Strava
Marathon 2: The ‘Back to Back’ Marathon
Sleep last night was amazing and I woke up feeling incredible. Too bad it was 4am! I struggled to sleep after that but was happy to not wake up too sore. Muscles felt great but the hip and knee joints were still really painful and would be a big factor in today’s plan.
Today’s marathon strategy was a simple one. Just survive. The pace was going to be reduced to a brisk walk as my knee and hip don’t allow me to move any faster. I’m hoping taking it easier today may help with some recovery for later marathons (yes I know that’s optimistic). Given the slow pace I decided to tune in to some music today as I really needed a distraction away from the pain in my hip. It really did the trick and I caught myself belting out a few tunes in full voice to the passers by.
In an attempt to address the cause of my knee pain I tried an alternate pair of shoes for the first 10km but found they were creating new issues. Hence I changed back to yesterday’s pair and thought I’d rather deal with the problems I’ve already got. It worked and things didn’t get worse today thanks to the slower pace.
Pace per km
I did get a fright at around the 26km mark when I came across a large red bellied black snake enjoying the sun. This is one of the most venomous snakes in the world so not something I’d really like to step on. I’d never been so jealous to see an animal without legs as I knew it wouldn’t be in as much pain as I currently was!
Temperature
It was a very hot today averaging 28C for my run and with a maximum of 35C for the final 7km. This heat really added another level of difficulty. I drank quite a lot today but again only to thirst. My salt intake was very high to balance out the high water consumption (approximately 8 tsp).
My support crew were fantastic and supplied me with water and a magnesium spray that really helped ease the pain. Seeing them every hour or so helped keep the mood up beat on what was a very long hit out.
Active Pace
I finished the 42.2km in 6 hours 23min (averaging 9min/km). The slower pace added an extra 40mins but it was well worth it (and I didn’t really have a choice).
Marathon 2 Statistics
All done! I finished my second marathon in 6 hours 23 minutes (average pace 9:05 min/km).
Heart Rate
The much slower pace today allowed me to maintain my heart rate in under 140 bpm (zone 2) goal.
Continuous Blood Glucose
My blood glucose was again very stable between 5-6 mmol/L for the entire run. There were no blood sugar dips and everything was very steady. Blood sugar results via finger prick testing were as follows:
My CGM data showed consistent blood sugar during the run as it stayed well within the normal range indicated by the shaded area below.
24 Hour CGM
Blood Ketones
The combination of a second day of fasting and another marathon saw my ketones really kick in to gear and spike above 1 mmol/L for the first time. It was pleasing to see this data as my body is now begining to function in a deeper state of ketosis.
Fasting and Hunger
Two days in to my fast and hunger isn’t even on my radar. The only time I thought about if I was hungry was when I had to subjectively record it this evening.
Pre Marathon measures:
- Hunger: 0/10
Sleep and Mood
My sleep last night was really great. Whilst I have some ligament soreness, my muscles feel great and mentally I’m ready to go! The thought of doing another marathon after yesterday does feel much more daunting so I would say my mood is a much more subdued than yesterday.
Mood:
- Pre Marathon: 6/10
- Post Marathon: 8/10
My sleep statistics indicate some optimal sleep metrics.
Weight
After two days of fasting and two marathons, my weight has fallen by 1.2kg to be 74.5kg. This is largely in line with expectations.
Post Marathon
I was very excited to finish today and was very stiff once I stopped moving. Fortunately, my physiotherapist did an amazing job with some massage and some hot/cold compression boots. They worked wonders and I feel ready to attack marathon number three tomorrow. I did take some anti inflammatories in an attempt to try and settle down the pain in my ankles in time for tomorrow.
It is predicted to be even hotter for the final three marathons so the plan will be to try and start a little earlier. It is a bit of a trade off as I’m cutting in to my recovery time to do so. If I wake up early again, I’ll just get moving. Marathon number two done and dusted!
