McMillanElite :: Martin Fagan

Taking time off again is not going to be easy. Because I’m now a professional athlete, I depend on running for so many things. Running for me gives me a chance to free my mind and share the love of the roads and trails with my teammates. So I’m obviously going to miss this, which makes it even harder to accept. But I can now learn from my mistake and fortunately I do have time before Beijing. Having a great team around me for support also helps and I feel very fortunate to have such great friends around me.

But on a more positive note, the other lads and girls are very fit and training well. I’m very excited for the lads, as they now get ready for the track season. It’s very upsetting not being able to train and be part of their preparation but I have no doubt they will achieve their goal of getting the A Standard for the Olympic Trials. I’m also very excited for the girls as their Olympic Marathon Trials are soon approaching. So, it’s a very exciting time for the team and I will be in full support even if I can’t train with them. I’m very proud of the improvements they have made over the last year and I really can’t wait to recover from this injury so I can once again train with them.

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish Desiree Ficker and the Indiana Elite team the best of luck as they leave Flagstaff. It was a pleasure to have trained with them and they will be very much missed.

I was also fortunate to have a great support team here in Ireland. They got us hooked up with a perfect training location in Monte Gordo, Portugal.

Martin completing a steady state run in Monte Gordo

The training would have been impossible to do here in Ireland due to the constant wind and rain. So began the final preparations for Dubai. Having Greg with me in Monte Gordo was amazing. I don’t think I could have prepared for Dubai without him there. He kept me company by cycling along side me on all my runs. I know this couldn’t of been easy for him. The trails were a little more challenging than the trails up in Flagstaff. I believe Greg’s biggest challenge was to keep me positive. By then, I was missing everybody in Flag and it was difficult to stay focused. But he got me through the two weeks, fitter than I have ever been before. So I was well prepared for the 26.2 miles. Also, I was relieved that Tracy didn’t have her baby while Greg was over with me (she was 8 months pregnant). I think this was my biggest fear. Tracy would have killed me if that were to happen. I felt very bad taking Greg away from her, so I guess I owe her big time.

When I arrived in Dubai, I was overwhelmed by how new the city looked. There were huge new hotels and other developments under construction everywhere. Not what I imagined the place to look like. I didn’t really get to see much of the city. The days leading up to the race were just spent in my luxurious hotel.

The race organizers hooked me up with an unbelievable hotel. I was made to feel like I actually had money and that I was important. I had a butler wait for me with a bottle of water and a towel while I ran. He would also escort me to and from my room every time I left the room. So naturally I lapped this up. But more seriously, I had a job to be done.

After some last few words of support from Greg, I was ready to run. For the first time in my career I became scared rather than nervous. I knew that I would be on my own for the most part of the race, primarily because of the number of African athletes entered and the attempt at a new World Record. So the pressure was on to run my own race and not to get involved with what was going on with the rest of the field. But, my natural instincts kicked in as soon as the race got underway.

When the gun went off, I quickly latched on to the chasing group and hung with them until 25k. For the most part the pace (2:10 pace) felt relatively easy, but I was starting to encounter spasms in my back and right hip. At this point in the race I had no idea of my splits or time. Mistakenly, I didn’t wear a watch (sorry Greg) because I assumed that there would be clocks on the course and I tried to ask some of the African athletes what time it was. Now everybody in Flagstaff can barely understand me, so you can imagine their response to me – blank stares. I did however know that I was well ahead of my scheduled pace so I took time to stretch and try to relieve the pain in my hip. But the pain for the next 10k until 35k was unbearable. I guess when I saw the 35k mark, I realized that I was nearly there and that I came too far just to give up. So the adrenalin started to flow again and I ignored the pain.

From that point it was all a blur to me. I glanced at the time as I crossed the finish line and I wasn’t sure what it read. As I finished I collapsed in pain and was brought to the hospital. So it was an agonizing four hours, not knowing if I had qualified for the Olympics or not. When I got released, I got word of my time and all I can remember is a feeling of relief.

I just returned home to Ireland today and it still hasn’t sunk in that I have qualified for the Olympics. This is every athletes dream and I just can’t believe it has come through for me. Looking back on the race, I would have to say that it was both the worst and best experience of my life.

The worst because of the pain I was in and the best because I got to be part of the second fastest marathon in history. Maybe in the next couple of weeks, during my time off it will finally sink it. For now, I’m just exhausted and just relieved to have finished the marathon. I will now get fat and be as lazy as I can possibly be over the next two weeks.

My other main priority is to get working on my visa so I can get back to Flagstaff. I really do miss the town and the people there, especially my teammates. I have so many people to thank for all the support I have received over the last couple of months and I don’t think I could have made this possible without them. I feel very lucky and grateful to have that support. I just can’t wait to get back training with my team again.

It's hard to believe that I will be running a marathon in just over a month now. It's only just begun to sink in. Luckily, running European cross this week will help me take my mind of it for a bit. Originally I hadn't planned on running cross this year, especially as I was focused on training for the Houston Marathon, but when your country asks you to run, it's very hard to say no. There's no feeling like competing for your country, so it was an easy decision for me to race. Last year I traveled all the way to Italy from the US to run the same race, but fell ill the night before. So after last year’s disappointment, I'm now excited and hungry to run with the best in Europe and to wear the Irish vest again.

I'm even more excited about my chances after running the Manchester road race last week where I came second behind Andrew Letherby. It was a big step down in distance for me, the 4.75 race, and after going into it sick, I was fortunate to come out of the race healthy and with a good result. Racing Manchester also meant that I got to see some of my friends again on the East coast. I was very lucky to return to Providence and spend Thanksgiving with some of my best friends. We didn't have your usual traditional thanksgiving dinner of turkey.  Instead, we went to an Indian restaurant, which happened to be one of the only restaurants opened in the town.

So this week has been a bit of a down week for me. Most of the week was spent working, training and working on our 1000 piece puzzle. As sad as it sounds, we have been all working, sometimes for hours at a time on our puzzles. We have completed one already and are working on a second. I also heard that we will be moving up in the world of puzzle making and attempting a 10,000 piece puzzle. Oh, the exciting life of an athlete ha-ha.

We have been spoiled in Flagstaff this fall. The weather has been beautiful, which makes it ideal to train in. But this week, the weather finally broke and we had our first fall of snow. It never really snows in Ireland, so I love seeing it. It just doesn't make training any easier. We are fortunate up in Flagstaff to be able to drive 40 minutes to Sedona where the temperature is usually 10 degrees warmer. So I guess now that the winter is approaching, our team will be traveling more and more to Sedona, like we did today for our long run. It was the perfect ending to a great week of training for me and it was great to see so many people turn out for the run . I think that's what I enjoy and love the most about Flagstaff - the friendly group environment, where you’re made feel like you’re part of a big family.

I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate Andrew again on his engagement to Casey over Thanksgiving. It's very easy to see how they are both meant to be with each other. We are all so happy for them and happy that our family has just gotten bigger.

So as I write my first training blog, I sit and listen to the new Radiohead album. For those of you that haven’t already heard it, I suggest you listen to it. It will change you life. “In Rainbows” is, quite simply, a beautiful album. I have to admit, the release of this album has been one of the highlights of the past week for me here in Flag. But one of many! Lemon’s 25th birthday being one of the others. As you can see below, to surprise Andrew, we all dressed up in Kilts. [Which is a Scottish tradition, not an Irish one, as some (Abdi Abdirahman for one!) would have you believe.]

(l-r: Jordan Horn, Martin Fagan, Pete Gilmore, Brett Gotcher, Mike Hanlon, Andrew Lemoncello, Mike Smith, Andrew Middleton)

We did end up having a great night and a well deserved one for all of the team, especially Lemon. You will notice in the picture, Jordan Horn, who was just in town for a visit and is thinking of joining the group. Just like Brett, he had a breakthrough race at the USA 10 Mile Championships and hopefully if he decides to come, he will be a great addition to the team. Also in the picture is Peter Gilmore, who sadly just left after a short stint of altitude training. It was a pleasure having Pete stay with us and I want to wish him the best of luck at the Trials.

Another highlight of the week for me was starting my new job at Late for the Train coffee shop, which I must add, has the best coffee in Flag (not being biased). Some people might think I’m crazy for being excited about working, but training full time sometimes gets a little monotonous. Although I do love training, sometimes instead of sitting around waiting for your next run, I think it’s important to take your mind off running. I only work part time, so it doesn’t affect my training and being around the smell of coffee all day is like heaven.