276 replies to this topic

[Chopper]

Had a great hit out running with the 3:45 pacers finishing in 3:44:40 - thanks Mike, I think it was bang on even splits. A nice disciplined tempo run and it was wonderful to run a marathon more comfortably,  observing and being inspired by the intensity of the runners around me. The hot conditions were tough coming abruptly out of winter and I wished I'd carried some salt capsules. Just after finishing I had cramp in both shoulder so badly I couldn't reach out for anything, had to walk around like a was nursing two broken arms, very strange as my legs were great...bizarre!

[rachinaus]

moh, on Sep 20 2009, 07:23 PM, said:

Caught up with Rachinaus at about the 36km mark - sorry you couldn't stick with us but when the body plays up its hard to keep it going.

Thanks for trying moh, the body was not playing ball today. Fairly humbling when you have to revise your expectations. Was very happy to find the strength to finish when I knew the original plan wasn't going to materialise and it was feeling tough. Its all a learning experience to put to use with number three.

[virtualkerri]

Well marathon #2 done! To echo others comments, it was a great day which still has me smiling. Not for quite the reason I was hoping, no 3:30 achievement here, 3:40 it was to be!

Unfortunately that did include a 'nature break' at 30kms, very difficult to get back into the rhythm after that, I think I lost some conviction having lost a couple a mins to stop. Coming into that finish though was just wonderful and I was still so happy to be there and to have done it again.

There were fantastic volunteers out there today - special mention to the girls just on the footpath after going under the harbour bridge, such loud and supportive cheering got be believing I really was 'amazing' :-) Then of course the last 500m starting with the CR cheer squad reading my name of my bib (thanks that helped!) even without CR colours; and then the crowds lining the finish straight was such a great feeling.

Really enjoyed it, in a "that might be mentally the toughest thing I've done" sorta way. So somehow not getting the time doesn't diminish the day at all. I guess you could say if mara 1 was exciting and new, mara 2 was more learning experience. I said after the first mara "I only wanted to do the one.." well, I mean it this time! ... For now, I need a rest.

Congratulations to bobbys and the other first timers - bobbys I felt so slow towards the end I was wondering if you were going to pass me again! Pity about your cramps but a great time esp. with that problem!

Just going to take off the medal and go to bed now. Ahh.

virtualkerri

Edited by virtualkerri, 20 September 2009 - 10:35 PM.

[slowmc]

Hi everyone,

I've really enjoyed reading all the reports. Congrats to all those who achieved what they wanted to and best wishes to those of you have something to aim at next time. I loved the emotion and honesty in some of them, its what running is all about. Great stuff.

I did the half yesterday, my second one in just over a month and backing up after a 12km last week. I was going ok till around the 11-12km mark and then the remainder of the race was a struggle to be honest. Finished in an official time of over 2.09.. A salutary learing experience. It's told me a few things about myself which will be handy for next time. Look at the training, better preparation, more rest beforehand, position myself better for the drink stops, particularly the first couple and cut down on the number of these longer events ie, be more choosy. Having said all that, it was still a great experience to run on a course where I hadn't run before, a perfect day for it and the support out on the course for the runners at various points was very encouraging. I loved it. Hope all you CR's out there recover well  over the next little while and the medal was a nice keepsake as well.

All the best

slowmc

[sook54]

Unca Dave was the 2:50 pacer this time.

It was lovely to see so many CRs cum Striders doing the pacing duties, a big hooray to all of you!

JoggerK, on Sep 20 2009, 03:56 PM, said:

So does that make Uncle Dave as first CR home in the marathon ?
19th place 2:49:44, a bit slower than his norm.

[Verity Veritas]

Spud, on Sep 20 2009, 01:30 AM, said:

Slow women's mara winning time.

A win is a win...  Not sure if you ran the marathon but those that did (congrats to all) it was hot and solid day at the office.   I know myself that I was head down and looking for water which is unusual for me, all the women were working hard despite the times.  It is not always about the times but can simply come down to heart and head.

The women's winner gave it a good shot and no doubt is not used to such heat.  She toughed it out yesterdayand inspired me.

Thanks to all volunteers, support and a huge congrats to all CR's too who were out in force.  Dave Criniti was so lovely and positive for the time I mangaged to hang with his group.  Great role model for the sport.

See you all at Melbourne

[greyhoundracer]

Over the moon with a 7min PB in the 1/2 Marathon yesterday in 83.08.

Some guy pulled up along side me at approx 12km and had a good old chat and told me how easy he was doing it, tried my best to stay with him but couldn't, he pulled away and run 81.xx

Its a great finish around Circular Quay and and finish at the Opera House.

Also forgot my Garmin and was stressing, wondering how on earth I could go without it, well, I think that (like my iPod) will no longer be used during a race.

Edited by greyhoundracer, 21 September 2009 - 10:27 AM.

[Johnso]

Android, on Sep 20 2009, 03:22 PM, said:

Does it look a little strange to others that there are a large number of people who finished in the top 200 that have the same gun time and net time ?

I counted at least 10 seconds from the gun going off to when I ran over the timing mat but they have me with the same gun and net time ?

Very strange. The top 48 of both the marathon and the half have the same gun time as net time. You can't tell me that the first 48 runners of each race lined up on the start line for both races.

I started my watch on the first timing mat and stopped it on the last yet my net time was 85:51 when my watch said 85:45. Usually I find my own watch is off the net time by only 1-2 seconds.

[Eagle]

I hadn't givenmuch thought to this marathon. I was too concerned about recovering from the GH100 miler the weekend before and sorting out a couple a small niggles from that run.

I was concerned one would become a major issue and cause me to hobble along at any time. So it was very conservative at the start with me almost always having to pull back from being easily under 5 minute k's to something around 5.25's. By the time we were back into the city I was confident that an increase in pace would be okay.

Pushed harder but as you do in the back end of the marathon didn't go any quicker   . And so it was out along then West City Link and back. I ran alone up to here. Back into the city with about 6=5/6k to go I caught LBP and we, as you sometime do, without words fell into a side by side run and we maintained about 5.15's to the finish line.

An absolute buzz to share the run home with one of the most pleasant CR's you will ever meet.

I was over the line in just on 3.50. In the circumstances I was satisfied with that result.

I will get around to updating my Blogg in the next day or so which has beeen inactive for a couple of months.It will contain a longer race report.

One off topic comment: Why do runners run a marthon in longs skins and a long skins top and then a running top over that. How do they expect the body to cool down by evaportaion with their whole body covered. It seems some runners either have no idea or treat the marathon as a fashion parade or think in September it is like an early morning run in the middle of winter.

[Daisy]

Did the Bridge run yesterday and had absolutely no concept of just how BIG it was going to be.     Abandoned the toilet queue to make the start only to take approx 10mins from gun to cross the start line!  So many people!!!  (Does anyone know how many?)
I did have a goal in mind of under 54mins but that went out the window with the sheer volume of people and the fact that the abandonment of the toilet queue paid later and I had to take a nature break (and I really do mean nature as I didn't end up finding the toilet the SES guy pointed me to - too much information??   )
Hi to the blonde pony-tailed CR I saw on the way up Macquarie Street and the male CR who was already on his way back down!  I hope you reached your goals on the day.
Had a fun day and really appreciated the efforts of the volunteers especially at the baggage claim - they were doing a great job of such an awkward task!

[Daisy]

Oh - and I saw Glen McGrath in the recovery Village - geez he's a tall man!

[Quinkin]

Strained my hamstring at about 4km, and had to pull out of the Bridge Run. I was slightly ahead of 4 minute/km pace at the time. It was a long walk through the Gardens to hand back my timing chip as a DNF.

[GraeGrae]

dlilb200, on Sep 20 2009, 04:41 PM, said:

Long time lurker - first time poster. I am 43 and have been running for the past 4 years, slowly building up my distance. Today was my first marathon. I was aiming for 4 hours and was on track until around 33k, when I suddenly felt very nauseated. I stopped to walk (something I normally never do) feeling very hot. I had been very conscious of hydration and so had been having one or two drinks at every station, but now I found whenever I tried to run I could feel the liquid sloshing around in my stomach and felt nauseated again. Cleared up only with 2k to go.

We get this constant message to keep hydrated but the fact is the body can only digest about a litre an hour.  Any more water, at best, only sloshes aaround in the stomach and could be dangerous for some people.  I do not drink for about 2 hours before the start and then not until I am about an hour into the run, depending on the weather, since it only makes me want to go to the toilet.

Your feelings are quite common.  Your body is simply telling you that it cannot keep the body temperature down if you keep running.  After walking and cooling down, you could run again.  With more experience running in warm/hot conditions, you internal cooling system will improve.  The problem with the Sydney Marathon is that we are just coming out of winter when all the training has been on cold days.

[Isthisnametaken]

My first Bridge Run and what a great day for it. Managed to get near the front of the pack before the gun which was very helpful. At the 2km mark there was a little guy running beside me and we started to have a small chat. He was 11 and had done the run a few times before. He stuck with me the whole race. What a legend. His PB was about 50 minutes he told me and as we progressed through the race he would tell me where we were, how many more hills, etc. I can't thank the little guy enough. His name was Jacob and from looking at the results, finished 8th in his age group. We both crossed for the time of 43:43 (stop watch time) so a PB for him and me first where I averaged under 5 mins per k. Very happy with the result.

Thanks Jacob, you should be proud of yourself and your parents should be very proud of you. You showed a lot of maturity for such a young person. Hope to see you next year...

A great race, loved it, will be back next year maybe for the half marathon....

[hatless]

JoggerK, on Sep 20 2009, 03:56 PM, said:

So does that make Uncle Dave as first CR home in the marathon ?
19th place 2:49:44, a bit slower than his norm.

The Sloth beat him to the punch with 2:49:39. Maybe we'll need to consult the photo.

[butterbean]

I am still so exhausted, that was a really tough day in the office yesterday.

I hadn't really any plans for a time, so just thought I'd stick with the four pacers for a while and then push on and see how I went. Once we hit the two k mark on the bridge I felt I was going too slow so thought I'd head off and try and catch the 3.45 group.

Running through Centennial park I hooked onto a small group that were also trying to chase them down and managed to hold onto until the half way mark going through in 1.52

There were a lot of very hot looking people heading back into town from there so I pulled back a little which was a good idea as the course just doesn't have enough shade.

I have to say running down Flinders Lane (?) back into the city was, short of the finish, the best part of the day. Everyone rejoicing in the shade, arms held out to cool down and a downhill stretch. Thats as close to perfect as it gets!.

Running through the city was okay, I felt like I still had some fuel and was taking in as much water as I could so managed to stay dead on for 3.45. It was a good idea to take on water as the western distributor was brutal and my splits started to slide. At the water stations its was 3 cups, for front back and one to drink. Gu's aren't the best tasting stuff at the best of times and in the heat they were just sickly. There were a lot of really badly heat affected people out in it.

I saw the 3.45 group at the turnaround and managed to get within a few hundred metres but faded badly through Pyrmont, thank God for Sussex street and some shade, where I managed to pick up a bit of speed again and head for home with the Opera house in sight put on a  final push for the line in around 3.48xx.  

The CR team outside the MCA was brilliant, and then it was time to sit down where the family found me a little delirious sitting down in a puddle of water and babbling on about some poor guy I'd seen outside the passenger terminal flat on his back hopoked up the oxygen.

Ask me again next week, but I think I'm giving up running for the cello!

[Isthisnametaken]

Can someone tell me about the pace runners? Are these guys brought into the race for the sole purpose of others running at a certain pace? What if the pace runner wants to put a burst on and finish ahead of the time he is supposed to be setting or is that a no no?

[enduro]

From reading the reports it sounds like I wasn't the only one that suffered from failing body parts.

I was doing really well and on Schedule for a PB till my leg seized up at the 30km mark.Very slow going out and back along the city West link with more walking than running.  Thanks heaps to the many CR's who tried to get me running I certainly had the energy and momentum however that leg would just not cooperate. Haven't checked the result's I was just glad to see the finish line. Anyhow there are plenty more marathons on the horizon. I'll be Back    

Was great to meet so many CR's at the Orient.

Edited by enduro, 21 September 2009 - 09:19 AM.

[WallyGator]

Who cares what time you get for your first marathon?  I am just so thrilled to have done it and finished.    The time was 4:35:19 after aiming for 4:15.  Thanks to brick for words of wisdom and encouragement till I dropped off his bus around 20 - 25 kms.  I was fine with the heat probably due to drinking 2 -3 cups at each station.  My problem was tired legs, left ITB from 20km - but went away at 30 after a couple of neurofen, and then finally right calf cramping for the last 4ks.  From 25 - 30 I felt like crap and wondering why I wanted to do this, where was the exit etc.  My plan then was just to finish and 5hrs was looking likely.   Once the ITB pain went away I got a second wind at 34ks and felt like 6min ks was doable.  That lasted 4 ks then the calf cramp started.  Cramp stop probably helped and I was able to still run the whole last 4ks without cramping totally.

I planned to have sports drinks at every second station, but could not see them at the first few, then until Pyrmont they were all out.  4 enduras, 7 succeed caps, heaps of water and a couple of squirts of cramp stop is probably not the best intake for 4 and a half hours, but it got me through.

I will just have to run faster next to get sports drinks, collapsible water bottles and fruit etc.  Might try putting my own bottles out - but then I will have to have the brain turned on to remember where I sent them.

The cheers squad was so fantastic.  They put a huge smile on my dial and spurred me on to the finish.

It was great to meet new and old CRs both during the race and after at the pub.

Today the only real problem is the left knee (ITB) giving me a bit of a limp.  The rest of the legs are fine.  I will probably be back next year for the full but with better prep and planning.

[bobbys]

WallyGator, on Sep 21 2009, 09:07 AM, said:

Who cares what time you get for your first marathon?  I am just so thrilled to have done it and finished.    The time was 4:35:19 after aiming for 4:15.  Thanks to brick for words of wisdom and encouragement till I dropped off his bus around 20 - 25 kms.  I was fine with the heat probably due to drinking 2 -3 cups at each station.  My problem was tired legs, left ITB from 20km - but went away at 30 after a couple of neurofen, and then finally right calf cramping for the last 4ks.  From 25 - 30 I felt like crap and wondering why I wanted to do this, where was the exit etc.  My plan then was just to finish and 5hrs was looking likely.   Once the ITB pain went away I got a second wind at 34ks and felt like 6min ks was doable.  That lasted 4 ks then the calf cramp started.  Cramp stop probably helped and I was able to still run the whole last 4ks without cramping totally.

I planned to have sports drinks at every second station, but could not see them at the first few, then until Pyrmont they were all out.  4 enduras, 7 succeed caps, heaps of water and a couple of squirts of cramp stop is probably not the best intake for 4 and a half hours, but it got me through.

I will just have to run faster next to get sports drinks, collapsible water bottles and fruit etc.  Might try putting my own bottles out - but then I will have to have the brain turned on to remember where I sent them.

The cheers squad was so fantastic.  They put a huge smile on my dial and spurred me on to the finish.

It was great to meet new and old CRs both during the race and after at the pub.

Today the only real problem is the left knee (ITB) giving me a bit of a limp.  The rest of the legs are fine.  I will probably be back next year for the full but with better prep and planning.

Well done Wally. I saw you on the city west link looking very focused. I was battling the calf at that point. I think given yesterday's conditions, a finish was a good result.

BobbyS

[nite_time_runner]

WallyGator, on Sep 20 2009, 06:07 PM, said:

I am just so thrilled ....The time was 4:35:19

Well done - thats an awesome time for a first attempt!!!  Top stuff!!!

Edited by nite_time_runner, 21 September 2009 - 09:49 AM.

[Aunty K]

HotnSweaty, on Sep 20 2009, 02:30 PM, said:

also nice to meet AuntyK along the way, i saw you just behind me around circular quay so looks like you would have done a 5 min pb, congrats!

Thanks HotnSweaty & it was nice to meet & chat to you along the way.

Yep, I'm very happy with my 3:37:01 finish & 8th in my age group.

My plan yesterday & instruction from my Coach/partner was to stay with the 3:30 pacers.  The guys did a great job getting me to the 23-24k mark & then they seem to put the foot down & I got left behind   between myself & HotnSweaty we were asking each other where did the sudden surge come from??  I decided to not try & hang on to them as I'd pay big time if I did.  I was happy to stay with HotnSweaty till the 30k marker & was still on target.  The run out to the Norten Street turnaround was real hard work & my pace slowed.  I didn't get a second wind until after Norten Street where the crowd lifted my spirit & I did see familiar faces cheering for me.

Anyway, headed for home & the drink stations were welcome relief to the heat.  I kept thinking that as long as I kept moving forward, staying as focussed as possible that I would at least PB.  So very happy to know that my time gave me a almost 6min PB.

Huge thanks to Ice who has put up with me over the past few months with my training.  I managed to drop 4kgs for this event & combined with the right training came away a very happy girl!!

Thanks also to the Balance UTS Tri Club for their support.  Kb, Helmet, Killer, Tripper & the many others all had great days also.

See you all at the next event!!

Cheers,
AK

[WhiffyFuzzball]

This was my third marathon - first was in the UK in 2003, 4:41, second was this event last year, 4:17, each time I targetted 4hrs but fell short. Way too hot for me last year and I wasn't prepared well enough overall.

This year I tried to train more in the middle of the day, trying to acclimatise (I'm English, 24 degrees is hot). I managed to get most of my training runs in, including all the long runs. I bought and trained with the same sport drink as was on offer yesterday so I knew my stomach would take it and I've always used Gu gels (and took my own). Only bad things pre-race were that I enjoyed the taper a little too much and gained a couple of kilos, and had a minor infection that took some anti-biotics to cure, but I finished the course a few days before Sunday.

Had a chat in the toilet line with a guy doing his first marathon and also aiming for four hours - sorry, I forgot to ask your name (we talked about GPS watches and why there weren't any urinals this year - hope you made your goal).

I set the Garmin to show heartrate, time and pace only as the distance is usually a bit off in city races. I didn't get a satellite lock before the start but it picked up OK going over the bridge. My plan (printed out on a pace band around my wrist) was to run 5:28/km for the first 25k then fade to 5:58/km to the finish. I started near the four hour pacers and kept them in sight for the first 10km but by then realised that my stomach was a little unsettled and I would need a bathroom break sometime so from 10km-20km I picked up the pace - 5 - 5:10/km to build up a bit of a buffer, with the Garmin even saying a couple in the middle were under 5m/km. I hit the portaloos at the 21km mark and passed the 1/2 marathon mat at 1:56. I still felt good so carried on with 5:15/km figuring that it was time in the bank for later on.

At the 30k mark I was over 5 minutes ahead of schedule and thought I had it in the bag. It was warm but nothing like last year and this year I was wearing a cooler singlet top and hat, and took the hat off when in the shade to cool off some more. I was more mentally prepared for the Norton Street section this year, but even so it became more of s struggle from then. I had another (longer) portaloo stop at 35k and I was starting to make bargains with myself - if I carried on for another km at 5:30 then I could walk for 30 seconds and still be close to my 5:58 overall pace plan. I had a good talk to myself as we came up the slope coming back around Darling Harbour, telling myself how I had said so many times that I could retire from marathons if I got under four hours, and how much more it would hurt if I threw it away so close to the end. I train around the harbour so I knew this was the last uphill section. I was REALLY tempted to walk early before I got to the 40km marker on Hickson Road - that km felt the longest, I was convincing myself I had missed the marker when I finally saw it ahead.

I kept to the 5:30run/30walk right to 41k, then the amazing crowd lifted me up and I even managed to sprint the last 200m to the finish. I found it hard to breathe after the line as my throat was closing up with the emotion - someone even asked if I needed medical attention!

I'm really happy with how this race panned out, I was much better prepared and with the exception of the two bathroom stops I don't think my race could have gone any better - and who knows, without those two enforced breaks maybe I wouldn't have been able to keep the pace up to the end?

As for the organisation, much better this year than last. Plenty of water and sports drink when I came through, and gels available later on. I was a bit underdone with the BodyGlide but there was plenty of vaseline to be had. The lack of toilet paper (even at the start before the marathon) wasn't great but I improvised. Some signs to the urinals would have been good, I didn't even see them there until I dropped my bag off. Got the right size t-shirt and medal. Could have done without the long walk to pick up the bag but it's a bit tight for room at the finish.

One thing - what was with all the people running on the pavements? The course is measured on the road so running short and cutting corners by using the pavement is reducing the distance. On the other hand, why did so few people use the blue line when available? I love running the same line as the 2000 Olympians, and it's the shortest (legal) route - why take extra steps?

I've pulled up well today - I booked a day off work but could have gone in, I'm not really suffering - I've even thought about going for a run but it would probably be better to go for a swim and maybe dust off the much-neglected bike and start training for the start of the triathlon season. I'm in the Spring Cycle next Sunday so got to run over the bridge this week, then I ride over it next week

At the moment I've no plans to do another marathon - except maybe as part of an ironman tri in a couple of years, but that will be just to finish rather than for a time goal.

Thanks to all the volunteers, spectators, pacers and other competitors for making it a great day.

3:56:43


Paul

[vp102]

WhiffyFuzzball, on Sep 21 2009, 09:52 AM, said:

At the moment I've no plans to do another marathon - except maybe as part of an ironman tri in a couple of years, but that will be just to finish rather than for a time goal.

Paul

Well done Paul, but remember, If God invented marathons to keep people from doing anything more stupid, the Ironman must have taken Him completely by surprise

I reckon that's reason enough to have a crack !!

[Brick]

4:15 Pacer Race report.
Short Version.
Net Time 4:12:35
Gun Time 4:15:27

Did not hear the gun so was not sure how long to give for Gun time I guessed 2:30 and should of given 3 minutes bugger.
Still not a bad effort if I do say so myself.

Cheers squad out did the selves again.

Longer 4:15 Pacer report if interested is on my Blog.

[kb]

Aunty K, on Sep 21 2009, 09:52 AM, said:

Yep, I'm very happy with my 3:37:01 finish & 8th in my age group.

Thanks also to the Balance UTS Tri Club for their support.  Kb, Helmet, Killer, Tripper & the many others all had great days also.
Cheers,
AK

A hugely deserved PB for AK - awesome work.

I ran a PB also taking 14 mins and 4 seconds off my best half marathon time from last year!

I can't wait to see the finish line footage of Tripper

And of course we forgot to mention Pinkie who ran an incredible 1:01:34 in the 9km.  Go Pinkie.

The Balance Babes will be back in action this weekend at Triathlon Pink - 26th September @ Homebush Bay.

kb

[petejeau]

I did this half for the first time and I thought it was a great course - not a fast course by any means but a really enjoyable one - will certainly come back next year - and of course flying down from Darwin the weather was perfect.

[AndrewCowley]

Johnso, on Sep 21 2009, 07:49 AM, said:

I started my watch on the first timing mat and stopped it on the last yet my net time was 85:51 when my watch said 85:45. Usually I find my own watch is off the net time by only 1-2 seconds.

Same here.  My net time was 5 seconds more than the time on my stopwatch.  Weird.

[Aunty K]

kb, on Sep 21 2009, 10:20 AM, said:

I ran a PB also taking 14 mins and 4 seconds off my best half marathon time from last year!

I can't wait to see the finish line footage of Tripper

And of course we forgot to mention Pinkie who ran an incredible 1:01:34 in the 9km.  Go Pinkie.

The Balance Babes will be back in action this weekend at Triathlon Pink - 26th September @ Homebush Bay.

kb

Gosh Kb that is fantastic also!!

Ohhh & how could i forget the beautiful Pinkie    she is awesome too!

What a great day we all had  

AK

[Bernie G]

Fanatastic resulk AK - I'm really happy for you.

[Isthisnametaken]

There was urinals at the start park. They were behind the toilets up the hill a little. By the amount of blokes in the toilet lines, many were not aware. There was no que at the urinals. A little better signage would not have gone astray.

[Aunty K]

Bernie G, on Sep 21 2009, 10:38 AM, said:

Fanatastic resulk AK - I'm really happy for you.

Thanks heaps BG  

You are now one of the Ultra Goddess's yourself... this I can only dream about.
42k would seem like a walk in the park

AK

[Supersam1979]

Isthisnametaken, on Sep 21 2009, 08:54 AM, said:

Can someone tell me about the pace runners? Are these guys brought into the race for the sole purpose of others running at a certain pace? What if the pace runner wants to put a burst on and finish ahead of the time he is supposed to be setting or is that a no no?

The pace runner is there to just keep the run at a contstant pace. tHey are used as a guide but also as a sense of motivation by some. The job is to do just that and pace a constant pace. In order to be a pace runner, you have to comfortably be able to do that alloted pace. Many people use this as a chance for a training run for an ultra etc. Running off at a pace way unrealistic won't do the job or win any mates for that matter.

[Mouse]

kb, on Sep 20 2009, 06:20 PM, said:

I ran a PB also taking 14 mins and 4 seconds off my best half marathon time from last year!

Awesome work kb - that's an incredible PB!!  Look out GC!!!!  

[frankie17]

Isthisnametaken, on Sep 21 2009, 10:52 AM, said:

There was urinals at the start park.

They were fantastic for pre-race nerves!!

[wildcoyte]

Daisy, on Sep 21 2009, 07:56 AM, said:

Did the Bridge run yesterday and had absolutely no concept of just how BIG it was going to be.     Abandoned the toilet queue to make the start only to take approx 10mins from gun to cross the start line!  So many people!!!  (Does anyone know how many?)
I did have a goal in mind of under 54mins but that went out the window with the sheer volume of people and the fact that the abandonment of the toilet queue paid later and I had to take a nature break (and I really do mean nature as I didn't end up finding the toilet the SES guy pointed me to - too much information??   )
Hi to the blonde pony-tailed CR I saw on the way up Macquarie Street and the male CR who was already on his way back down!  I hope you reached your goals on the day.
Had a fun day and really appreciated the efforts of the volunteers especially at the baggage claim - they were doing a great job of such an awkward task!

Hi dasiy i think you saw me as i was on my way down macuarie street as i was about 5-10 CRS at the time i was running i was wearing my CR singlet. dose that ring a bell? anyway i didn't amke my gaol for the day infact i was nearly 7 mins over what i wanted to do and no were near the place i wanted to get in my age group and overall so i'm alittle disapointed but thats life you have your ups and downs so i'll now foucus on the FFTM 10k comming up soon and hopefully break 40 again as my pb is 39:22. i'll jsut see what happens on the day!!! =]

[WallyGator]

bobbys, on Sep 21 2009, 09:43 AM, said:

Well done Wally. I saw you on the city west link looking very focused. I was battling the calf at that point. I think given yesterday's conditions, a finish was a good result.

nite_time_runner, on Sep 21 2009, 09:49 AM, said:

Well done - thats an awesome time for a first attempt!!!  Top stuff!!!

Thanks heaps guys.  Rob, the tattoo lasted to the finish and probably helped mentally as well.

The medal has just come off the neck and is now taped to my monitor.

[Smurfy]

Bridge Run - 1 minute faster than last year despite being ridiculously underprepared - maybe the low expectation helped!

On the organisation front - huge improvement from last year the whole way from seeding to bag collection. The volunteers were a class apart this year, so massive thanks to them on that front. Would still prefer a wider road to start on, and proper time based seeding, but overall no real complaints from me.

Great to see race organizers taking feedback and acting on it. Well done.

[bobbys]

WallyGator, on Sep 21 2009, 11:12 AM, said:

Thanks heaps guys.  Rob, the tattoo lasted to the finish and probably helped mentally as well.

The medal has just come off the neck and is now taped to my monitor.

I'm glad it stayed on - mine was very painful to remove (all those hairs - ouch). Had a nice little tan around it as well .

[The Sloth]

Longer version of race report:
After a solid block of training and some good recent form, I had high expectations for this Marathon.
Based on recent 10, C2S and Half times, 2:45 was not out of the question so I printed up pace bands running at 3:54 per k which would have got me to that target with some seconds to spare.
I was at the start with plenty of time to spare for warmup, toilet stops and catching up with a few people. Felt that hitting 2:45 would be tough but do-able. I reflected on three of the key lessons I have learned from running marathons:
1. Key training runs. I had been training well and included some key runs I use to prepare e.g. some good long runs, 10k@MP the day after the long run, long intervals, and even managed some midweek longer runs this time.
2. Need for a race plan. The plan was pretty simple this time. Run 3:54 min ks all the way.
3. Positive mental attitude. In the week leading up to Sunday, each chance I had to think about the race I was thinking about my target. I looked up old results lists to see what placing I could expect if I ran to plan - i wanted to make sure I was thinking like a top 20 runner. Any bad news on weather or e.g. hearing on Sat morning that preventative back burn operations were scheduled for that weekend (risk of smoke on course), I turned around to reinforce that I have raced in those conditions before and could handle it.

I heard just before the race that Uncle Dave was pacing 2:50. I was happy about this because it gave me a marker to stay ahead of as we went through the out and back sections of the course.

The race started and I tried to find the right pace. The first 5 K was a bit too quick, the excitement of the start and the downhill sections off the bridge and into Mrs Macs Chair pushed the pace. I was kind of OK with this as I was happy to take the free hit on the downhills.
Coming out of Mrs Macs Chair and up oxford street was a bit slow, but a quick k after that had me hit the 10k marker bang on target.
Thought Centennial part was OK but was put off by passing the 15k marker way back behind pace. Thought it must have been out a bit. Told myself not to panic and keep it steady to 16k and see what it was there. Passed 16k at or just off pace, so was relieved that the wheels hadn't fallen of yet.
I always find the up and back on Alison road a mental challenge and did so again but pushed through. I must have lost a bit of time from here up Anzac Pde as I went through halfway spot on 1:22:30 and I should have been under that by 13 seconds.
Had a real battle back into the city. My splits blew out to over 4 min per k and I was doing it tough. I trusted that I would come good again if I could push through it and was rewarded with some quick ks downhill through the city.
Had the second real battle out to Norton St. I hadn't realised how long that hill went for and there was no shelter from the day that was warming up. Kept working harder, but kept dropping pace. Not a good sign.
Was rescued a bit after the turnaround running down what I had just come up. Was a little concerned to see Uncle Dave so close, though.
Once again was working harder but getting slower before finally hearing Uncle Dave and the remnants of his group catch up. I was pretty doubtful that I could hold on to him to the end as there was still 5 or 6 k to go. I found that running with Dave after so long on my own was fantastic. Just having a shirt I could focus on to pull be though seemed to snap the drop in times - I was still working harder, but just not getting slower. In fact after about 8 k of > 4:07 to 4:21 min ks, I managed to get back at or under 4 min ks until the end. I was still doubtful of hanging on to Dave all the way up Hickson road, but at the 40k drink station I took my last refreshments, and fired up for a big finish. I responded well and knew I would get there in under 2:50. The magical finish around the Quay with picture postcard scenery, people cheering, the CR cheersquad, my family watching and the promise of stopping just around the corner pumped me up to bring it home strongly (plus, all the quick running muscles had been lazy buggers for the last 10k, so were well rested).
Finished in 2:49:39 official time, PB of over 8.5 minutes. Pretty happy with that given the conditions. Slightly disappointed to miss the A goal of 2:45, slightly more disappointed to have missed the B goal of < 4min ks. However, I know that I am in with a shot on another day to get there.
Have to go back to the drawing board a little with training to work out how to get the next improvement out of myself. Not sure if there is much else I could have done this time (without migrating to elite style 2 sessions per day type of stuff).

Ended up in 18th spot.
Garmin read 42.8k (so I was under 4 min/k according to it!)
Half splits 1:22:30/1:27:08

Edited by The Sloth, 21 September 2009 - 11:23 AM.

[MattO]

Highlight of the day was joining the cheersquad after my half and watching the marathoners bring it home, truly inspirational stuff for my attempt at Melb in three weeks! (also Marathon effort from some of the CR's that cheered nonstop for hours on end!)
Lowlight was having to head off to the airport rather than the pub... will plan better next time.

The race itself went as planned except for a minor error in my race prep - forgot the band aids for the nipples - anyhoo after a pitstop at the first aid station sorted that and was back on schedule pretty quickly.  Finished in 1:43 something with a decent negative split and a good confidence boost for the challenge of the 42.2.

Nice to meet many CR's and hope to see you all again in Melbourne!

[Aunty K]

Supersam1979, on Sep 21 2009, 11:06 AM, said:

The pace runner is there to just keep the run at a contstant pace. tHey are used as a guide but also as a sense of motivation by some. The job is to do just that and pace a constant pace. In order to be a pace runner, you have to comfortably be able to do that alloted pace. Many people use this as a chance for a training run for an ultra etc. Running off at a pace way unrealistic won't do the job or win any mates for that matter.

That's a great explanation Supersam1979 - I was running with the 3:30 pacers yesterday.  I believe one pacer finished 4minutes ahead of the scheduled time??  I think the second pacer may not have finished.  I thought that we were well on target as I said above but then something happened & the pace certainly picked up for a couple of k's.  I know it must be a tough job as pacer, and I found myself drifting off as I let them do the work, but once I realised we were running slightly faster than I wanted, I soon woke up & stayed back.

AK

[Basil]

Good: Great atmosphere. Great course. Great finisher's t-shirts (for a change).

Bad: Not nearly as much sports drink or gels in the second half of the race as there should have been, which is unacceptable.

A good day overall but glad it's over.

Basil

Edited by Basil, 21 September 2009 - 11:31 AM.

[otisr]

Brick, on Sep 21 2009, 10:11 AM, said:

4:15 Pacer Race report.
Short Version.
Net Time 4:12:35
Gun Time 4:15:27

Did not hear the gun so was not sure how long to give for Gun time I guessed 2:30 and should of given 3 minutes bugger.
Still not a bad effort if I do say so myself.

Cheers squad out did the selves again.

Longer 4:15 Pacer report if interested is on my Blog.

That is a good result.  I kept a close eye on all the pacers, more from interest as i was doing my own pacing duties, keeping a close on my garmin.  But it was impressive seeing the number of runners with each group and how many finished.  I noted the 4:15 group was a harmonious unit and so well done.  If you are into 3:30 or better pacinf duites, i might sign up for a seat.

I started out sub 5min/km on my own and managed to catch up to the 3;45pacers in centennial park, where i noted the pace was around the 4:59min/km mark.  i thought this appeard a little quick, maybe they were banking up some time for later??

[Isthisnametaken]

AndrewCowley, on Sep 21 2009, 10:31 AM, said:

Same here.  My net time was 5 seconds more than the time on my stopwatch.  Weird.

4 seconds for me. I am going off my time.....

[rachinaus]

Aunty K, on Sep 21 2009, 09:52 AM, said:

Yep, I'm very happy with my 3:37:01 finish & 8th in my age group.

Well done Aunty K - inspirational stuff for 40 something women out here

[Aunty K]

rachinaus, on Sep 21 2009, 11:57 AM, said:

Well done Aunty K - inspirational stuff for 40 something women out here

Thanks rachinaus - I'm pretty sore today  

How did you pull up?? were you happy with your event?

Go the 40+ Women!!  

AK

[JBee]

Had all intentions of posting a report yesterday, but was too wrecked to do ANYTHING!

Anyhow, to sum up - WOO HOO!! What an incredible, wonderful, PAINFUL day! First time marathon for me, and I was extremely concerned about how the morning was going to pan out.

The past 3 weeks were a nightmare. Longest run was 17km during which I had extremely sore toes and had to cut the run short. That sent a major panic through me and I drove myself nuts in the following days trying to find a solution. I also had to cut back the running to try to give my toes a chance to recover. Then I caught a cold with one week to go so basically did no running whatsoever that week. It was all very depressing, and I was seriously questioning whether to pull out or not. I decided to at least front up and see what happened, but had no confidence whatsoever of finishing.

Anyway, got up at 4:30 (in hindsight a bit TOO early!), got dropped off at Milsons Point at 6:30 (again too early, and the 45min wait for the start took FOREVER!).

The run generally went really well! I was in the red group at the back, where the only pacer was Brick running 4:15. I decided my plan would be to get in front of him asap and stay there as long as I could, and hopefully get carried along by him if they happened to catch me (which they didn't!).
I remember thinking for the first time at around 17km "ok, I feel alright, I'm going to finish this thing"! Went through 21km in 1:59 - so far so good, and just about bang on my initial stretch target in terms of pace. Around 24km heading back along Anzac towards the city was the first time I really noticed the heat, and commenced pouring water over my head! Along with everyone else, City West Link was a big challenge, but like Heartbreak Hill in C2S I'd mentally prepared myself for that bit so coped OK.

From about 36km though, back through Pyrmont and over the Western Distributor, it got really, really hard. Any slight incline reduced me to a slow shuffle - I just had no leg power left at all. The hardest bit of all for me was around 39km along Hickson Road. There were no spectators to push us along, virtually no other runners, and I suddenly felt a twinge of cramp in my quads, at which point I thought "oops, that's not good!" and immediately cut my pace right back, but managed to keep going. Coming round under the bridge you can't help but lift though. There was a woman cheering us on like crazy - big thanks to her!

Started to feel really emotional going through 40km when the Opera House comes into view - so close now, and with tears in my eyes with the elation - nearly there!!!

The crowd in that last km or so was just fantastic. Like many others, I wasn't wearing any CR gear, but encouraged a few of you along the way with a "go Coolrunner", and many thanks to the gang at MCA - without doubt the best cheersquad of the whole 42.2km!

Crossed the line in net time of 4:04, absolutely elated and exhausted. Mind over matter is an extraordinary thing - I had run non stop for 42.2km (apart from 2 toilet stops and slowing to drink at EVERY drinks station), but once I was over the line I could barely take another step!

Special call out to every one of the pacers - what an inspiration seeing the 3hr guys chasing that incredible goal - totally awesome job. Really, really useful for keeping yourself on track, and I knew as long as I kept chasing the 4hr crew, and stayed ahead of 4:15, I'd come out OK.

HUGE congratulations to all the marathoners, especially the other FTM's. Whether you achieved your pre race goals or not I hope the experience was a positve one, and one which will make you stronger next time.
And HUGE thanks to all the contributors on this site - it has been a wealth of both information and inspiration.

Will I do another? 24hrs after my first, I'm still in pain, but thinking "probably"!

[Brick]

The Sloth, on Sep 21 2009, 11:23 AM, said:

Ended up in 18th spot.
Garmin read 42.8k (so I was under 4 min/k according to it!)
Half splits 1:22:30/1:27:08

Good on Ya mate, so happy for you.
You certainly looked focused when I was talking to you before the start.

[Brick]

otisr, on Sep 21 2009, 11:40 AM, said:

If you are into 3:30 or better pacinf duites, i might sign up for a seat.

I started out sub 5min/km on my own and managed to catch up to the 3;45pacers in centennial park, where i noted the pace was around the 4:59min/km mark.  i thought this appeard a little quick, maybe they were banking up some time for later??

I could pace 3:30 not sure which Marathon to do it at though.
M7 I did 3:45 but do not think i could of done 3:30 only a week after Hunter Valley.
Canberra I race, only raced Marathon for the year for me.
And Sydney is only 1 week after Glasshouse so again no chance of 3:30 pacing.
I think I could of paced the 3:45 this year with no problems but I am sure they did a perfect job and thye looked happy every time I saw them.

Everybdoy also needs to remember it was suggested to the pacers that thye go out on gun times not net times hence my post.

Cheers
Brick