How Heartbreak Half Marathon nearly broke my heart…..

(The photos with this blog are from a previous run.. just to show you the territory )

How easy could this be? Running the Half marathon over the ‘Mt Marlow Track’ and the ‘Under the Radar’ track? The week before I flew at the ‘Rolling Thunder Run’, and I had run most of the distance before, right? I knew I was kidding myself.  This was not gonna be the typical marathon. Doing 6km ‘Mt Marlow’ is not for the faint hearted, add to that the 12km ‘Under the Radar’, 2km ‘Graveyard track’ THEN a couple of 100m of beach… 

I arrived early, as I do. I learned there were 75 other competitors. I was hoping not to many (fast) runners in my age group, maybe I might get a place….  Surely not to many people my age would be stupid enough to get up early to do this run?  I was thinking how to tackle this… should I go on steady at Mt Marlow and faster at ‘Under the Radar’? Problem with that is, that you get stuck behind some ‘slow pokes’ as it is hard to pass between the rocks..   So I decided to go pretty fast at the flat to the Mt Marlow track, stay as much as possible in ‘my place’; don’t pass anyone, and no one passes me. Then see how I’d go on ‘Under the Radar.’….My aim was to do the run under 2 ½ hours, but definitely under 3hrs.

The race started at about 7am and at that time it was already quite warm and muggy

Not running, climbing

So that is what I did. First km I did 4.38 min, which is pretty well flat out for me. When I started climbing I listened to the footsteps behind me and made sure they stayed the same distance… However, I couldn’t keep that up for long. There was a whole train of faster runners behind me, my heartrate went to about 170-175, I didn’t notice until I started breathing very fast. So I stopped at different safe places and let a few pass (really to catch my breath), then tried to keep up with those runners… When these disappeared amongst the rocks I let another few pass, and tried to keep up with these. I had to slow down eventually, bec I started to stumble over the rocks and sliding of the path. The sweat was pouring of me; sweat streaks over my glasses, hard to see where to go.

Downhill to Bald Rock car park was not easy either. I stopped at the drink stop drank my water and refilled. I should have filled it with Gatorade instead of water, but hey you always see clearer in hindsight, then through sweat smeared glasses at the time. They offered to spray me with the hose, but I refused. Did not want to get al sloppy and wet while running on a dusty track.

Start of 'Under the Radar Trail'

I checked my HR still about 170. “Slow down Tony, you’ll never make it with that HR”, I said to myself. I set off on a slower pace, but soon my legs got in the rhythm (about 5min/km) and my heart rate stayed... when I reached ‘Under the Radar’ I seriously took it steady, I had a check every so often, but my HR was never far away from 170.. I passed a few ‘walkers’ -runners that had given up- by then and still felt ok. Struggling but not too bad. I followed another runner ahead of me (he also didn’t go to fast) I looked at the pace.. I ran about 6-6.30min/km and I thought "if I keep this up", I should be able to make a reasonable time. 

At the water stop in the middle of ‘Under the Radar’ I had my gel. I felt stuffed, but I wasn’t dead yet. I was still jogging, but slowly and had passed a few more ‘walkers’. the man at the water stop said “only 5km left.” Liar! 5km of ‘Under the Radar’ would have been more accurate. “Nearly finished....” or so I thought.  I had a good drink and filled up my bottle again.

beaut country to run in !

The man in front of me didn’t stop for a drink so I sped up to catch up.. When he started walking, I passed him and felt great that I passed another person. I had experience, I had run Under the Radar before, I can do this!  The guy had a ‘snake-lolly’, when he finished chewing he jogged passed me.  I stuck behind him, then he walked again and I passed him. This was repeated 5 or 6 times. I just kept plotting along, but it was getting frustrating and demoralizing.. so after the 5th or 6^th time, I started walking when he walked, jogging when he jogged.  Never, never, never walk in a run, because it is nearly impossible to start running again. As you all know. Eventually that ‘walk/jog –guy’ was somewhere behind me, so at least  I had beaten another ‘walker’.

the beach.... very difficult after the long run

My legs started to stiffen up, my will power was nearly broken... I walked a fair bit up the hill of ‘The Graveyard loop.’ When I heard the sounds of the finish line I forced myself in a faster pace. It wasn’t a jog anymore, more of a fast shuffle.  I hit the beach and saw the white sign in the distance, I trotted a km further (I thought) and the white board didn’t seem to be any closer. After a life time of beach trotting I made it to the turn of . . . after a long stretch of loose sand (actually about 5m)  I made it to the bitumen...

I heard people clap, “well done”, but it was all in a daze. That walk/jog -guy passed me on the beach and I was aiming to pass him, my shuffle went a bit faster and had a look of a slow jog..I never did pass him.  I crossed the finish line, I stared at the lady taking the times etc.. I said “51” and she said “all done”

I stopped my Garmin: 2:39:33. Done. I felt too exhausted to care.

I was in a daze, looking for food and water and a seat. Grabbed half a banana, and a filled a cup of water, I was so weak, I spilled most of it. When I sat down, a cramp came from my knee to my groin. I wanted to get up to stretch my leg, but couldn’t. OUCH!  I writhed on my seat and the guy next to me asked if I was alright. MY face turned to him, and with my eyes shut I said ‘fine fine, just cramp’. 

I remembered I had water with salts etc in my car. So I started to ‘walk’ to my car. I couldn’t find it at first.. my brain still not working. I found it eventually, got the waterbottle from the car and had problems closing the door. My fine motor skills weren’t too good still.

I walked back somehow, had watermelon and banana and this 750ml drink.. I had more water and waited for the announcements.. I spoke to someone that was in my age group and his time was 2.15. So I knew that I most likely would not have a place.  

After the announcements I went home. As I sat in the car, the cramp in my right leg came back… OUCH… I massaged it and squeezed my eyes until it subsided… I got home safely, found my bed and fell asleep, sweaty and all. I woke at 1pm and was starving!

PS my placing:

3. Heart Break Half Marathon - Male 50 +

Place		Name	Time
1		John Hoggan	2:18:38
2		Robert Smythe	2:34:09
3		Antony Daamen	2:39:29
4		Stuart Corbett	2:58:10
5		Ross Johnston	3:49:38