The Numbers Behind the 3:08:53

Indulge me while I go runner nerd in this post.

I've always liked to look at numbers and collect information on race splits on a race that I've run. It serves to show at what stage of the race I ran well, what didn't go so well and how I could improve for next time.

Below is a table of my times and splits at Paris, and how I did compared to my expected goal time of 3:10.

Paris Marathon Race Report

Well, what a ride it's been! Apart from training for my first marathon, I don't think I can remember a time when I actually worked extremely hard towards a goal... and actually achieving it in the end! Six months of hard slog had given me a place in next year's Virgin London Marathon.

It was an event I've always wanted to run, even before I left New Zealand to live here. There's always the option of getting in by the various charities or the public ballot, but having had no luck in the ballot, I was determined to earn my way in - with my legs, my lungs and, most importantly, my heart. And to get in the hard way made this achievement so much sweeter.

Prelude to Paris

Another marathon training cycle is coming to an end. It's been a long period, starting as far back as last October. I suppose one of the best things about it is that last winter has to be one of the mildest we've had, so it hasn't been too difficult for me to go outside and run.

I'm quietly confident that I can set a new marathon personal best in Paris, but I can't help being a little cautious on what time I will actually get because the marathon is full of unknowns. Recent improvements in my marathon times have been reduced to a matter of minutes now, so it's only fair to say that the next marathon will be a minute or two faster than the last one. 

But I believe that a 3:10 is a strong possibility, a 9 minute improvement from the 3:19 I set at Berlin last September. It's a bold improvement, which is already starting to make me a little nervous, but I think it's definitely within my reach, and here is why.