Er, "Race" Report, Copenhagen HM
It’s all down to the bowel movement – you simply have to get that straight before you leave the digs on race morning…
Anyway, August 20th, a perfect solo 19-miler to finish of the first 50-mile week for Dublin – a really good week that included a strong AG victory in the BHAA Stryker 4-miler. Right ankle was a bit sore that evening but not too bad. Next morning however, the self-same ankle couldn’t be articulated in pretty much any direction. Tried to run it off on Tuesday – no joy – and by Wednesday the physio had figured it was “an ankle tendonopathy or a stress fracture”. Either way, stop all running immediately. And that’s been it, I haven’t run a step since. Worse again, the ankle is improving at glacial pace – not much better than that first week. Loads of weird exercises and the usual thrice-weekly gym sessions but nothing else.
So, no chance of doing Dublin with the critical four weeks from mid-August to mid-September producing no training at all. The problem was that I had also entered Copenhagen HM again – our eldest lad lives there, and we were both planning to do it again this year. Flights, digs, race entry, the works paid for – so I was travelling either way. Since Dublin was out, I figured I could try to jog the race – and the consequent delay in overall recovery would be worth it. LOL, even without injury, I’d be in trouble on the fitness front with a month of no running but sure there was 27,000 doing the race so I’d have company.
So,
PLAN A – “The Happy Plan” – if the ankle allowed it, go off at reasonable HM pace (sub 1:30) and let the unfit body take it out to halfway. Then stop, walk for 5 mins to rest the ankle and jog home. Target – 1:40
PLAN B – “The Not Too Bad Plan” – if the ankle was playing up, then jog easy, interspersed with walking. Get around the course. Target 1:50 to 2:00
Plan C – If the ankle packed in before 5 miles, turn around and walk back to start, anything later, walk the course to the finish. Target – N/A
Back to paragraph 1 – two emotional sessions in the smallest room in the hostel cleared the tubes in a very emphatic way and I was happy with the weight loss as we dropped the bags and hit the start pen. The start isn’t that well organised at Copenhagen, but I didn’t mind being way back as there was no real racing going to happen. After the gun, around 5 minutes of shuffling got us over the start line and wahey!, the ankle was no sorer running than it had been walking. Still, lots of traffic in the first mile or two before some open road led to some reasonably free running. Lots of support, music etc. on the side-lines kept us moving and because I was moving at under 7-min pace, I was ripping through the field. (I’d have been well pissed off with the melee at the start if I’d been going for a time). It was 22 degrees with strong sunshine and no wind so on the unshaded streets it was fierce hot. My “no-running” training plan had me under pressure too and even though I was going well, subsequent review of the HR data shows I was running at unsustainable effort. So, plan A it was and at 6.5 miles, I moved to the second part of the race plan – by coming to a stop.
Miles 1 to 6 – 7:07, 6:49, 6:48, 6:22, 6:39, 6:38
I power-walked on to 7 miles, with a river of those I had passed out now taking me back. It was OK, I was happy to be this deep into the event and having had a good first half. From here on home would be easy on the ankle and managing the no-running plan. At 7 miles, the jog kicked in again but I was also bursting for a whizz at this stage – the walking brought it on I’d say. So, there was a line of portaloos at 12km and I hopped into one for one of the longest slashes I’ve had in my life – it was like I was after a feed of Guinness, you couldn’t stop it with a jubilee clip, as Billy Connolly says. Out into the hot sunshine again and on we trucked. I was still running under 7:30 pace most of the time so I passed many of the same runners again as they got pinged in the heat. But I had no race condition on me and even I felt the stress towards the 10-mile mark. Since the race was a jog, I stopped and had a good drink and shower at each water station which was a big help.
They reversed the direction of the course this year which means there was some tough climbing in the last miles – up over flyovers and the like - the type of climbing you’d manage no bother at that stage in a marathon if you’d the training done but it was tiring today. The last km was then up along Frederiksberg, a beautiful wide royal avenue, lined with trees and huge Danish flags. But it was uphill and dead straight, so that finish definitely took its time coming with plenty of casualties along the way. I put on a small burn towards the end and just dipped under the 1:35 to cross the line.
Miles 7 to 13 – 8:55, 7:36, 6:55, 7:24, 7:17, 7:17, 7:04 (6:54 pace for the last piece after 13)
So, a tourist HM complete, the ankle will be in absolute rag order tomorrow, with a very long layoff on the cards I’d say. Still, I managed to beat the young lad – he started to whip me at the swimming from age 12 but it’s taking him a lot longer to take me on the road.
Copenhagen is an excellent course. Anyone wanting a great event with a strong chance of a PB should do it.
All of this tells you I won’t be taking that kind offer for Valencia offer C., no ankle no running I’m afraid.
