pickupthepacepaul

On 7 April 2024, I took part in Paris Marathon for the 3rd time. This was my 151st Marathon (or further). I had originally planned the Paris Marathon to be my goal race for the year, with an aim of sub 3. After a 3:30 in 2015 and pacing the sub 4 #funbus in 2019 (see Paris Marathon 2019 blog here), it felt like a good target to aim for a PB in Paris.

The reality is that not all runs are going to go to plan. There are many factors that come into play, but long before going to Paris, I knew that I was way off a PB. Life has been full on, and training for a sub 3 has not been a priority, so I knew that it would be a more gentle run. But even then, it doesn’t matter how ready you are. Sometimes, it’s not your day. During this marathon, I wasn’t ready both physically and mentally, so I eased off to just get through. My priority is my family, and first and foremost, this is a family holiday.

We started our adventure at 03:00 on Saturday morning. We had a flight at 07:15, so we had to get ready and get to the airport. After a quick flight, we dropped our stuff at our hotel and then made our way straight to the expo. The Paris Marathon expo is huge, but I just wanted to get my stuff and get out. I did purchase a hat as always.

After the expo we made our way to the river Seine for a nice walk to the Eiffel Tower.

We enjoyed looking around and decided to book a climb of the Eiffel Tower for after the marathon.

We stayed out late and had a beautiful meal and a few glasses of red wine. Then we came back to the hotel to watch a film. By the end of the day, I had almost forgotten that we had only arrived that day as we did so much. I also almost forgot I had a marathon in the morning. So when we got back, I got my kit together to make sure I didn’t forget anything.

Paris Marathon 2024

I set my alarm for 04:30 because my race start was 08:05. That was two days in a row that I had to wake up at an unsociable time. I certainly felt tired when I woke up, and this caught up with me during the race. Nevertheless, I got ready and made my way to the race start. It is a particularly busy marathon, but the bag drop was easy, and the toilet queue wasn’t bad. However, getting to the start pens was a mission. It was hard to get past people, and once we got in, I realised the delays were because the toilets were at the entrance, which was stopping people coming in.

Before long, we were off. I naturally started at an 8 min mile but quickly eased off to 8:30. The race was beautiful, and the hydration was perfect. Water in bottles every 5k, with so many tables and volunteers, there was never any rush. A lot of races could learn from this setup. I also used my SIS gels every 5k from 10k. The conditions were fine, I just felt so tired and didn’t feel with it.

I continued at this pace until 18 miles, and I just decided it was not worth carrying on at that pace. So I dropped my pace and just relaxed. Mentally, my head wasn’t in it, which did not help, as when your head tells you you need to stop, then it’s hard not to listen. I had no desire to keep pushing when I felt so tired.

I also had in the back of my mind that I was not even aiming for a PB, and I also had tickets to climb the eiffel tower at 15:00, and didn’t want to over excert myself.

Once I slowed, I spent a lot of time running / walking. I knew I was too tired and needed to save my legs. Once you slow down, it is hard to get moving again, so the last 10 k was a real struggle. I also saw someone cheat at 28k, intentionally cutting the course to run back the other way. Unfortunately for them, it wouldn’t have worked out, and I wonder how long it would have taken them to realise they cut and joined near the beginning of the race. Made me chuckle to myself, and a bit of karma for deliberately cheating.

I enjoyed the marathon, and in the end, I brought home a fantastic time. It isn’t the times I normally aim for. It is easy to forget how difficult a marathon is, and I’m happy with a sub 4:30 for my 151st completion.

The finish area was great. I saw family on the finish straight, which was lovely, and always puts a smile on my face. My watch says 4:28:37, and I’m happy with that.

We git some food and went directly to the Eiffel Tower. I decided it was a good idea to walk up and not use the elevator. It was something we will remember for a while.

We had a little photo shoot on the 1st floor before walking to the 2nd level, which is the main platform, and the highest you can go walking.

I finished the day feeling even more tired than I started. I wouldn’t change my race day, though. It was fantastic. Everything worked out as planned. I needed to save some energy for the Eiffel Tower, and I certainly did. Apparently, I was the only marathon runner they saw up the Tower on marathon day, and I certainly understand why.

So you would think it is time to rest… well, we have just arrived at Disney… let’s call this active recovery.