Run > Race

Chester Marathon (30th & a massive PB)

My second A race of the year and it went absolutely brilliantly.

Thanks to my previous PB being below 2:45, I got the "Elite experience" for this race. This meant I got to keep my stuff and myself cosy and warm in a room with the other elites until 10mins before the start when we were escorted from the room to the front of the race. I'd already warmed up with a lap of the race track and some stretching so was quite warm when we headed out into the cold, which was perfect running temperature.

I went into the race wanting to set a PB by getting under 2:42 and maybe gun for a sub-2:40 if I had the legs and lungs once I knew I'd get the PB - I'd been training for a sub-2:40 so it was definitely on the cards if I played them right. I was feeling incredibly strong and fresh too so had to be very conscientious about my pacing.

Started off quite conservatively but a little on the faster-than-2:42 side of things, though some of this was due to a few downhill sections in the early stages. Once things flattened out and started to roll slightly up and down through the countryside, I settled into a comfortable pace around 3:50/km and tucked in behind a few guys running the same pace - I felt like Eliud Kipchoge as some parts were quite breezy so having a shield was very welcome.

This pacing and company allowed me to tick over the k's very comfortably and I passed through half way in 1:20:05, nearly a minute ahead of schedule. A quick bit of mental maths confirmed I was now on target for a sub-2:40 finish if I gave it a little push. I was also still feeling strong so I decided to go for it and pick up my pace to ~3:47/km to see if I could get that sub-2:40.

The second part of the race is definitely more undulating than the first so I really needed to in dig at times to keep the average pace at 3:47/km or quicker. Thankfully I was still feeling amazing and incredibly strong so kept pushing though I did slow a bit and passed 30k a little behind 2:40 pace in 1:54:13 and then 32k in ~2:01. This did however make things easy to calculate: at 4:00/km, I'd hit 42k at ~2:41 so for every k I ran quicker 4:00, I'd have time in the bank for the final 200m with the risk of a mad sprint. I then started repeating to myself as I ticked over the k's: "I've got 40mins to do 10k", "36min for 9k", "32min for 8k" and with each I saw my "bank time" growing until I got to "nearly 9min for 2k" and knew sub-2:40 was an almost dead cert. I didn't ease off though... I knew the finish was on the race course and anything can happen on grass. As it turned out the race also appears to have been ~200m longer so this extra bank time was needed.

I entered the race track and pulled out all the stops as I watched the clock tick over. In the end I finished quite comfortably under 2:40 and incredibly pleased with myself and my effort.

My final chip time of 2:39:46 smashed my previous PB by nearly 4 minutes.

To say I'm chuffed to bits is an under-statement. I'm so happy and would love to get even quicker, though I fear time is now against me. That said, I'm happy to step over to the first old man's age group V40 next year.

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Original entry:

I FUCKING DID IT!!!! Nearly 4 mins off my previous PB and now a member of the sub-2:40 club. I'm happy to retire to the old man's categories now.