East Cork Harbour Half Marathon 2018
Introduction
The East Cork Harbour Marathon is the new kid on the block in the Cork racing calendar. It first opened it's race numbers to those who dared to dream in 2016. Since then it has gone from strength to strength. The 2018 race saw it grow it's race numbers again, 511 runners completed the 10 km race, 345 came home in the half marathon and 115 fought bravely to finish a full marathon in tough conditions on a hard course. That ladies and gentlemen is before I mention that for a new kid it comes with all the polished design and trimmings of a seasoned veteran race friendly atmosphere, great cause, medals, goodie bag, craic (Family fun day), technical t -shirt (that looks good) and great organisation.
The Race
Me and Julie were continuing our preparations for the Dublin Marathon 2018 in October and so we entered the East Cork Harbour half marathon. This was my second battle with this half marathon course. In 2017, I got within a whisker of a PB in the half marathon. This year I was aiming for a solid marathon pace performance. I have been training to run at my target marathon pace 4:30 - 4:40 per km for months now and gradually extending the distance at which I can sustain this pace. I faltered a little towards the end of the Cork City Half Marathon (June 2018). The warm weather on the day slowed me down in June but in August in east cork I was faced with circumstances much closer to what Dublin could be like in October. In East Cork it was foggy, the rain varied between drizzling, solid showers and pelting down like an apocalypse. Despite this it was still 16 degrees C when we made our way to the start line so warm but still raining.
Our start was delayed by 10 minutes. Normally I wouldn't complain about this but I was getting cold due to the rain and the effects of my warm up were wearing off quickly. I had brought bin bags with us to keep us warm and dry but we forgot them and left them in the car. I made a mistake here. I have been around the block on the Irish road racing circuit and I know you should always bring the bin bags or the disposable poncho to any race that has even a hint of rain forecast. I said it to Julie before we started 'This could be one of those days where we race to finish'. Racing to finish is our last resort tactic. If everything outside your control on race day like the weather or timetable goes wrong then you run what ever pace your body can handle and get over the finish line even if it means walking. Of course me and Julie aren't made that way, we would keep 'just finishing' as plan B and only follow through on it if absolutely necessary.
Me and Julie at the start line of the East Cork Harbour Marathon 2018
I felt bad for the organisers. They had every intention of starting on time but unfortunately when your athletes are late and they have to walk down the first mile of the race course (against the oncoming athletes if you were to start on time) you have to wait on health and safety grounds.
At 10:10 am exactly we set off. I avoided the usual burst of enthusiasm at the start of the race and kept to my target pace early on. I knew this course from last year and I felt that whilst the first mile offers an easy opportunity to stretch your legs and get the blood pumping, that the hills throughout the midsection of the race were tough and any conserved energy might be better utilised there. I held back for the hills.
The opening 2 miles bring you past the entrance to the Aghada GAA grounds and in the foreground the choir were belting out 'Something inside so strong'. I couldn't think of a more appropriate motivational song for this race. We were soaked threw at the start line in east cork that morning. There had to be something inside that was strong enough and tough enough to finish. At times on the course the fog meant I could only see a few meters in front of me. The rain kept coming down sometimes drizzling other times showering to cool us off or pelting down on us like an apocalypse. The rain seemed to be torturing us, testing our resolve creating the optimum conditions for anyone to give up. I kept telling myself that this is how it could be in Dublin and you’ll have to beat the rain, the fog and the marathon that day. As you can see my mental training is still in progress. In the last year I have slowly lost all patience with myself when my self talk leans towards an 'I'm the victim' mindset. In it's place I am building a much brighter outlook. I remind myself that 'life is not easy, it isn't fair, it isn't now, it never was and won't ever be, Don't fall in the trap of being the victim!!!. Some of the biggest success stories in the world came about because of great hardship'. I have been applying that kind of thinking to running in various ways and in the East Cork Harbour half marathon I needed every bit of my mental toughness to cross the finish line.
The hills were murderous for the record the elevation on the course is below. My legs burnt after every hill but I kept going back for more. I had the energy to sustain the efforts and if I didn't I told myself I did. My strategy for hills is simple, stay steady with my pace, get a good high knee lift, pump your arms, level off at the top of the hill and recover your target pace asap. On the East Cork harbour course to be fair what ever goes up does come down so there were opportunities to make up any seconds you lost on the hills which I did. What did catch me was the number hills. No matter what you try going up hill for an extended period will sap the energy in your legs. On this course I tried to manage my energy expenditure but on that last hill around 9 miles in I was feeling my focus and energy draining. I doubled down and focused my attention ahead I knew from 2017 that the course leveled out and straightened over the last 5 km. I told myself 'You recovered there in 2017, finished fast and if you manage your exertion you could race for the last 5 km. You found a rhythm quickly with 5 km to go and I could do it again today'. The surface on the last 5k was ideal and I ran fast through some gentle curves. I got off the hills and went for it in the last 5 km.
In East Cork to be fair what ever goes up does come down so there were opportunities to make up any seconds you lost on the hills. What will catch you is the number hills. No matter what you try going up hill for an extended period will sap the energy in your legs.
I roared into the last 5k and for awhile it worked then I blew a fuse. In the last kilometre my abdominals over my right hips cramped. I wasn't giving up but my pace suffered a little. I tried to massage it out as I ran but naturally that didn't work. I took several hundred short breaths hoping that it was a stitch and maybe this would relieve the pain. The pain wasn't enough to stop me but it was enough to slow me down for 600 metres then the pain vanished and I raced to the finish line over the last 200 meters. I gave it everything I had and came home with my third best half marathon time 1:36:39. This was exactly the performance I was looking for.
Julie followed me over the finish line a little while later.
I am delighted to say that me and Julie beat the rain, the fog and the half marathon in East Cork Harbour. Roll on Dublin.
