It's a long story, as marathons always are. But just the basics...
A classic marathon of two halfs. Up to 23km everything was perfect. My target splits of 6:45 per km were barely more than 10 seconds out on any km right up till then.
Then bang, something happened. I stopped running. I'll explain more in my report which will appear in a few days, when I get back, but the long and the short of it is that I had a terrible, and painful, second half. Was this the dreaded wall? I don't know. My hips sort of seized up and I could barely move for a while. Bizarre.
The bad new is that I missed my 5 hour target - again. The good news is that I'm pretty certain that I got a PB, beating my Chicago time by probably about 6 mins in the end. My watch says 5-09 but I stopped for a quick stretch at one point and my watch stopped. So probably 5-10 or so.
Hey, stuff happens, as Mr Rumsfeld reminded us. I'm not a glass-half-empty sort of chap, so I'm going to be pleased with the PB rather than gloomy about the missed target.
Talking about glasses half full, I think it'sh time I shampled shome German beer.
Cheers!
Andy
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
Well done, Andy! It´s a pity you felt some discomfort but you managed to arrive and doing a PB.
I´ve read that Julio Rey, a Spanish runner who I met last year at a lunch on Saturday previous to Madrid marathon, has won in Hamburg.
Thank you very much for the quick report. Enjoy Deutchland as much as possible. Enjoy the German beer! Greetings to M. Congratulations again!
Regards
Antonio
PS. I took part at a short race in Almería this morning -just 7 kms- and I had in mind you, Sampedro and all the people running a marathon today such as those in Hamburg and Madrid.
Well done Andy, and many congratulations on your race. You ran, you finished, you achieved a PB. All the rest is mere strategy. Forget the pain - it's over.
Regards to M, and enjoy your beer. You've certainly earned it. Four marathons, in four different countries - that's a great achievement. And you're still getting faster. What a hero !
Excellent work Mr A.
Trust you enjoyed a few buckets of Hoffbrau or similar to wash away those painful hips . . . funny how they all hurt, even stranger how readily we learn to accept the pain. Sub 5, sub 4 . . . all glib buzz-words lost in the maelstrom of harsh reality that is 26.2 miles. Another Dragon slain, St George.
Speaking of pain I'm re-formatting my computer this weekend.
Now, lets talk about suffering . . .
Hearty congratulations to you and M, the Globetrotting Marathon team par excellence. Here's to many more! Safe journey home.
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
Well done Andy! I can't imagine how it must've felt running the second half. Just goes to show you what you're made of to continue on. Good for you and a big Congratulations! And you made a PB as well!
Now you can enjoy the German food and beer and let your body recover. You've just completed a marathon....not many can say that.
Now, as a matter of some urgency, find a bavarian restaurant and have a bratwurst mit kartoffelsalad, followed by ....(now this is the important bit) germknodel.
I was pretty disappointed at the time, to be honest, but a good night's sleep on top of a massive plate of previously verboten meat and chips, with a few very large glasses of beer, and somehow it all seems more palatable.
I got round, got a PB, and I learnt some new things to help me do better next time, and that's enough to be going on with. Make no mistake, Hamburg is a truly great urban marathon, and it's been a privilege to have done it. Fab city - well worth a visit.
I'm trying not to think about running just at the moment. I need to empty this one out before I start the next bit. Another day or two of R 'n' R first though.
Once again, thanks for the encouragement along the way, and the kind words now. It really does make a difference, and it's greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Andy (and M).
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
Just to add my congratulations Andy. Well done for completing the race and well done for the PB. Time to relax now and enjoy the beer (in Germany I tried the food in Munich, Dusseldorf and Hannover and have to say I wasn't impressed).
As Antonio mentioned, Julio Rey won, which earned a nice piece in the local paper all about the Hamburg marathon, not much about Madrid though.
Which reminds me.... So you have now raced against.... Haile, Julio, Paula and how many other top runners? ....
Enjoy a well earned beverage and get some Currywurst (not as nasty as it sounds!) and get stuck into some weissbier (Mmmm!). And Rangers sort of did the business Saturday by drawing with Wigan with the youth and reserve team playing.
Taking that amount of time off your PB is just brilliant, there will always be another marathon to run to try for the under 5 hours. Hope your recovery is going well, sink a few gallons for me, am particularly fond of Franciskaner...
Just got back, and read the latest messages. Thanks once again for everyone's good wishes.
Y'know, Hamburg is soooo last Sunday. I'm already wondering what the next one might be. I need to get that milestone sorted before I move to the next stage. It's kinda bugging me now.
Had a really interesting trip. Seems weird that this morning I was in some remote town on the edge of Poland, and have spent half the day driving back to Hamburg. Now here I am, back home, thinking about popping up to the village for a pint. Travelling is just weird. All these competing realities.
Man....
Tomorrow I need to start getting it down before I forget.
Cheers
Andy
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
Welcome home old boy.
I'm begining to enjoy the afterglow now; you'll no doubt have that to look forward to this next week. Celebrating this weekend with some friends including SP . . . we're off to Cork for a little damp golf and some serious testing of the Black Stuff.
If you fancy a swift half there's always SP's home town half (Seaford) on Sunday 5th June. Looking forward to the report.
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
Well played, Andy!! There is an unwritten rule in running. You can't be disappointed in a PB even if you missed your ultimate goal. The "B" stands for "BEST" you know. As in you've done better than you have ever done in your life. Be very, very proud, my friend! Can't wait for the report.
