27M incl Frankfurt Marathon in 2h25m15s
It wasn't a good running day for me today. I can't be sure why yet. But it just felt harder work than it should have from fairly early on. It's hard to gauge, but the winds were strong (up to 59kph ) and I probably should have backed off any planned schedule and run more by feel. Though the wind was ba , I don't think I was on the same plain as I was at the Great North, where everything came easily. I can tell I wouldn't have run well even in good conditions. Just as the weather didn't stop me having a stormer at the Great North.
I had hoped to go through half way in 69.00-69.30 but figured that with a fairly stiff breeze, I would just have to see what groups formed on roughly the right sort of schedule and play it by ear. Through 10K I was in a group of five bang on what I had hoped and feeling ok, though not super-easy as I did in my really good run in 2011.
Between 10K and half way the group sped up and split up and I was left in no-mans land heading into the wind. I didn't respond too badly psychologically until I was dropped by the women's lead group at about 24K, having gone through half way with them in 71 minutes, which tells you how much I had slowed in the second 10K.
From 24ishK to the end was a real mental battle. For a good stretch of it I was considering bailing, but couldn't let myself. I kept the pressure on, but it's hard when your heart isn't there and I lost more and more time. The nail in the day's coffin was the killer turn back into the wind for the final couple of K. I felt like I was almost at a stand-still, despite moving not too badly.
It's days like today that remind me how much I should value the great days I've had. And hope that more come.
I'm going to take a semi-enforced breather now. I'm taking over full-time childcare duties for two months from this coming Friday, something I'm really looking forward to and which will provide excellent distraction from sore hamstrings and a sore running pride. I will have to work out how training will fit into this new reality and what follows, which will involve plenty of nursery pick-ups and drop-offs.
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