I ran my first marathon, The Thames Meander, on Saturday 1 November 2014. It did not go according to plan.
I made the obvious rookie error. The one everyone had warned me about. The one I had promised myself I would not make. I started out too fast. It was straight out of the textbook. I was feeling good, I was being carried along by the (small) crowd, and I was running too fast.
I knew I was doing it. I tried to slow down. But still I kept on going.
It took me 13km before I felt like I was starting to gain control of my pace. I started to reel it in, but not enough. By 26km I was spent. I started to run-walk, and watched my average pace drop off rapidly. I managed to dig in for a final burst of energy for the last 800 meters - my wife and daughter were at the finish line - and finished in 4:32:38.
That's not a bad time for a first marathon, but I am disappointed with my performance. I'd really wanted to run the whole way without walking (except at the water stops). I was frustrated that I'd set out too fast and then crashed even though I'd known not to do so. But it was a great learning experience, and I am determined to do better next time.
First, let's talk about the race itself.
The course is spectacular. It follows the Thames path more or less from Kingston Bridge to Putney Bridge and back. The scenery is spectacular, especially Richmond Hill and Kew Gardens (although I must admit that although I soaked it in on the way out, I was paying considerably less attention on the way home.)
The race was well organized. The field was fairly small, perhaps a few hundred strong. After about 10km it was pretty spread out where I was making it feel much more like a training run than a big event. But that suited me just fine. It is what I am used to and it meant I could just enjoy myself and the scenery.
The water stops were well stocked and the support teams were great encouragement. I stuck to water only, as I was carrying my own gels (I took 8 during the race, exactly as planned). They also stocked some sort of electrolyte enhanced water, Gu gels, chocolate brownies and crisps.
The Thames path itself was pretty busy, especially as we approached Putney. The river was crowded with rowing teams, and their coaches were cycling up and down the path yelling instructions. Where the path passed in front of their clubhouses, there were usually small crowds of people milling around and carrying their boats and oars to and from the river. We passed a lot of other joggers and runners out for the morning constitutionals. Putney itself was particularly busy.
It struck me that a lot of people seem to have very little spatial awareness. They mill around without seeming to pay any attention to where they're going and who else is around them. Sometimes, they look right at you as they step right into your path, often in small groups, making it hard to avoid them.
Put those same people on bikes, and they become a dangerous menace. I didn't have a bad experience with a cyclist myself, this time, but I did observe another runner cursing a cyclist who'd nearly knocked him down. I am not suggesting that runners should have any sort of right of way, but I do think that there are a lot of people out there who could be a little more aware and considerate so that we can all enjoy being outdoors together.
The path itself was harder underfoot than I'd imagined. In most respects, I think running off-road is a lot easier than pounding the pavements. Small amounts of variation, leaves on the path etc. all mean that your feet are not hitting an unyielding flat surface in an identical manner 42,000 times (my stride length is about 1 meter). However, the parts of the path was made up of compacted gravel littered with small stones that project up 1 or 2 centimeters. Try as I might, I could not avoid them all. By kilometer 20 my feet were starting to hurt from it. The race organisers had recommended light trail shoes, and I suspect that this was why.
In terms of my own physical condition, I had started off feeling good. I have no doubt that is why I'd started out too strong. I generally don't have that much control of my speed. In my training runs, I generally run by effort and just run as fast as I feel comfortable. Clearly I need to learn to control my pace a bit better so that I can start off more slowly.
By kilometer 13 my lower back was starting to feel tired. My back has always been a bit of a weak point, and has been the source of a few injuries in the past. So this worried me more than just a bit. However, as I slowed down, by about the half way point, it was not bothering me quite so much anymore. By kilometer 26 my upper thigh to hip was feeling exhausted, and starting to hurt, particularly on the right side. That was what slowed me down and forced me in to run-walking. At one stage, even walking felt difficult, and I started to limp a bit.
On the plus side, I did not suffer too many other aches and pains. I take that as a sign that my previous weak points have strengthened from training. So I think if I can now just continue to work on my back and hips I should start to see further improvement.
I discovered that the back half of the field on marathon can be quite a sociable place. There was a little language not ideally suited to young ears, but mostly people seemed happy for a few minutes chat as a diversion. I chatted to some pretty amazing people. The first was a chap wearing a Centurion Winter 100 tee shirt. He said he'd run it in 2013 and absolutely loved it. He was out for a marathon that day because he'd been a 'bit lazy' lately and thought he'd better do something. He did not look the most athletic person on the field, but I did notice he was wearing Vibrams ('the trail variety', he informed me, 'not that you can tell much difference, but they're great') and had the fastest cadence I'd ever encountered.
Later I passed a gentleman wearing a sign advertising he was doing 52 marathons in 52 days at age 52! I asked him how he was doing and he said that this was his 42nd. Respect! There were a lot of people wearing '100 marathon club' vests as well. Apparently at least one of the runners had done upwards of 650 marathoners. If any of you ever read this, please know that you are a total inspiration to this first-timer.
I crossed the line feeling both disappointed at having walked and at how positive my splits were, and proud of myself for having completed my first marathon in a respectable time. My wife and daughter we're waiting at the end to cheer me on, and my daughter (8 years old) ran the last 20 meters across the line with me, which made it feel even better.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and achieved an important milestone.
I'll chalk this one up as a learning experience. I am taking a week off from running, and then I'll get back into training, hopefully a little wiser.
