final marathon notes

[waider]

There will be pictures later, from Marathon Foto. I may even buy the post-race I-can-has-medal shot.

Splits, for those of you who didn't follow ilanarama's lead and look them up at the official website (I've taken the trouble of adjusting them for the 20 seconds between race start and me crossing the starting line): 10k - 0h49m42s, halfway - 1h47m13s, 30k - 2h37m54s, finish 3h54m55s.

Crazy lady somewhere in the Milltown area (18 miles or so), standing on the side of the road, repeating over and over something along the lines of "You can do it! You have the power!" at the top of her voice; a few runners looked bemused, and I quipped, "she certainly has the power" which raised a few tired chuckles. I just can't help being a smartarse, even when I'm gasping for breath.

Aside from the chicken suit guy, I was passed at one point by someone wearing a Fred Flintstone costume over his regular running vest, and there were three guys wearing french colours and fairly sizeable afro wigs. I didn't see the member of the Guinness family who ran dressed as a toucan (or his friend running with him dressed as a pint of Guinness), or the any of the superhero costumes, or the guy who broke the world record for completing a marathon on crutches.

I have no idea if the energy bars actually did me any good. Or the drink in my belt, other than giving me an excuse to slow down to a walking pace a few times. There were ample water and energy drinks being handed out (100,000 bottles of Ballygowan and 25,000 of Energise), and as noted random people were handing out sugary stuff as well. I think I could probably have done without the belt, which would have saved me an abrasion on my lower back (from the label in my running shorts, of all things...)

No cramps. Not during, not afterwards. I had a nervous stomach on the way in, which I initially thought might be more of a stomach upset, but it had vanished by the time the Luas arrived at Stephen's Green so I guess it was just a dose of butterflies. Even now I'm somewhat perplexed at how little pain I'm in. One thing I've really noticed this year is that while my pace has picked up a little, my recovery time has improved massively - I was in pretty much perfect working order the day after I did the 20-mile training run at race pace, for example; and walking for ten or twelve minutes in the race itself was enough to give me back a pair of (mostly) working legs. I'm not saying I'm back to full health or anything, but I'm not lying on the floor looking for a wheelchair, either.

Running somewhere in the vicinity of Templeogue, there was one of a team of Italian runners near me (branding: terramia.com); various people slowed as they drew up level with him, wished him well (some in Italian) and continued on their way. One wag said, "welcome to the walking tour of Dublin". Bystanders cheered him on, too. And I heard a Frenchman being cheered on elsewhere with "Allez les Bleus!" Given how racist us Paddies can be, that was certainly nice to encounter.

Best roadside sign: again, somewhere on the southern loop, but I'm not sure where, someone had giant foam squares with letters embedded in them using different-coloured foam, and crenellated edges to fit the squares to each other together. It seemed like they were still trying to put the sign together when I passed, but it certainly looked the part. Most of the signs were just marker on cardboard, and generally didn't say much more than who they were supporting.

We passed one of the wheelchair racers inside the first 5 miles, somewhere on the North Circular Road; most people gave him a wave or a cheer as they went by (I gave him a thumbs up). From the sound of it, someone he knew caught up with him just after I'd passed him.

I think that's about it. Most or all of the above should've been in the original writeup, but I don't want to go back and edit it at this point.