Hello there!
For all the failed Goa plans, this one did come to fruition and I decided to make use of this celestial alignment by participating in the Goa River Marathon (42.2k) in December 2024.
The plan was to curtail drinking while I was in Goa (yeah, right!) and try to keep a basic weekly mileage going and continue some form of physical activity or workout, in the run up to the race day.
I also planned to run the race fasted, in continuation with the kind I've been doing for a while now. More on that here.
Table of Contents (Hyperlinked)
About the Goa River Marathon
The Goa River Marathon route charts a path along a small section of the Zuari River. The only annual full marathon event organised in Goa, the marathon is into its 14th edition now in 2024.
Race Conditions
Temperature and Humidity
I was frolicking around in Goa 10 days before the race, raving about how pleasant the temperatures were. This probably angered the bearded man sitting in the clouds because the conditions became brutal by the time the race-day arrived.
On the day of the race, I found myself drenched in sweat before I even arrived at the location an hour before the flag-off time. The flag off time being 4 am!
Course
The course was a tarmac road, with a stretch of 10+ kms and the marathon runners having to take 2 rounds. The had rolling elevation and were often banked on one side, which created problems, since one leg was almost always hitting the ground before the other.
Elevation Profile
The overall elevation gain was only around 120 metres, most of it being gradual owing to the rolling hill terrain. Nothing to worry about.
The Race
(Strava Link - https://www.strava.com/activities/13069623143)
With thre run being fasted, the plan was to take it slow in the beginning and gauge if pace and how pace can be increased. I targeted something around 3h45m, with the average kilometre pace coming out to be around 5m20s.
Kilometer 1-24
Started out slow at around 5m35s-5m40s hoping that it was only a matter of a few kilometres before I pull into the next gear. But extreme humidity decided to throw a wrench in my plans and I had to content myself with just hanging about the same pace for the entire duration. The race target of 3h45m looked out of reach now.
Kilometer 25-37
At the 25th, I decided to pace up a bit, moving to the 5m20s and then 5m10s. A pace which was well within my aerobic limits on any other day, was already pushing me to the limits. It was daylight now and the lush surroundings, now visible, helped a bit but only so much. The target was to push and place myself at the 37th or 38th kilometre in a position where I could give one last push.
Kilometer 38-42.2
Almost cramping from the accelaration of pace in the last 10-12 kilometres, I had made it to the 38th kilometre. Dripping with sweat and suffering from a left-knee cramp, I gave one last shot and started to add bursts. The last 4-5 kms always seem hard in marathons but this one was REALLY hard. As I approached the last couple kilometres and chanted to myself how it'll all be over soon, I pushed into sub-5min pace, and as is the custom, mumbled expletives to myself so I could drown out the pain that my body was screaming at me.
I finally finished in 3h50m. Not great by any means, but it helped a bit to know that only a handful of marathoners had finished thus far. Misery loves company.
Heart Rate Curve
Fairly consistent curve, and concomitant with the pace chart. An observation around the 35-40km mark is that my heart rate fell marginally even while my pace didn't drop, if not go faster. It is something I observed for a couple of marathons of mine before as well. As my body enters the last 10kms and the legs are starting to cramp, somehow the cardiovascular system starts getting better, maybe getting used to the load after the first 30-35kms.
Race Nutrition - Blood Glucose Curve
The marathon was attempted fasted - the last meal being the night before and only salt tablets consumed during the run. The hypothesis being that having done all my training fasted, the body should adapt to using fats as the predominant fuel, even for slightly-higher than Z2 efforts. Therefore, there would be no major effect on my blood sugar, for the body is not going to releasing carbs at all for energy needs.
On the fuelling front, the race was a success. The blood glucose graph had a gently downward sloping curve, while staying above the optimally-fuelled zone. There is an initial upward slope to the curve as the run starts and continues for about 45 minutes. There could be a couple of reasons for the slope. One, nervousness and anxiety of the run. Since the blood glucose curve was already sloping up even before the run started, I am inclined to believe that this could be the nerves before the run.
Another reason, or an alternate explanation, could be that because of the tough humid conditions , the body hit the panic button right at the start at the doors of the liver, which secreted a bout of glucose into the blood.
All in all, the body did not demand carbohydrates during the run. While it did come short on the timing that I expected, but I am giving it the benefit of doubt and laying the blame on my lack of mileage in training and the incredibly humid conditions during the run.
To dispel these doubts, I will have to choose a marathon that I train well for and I can be assured of good weather conditions. Isolating all other variables should help me see the performance of my body adaptation in running fasted marathons.
Race organsiation
The Good
The communication of race day detils, the expo and everything around it was done really well. The communication was done through mails, with enough reminders and detailed notes on Dos and Don'ts.
The race venue happened to be very close to Dabolim Airport in Goa, which made one leg of travel and logistics much easier.
The post race congregation was much more lively than the ones I've seen. While it is always chirpy after a race, this was a bit more, helped by a free serving of beer and a rock band performing on the stage. Goa!
The Bad
There were no shuttle buses (except one small one arriving from Vasoc) which meant the participants were left on their own to arrange their conveyance to the start point for a 4 am start.
While communication from the organisers was great, it would have been great if they could share suggested hotels or places to stay.
Since the race start point was in a village (called Chicalim), there are logistical challenges added for particpants (shuttle to start, travelling to expo, food options, stay options, flight frequency and options). A common portal - whatsapp of a forum where particpants can come together and find people with similar itinerary or pool cabs or ask for advise - would have been a great add.
As the 90 odd marathon particpants took to the road at 4 am, there was a complete lull along the way, passing through some parts without even a street light. While I may have been spoiled by the chanting volunteers and loud music blaring out at every bend, these being village roads could not do that because of residents. While understandable, it did make the initial kilometres really hard.
What's next
This outing was a mixed bag. It was my worst timing for a marathon but also a promising advert for long fasted runs. First, I would like to be better prepared the next time, especially in terms of clocking weekly mileages as part of training. I would want to clock faster paces while I continue to run fasted marathons.
I will sleep a content man that day I am able to push to Z4-Z5 paces while still running fasted.
Udayan is a part of the CapitalTrails community and can be followed on Medium.
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