Christchurch Marathon Race Report

Just after 9:35am on Sunday morning, I had the realisation that I was not in fact going to achieve my stated goal for the Christchurch Marathon of going sub-3 hours. To be clear, I knew this over a month ago, at Maraetai or two months ago at the Coatesville Half. But it was at about 9:35am, just over two hours into the race that the reality of it was becoming very apparent. In between those races and that moment, there were a few factors that gave me reasons for hope. 

The first factor was that my training had gone almost perfectly through the peak weeks. I had done the mileage, avoided injury and nuisances, and had generally started to "peak". I have had weeks of feeling that high pace was not difficult to reach and easy to sustain. I would accidentally hit really high paces without realising it. 

While the Waterfront Half was poorly timed, and I didn't have to race it, I was lifted by the Personal Best time, and while it wasn't a time that indicated I could do a sub-3 time, it showed I wasn't far away. The "maths" for translating a half marathon time to a possible full marathon time is to double it and add 10 minutes, which would lead to a time of 3:01:55.

And finally, the usual technology messing with the mind: my Garmin watch's analytics had indicated that my Race Prediction's time for a marathon had plummeted since those half marathons. In February, it said 3:08 was my time under optimal conditions; in early March, 3:07, in late March 3:04. After the Waterfront Half, 3:01:15, and on the morning before, 3:00:59. (Amusingly, the day after it now says 3:00:27.)

To achieve a sub-3 time, you need to average 4:15 per kilometre, or 21:15 for every five kilometres. You can see how the races went by the times for each 5km below (the time between the circles).

My 30km in 2:08:05 is faster than my previous best 30km by 5 minutes - it is a huge improvement. But still slightly behind the eight-ball. Then, everything after that point was slower than everything that came before it. 

Why? Well, number one was that I wasn't fit enough to maintain those speeds beyond 30km. I was giving what was a sustainable effort but only getting slower paces. I was hitting the wall despite feeling that I was well fueled. Particular muscles were just worn out and not responding despite my entreaties. 

Then some tired and sore muscles became more vocal. One factor, which I don't want to be an excuse, is that I managed to roll my left ankle twice. It was an "unfortunately, fortunately, unfortuately" tale. The first time was on the first lap. There were several parts of the course that had us going from concrete to some (pitiful) grass and whether it was the change in surface, or the usual dodging around people, my ankle rolled. I righted myself and cautiously strode a bit. I had a concerned runner ask if I was alright and I said I was though feeling it a little. I kept running and he asked if it had settled and I said it had. On the second lap, around an "aid station" I again rolled it. Aid stations are where runners can get water (and often toilets and first-aid), if needed. But they can be perilous places. You have runners swooping in to grab water and streaking out. There is water on the ground, paper cups everywhere and it is generally a bit of chaos. For me, it was the paper cups that was the problem. While moving around people and obstacles I stood on some cups that moved underneath me and again my ankle rolled. I held my breath again as I took a few more strides and again it settled. The third lap was uneventful from that perspective but as I tired the discomfort increased. I slowed down a lot but it still was aching with each stride.

By the end, I came into the finish line without any illusions at a time of 3:09:01, a personal best but well slower than I had thought would be the case. I had thought that I would be able to hold pace until the later 30s and could afford a few slower kms if I ran out of gas (like I did in Hamilton last year). But it is improvement and I learned a few things along the way.

After crossing the finish line I was in a bad way. I was limping due to the rolled ankle, but completely spent, too. In nausea, I decided to lie on the ground, which was good except for the fact that I couldn't get up without my hamstrings or hip flexors cramping. It took time to finally get off the ground, attend to some needs, and then slowly walk to the transport home.

Even though I might have been sold some dreams by my watch, I know that I had a sub-3:05 time in me, and have that fitness even right now. My plans are becoming crystal now. I will do the recommended rest post-marathon and ensure my ankle and arch have no lingering effects; I'll volunteer at a ParkRun this weekend to "pay it back/forward"; I'll prepare a 10km training plan for the winter months that will transform into a marathon plan in Spring. I'll run as a pacer (if needed) at the North Shore Marathon, and see if I can relieve an injured runner of their entry in November in the Auckland Marathon, as I did last year. (There are always injured runners... and if not, I'll enter late.)

Auckland Marathon is more challenging than Christchurch Marathon as a course but maintaining my progress, it is still reasonably possible. I'll ignore my watch's optimism for the meantime and focus on the fundamentals of training well.

Breaking through

Last blog I talked about some of my self-doubts in my recent running performances. Most of this was fuelled by knowledge that I was training better than I had in 2024 but still had nothing really to show for it. Racing both half marathon and 5k distances resulted in no movement in my PBs (personal bests). In fact, on similar courses and routes I was performing the same if not worse. 

I didn't mention my one "excuse" for this, and that was almost all of those runs were not target races, during which I was cranking up training, and could be a reflection of some tired legs. I would usually train the week of these non-target races pretty much the same as any other week, with some challenging pace workouts, but with Friday off, a short run on a Saturday and then the race on the Sunday. 

The recent two weeks though were the taper period, where my training volume decreases from its peak before a big race. The biggest race is the Christchurch Marathon on 13 April, so to show you what a taper looks like you can see it this way:

- Week ending 23 March: 123km run

- Week ending 30 March: 100km run

- Week ending 6 April: 80km run, including the Waterfront Marathon.

- week ending 13 April 67km planned, including the Christchurch Marathon.

Today's Waterfront Marathon was after two weeks of much less training volume (but still some pace), and that should put me in good stead to run stronger. After all this training my Garmin watch was claiming I had it in me to run a 1:25:15 half marathon which sounded overly optimistic, but persuaded by that I was strategically thinking of aiming for 1:26, more in hope based on the previous performances than actual confidence.

This morning's conditions couldn't really be any better: dry, sunny, negligible wind and I got to the venue early for all the necessary pre-run stuff. Unlike last year, I got into the start chute early, too, which meant not much dodging and weaving in the first kilometre, and before I knew it we were off.

As with every race, I start far too fast without even feeling it being fast, and then dropped myself to my planned pace, 4:05mins/km. Usually in training, I wouldn't usually go this fast for more than a mile, perversely after four kms, my pace started to pick up. Somehow during the middle stages, there was a 5km period that I ran in 19:51 (less than 30 seconds slower than my 5km race last weekend), and not long after that, I ran my fastest ever 10km stretch (39:50), faster than any 10km race previously. While this all happened I was worried that I'd pay for this speed towards the end, but while I was fatigued, I held on without a dramatic slowdown and cruised to the finish in an official time of 1:25:55. I am astonished at myself for being able to have a time starting in 1:25, it is a 1 minute 30 second personal best, and easily makes up for the frustration at the other events.

With the success in the bag, I can open up more about the dilemma of how to run this event. The conservative view is that one week before a marathon you shouldn't do an all-out race as there is a risk of injury, and also your body will take time to recover; that it would be better to use it as training with shorter efforts focussing on marathon effort rather than going hell-for-leather all the way for 21.1km. The liberal side might advocate for a race because at least you will truly know your form as close as possible to the race. I did choose to race this rather than use it as training, mainly because I felt I wanted to achieve and get confidence back. I now know I can run at speeds close to and under 4:00min/km and that is something that encourages me to think I could hold 4:15min/km for a marathon, which would have me doing a potentially sub-3hr marathon in Christchurch, or sometime soon. 

Anyway, I can finally celebrate a bit and get my head ready for my first marathon since November last year.