Paris Marathon 2019 RR
Race report: Paris Marathon 2019
Well, I'm late again ... I ran this marathon in April, so I guess it's time to get the race report posted. Originally posted here in Norwegian. I just forgot to translate it. I’m sorry for any language errors. I tried to translate this fairly quick.
Training from Barcelona to Paris
Right after finishing the half marathon in Barcelona, I changed my focus to the Paris Marathon. I dreamed about a faster time than 1:10:33 when I signed up for the half, but it was fast enough that I thought it would be a good starting point towards Paris. I wanted to run a PB in Paris, but I didn’t want to set a specific time goal yet. Last year I had 2:29:59 on my mind all year long. This time I just wanted to train well and see where that would lead me.
With 9 weeks between Barcelona and Paris, I definitely had enough time to improve, but I didn't exactly have any spare time to waste either. If you count at least a week of recovery (no workouts) after the half marathon and two weeks of taper before the marathon, it’s suddenly only 6 weeks left. I created a plan that meant no rest days up to the three days before the marathon. That plan would soon be ruined. 23+ km the morning after the half might have been too much. I ended up sick and had to take 3 rest days completely without training. The positive was that the sickness came at this time, rather than in the middle of the training period. It wasn't very important if I ran on those days or not. I was supposed to take it easy anyway.
I started to run easy again, without stressing too much. My first workout back was just 5 x 1000 m at the same pace that I ran the half in Barcelona. With 1 km jog rests, I managed to finish the workout without falling apart. The next few weeks I ran around 160 km (100 miles) a week, with 1-2 workouts a week, 1-2 medium-long runs and at least 30k every single Sunday. In early March I got some sort of sign that a PB might be doable when I ran 20k at 3:30/km on the treadmill without any breaks. Finishing a run like that in the middle of a heavy training period gave me confidence. At the same time, I couldn’t have continued on for much longer. So how am I supposed to run the same pace for 42,2 km in just a month? There was only one thing to to: Trust the process. This has worked before. It has to work again.
Lucikly, I’ve done this a few times before. If I manage about half the distance solo in training without tapering for it, then I know I have a decent shot at keeping the same pace over the full marathon distance.
Three weeks before Paris, I wanted to test myself in a local 10k spring race. The spring had not arrived despite the name of the race. With lots of ice on the course it was near impossible to properly test my 10k shape. I made a new plan and ran almost 20 km as warm up before I ran a quicker 10k at the end. A solid session, but my left hamstring would have preferred less ice. I must have stretched something on one of the icy parts of the course, because the last part of the race was way more painful than I’m used to.
It didn't get any better the next few days either. Unfortunately, a hamstring stretch needs time to heal. With three weeks left, I was unable to run fast. The next week was used to jog easy and hoping it would get better. Fortunately, I managed to log as many kilometers as I had planned, but 164 km of jogging is not an extremely exciting training week. The week after I could start to add in workouts again. 3 x 1600 m at 3:06/km showed that I was still in good shape, as this is a workout I’ve had bigger problems with before at a slower pace. I ran a progressive half marathon the last Sunday before the Paris Marathon where I ended up around marathon pace. I could still trust my endurance, but the pain I felt in my hamstring even before the 20k mark worried me a bit. With another week of less running, I hoped it would get 100 % again.
Last 10 weeks of training - From half marathon to marathon
Race week
Lots of people struggle with the last week before the marathon race. Luckily I don’t have that problem. I have a plan I trust 100 %, and it’s not so strange, since it seems to work every single time. I seem to always peak at the right time, and I’m planning on doing that now as well. The biggest mistake I can make is walking too many steps in the days leading up to the race. It’s very easy to walk into that trap if you’re visiting a big city you want to explore, and that is exactly what Paris is.
Most of what’s happening in race week is routine for me now. I do only run about 50-60 km before the race, run my last workout on the Wednesday (only 4k at marathon pace) and do a combined rest and travel day on Thursday. We did most of the sightseeing on Thursday and early Friday so I could rest up for the race after that.
Race day
The last night before a marathon is always a struggle. I slept both less than I wanted and with low quality. This is just the way it is sometimes, and there’s nothing to do about it. The most important thing is to sleep more in the previous days before the marathon excitement sets in. With sleeping problems you get more than enough opportunities to check the weather forecast. Earlier I thought we would get to struggle with heat and wind, but now it seemed to be almost perfect conditions. Almost no wind and about 0 degrees C at start is perfect for someone who almost gets sunburned in 5 degrees.
At 6 a.m. I was out navigating between drunk Frenchmen who was still out partying. 1,6 km later I was back at the hotel eating my breakfast brought with me from Norway. I never feel too good at the shakeout run before the race, so I just tried to not pay too much attention to how I was feeling. A short shower and a trip with the subway and we’re at start already. The Paris Marathon starts already at 8.25 a.m., which I’m very much a fan of. It significantly reduces the chances of hot weather. Something I don't think is particularly beneficial was that the elite females had their own start long before anyone else. This means that I lose many I could potentially run with. As I experienced in Frankfurt, it is absolutely wonderful to end up in the same group as some of the second-best ladies, as they often have pacers and big groups are formed. After some trouble finding the entrance to my starting field I was ready in my corral. My warm-up routine ended after about 100 meters. It was no point trying to get anything done here, not even outside the fence. I decided to use my spare time in line for the toilet instead, before I just gave up. Now I just needed to throw away my sweater, eat two gels and fight my way forward in the corral. I knew from previous results that I could walk pretty far up without having to feel bad for passing people lining up earlier than me.
My main goal was to run a personal best (under 2:29:29), but I had agreed with a friend to go out at 3:30/km pace and keep it as long as possible. That pace gives a finishing time of 2:27:41, which I of course would be extremely pleased with. Just running a 1 second PB will feel like victory today. To run fast in the spring is far more challenging than running fast in the fall, at least if you live in a winter town like I do. I was confident my shape was good enough to run a PB, but I had doubts about various minor injuries and how well I would handle the distance muscularly.
Just before I entered the corral I got a message from my friend. He had problems with getting his bag delivered, and wasn’t sure if he would make the start on time. Bad news, now I might have to do more work myself. I got a printed bracelet with all the splits to a 2:27:41 marathon at the expo, which I have on my arm. A plan is a plan. Let’s go!
Race
The time passes 8:25 a.m. and there’s still no signs of us starting. There are people walking in front of the start line and the elite marathoners gets presented. They are world-class runners, but still far from the best ones in Berlin or London. Why I do not know, but I would assume that the course profile and prize money are factors that play a role. Paris Marathon is a fast course, yet it’s still a bit slower than Berlin. There are some more climbs and far more cobblestones here in Paris, that’s what I’ve been told at least. This time I have not studied the course map to great detail. I’m just going to focus on running even splits all the way.
Almost two minutes later and we are finally starting. The gun goes off and it’s chaos, as usual. The streets are very wide, so it’s not a long-lasting problem. Getting past all the people who, for some reason starts too far up, could have been a sport on its own. I manage to stay on my legs and the first km beeps quicker than expected; 3:32. A nice start where I don’t feel like zigzagged too much. I’m used to running the first km way slower because of the masses of people.
Suddenly I feel someone touching my back. It should be unnecessary to run so close together here, as it’s not that crowded anymore. I turn around and see my friend running next to me. Yes, he made it! Now we’re gonna work together. Two Norwegians versus Paris and the rest of the world, but primarily versus the clock. We’re in good company for the first few kilometers. There’s loads of runners around us. How many of us that will be able to hold this pace for the rest of the race is a question for later. At the first drinking stations there are loads of small drinking bottles lined up for us. This is actually one thing that Paris does better than Berlin. Getting a bottle in your hand instead of a cup, makes it possible to actually get some of the liquid into your mouth, instead of only in your face and on your singlet. Large trash cans have been set up after the drinking stations, with shooting targets just above them. If you hit the target you score. First shot goes in easily. 1 of 8 down in this new sport, which is a hybrid between running and basketball.
First 5k in 17:37. One glance down at my wrist and I can compare it to my 2:27:41 goal. 3:30 per km is also very easy to calculate with. 17:30 each 5k, 35 mins for the 10k. It’s easy to calculate right now at least. I know from previous races that even the most simple calculations become near impossible towards the end.
7 seconds behind my schedule at 5k is close to perfect. At the same time, I need to do a small adjustment, I can’t continue to lose 7 seconds each 5k. In the next part of the race I might have taken too much responsibility in my group. I run mostly in front and control the pace. Fortunately, there is not much wind today. I can feel a gentle breeze in some parts of the course. For this race I adjusted my gel game slightly. One gel every 6th km was the plan for today, very easy to follow. Next 5k passes in 17:24. First 10k in 35:01, bang on target. My friend is never more than a few meters away.
I’m soon about to feel very good. It’s a scary feeling, too feel this good so early in a marathon. It’s terribly easy to give too much too early. I remember Berlin all too good. In that race I didn’t feel good until late. I would rather get this feeling a little later in the race, when I need it more. Because at least one thing is certain today, this feeling won’t last for the rest of the race. For now it feels nice to just float over the asphalt, while I’m trying to hold back at the same time. Some parts of the course are hillier than I would have thought. I don’t really care. Just get it done while I’m still feeling good. At the same time, I know the last 10k is supposed to be the hardest. I can’t think about that now.
The 5k split between 10 and 15 is done at exactly the same time as the first one. We’re a few seconds behind the schedule again. The group that once were huge, is now greatly reduced. There are only a few runners left. A few may have disappeared further up the road. Most have fallen off the pace. My friend is working more in the front now. He’s doing manual laps at each km sign, while I’m relying on GPS. The splits he reads out should be correct, but it’s quite clear that some of the km markers are not placed in the right spot. 3:4x in a downhill km where I felt we pressed on a little illustrates this well. We just have to run on feeling and to GPS and continue to check the 5k splits. So far we’re running an even pace and it feels controlled.
At 20k we get our fastest 5k split of 17:15. My friend is leading the train now. A pace that felt easy not long ago is starting to cost more to maintain. My left hamstring is giving me some signals that it might not be completely ready for the marathon yet. What I don’t know, is that it’s about to get much worse. The next kilometers it gets progressively worse. The first half marathon is passed in 1:13:35. If I had felt good here, I would have planned to run sub 2:27, but my thoughts are very different from that now. At 24 km I have to tell my friend to continue on without me “This is not working. I have to stop” I tell him. It feels like my Paris Marathon will end here. I’ve had this feeling far too many times before. One wrong step now and I’ll get a real cramp. My friend tells me to continue on, maybe it gets better on the downhill we’re entering soon. I know it’s hopeless, but I still give it a try. I have to reduce the pace. I start to look for a place where I can stop and bend over a fence and maybe get someone to help me. I feel like I have much more to give, but that doesn’t matter at all if your body can’t handle the load you put it through.
I find no suitable places to stop. I continue the death march, waiting for the inevitable. The cramps will get to me, sooner rather than later. We enter a long dark tunnel. It’s very dark and very few people here. I can’t stop here. It hurts more and more. I try to stretch my left arm down to my hamstring to help it out, but it’s too far down. My next tactic is to just press on even harder. I lean forward as much as I can and try to stretch out as much as possible in every single stride with my left foot. This is not an unusual situation for me in a marathon, but there is still a big difference. Normally this happens at the very end, close to 40k. This time I have just passed the halfway mark. 25k is done in 1:27:04. I’m actually ahead of my schedule, but I’m sure that will be for the last time today. I think it will be hard to finish in under 3 hours with these problems, with lots of stops and walking. I just have to run for as long as I can. I reduce my drinking at the aid stations as I don’t want a toilet stop. Both my accuracy and my interest in trying to hit the targets after the drinking stations have decreased. At least there are no penalty laps for missing the targets here.
Trying to force the forward lean
Even though I had to slow down a bit, my pace is still pretty good. I can still see my friend in the distance. He still looks very strong. I just hope that he can continue all the way. People say that it’s so nice to run marathons in these big cities, because the course is so nice and there is so much to see. I can’t agree with that. I rarely see more than the asphalt in front of me, but suddenly the Eiffel Tower appears on the other side of the Seine river. I enjoy the view for a moment, before I remember how much this hurts. My cramps are still delaying their attacks. I’m about to pick up a runner who decided not to throw away his hoodie at the start, but rather just put it behind his head. I’ve seen him for a long time. It’s a little annoying how he waves to the audience and makes them cheer all the time. Has he not noticed that the marathon is insanely painful? I am fighting for every single step while he is just enjoying himself. I run up on the side of him and there is something about him. I’ve seen him before, but I can’t tell who it is right now. In retrospect, when looking at the pictures, I can see who it is; Arne Gabius. He was the fastest German when I ran in Frankfurt back in October. A quick Google search reveals some amazing results on his CV. 7:35 3000 m, 27:43 over the 10k and 2:08 over the marathon distance to name a few. No wonder he enjoys himself at my pace! Why he’s out for a jog in Paris, I do not know …
The legend Arne Gabius, a struggling runner and some sort of tower in the background
He can enjoy himself as much as he wants. I have to pass him. This hurts so much that I need to finish as fast as possible. Jeg pass 30k with the last 5k in 17:38. It’s still too far left to run, that I think I will have any chance of success here, but I have to try. Each and every kilometer comes with more pain than the last one. I stop thinking about how far I have left. I try to think how far I have already ran instead. I set new small goals all the time. Just get to the next kilometer sign, next drinking station, the next place where you’ll take a gel etc. One kilometer at a time repeated over and over ends up being lots of kilometers in the end. I’ve had a goal of making it to 35 for a long time now. There I will toss my gloves and everything will feel easier. It might not work just like that in reality, but it’s incredible what you can fool your brain to believe. I’m surprised that I’m still running and that my splits are not worse than they are. I average 3:32 for the next 5k (17:44). I can lose 2 seconds per km and still be happy with that. It’s still faster than the average pace for a sub 2:30 marathon. That will still give me a great time. This may actually work. It’s not over ‘till it’s over.
I’m getting close to a pain I’ve never felt in marathon running before. I don’t know if it’s smart to continue, but it’s never an option to stop. Maybe I will hurt myself if I continue on with this pain. I take my last gel at 36k. I’m passing 40k soon. 2:20:17 on the clock.
I just need to keep my legs running and don’t do anything stupid now. There’s lots of cobblestones at the end, still lots of opportunities to fail. Soon I can see the finish line clock. 2:27 and the seconds are ticking fast. It looks like it might be possible to sprint for a sub 2:28, but it’s far from easy with my left leg. I give all what I have left and pass the finish line in 2:28:02, which I’m extremely happy with under these circumstances.
To run a 1 min 27 sec PB after all the problems I encountered in both my training and on race day is far beyond my expectations. At 24k I didn’t even think I would be able to make it to the finish line. I ended up in 38th spot overall, of almost 50000 runners. I’m very happy with that as well, even though placing is less important than times for me right now. I almost can’t believe that I only missed my dream goal by 21 seconds.
What’s next?
After this race I had big plans for the next months. I wanted to train for 5-10k during the summer to improve my speed, but I ended up struggling a lot with my hamstring. 13 weeks have passed since the race, and I’m just now starting to get close to injury free again. I’ve been lucky enough to be selected to represent Norway at the 50 km world championship in Romania in September, so that’s what I’m training for at the moment. If all goes well, I am dreaming of a sub 2:25 marathon in Berlin just 4 weeks later. We’ll see what happens.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to ask any questions you might have. Happy running!
You can follow my training on Strava and IG if you wish to do so.
Posted Jul 17, 2019, 1:11 PM UTC
>At least there are no penalty laps for missing the targets here.
Biathlon joke, can it get more Norwegian than that?
Congratulations on your PB and thanks for a nice read!