Enschede Marathon 2022
A reminder to self that progress is never a linear way up. Small blips in the journey is to be expected — don’t fret and keep believing in what you’re doing.
Deciding on Enschede
Many asked me why I had chosen this “small” race. Although it wasn’t as well-known as the NN Rotterdam marathon which happened 2 weeks before this, Enschede is actually the oldest race in Western Europe. This year it celebrated it’s 75th edition. As a fun-fact: The NN Mission Marathon during the pandemic was also held in the nearby Twente airport.
In planning my race schedule, I knew I wanted a build-up in the Spring ahead of NYC in November. With my booster jab taken right before Christmas, I told myself that I would take around 4 months to do a proper build-up. The only uncertain portion was my 2 week reservist training in early March, which could have really derailed my training build up had I chosen Rotterdam. Taking all these into consideration, I decided to choose a race later on in the month instead.
Now, 3 races happened on the same day, namely Madrid, Enschede and Hamburg. Needless to say, Hamburg got most of the media attention because of its course. Although it seemed to be the most favourable for a PB attempt, I didn’t quite want to return to Germany again after only 6 months. Furthermore, I had also not yet done marathons in other European nations. Balancing elevation and country novelty was how Enschede was chosen.
A pretty decent training cycle completed
Hand to heart, this was definitely the best training cycle that I’ve had. Jan was still a bit of a rocky start, having started a new job, a slight niggle, then racing at the SA Nationals for 5k.. the Long Runs and mileage got affected somewhat. However, since the week of Feb 8, I managed to keep a streak of keeping above 80km for 8 weeks before the taper commenced. This was significantly higher than the earlier prep in Munich, which was mostly only about 70ish km weeks.
From the Long Run volume perspective, I also managed to do a few more than in Munich..~25/26k (4 in total), and 3 runs at >30k (30.5, 32, 32.2). Though in retrospect this was still probably not the most ideal, it definitely was a good step in the right direction as I increased my overall volume. Towards the end, some of these were on really tired legs, given that on some weeks I also had to squeeze in 5k/10k Time Trials so it was really not that easy to pull off.
Speed-wise, I had also been able to finally meet some of my long awaited goals, sub 19 for 5k (managed to consecutively bring it down to 18.50 in Feb, and to 18.42 a month later), and finally sub 40 for 10k (39.39). Still some room for improvement there i’m sure — will discuss a bit more about the relationship I personally think that speed has to do with my marathon training later on.
What happened at the race
Before going into the After Action Review (AAR), I feel like it’s easier to just run through chronologically what went down in the race first.
Flag-off 10am.
Having reported an estimated time of 3.05 (given my past PB at Munich was 3.10), I was sorted into the yellow wave (after the elites, and sub 3h runners). Now, the Enschede marathon was broadly a “2-lap” course, and the organisers made the FM and HM runners start together. This was unfortunately a bit different from Munich which separated the FM and HM runners. I personally preferred the split waves, since that drastically reduced the number of runners, since the FM participation was significantly smaller compared to the HM. In any case, there were some crowding.
Having had issues navigating the race village (it was spaced out within the town square and its surrounding alleyways, so it was not the most porous of road networks unfortunately), and queueing for the portable potty, I only managed to get into the waiting pen at 9.58 (which by then had already been infused with people from the later waves/slower times as we started moving towards the front, a 200–300m stretch away from the start line), which meant that I was already quite behind the rest of my “yellow” group runners.
Of course I didn’t realised how far I was actually behind until the race began, and when I started to overtake the pacers. After almost 1.5km in, I finally caught up with the first FM group — and the balloons said 3:30. I thought to myself then “HAHA — I was never going to find the 3:00 group”.
The immediate start was messy — we were funnelled through a narrow range of blocked roads, and you had “slower” runners choking up the pavement (well, kind of usual ain’t it?). Though I tried to minimize the zig-zagging and the acceleration/deceleration, it was quite inevitable. I would say that my first 5km was basically run under pretty stressful condition, and I definitely spent more energy to get myself to run at the pace that I had clocked. — the first 5km GPS splits were 4.23, 4.26, 4.21, 4.18, 4.20). At this point, I was trying not to build up too great a gap from 4.15, since I really wanted to have a shot at trying to crack sub-3.
The next 5k were significantly better, after I’ve overtaken a significant amount of runners. At this point, I was starting to get into the rhythm and cruise, and i think that was where I quite enjoyed myself with the lesser field of runners, and also crowd support. Splits for 6–10km (4.15, 4.13, 4.15, 4.15, 4.17)
Although I was doing relatively well, the 4.15 pace was not easy, and at this point I think I was having some pressure to bring myself down further below 4.15 to make up for the slightly slower kms in the first 5. The opportunity came at the 13th/14th km when we had a long rolling downhill, and I found myself picking up pace very quickly to a 4min pace, and at some point even 3.55 when i referenced my Garmin. This was technically still not a killer since I was used to doing this pace at Wednesdays.. but I think this sudden strenuous exertion brought out some early hints of stitch formation at the 14th km, which sounded some alarm bells. I slowed slightly at the 14th km, and levelled out back again for the 15th km. Splits for 11–15km (4.17, 4.17, 4.03, 4.08, 4.16)
I ended up skipping some water stations because of the stitch. It kind of went away for a little, but it was still lurking in the background. Told myself to loosen up a bit since this was still very early stage of the race, and i had to preserve myself. I think at this point of the race, attempts to sub-3 were already out of the window, but I had built up a buffer to still better the PB, so I just made sure to carry on at a sustainable pace (<4.30). Splits for 16–20km (4.29, 4.28, 4.42, 4.24, 4.31)
Now, at around 18km, i felt quite a bad blister forming. In my mind, I was trying to shake this off, and adjusted my socks while running, hoping it would go away. Unfortunately this did not go down, and after crossing 20km i told myself I needed to quickly stop and check out what it is, maybe add some bandages before carrying on. Found a medical point by the water station slightly before the HM mark, and found that a part of my skin had torn off, which was what was causing the pain. Unfortunately there was some miscommunication with the first aider on duty, so she took quite a while before fumbling and passing me 2 plasters to bandage this up. Lost 2 mins as a result, and also struck the first chord of panic amongst people following my progress online.. “what happened to Hansen? why hasn’t he crossed the HM mark yet?”. Despite this small setback, I was still keeping up, somewhat, although the signs are starting to show. Splits for 21–25km (4.59, 6.20, 4.28, 4.43, 4.46)
The next 5km proved to be quite difficult. While the pain from the blister was bearable, the stitch was now unabating. This was starting to slow me down, and towards the 28/29km, I felt my legs were getting heavier because of the disruption in hydration. (At this point, I had only consumed 1 Maurten gel, with some isotonic along the way). I told myself that I needed to quickly get back on track with hydration, otherwise I would have to slow even further. Trotted along these 5km at a slower, but still sub-5min pace. Splits for 26–30km (5.03, 4.47, 4.56, 4.57, 5.07)
Nothing too eventful for 31–35km in my memory. This was over the long stretch of housing, and a deviation from the earlier first HM loop, so it was very unfamiliar territory. Motivation was a bit at a low by now, but still mostly kept up with a 5min pace, with the exception of one km where I think I must have stopped to stretch and drink up at the water point. Splits for 31–35km (4.57, 5.08, 5.03, 5.44, 5.05)
For most of the race, especially the 2nd half of the race, I was running alone. At any one point, the nearest runner could have been either 5–10m ahead or behind me. As we started passing by some residential areas, it was a refreshing change to get some additional support from people. I believe we also ran past the University of Twente campus during this segment, so there were some crowds there to cheer us on. Legs wise, I was pretty much spent here, and I was just calculating how bad my final time would be. Mentally it was all about hanging on and not stopping to walk, although I did give myself the liberty to have 20–30s at each water station just to make sure I drank up enough to bring me home to the finish. Splits for 36–40km (5.10, 5.38, 5.08, 5.25, 5.31)
As we approached back into the city, we reconverged with the HM route, so there was a sense on how much more I had left. There was also a renewed target mentally that I wanted to try to get to finish within 3.20, so that boosted the morale and got me back faster again. At the final 200m, managed to do a sprint with someone else ahead of me to close strongly. Splits for 41–42km (4.45, 4.36, (4.05 equivalent))
Key takeaways
The marathon distance is really about the long run, so that forms the bulk of my takeaway this race, and what i will be working on for the next cycle.
a) Speedier Long Runs
Mid-cycle, I had the pleasure to run with Shao Yong and Sharon for a long run. I recall that session we had planned to go for 32km at 4.50 pace. That was actually quite daunting and a step up for me at that point. After the halfway mark, I actually felt that pace to be quite tiring to keep up with, and I eventually finished 30km, but with only around 26km done at the 4.50 pace. No doubt this was done mid-cycle, and a week after our 10k TT on tired legs, I knew I had to condition myself to perform minimally at that pace in order to do faster paces overseas. Since that LR, most of my other long runs also had a faster element, but I knew I didn’t feel completely at ease running <5min. That is something to be worked on for sure.
b) Threshold HM efforts
One thing that I haven’t accomplished officially is a sub 1.30 HM. This theoretically should be doable for me, but I have not yet put that into practice. The last attempt at this was in March last year at the Shufflers’ HM where I clocked 1.32 — having had to stop for 30seconds due to a stitch at the 19km mark. Joining the shuffler teammates on a monthly 1.30 HM effort might be something that I need to condition my body to run longer at the 4.15 pace, for the next bound. Presumably the stitch had formed mid-race because the body was not used to this level of exertion. Having more practice would be good way to condition myself
c) Progressive speeds on LRs
Something that I would hope to try next cycle is to finish the LR stronger. With the ease of measures and parkruns back, this could be an opportunity for me to run steady for maybe 25km, before going at a faster pace for the parkrun on tired legs.
d) Track sessions
As someone who is injury prone, I have kept myself strictly on the once-on-the-track-weekly mantra, with me going to the thresholds sessions on the wednesdays. Thinking back, many of the longer sessions on Mondays (i.e. 1km/1.2km repeats, or 800m) are actually quite useful to giving my body a taste of faster speeds. Starting to think also that it might be necessary to lower my 5k/10k times to a low 18min/39min to give myself a greater assurance of proper build up towards sub3, and these are quite crucial I think to getting me there. Will try to balance 2 sessions in the next cycle, but something to KIV for sure
e) Mileage
Finally, the mileage. Honestly I was very pleased with where I was this round with mostly 80km weeks. I felt ready to push towards 90 on some weeks if I could add in a bit more easy miles. I think the goal would be to try to hit more 90km weeks for the next cycle, and see how it goes. Perhaps even a 100 if my body is ready for it. The aerobic benefits were felt throughout the training cycle from an increased load.
Other notes
Hydration:
First time that I used my Maurtens, and they’re really spectacular. Having almost crashed on the verge of cramps, I quickly took 3 Maurtens in quick succession within 10km and it somewhat revived me and prevented me from falling deeper into derailing my race. Definitely something I will continue to use for future races — I have also replenished my supply in preparation :)
Blisters:
Well honestly i think this was quite unfortunate. Spilt some isotonic water while trying to drink and run quickly, and also got some from others who threw the cup to the side of the road. The stickiness of the drink probably caused the blister/skin lost which really made the experience much more painful. Note to self: tape up all my toes pre-race, and maybe I’ll also try the 5 toe fingers socks from Injinji which had pretty good reviews from everyone.
Weather:
well, I couldn’t really control this one. It was significantly more sunny than expected, so temperatures got high midway. Didn’t need to wear gloves so I ended up carrying them for most of the race.. Also sweated because I was wearing a dri-fit tshirt underneath the shufflers singlet, along with arm warmers, which at some point I had to remove because it was getting too warm. This will be more of a trial-and-error for the future races I suppose. At higher running speeds maybe the inner shirt might not be necessary for the future.
Conclusions:
Well, not the end of the world for sure. Plenty of things to continue to be optimistic for, and plenty of things to be worked on. Definitely will continue to chip away at the time, and I’ve already come so far. Huge shout out to:
- №1 Supporter: My fiancée who was unable to join the trip because of schooling commitments, but never once complained about my dedication to this sport — and the significant amount of time (& money) that I spend on it.
- Solid fellow runners whom I chat with about my training, giving me tips and advice: Justin, for also managing the race-day update. Yik — sorry I didn’t quite follow your original plan and went out for sub-3 instead.
- Coach Anna for structuring our training so perfectly, and giving the pep talk right before the race. I will pencil in something to join in the team to race overseas next year! Really proud to be part of the Shufflers — a group of dedicated runners who give me a lot of motivation to be better than what I am today.
- Teammates from my shufflers A3 (or A2b) crew — most notably Elfred who has been cheering me on, giving me lots of motivation and encouragement. I’m sure you will crush GCM in July!
Thanks all for reading this exceptionally long post. Hopefully the next race report will bear better news ;)
