Reminiscing Osaka Marathon 2018. The Beginning of an unbelievable journey...
Osaka Marathon 2018
Osaka Marathon 2018 was a much-anticipated marathon for me. Not just because I would be meeting the wife and kids (flying in from Melbourne) as a rendezvous point for the week’s break, but it’s also a test-out for months of hard work…if any of that mileage thing really mattered.
It’s been a busy month since starting work in JB. The workload had multiplied and it was taking a toll on the training. Life happens I guess! Despite that, I kept anchored mostly to my 10km-twice-daily routine, clocking in a manageable 120-130km weekly mileage. I say “manageable” not to connote any air of conceit but it’s only so because most of these runs were actually very slow. In fact, 80% of this was on a 5:30-6:30 min km. Sometimes even a 7 min km snail pace.
The remaining 20% fell on the occasional “crescendo” runs as I would term it. And some odd tempos here and there. These would be no more than 6-12km at a stretch. Mostly done on a 3km loop in the nearby park.
And no intervals…not even within 2-3 pre-race weeks for tune-up. I don’t know why but somehow that just didn’t quite happen. C’est la vie.
Entering into the final week of taper, work again got the better of me and I ended up doing zero running.
For an OCD runner with a pre-occupation with high mileage, this proved to be quite a challenge. But I managed to convince myself that the muscles needed the “me-time” to at least recover enough before the race.
Therefore, entering into the race, I had little idea how I would do. Not that I don’t have a goal, but somehow I wasn’t sure if the machine could actually deliver?
On the side of diet, I had been on the ketogenic diet (low carb high fat) for 4-5 months leading into my Gold Coast Marathon in July. And that helped heaps as I experienced first hand the full awesome benefit of fat utilization. As many who were with me could verify, I ran the full course without a single gel …and not only so, I was able to sustain my pace to clinch a PB of 2:58:47.
That, I would say was one of the major milestones in all my running years.
However, since starting work in JB in Oct, the ketogenic diet became a “luxury” that I just could not afford. I just did not have the time nor energy to do it. However, I tried to at least take lesser carbs. And kept my weight at a constant 60kg. (Oh yeah, I lost weight on the keto diet from 68 down to 61kg).
So with the uncertainties looming in my training, along with the switch in diet, I wasn’t sure if this 2:58 would even be realistic and reproducible.
Better just bring some gels this time…just in case.
So, come race day, armed with gels and poised with my newly acquired beanie, arm, and calf sleeves, I took to the all familiar Osaka Castle start line like a seasoned runner. Seasoned simply because I have done this 4 times. At this point, one can even work out where best to pee (behind some bushes) to avoid the ultra long queues for the portaloo…
My heart was still. In stillness, was my strength. And I knew that this kind of strength was not just something I could conjure up at will; but something distinctively what God has installed: Months of hard work and discipline was part of that constant installation. Trust that and be still.
Gun off. And along with 32k runners, we were off to a long journey of masochistic self- torture…
In the first km, due to the sheer crowd, there was no way to move fast. So I was a bit frustrated to have been forced to move at a 4:30 pace…it just meant that I would need to speed up later to catch up on lost time.
Bummer.
However beyond that first km, thankfully the crowd eased up …I went for it and never looked back.
To my surprise, I was clocking 4 min paces for most of the first 10km, faster by 10sec of my aimed pace of 4:10. “Are you getting ahead of yourself again, Francis?” I was a bit weary at first. But by 5km, I was flying. And 4 min pace felt like 4:15. Either I was deluded or my GPS was playing tricks on me. But effort-wise, I never felt better.
I did the unthinkable. I threw caution to the wind. Instead of micro-managing my pace to the tee like in GCAM, I just went with it.
I was even surprised that I did some stretches at sub 4 min pace. Was I out of my mind?!?!
Anyway, it was a fantastic run. I timed my gel at 10km intervals. Taking pains to gauge my condition at every turn, I was happy to find that my pace was somewhat sustainable. First 10km was done just a little over 41 min. And my first half was a whopping 1:26!
By 30km, I had clocked my PB of 2:02! But don’t pop the champagne just yet, the race has barely begun…
I was still doing well at 35km. The fatigue has been kept at bay. The tiredness was bearable. I guess this is a major difference that high mileage does. It does make you more durable.
All’s well that ends well? Not quite. Anyone familiar with Osaka cannot NOT know that the “heartbreak hill” equivalent of that 37km point awaits like wrath of a scorned woman.
So as I approached that section, my pace just took a nose dive. It went down to 4:30 and even with the downhill afterward, it took me another km to recover.
Bummer.
When you have worked this hard for 37-38km, why would any sane person throw it away so willy nilly by slowing down in the last 4km? I realized that it’s going to be my best time from this point onwards. How good is it is now entirely up to me. I wouldn’t waste a single second of this opportunity.
So, aching at this point, with furiously protesting muscles and bursting lungs, I did what I could. At best holding my form and reminding myself to breathe and swing that arms and increase my cadence. One step forward is one step closer to a new height.
And pace recovers to full swing as I ran into the last stretch towards the finish. Funny how the strength always seems to come back to you when you have the goal in plain sight.
I would say it was the hardest push to the finish as I broke into a sprint…running for dear life….
So it is …a new milestone.
2:55:25
Of course, I am happy…
But I would say the elation is in knowing that I actually COULD do this; and more so in anticipating the potential for future improvement. More than a matter of PB, it is an affirmation that the training and discipline has a point to it. And that reassurance is all that I need.
It’s not that one suddenly becomes something else when he has achieved his goal. I am beyond the point of vindicating myself or proving a point. I don’t really care, to tell the truth. But I want to put this down in words to encourage the readers to think. And if you do echo how I feel and could see my perspective about running, then this post would have achieved its purpose.
In summary, high mileage. 80/20. Slow slow run. Be disciplined because eventually, it will pay off.
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