### Race Information
* **Name:** Paris Marathon
* **Date:** October 17, 2021
* **Distance:** 42.2 km
* **Location:** Paris, France
* **Website:** https://www.schneiderelectricparismarathon.com/fr
* **Time:** 2:59:22
### Goals
| Goal | Description | Completed? |
|------|-------------|------------|
| A | Sub 3 | *Yes* |
| B | BQ (< 3:05) | *Yes* |
| C | PB (< 3:21) | *Yes* |
### Splits
| Kilometer | Time |
|------|------|
| 1-5 | 4:17
| 5-10 | 4:17
| 10-15 | 4:16
| 15-20 | 4:13
| 20-25 | 4:10
| 25-30 | 4:22
| 30-35 | 4:17
| 35-40 | 4:11
| 40-42 | 4:24
### Training
This was my fourth marathon and second one where I’ve trained for rigorously. My first marathon in 2017 was a painful experience where I was woefully unprepared and ended up run-walking and in agony from km 25. Finished in 4:06. My second marathon (2018) I was similarly unprepared and I ended up crashing and burning after following the 3:30 pacer until 31km and finished with a 3:56. My third marathon was Berlin 2019 and I followed a real plan, joined a run club, ran consistently and followed a proper race plan with proper fueling and ended up with a huge PB of 3:21.
The road to Paris was a very unexpected one. After Berlin 2019, I immediately started training for the Tokyo 2020 Marathon with the goal of maybe running a 3:05. I got through a 16 week training plan through the winter only to have the marathon cancelled in March 2020. I was able to do a half marathon right before races were cancelled (so all the training was not wasted) and finished with a PB of 1:26.
Between March 2020 - Feb 2021, I more or less scaled my running back to 1-2 light jogs/week. Endless lockdowns, working with COVID patients (I work in healthcare), no run club…all of it truly sapped any motivation.
Starting in spring of 2021, I started running consistently again and did a virtual half in 1:28. This gave me a lot of motivation to run again. Originally I was scheduled to run the Tokyo Marathon in Fall 2021 but I had little faith and fortunately booked Paris as a backup.
Training was a 16 week block from my run club. Focus this time was a significant increase in volume and to ensure I did some mobility/strength work at least once a week. Tue and Fri was speedwork. Sunday long runs. The other 3-4 days were easy recovery/volume runs. I peaked with three 22mi (36km) long runs and 124km / 138km / 122km weeks.
### Pre-race
Arrived into Paris on Thursday. Picked up bibs/packet at the Expo on Friday. There are tons of great Italian options in Paris and we ended up at Pizza Popolare on Friday and Big Mamma on Saturday.
We decided to keep things easy so we stayed at the CitizenM on the Champs Élysées. It was literally right at the start corrals so I didn’t have to worry about taking transit. Woke up at around 5:30am and started with a planned routine of coffee / toast with honey / Maurten 160 drink / Beet Shots x 2 / More coffee / Tylenol / Imodium. I did an easy warm up jog along the Champs and it was fun running beside some of the elites. I started in my 3:00 corral and had no difficulty getting in, but was surprised to see the Champs was split into inaccessible halves and all the 3H pacers were on the other side. Weather was perfect with low temps (~9C) and no wind or humidity.
### Race
KM 1-10: the start was relatively clean and I found all the runners were running at an appropriate pace so weaving was minimal and unnecessary. Since all the 3H pacers were on the opposite chute and started ahead, I was running at my own pace using 5k splits rather than GPS or Stryd. I was worried about the cobblestones but they were generally flat so even though they are less comfortable to run on than smooth pavement, it wasn’t a big deal. Once we got to Place de la Concorde, the cobbles disappeared and it was smooth running. Crowd support was strong. The sights were spectacular - I’ve never been to Paris before and running past the Vendome and the Palais Garnier was a shocker. Even though it wasn’t completely flat (there is a slight incline along the Rue de Reuilly), I didn’t find I had to alter my running. Took my first Maurten gel at 10k.
KM10 - 21: this part was through the Bois de Vincennes. It was quieter but a lot of the roads were still lined with spectators and it wasn’t as dead as I expected. Some of the roads were a bit narrow and uneven. There were some rolling hills but nothing dramatic. Kept running at my own pace of 4:10-4:15/km and noted my 5k splits were all pretty consistent.
KM 21 - 34: after running through the relatively quiet Bois de Vincennes, coming back into the city was a blast. Streets were absolutely packed with loud cheering and it was easy to soak up the energy. I caught up with the 3H pace group and knew I had some banked time if I kept up with them. This part of the race was probably my favourite as our 3H pace group was like an express freight train coursing through the right bank of the Seine. There were definitely some ups and downs as we went through some tunnels (they could get a little bit muggy and some smelled like old piss) but it was tolerable and wasn’t as big an issue as I expected. I completely zoned out during this portion of the race, happy to let the pacer keep the pace and feeling great.
KM 34 - END: at approximately 34km, we started up a significant hill on Boulevard Suchet. It was gradual but definitely noticeable (~500m). I was expecting it but I had to push hard at this point to keep with the pace group. From 36k onwards, I started noticing little cramps coming on in my calf. My least favourite part of the race was through the Bois de Boulogne. There were segments of cobblestones again that were much more uneven and were difficult to run on. Most of this part was a blur as I was starting to hit my limit and the pacer also was speeding up. The Louis Vuitton Museum was the big landmark signalling km 39 but I was confused and thought we passed it at one point. At around km 40-41 I lost contact with the pace group and was struggling a lot and feeling like a full on cramp was about to develop. I had no idea if I was going to run sub 3 or not and didn’t have the mental capacity to figure it out. The last KM I had to drain everything I had to get across the finish and as I crossed it, my legs gave out! I don’t think I’ve ever pushed that hard ever.
### Post-race
I was extremely surprised with the 2:59 finish as I felt things fell apart near the end. I picked up my medal (and finisher T-shirt) and hobbled back to the hotel. Dinner post-race was steak frites at Le relais de l’entrecote which was heavenly. I am applying my time to run Boston 2022 and hope the ~5min buffer is sufficient. Still trying to figure out where to take my paces and training from here. In the interim, I’ll be doing more strength work + easy runs to keep the baseline mileage at 40-60km/week until starting a new build. Hope this helps future runners interested in the Paris Marathon!
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