Leiden Half Marathon, May 19, 2019
Disclaimer: Automatically translated from Russian
Well, about Leiden Half Marathon.
After a pretty successful half marathon Stevensloop, which I ran without much preparation with the new PB 1:23:31, improving the previous result for as long as 45 seconds, it is time to start implementing the long-term plan - a half marathon of 80 minutes. After resting for a week, I began to gain volumes. At first, out of the corner of my eye, I looked into the training plan of the DD, but then I thought that the volumes of + a few high-quality trainings per week would definitely kill me, so I decided to focus only on volume. As quality work, I already have club training on Tuesdays, where we run at a pace of 10 and 5 km. If desired, you can add long and tempo at the end of the week. Under large volumes, he determined 75-85 km per week for himself - there is no time left for something more, and I do not have time to recover. In general, on that and decided.
The plan, surprisingly, managed to follow. For 7 weeks, there have never been problems with the back (which I always fear). I stopped doing strength training (SAM from Jay Johnson) 2 months ago, so there were only 30 minutes of exercises from cross-training that we do with the club on Tuesdays at the stadium. The bike tried to avoid - so as not to load the back. Plus, from pedaling, my legs grow and get heavier in completely unnecessary places.
In general, the picture turned out to be as follows (weeks grow from below):
About the week from April 29 to May 5, I was especially worried, as we were going to go to rest with our family in Turkey on all inclusive. The running situation there was not clear at all. Fortunately, everything worked out - by the middle of the week I learned not to get drunk from the belly, alcohol ruled out (and, it is worth noting, still not turned on) after two glasses of beer on the third day, every day I swam one or two times, well, I ran almost every day. The territory of the hotel was quite large, I found a straight section along the perimeter exactly a mile long and ran there intervals. Plus arranged a couple of long runs. Given the heat, all the training turned out to be just excellent - melting like ice and returning home rested and easier. I will write a separate post about the rest.
Upon returning home, there was another week for acclimatization, and then the starting week - Tuesday stadium, a couple of light short runs and rest.
On the start day, the weather was promised good, cool, degrees 13-14. It can rain in places. On the train I got to Leiden.
In the morning, half marathoners started, and two hours later full marathoners. The issuance of rooms took place in a large church. As they say, where only I (numbers) did not receive them - in exhibition centers, in sports complexes, in the stable, now here is also in the church.
Got a number, put out a little, hesitated a little about shoes, in which to run (the choice fell on the NB Fuel Cell Core - remembered the unpleasant sensations in the fingers of the old-good Adidas Adizero Adios Boost during Stevensloop), handed over things, went to warm up and stand in a ritual queue. In the beginning, he scolded himself a little for forgetting a bottle of water to drink before the start, well, a windbreaker with his pants during the warm-up would not hurt, otherwise it was cool in the shirt. Well, nothing, interrupted.
I met a virtual acquaintance from Strava, with whom I was embarrassed after dozens a couple of years ago. Dude after the injury, so I was not sure that he would run fast. And he is very fast. I told him about my plans to run out of 1:23:31 and get as close to 80 minutes as possible.
Started from the first zone, from the front rows. There are quite a lot of people. Before the start, some man sang some kind of solemn-drunken song, shot, ran.
500 meters after the start, this acquaintance walked around me and then loomed ahead for quite some time, which made me very happy.
As for my strategy: ideally keep the pace 3:36 min / km all the way (to run out of 80 minutes), if not - 3:50 min / km would suit me too, well, if that weren’t a ride, then he would gladly be content with an average rate of 3:55 min / km. Well, by and large, the new PB would have enough anything faster than 3:58 min / km. In the back mind I understood that it would be best to start at a pace of 3:50, and then accelerate to 3:46. But then there would be no chance of a sub-80.
But as they say, everyone has a plan until they give it in the face. From the start I broke. Periodically looked at the clock and saw that 3:35, then 3:40, then 3:30. The top ten married 37:33, which, given my current official PB 36:59, is pretty fast - run another half. It happened - right after the mark of 10 km I’m tired. There also a site of some windy caught. In general, he began to suffer. The only gel sharpened the kilometer on the 11th. Viewers did not rejoice, plastic glasses, of which it is completely impossible to drink without dousing (paper shrinks much better and are cheaper), irritated, sticky hands infuriated. The pace fell to an area of 3:50 min / km and hung out somewhere. I overtook the first girl to tens and now there is another problem - do not let go.I have recently had two additional tasks at the races - to overtake the girl (preferably the first) and grandfather (our Johan Neve, who was repeatedly mentioned in my stories).
For some time it was possible to drive a couple of dudes who worked well together. More precisely, one worked as a hare, and the second smelled. But gradually they came off. In the region of the 13th kilometer (where this photo was taken), he caught on this dude and so more or less to the finish line together and crawled:
Dude, by the way, really so big. I kept running and thinking how such a power can move at such a pretty good speed. Hiding him from the wind, however, was shy.
A kilometer before the finish line, he began to try to gather his last strength and accelerate (thanks to strava # FastLastMile), but somehow there was no strength. A hundred meters to the gate I noticed my family - they shouted that I was kind of like the 25th or 26th. I tried to push a little more:
The clock at the finish gate was teasingly exceeded at 1:20:20. Nevertheless, a winning cry, water, medal:
The official result is 1:20:22 28th of 4188 in the overall standings 28th of 2726 among men 7th of 334 in category M35
I went a little to the church, changed clothes, took a picture with trophy on tombstones:
I found myself on a banner (I never remembered why people spend so much time searching for their name among thousands of others, but this time the excitement overcame):
Then they watched a little how the marathon run, walked around the city towards the station:
got on the train and drove home. Toward evening, we got into the car and drove to the sea - to cool and reflect on the work done:
At first I was upset that I did not run out of 80 minutes. In theory, if from the very beginning he didn’t arrange the fartlek, but adhered to the planned 3: 45-3: 46 min / km, then after dozens he wouldn’t blow off so much and most likely, it would turn out a straight split and time out of 80. On the other hand, with all the apparent jumps, the pace of the top ten just came out with the planned average pace of 3:46, and the second is not much slower - 3:49. Moreover, to be upset, having thrown 3 minutes and 9 seconds from the personal at a time - did I get drunk?
Finally calmed down only the next day in the morning, coming to the office and climbing the stairs to the third floor - my legs were so tired as if I had a full marathon at a good pace. So nifiga, it turns out, did not finish. Despite the fatigue on Monday evening, 12 km ran in the hope that it would be easier (not really), and on Tuesday, the coach gave me and another clubmate a special program - 5 times 1 km at a pace not faster than 5:20 min / km and we crawled off with pleasure.
Such is the story.
PS. A couple more technical details for the future:
- weight in the morning before the start - 71 kg, after - 70 kg
- Fitness / Fatigue / Form indicators on the country - 30/18/12
- very pleased with the choice of sneakers for the race - they are softer than adizero, which was important in the second half when the technique began to fall apart, plus there was no unpleasant sensation in the fingers