Cav's Place

I said that I had managed to advance a lot before the start was given, and that resulted in my best start time yet, 25 seconds, at least according to my stopwatch and also to the difference between the full and net times listed in the official results at the end, as well as at all intermediate points except the one from 6.5 km, though those same results list my start time as 26 seconds, which is also the difference at 6.5 km. So there’s probably a rounding issue somewhere, but it’s marginally better than the one from the half marathon of 2021 either way, and that’s despite initially just walking to the line, since those who were around me seemed to do the same.
The net time was 1:48:50, with an official time of 1:49:15. But I had 1:49:14 on my stopwatch, making for a net time of 1:48:49, so that’s what the times per kilometer will add up to, and those were 4:51, 4:54, 5:00, 4:52, 4:55, 5:03, 5:00, 4:56, 5:10, 5:02, 5:22, 5:23, 5:13, 5:11, 5:28, 5:36, 5:17, 5:26, then 10:56 for the next two km, then 4:46, and finally 0:28 for that final portion. I don’t have the actual times for kilometers 19 and 20 because, just as last year, I missed the sign for 19 km, my attention once again being on the last refreshment point, which is just there. On the other hand, while I saw all the other signs, at least at 6 km, 10 km, 18 km and 21 km, if not at one other point as well, possibly 16 km, I didn’t see any mark on the street, so it’s possible that the sign had been moved a little and the respective times may be a little off. At least at 10 km it did seem weird that the sign was a short distance before passing by the finish line while the timing mat was right there, so I pressed the button on the stopwatch when I passed by the sign, but the official time listed there is probably more accurate, and also makes more sense, leading to 5:11 on the tenth kilometer and 5:13 on the 11th.
Advancing so well in the starting area led to that great start time and first kilometer, but it didn’t change the fact that my chances of staying under 1:45 were basically zero all along, so when the 1:40 pacemakers passed me on that first climb, on the second kilometer, I let them go, the realistic goal being to at least stay ahead of the 1:45 ones until after 10 km and have an official time below 1:50 at the end. And when I did manage to be just ahead of the 1:45 pacemakers at 10 km I decided to push harder than it seemed safe at that point and try to at least not fall behind them by 11 km… Only to be surprised by an additional refreshment point on that kilometer and grab a cup of water without really thinking, slowing to drink it and falling behind the group that was with those pacemakers as a result. And then there was no reason to keep pushing that hard, so I allowed myself a little time to recover before returning to what was a sustainable pace at that point. But kilometers 15 and 16 were particularly bad and I was getting worried, so I tried to do a little better, and after 17 km I also drank the vial of liquid magnesium. That led to thinking that I had done just enough to give myself a chance when, after 18 km, I calculated that I needed to average no more than 5:28 per kilometer from then on, assuming 30 seconds on that final portion. So it was quite a relief that, despite the last refreshment point, I managed exactly that on kilometers 19 and 20, but it seemed that I had to really give everything all the way to the end if I wanted to be safe. So I did, but what made all the difference was the fact that the effects of the liquid magnesium finally kicked in, leading to the fastest kilometer of the day and an official time that was just two seconds slower than last year’s. Admittedly, the net time was 25 seconds slower.
At least I got a little farther before midnight this time around than in case of last year’s post, which even now remains the placeholder posted then, but only this far, so it was only in the early moments of July 7 when I added the rest, starting with the fact that the regular refreshment points were at the start of the sixth kilometer, on the tenth and 15th, and I guess at the end of the 19th, and I just took a cup of water at the first and a cup of the other drink and a piece of banana at the others, though that drink wasn’t colored this time around, so at that second refreshment point I slowed to a walk for a while longer, trying to make sure that I wasn’t accidentally taking another cup of water… And the last drink and banana piece were a little too much and I felt nauseous, but I managed to fight it down. On the other hand, there was an additional spot, that just offered water, on the eighth kilometer, which I just ignored. And I should have done the same with that one that was on the 11th kilometer, but the volunteers were holding out the cups and I just got confused and grabbed one and slowed to drink it before I could “process” what was going on. And I’m still not sure what that was really about, because I’d be tempted to say that we might have been passing by that last regular point in the other direction and the volunteers decided to offer us water anyway, maybe because the leaders were approaching but hadn’t quite reached it yet, but on the other hand the placement doesn’t seem quite right, at least according to how I remember it.
Getting back to the beginning, the rain was tapering off when the race started and the announcer actually said that it had stopped after giving the start, but that wasn’t quite the case and it made the first couple of kilometers rather uncomfortable, and the puddles were an additional issue that lasted somewhat longer, making it such a great thing that I had advanced to that good starting position and had very few slower people ahead of me, since I really don’t see how I could have made up for the time lost going around both people and puddles on the first few kilometers. On the other hand, going for it from the beginning probably had a fair bit to do with the fact that I was already feeling a certain pressing need after two kilometers, though it fortunately faded after a while, returning later, maybe from 13 km or so, but the situation remaining manageable. And, while I had some gas all along, it seemed less than what I usually feel during such runs. And the pain that was probably radiating from my back, which I started feeling after five kilometers, also faded later, while I think that the warnings from the right knee only appeared on Decebal, so as I was approaching 14 km, probably because that’s a light but long climb, and they faded after I got past that area. Still, I felt quite done after 18 km, so it’s a really good thing that the liquid magnesium kicked in when it did and got me to the end well ahead of the 1:50 pacemakers, which I was surprised to never see closing in. And, since I’m not sure where else to put it, I’ll also add here that there was a surprising small piece of the route on Burebista, which was definitely not on any map of the route and was probably added this year to make up for something that had to be cut because of the work being done along the way.

At some point on Unirii, before reaching Alba Iulia Square and that bit on Burebista, I heard music behind me and pumped up an arm, and when I was passed by the small group that had that speaker, one guy turned and said that they’ll be waiting for me at the Dream Trek, and while they were much faster than me at that point and there was a long way to go, so I expected them to be long gone by the time I finished, I was surprised when that guy noticed me again after I reached the finishers’ area, after receiving the medal, and congratulated me. Either way, while I was in that area I drank a cup of water, then asked for some of that other drink to be poured in the same cup and drank that as well, ate a banana and four quarters of an orange, so an entire one, asked for another refill of that other drink, the pitcher just finishing at that point, so I only got about half a cup, and took two bananas and two bottles of water with me.
After retrieving the bag from the wardrobe, I eventually managed to work up the courage to ask a guy to take a picture, and after peeing and washing my hands I started wandering around, grabbing two more bananas and two apples from the Mega Image area, getting a hot dog from the place that offered them to finishers and eating it, and at some point also getting a cold, maybe just about frozen, packaged piece of fruit from a place that offered them and eating that as well, though I’m not sure what it was anymore because I seem to remember pineapple but my notes say mango. Either way, I occasionally also picked up recyclables, trying to avoid being noticed and stopping after ten… And at one point a guy said that he keeps seeing me run in the park and we chatted a little, though I didn’t recognize him at all.
And then there were the contests or raffles taking place, so I stood in lines in order to take part. The one at the protein area was particularly long and I’m not even sure why I stood in it, since I noticed that people could receive something without taking part and I had basically no chance to do well when it was a matter of catching falling things. So just before my turn came I was handed one of those really nice yogurts, which I held on to, and a sample of shake, which I drank, and that was it, since I only caught two of those things, which was basically the minimum and didn’t seem to grant me anything else, and then I just walked away. Then I gave my name and e-mail to the guy who was going through the line and recording them at another area before taking part in the raffle and “winning” a sample of some immunity supplement, while at the Rom area I had to pick between catching the product as it was dropped, lifting a very heavy object, which I was advised against, and doing 12 push ups, so I obviously picked the latter and received a bar. But I did those push ups with the bag on my back and when I was done I tried to jump back up, which resulted in the bag going over my head and a corner of it tearing, which I didn’t notice until just before I left Constitution Square, so it’s a good thing that nothing fell through. Either way, I also took part in the contest at the croissants area, but my chances of throwing a ball into a hole were slim to none, and I was also told that I just had two shots, even though I thought that there were three, so I completely missed both and received one croissant, which I guess was given to everyone. And then I grabbed one more recyclable, getting to 11, and walked out of Constitution Square just before 12:55 PM.