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Marathon! In the rain

February 16, 2020 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Comments:
This was yet another "unusual marathon," though this time there was no first place block of wood or international press coverage associated with this one, probably because a) I wasn't in Sarajevo and b) there were no other competitors. But run a marathon I did, albeit with several food and map stops along the way. My moving time, according to Strava, was 3:09, which is I think only a minute slower than my winning time in the actual Unsual Marathon in Sarajevo last January. I felt a good deal better than I did then, though the weather, if anything, was worse. Last year we had light snow for most of the race and a thin layer of snow and ice already on the ground in most places. Today I had rain, wind, and ample puddles, with makes for better footing I supposed but in sum ends up feeling colder despite the temps being in the 50s.

I set off from home around 10:30 into Winter Storm Dennis ( the Brits name their major storms just as we name hurricanes). The rain was light at first but soon picked up to a steady patter, never becoming torrential though. I kept the pace easy for the first 8 miles, wanting the fast parts to come when I was past the 20-mile mark since this was the only run of the week when my body would have the chance to practice going hard while that fatigued. Since I hadn't had any breakfast, I stopped an outdoor market in Victoria Park and had a cup of mulled cider, 2 scotch eggs, and 2 pastel de nata which I ate as I ran. Most of these I dispatched rather quickly before the hard miles, but I continued the carry the nata, using them to refuel at mile 15 and mile 21 in between sets. Okay, I admit it, I'm not the biggest fan of refueling during runs -- if it makes you feel good, do it, but personally I like the purity of not needing to carry any gels or goos or fanny packs. The mulled cider seemed like a more natural (and British) version of Gatorade (that is, a source of water, sugar, and salt) while the other foods were just out of curiosity and desire. I'm not sure they affected my performance one or another, but I will say I never ended up feeling depleted, so maybe there's something to it. Digesting while running gave me no troubles, perhaps because I'm so used to it.

I found my way onto the East London Greenway which I took all the way out to London City Airport during my first 6 miles of faster running (6:30-6:50 pace). I listened to an episode of the Ezra Klein show about the widespread return of anti-Semitism and learned about Jeremy Corbyn the British Labor party I'd been only dimly aware of. My plan was to cross the Thames and head back along the South Bank, but when I looked at the map, haha, there are no bridges east of Tower Bridge for like 20 miles! It's all tunnels in East London it seems. Revising my plan, I angled back in along the north side of the river (initially getting turned around and going a mile the wrong direction). These miles were into the wind which I'd had my at back or at least perpendicularly almost the whole way so far. It was probably all the more pronounced along the river, which most of the reason that my second set of 6-miles tempo was slower than my first (6:45-7:08). Felt like a decent effort, but I knew I could do better.

I regrouped at mile 21 and resolved to really push for the last three miles, which I'd planned to run at marathon pace. These were by far my best miles and halfway through I decided I was feeling good enough to do a fourth. I always turn off the podcasts and put on a favorite playlist for this part, and it helps motivate me without detracting from the concentration I need. The first two miles along East India Quays Road were swift, despite having to dodge pedestrians and occasionally veer down side streets when the light was red. I galloped through some glorious ankle-deep puddles sending up a veritable wave of spray as I steepled on. Then, thinking of lunch, I turned north onto Whitechapel Road, up towards the famed Brick Lane Sunday Market. I hope to always remember that feeling of scampering down Brick Lane at a desperate clip past shoppers with black umbrellas and show owners shouting their wares, with "The Blood of Cu Cumin" ringing through my earphones. I finished off in a 5:45ish pace, having hit the 6-6:15 range for the previous 3 miles. I finished very pleased and treated myself to five different international food stalls (Ethiopian, Korean, Singaporean, Thai, and Chinese) before jogging a mile to the bus to round out the mileage to a full marathon. I had planned to go 24 but when I saw I'd already surpassed 25 I decided I ought to go the full 46145 yards.

Sore now, but knew hasn't bothered me atall. Some injuries are best ignored I guess, if you don't feel them much when you're actually running. Take that with a grain of salt of course.