9th Perth Marathon a 4hr 06min effort

Firstly thanks everyone for all the encouragement today. Its fantastic. Also awesome to catch up with heaps of wonderful people...Its a special day. Heaps of drink stations and some good spectator support, plus the music again in applecross. Big fail though today...I was hoping to run at around 4.40 pace, and at very least hold 5.00 pace all the way... Couldn't do it today.  Perth Marathon 2012 full results
Perth Marathon 2012 on youtube    has me in it at 13/14 seconds and 46 seconds.

Thanks to Dennis Tan again for another brilliant photo. This one is about 40km into it, just going through the motions a bit by now getting to the finishing line.

1km 4.03
2km 8.58 (4.55)
6km 28.30 (4.53's)
7km 33.19 (4.49)
8km 38.38 (5.19)
9km 43.40 (5.02)
10km 48.39 (4.59)

13km 1.05.
14km 1.10.46
16km 1.22.
17km 1.27
18km 1.32
19km 1.38
20km 1.43
(5.15-5.30's 13km onwards)
21.1km 1.49.47
22km 1.54.57

25km 2.14.16 (6.26's)
28km 2.30.48 (5.26's)
29km 2.36.37 (5.49)
30km 2.42.29 (5.52)
33km 3.00.30 (6.00's)
40km 3.52.
42.2km 4.06.52

Thanks to Dash Photography for this photo at the start a few seconds after we started as I hi the front, and then gapped the entire field by at least 20-50metres in the next 500m or so...Was fun...

Well I had some fun today with my 9th Perth adventure. As Deek once said if you want to experience life run a marathon...or something like that. As has often been the case I got too close to the front of the crowd at the start line, and in my quest to get out of the crowd, as the adrenaline fired up with the excitement of racing with such a bunch of legends again (and in the knowledge that you never know when the body might breakdown on you), I realised when Clown spoke to me that I probably wouldn't be able to resist the urge to get off to a brisk start again. So I made sure I hit the lead early and put the foot on the accelerator and didn't let up for a minute or two. Noone went with me this year so it was a serene moment out the front early on, and the gap must have been at least 20metres maybe more... Dropped down a few gears to cruise into 1k in 4.03, but the next K was 4.55, and from there on it was a bit heavy weatherish today. Just didn't have the spark I have had in some other races.

Tried to settle into a good pace, and unfortunately my hopes of holding some 4.30's early on today was not really happening, and 4.45-4.50's was feeling like the right pace....Drank a litre of juice last night which was probably yet another bad move in my many many "how not to prepare for or run in a marathon" saga... I think this is why I had to visit the toilets on the course a few times becasue I was very overhydrated....So that cost me a few minutes in time and probably made me less attacking made rhythm hard to find. Got to 6km in 28.30 (right on 4.45 pace), and 7km in 33.19 which were both ok times, but nothing incredible.

This photo from Dash Photography about 6km into it Causeway Bridge holding onto about 4.45's per K (maybe a bit quicker in this photo as I think I plodded a bit from Windan (2kmish) to end of Claisebrook Cove (3.5kmish)
) at this stage...


A little disappointed with my 10k split of 48.39 as I had hoped to be a couple of minutes quicker. Narrows to Raffles is my favourite stretch, and went ok down this got to 16k in about 82min which was still ok although my race plan was to be there a fair bit quicker than that...

Had my gels bottle with me this year which just like in 2004 and 2005 worked like a dream...
Really happy with my drinks and gels setup this year the best Ive had in a marathon race for awhile I think and today was my 16th road marathon finished. (4 Melbournes, 2 C2S's, and 1 Rottnest)...

Half marathon was 1.49, which again although not what I had aimed for, was still keeping me on 5.15 pace so I figured I still had a small chance of holding onto a 3.50-4.00 marathon if I could keep the rest of it in the 5.30-6min or quicker K pace zone. I knew due to poor training and the fact I am a big positive splitter in all my marathons so far that would be a big ask...Already felt disappointed that 3.30-3.40 or better was going to be out of reach, but I guess thats all I deserve with poor training...Tried to ignore the concrete and try and keep the momentum ticking over. Was able to do that for a fair way, and get through a few bad patches without losing too many minutes. Got to 25k in 2.14, and while I was about 7-10minutes off the pace I held at Melbourne last year, was still in the PB ballpark just. Had some 4.50-5.30 K's but then struggled getting to the Strand, and lost rhythm due to getting small debris out of shoes...Was able to keep finding a little bit of intensity (although I think I ran the Bunbury Half much stronger at times than today) and made it to 30km near Raffles in 2hrs 42min 29secs. I knew I was still a fair bit off the pace,as Melbourne last year I got to 30km in 2hrs 30, in 2004? I got there in 2hrs 28min?, and pre-race I was hoping to try and get to 30km in 2hrs 20...I knew it was going to be hard to hold onto 6min per K or better throughout the last 12.2km at this stage of the race. Was able to do it for 3km and when I got to 33km in 3hrs00min 30 secs and I only had about 3km to go to get to Narrows, the boost from the gel at Raffles had helped, and I was starting to think maybe something about the 3.54 mark and a small PB might be just possible. Then I started to seize up/cramp up...The next 1km was a shuffle, then about 34km-35km my hip got sore, and running of any kind had suddenly become very painful...my experience told me I just had to find a way to get through the soreness, and get going again...and I struggled on but I could see the PB slipping away as my K times slipped out to 7-9minutes, and for awhile I had so little intensity available. GTTP's sub 4hour juggernaut came past just before the Narrows bridge...I really wanted to try and go with him but had nothing to dip into...Got drinks, and after some soul searching walk/shuffle stuff finally started to get going again after about 37km, although the temptation to just go back to a walk was strong, and I did that a fewtimes...I knew the PB was out of reach and that even a sub 4 hour run was going to be probably just a few minutes too hard. A few people I know caught me in the next few K's and with a few chats, started to find some momentum again. From 35km onwards my motivation had dipped bigtime and I was still struggling to see any reason to finish hard at 39km.

Thanks to Dennis Tan again for this photo I'm struggling to get going again here at about 37km just after the Narrows Bridge drinks stop. Bloke in blue top is not in the race, I don't think he has a race number but good on him for getting out for a run along the river.

Just tried to keep the last few K"s around the 6-7minute mark, and found a little motivation to enjoy a bit quicker pace through the finishing chute...Disappointed that I wasn't good enough today to try and go with the 3.30-3.50 people, that the PB escaped yet again, and it would have been nice to have been under 4 hours...but at least its 5minutes quicker than my 4.12 in last years Perth Marathon, is my 4th fastest Perth Marathon in 9 finishes and in 16 marathons finished is my 6th fastest (Melbourne 2011-4.02 Melbourne 2010-4.05)so wile the PB and sub 4 action eluded me again! its one of my better ones... Hopefully I can build on this despite it being a bit anticlimatic today, somethimes I think maybe my body needs to retire from marathoning, but usually there is always reasons to stick with it a bit longer...Hoping to be back for number 10 in a row next year so I can join that special list. Some fantastic PB's (Nate) course PB's( BK), and so on. I saw Roberto leading Gerry when they were heading back around the Strand area...Fantastic to see Seris come over from the East and share her 93rd marathon with us here in the west today too...

Holding up 9 fingers to symbolise the 9 consecutive years I have finished the Perth Marathon. Thanks to God for that!


Well done all! Thanks for being out there making this day so wonderful, everyone who raced, spectated, marshalled etc. I think I saw the bloke who has done all 34 Perth Marathons out there today again...(he has a cool saying on the back of his shirt it says "good over short distances...dubious over long ones").....Be interesting to see if the record for largest number of Perth Marathon finishers was broken today...