It is finally here. Full Marathon of the year. I do not have sufficient training for this race and therefore has no expectation / target for the race. My broad target is anything below 5 hour mark. The main difference in this race is that I did not look at the watch, since there is no 'target' time. As a result, I can truly enjoy the race.
I started the race at reasonable pace, as I have a target to run ahead of the 4'30 pacer at the 25km mark, the place where they overtook me in last few FM races. This year the 4'30 pacer overtook me at around 24km mark, therefore I am approximately 1-2 minute slower than the previous few races at 25km mark.
From 25-42km, its all about managing cramp. I slow down significantly when I 'feel' cramp is coming, and accelerate as the cramp feeling disappear. As a result, I complete the race without cramp, therefore no major slow/down time at any point in the race. This is the first time I ran the FM without a real cramp (although i have near cramp near finishing) and I am reasonably aware of the entire races from start to end. It is therefore most enjoyable as I do not feel significant pain until the last few km.
The final result is unexpected as I achieve a Personal Best in Full Marathon. Truly 'slowly but surely'.
