was going to be a fast race nevertheless, as some speedy runners were invited, including some Kenyans, a Japanese, North Korean and a Moroccan guy with a 2.08 PB.

0-1 km: A distinct leading group of 12-15 runners separates from the rest during the first kilometer. 3:33/km pace, moderate for most of these runners’ standards, perfect for me.

1-2 km: Pace is shifting up and down, but nothing dramatic. Average pace: 3:26
5 km: First water station. Cockfighting 100 meters before the water station when some runners want to show who’s in charge. The group of 12-ish runners remains.
5-7 km: Average pace is still ok for me, 3:20-3:30 per km. Even though the landscape is not yet as open as it would be later on, the wind is having an impact. I clearly notice the benefit of staying close to the others. As soon as I leave a gap of 1-2 meters, the wind becomes much more apparent.

7-8 km: The course has many but small hills. The steepest climb is around the 7 km mark. The group is running strong uphills, I’m thinking I’d burn too much energy to keep up, so I leave them a gap.

8-10 km: I’m running by myself some 50 meters behind the leading group. Pace is still 3:20-3:25. The wind is getting stronger though and I start to realize it’ll be tough to run alone.
10-15 km: Running along the coast, nothing to stop the wind. Strong headwind! I’m working hard, still it feels like I’m hardly moving. My Garmin notifies my average pace every kilometer by a clear vibration. As I didn’t feel any vibration on my left wrist for a few kilometers, I assumed my GPS had given up. In fact, it turned out my arms had become all numbed due to the cold and hence I didn’t feel the vibrations. I checked after the race, and the km-pace dropped to 3:30-3:45 over these 5 km.
15-20 km: I’m cold, wet, slow and miserable! My sub 2:30 finish time is blowing away. Passing a nuclear plant, don’t even notice. 3:35-3:45 pace.

20-21 km: Reach a village and the wind calms down a bit. First kilometer under 3:30 for a while. It feels weird, my body is numb, can’t even tell how tired my legs are. Half marathon split is around 1:14:30. If my legs are relatively sharp, it might not be such a terrible race after all…
21-25 km: My legs are not sharp, it will be a terrible race! Running slow even in the tailwind. Passing two guys (Kenyan and Moroccan), both are in pain. None of them finished the race.
25-35 km: The target time is out of reach since long. Speed is far from where I want it to be. Passing a Kenyan runner anyway who also seems to have had a tough race.

35-40 km: Have that “I-don’t-care-just-get-this-race-over-with-feeling”. Really struggling now.
40-42.2 km: The women’s marathon leader, a North Korean, passes me. I’m moving in slow motion. Not my proudest moment. Finish in 2:36:03, not my proudest moment either, but happy to have the race behind me.

I completed a marathon in tough weather conditions in 2:36, finished 9th overall, but I can’t be satisfied with the result. Tactically I made two obvious mistakes, (1) I let the leading group go after 7-8 km, I would have benefit from staying close to them when the wind picked up, and (2) I worked too hard to keep a decent pace in the strong head wind, I would be better off saving some energy for the way back. If I’d done my homework better, I probably would have realized this wasn’t a good choice for fast marathon and perhaps I should have set up another target than aiming for a PB finish time. Next marathon, Stockholm in late May.

Photos courtesy of SportsNote