ROME MARATHON 2013

I finish 2012 with a buckle (finished the Leadville trail 100 miles in Colorado) and moved to Galway in Ireland. I start again to train with the Galway City Harriers, but cannot run more than 100miles per month during the last three months of 2012.

Discussin with friends from Torino, we decided to run the Rome marathon. My friend Matteo ran in Torino in 2h43 and we would like to run in less than 2h40. I ran a lot during Christmas holidays in order to start the 8 weeks training with a good level. Unfortunately I broke my rib to finish the christmas holidays.

Then in January instead of starting seriously to train for Rome, I have to rest. Instead of doing nothing I decided to walk from the 8th of January. In 23 days I was able to walk / run 160miles.

The 5th February I started again quality training 2 weeks late for a good training. On the Dangan track, I was not really aware of the speed I was able to run. I started in a slower group, but I felt ok and ended up doing a good session : 8 x 1km @ 3'31"/km (5'40"/mile). The following sunday I ran a nice long run with the club. We "escaped" with other 3 runners to give some speed to the run (5km @ 3'47"/km and 2,7km @ 3'37"/km). The body starts to get fit again. I will try to train as good as possible but in 6 weeks it will be tough.

Unfortunately there was no half marathon close to Galway at the end of the 4th week of the training and I replaced it with a "slow" long run. I will arrive at the marathon with no racing in 7 months. It is not ideal, but I will use my experiance (23 marathon run, 18 in less than 3 hours and PB 2h34'59"). Anyway a marathon is always 26 miles, and difficult. No marathon must be taken easily. Especially Rome with the coble stones. Here is the training i did:

I started a long Journey to reach Rome the Saturday 16th MArch:

 - 04:45 -> 05:10 : Walk from home to Galway Bus stop
 - 05:15 -> 08:00 : Bus from Galway to Dublin airport
 - 09:30 -> 13:35 : Plane Dublin to rome chiampino (+1hour)
 - 15.00 -> 15:40 : Bus fro airport to Termini train station
 - 15:40 -> 16:00 : Metro to the Marathon Villagio

staying sitting in all these planes and bus is not the perfect preparation the day before a marathon... it is nice to meet few friends on the marathon Village. I will sleep with Matteo just outside Rome and we enjoy a nice Pizza diner drinking lots of watter.

The sunday morning, all 3 of us are getting ready for the marathon. Each of us has the own technic to fix the gels, cereal bars, but the tactic to fix the bars with staples directly on the shorts are so clever... i use the technic of the friend Catherine Bertone to use old long socks to protect the arms before the start. It is my 24th marathon and I feel still some stress the morning before the start!

The plan is to run between 2h50' and 2h55'. Matteo is not fit as well, due to back pain, and he would like to finish in less than 3h, he won't be able to challenge the sub 2h40' in Rome. Our host is going to start his first marathon and he would like to close it.

Due to the new Pope doing his first Sunday mass on St Peter's square, the route is changed:



up to the last minute, I was not sure that I would be able to run the marathon due to the Pope election. There was the possibility to run at 4pm but because of my return flight at 9pm, I would have difficulties to run the marathon and catch my flight! Anyway let's go to the marathon.

We use the metro to go to the Colloseo and leave the bag to the correct truck. it is fresh but sunny. We meet Debora in the crowd and started the warm up slowly running up and down a small road close to the start. With Matteo we are lucky, we get the Elite red numbers (for runners with marathon times in less than 2h50') and will be able to start just behind the top runners. We are in the grid half an hour before the start finishing the warm up. The sun is high and heat us. We get rid of our extra tshirt, plastic cover, socks... and are ready to run this beautiful city of rome.

At 9h30 we start. Matteo is ahead and starts too fast. I am fast myself, and should be 15" slower during the first 3 km. The legs are good and this 4'/km pace is very confortable. The coble stones will be giving us extra troubles in 30 km.



With a zoom you can see Matteo and me just behind (tip: we are in the middle of the road on the withe lines):



With Matteo we run the first 5km in 19'58". We were too fast, my plan was to run in 20'48" and Matteo in 21'20".



2 French guys say they start too fast, but one minute extra now, will mean that they will be able to slow down at the end. I told Matteo that this type of tactic is very bad, and I overtook the older one after 20km and the young one after 30km. I think they did not even finish in less than 3 hours. Matteo went back to his normal pace (4'16"/km) in order to conclude just under 3 hours, and I choose to continue at the same pace 4'/km. I was in 186 position at this first check.



Then I continued most of the time on my own, just trying to stay protected in groups during this windy day. I am always using the short line (close to the road borders) and many times I am out of the flow of runners. There is no need to run more than 42 195m! I pass the km10 in 40'01" (180 position) and the km15 in 1:00'04" (losing back 6 positions). This year we won't pass on St Peter's square due to the first Pope "Angelus". It is a pity but I am very happy to run this marathon and not fly before getting my finisher medal! I was just running at a very constant pace during the first part of the race. I closed the first half marathon in 1h24'24" (in 178 position).

I continue most of the time on the border of the river on my own against the wind. Some top runners are waiting for the bus. They were certainly here for pacing or in a bad day. After 23km, we run over the bridge close to the olympic stadium and a group of 5 runner overtake me. I cannot follow and the wind is so strong that I will loose some time on this km (4'15"). At km25, I continue just loosing 38" during this last split. I am alone against the wind and the coble stones from the first part of the race, make my legs heavy. I ran 1:40'38" and lost 4 positions.

Then on km27, there is a hill and I start to hit the wall. It is early and I hope my "fast" start will not be paid cash from now! Now, reading the split, I was not so slow and ran in 4'14". In the following km, with the hill to run down, I was again at 4'01", but on the flat, we are 4 or 5 runners together and all of us start to strugle. I pass the km30 in 2:01'44". I lost 1min on this last 5km section but overtook 18 runners.

 

I use my last Gel, and concentrate on my running technic. It allows me to "forget" about the last 2 hours of running. But the marathon is starting now. This year I didn't run so much, and have not the test on the half marathon. I must run only on experience. It started to work. I continue the Pacman game and overtake many runners. Even a Kenyan runner is 2jogging" so slow that I over take him very fast. At km32, I here: "Hey Jerome". It is Eugenio. My friend from Torino. He will have a DNF in Rome. He stopped after 21km, and will run with me for 2 km. It is nice to discuss with a friend, the time is flying and I have again a good pace. At km34, he left me with my last 8km. With a fast alculation, I am "sure" to conclude in less than 3 hours. He will wait for Sarah who will run nicelly in Rome close to her PB again. I continue to push and I just look arround. Every "Piazza" is so nice. Every church is a good view. The public, the tourists are giving us good help as well. I finish with a nice visit of the centre. It is just wonderful.









I continue the pacman and at km35, I am  152.

The coble stone are very difficult for the legs, and I overtake runners who are walking. It is going up as well, Rome is build on some hills. We go down again to the Colliseo. But like at the start we need to go arround circo massimo.



The wind is against us and we are going up. My GPS shows a very slow speed at 11km/h (instead of the 14.5 / 15km/h average speed). I take the last glass of water and I am in 117 position (I overtook 35 runners in the last 5km).

It is going again arround the Colliseo and the sign for the last km. We need to go up again arround the colliseo



And the road is going down:



The km42 sign and I can start to do my special finish:

 

Just a reminder, my Paris finish in 2012 (2h49'):

 

 

 

Thanks for Matteo for the organisation, thanks for Matt for the Tuesday and Saturday sessions, thanks for all the GCH friends for pushing my limits on the track sessions!!!! And let start the season with longer distances now!!!

 

 

 

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