I had decided to do Manchester last October in the days
after the Dublin marathon which I had really enjoyed. Even though I had not run
a great time in Dublin and had suffered horribly in the last 6 miles the race
had restored my love for marathons. I did not fancy any of the Spring marathons
in Ireland. I considered Rotterdam and then came across very good reports about
Manchester so I signed up. I did a 15 week training programme which was basically
a version of the under-55 Pfizinger and Douglas training plan. I had a great
training period with one exception – the Kinvara half which I finished in a terrible1.44.
In late January BM and I started doing long runs together (he was
training for London). I think having a training partner on long runs is the
single most important aid in training for a marathon.
My plan was to run at a pace of 7.45 a mile for as
long as I could and I secretly hoped that I might be able to increase the pace
near the end.
I started a little too fast. I ran the first mile in 7.37, the second in
7.25 and the third in 7.32. They felt unbelievably relaxed to me but I knew
they were too fast. I latch on to two runners from a local club and tell myself
not to pass them. That works for a while and I run the next 4 at an average of
7.42. I picked up the pace a little and miles 8 to 12
were done at an average of 7.38. I really got carried away at this stage. We
were running through Altrincham where there was a lot of support around the
half way mark. I glanced at the official clock at the half way and saw 1.39.40. Was the magic
3.20 a realistic goal? The next 6 miles were great. I averaged 7.30 between mile 13 and mile 18. I knew the pace for a 3.20 marathon was 7.37 a mile pace so I knew that I was on target
to beat it. Those miles felt comfortable. The next 3 were a little slower with
an average of 7.36. I was beginning to notice my breathing for the first time
all day. Halfway through mile 22 I stopped for a very quick toilet break. It was
a terrible decision. My legs, which had seemed quite content to keep going at around
7.37 pace, now absolutely refused to consider anything under 8. Miles 21 and 22
were done at an average of 8.10. I was now in big trouble and the last 3 miles
were very tough going. I kept telling myself not to stop and am glad I didn’t.
The very worst moment was about half a mile from the finish when suddenly there
was a marker for mile 25. I didn’t know what to think. I kept going and soon
realised that the marker was wrong. I turned into the famous Sir Matt Busby Way
and realised that I was going to do a PB even if the dream of breaking 3.20
will have to wait for another day. My chip time was 3.22.27, just over 3 minutes faster than my previous PB set in March 2011.
Overall, it was a great marathon and I would certainly recommend
Manchester to anybody looking for a fast Spring marathon in 2016. It is cheap to enter and to get to if you book far enough in
advance. Hotels are another matter. The support on the course was great –
similar to Dublin. The weather was more or less perfect with the only problem
being a moderate wind between miles 21 and 25. The course itself featured some
parts that were a little boring and other parts that were very pleasant. There
was a long section between 9 and 16 where runners were running in opposite
directions on the same road.There were lots of Irish people doing the race which might suggest that
there is an opening in Ireland for a flat marathon in early or mid-April. The standard was high. My time was only good enough for 1530 overall whereas the same time in Dublin would have placed me around 1150 (and Dublin had about 50% more starters.)
Last word goes to the ever helpful DC who sent me
the following piece of advice by text a few hours after I finished: “In future, p---- down your leg!”
