Barcelona 2026 – The plan finally came together!
I’m not one for writing race reports, but after chasing a better marathon time for several years I finally achieved my goal. I’ve been asked to share my story, so here goes…
Six years ago, I ran my marathon PB in Manchester with a time of 3.27. I had always wanted to beat this, but it was proving difficult to reach.
This was my 7th marathon. My last two London and Boston (Lincolnshire) hadn’t gone to plan and I needed to break the cycle of disappointment on the day. I’ve trained hard for all my marathons, but this year I was coached by David Gibb from Deal Tri. I had a 16-week plan, which can only be described as ‘brutal’, but found him really engaging and supportive.
I ran Boston Lincolnshire last year. The weather was horrible and things didn’t go to plan. I finished in 3.41.52, a respectable time but not what I was aiming for.
In London I fell apart at 14 miles. Having won the club place, I was really disappointed at my performance. I knew I could do better.
So, Barcelona became my target. I kept the location quiet as I was putting a lot of pressure on myself and didn’t need any more.
I flew out to Barcelona on the Friday. It was absolutely pouring with rain and things didn’t look promising. I picked up my number and carb loaded.
Race day arrived. I was up at 5am for an early breakfast of a bagel with peanut butter and electrolytes. I proudly put on my Thanet Roadrunners vest and walked to the bag drop area. The weather was perfect! I had a long walk from bag drop, back to the start, but it kept my nerves controlled and mind on the race.
And we were off… I had a clear plan (as you see from my hand!). I was focussed on my plan and determined not to get swept along with others.
I used Maurten gels every 30 minutes. My goal was to run negative splits, running the second half faster than the first. My half marathon splits were 1.40.06 at halfway and 1.39.54 for my second half. Water stations were chaotic, with runners stopping to take cups of water and I had to be focussed. I had a plan and I ran that plan.
I got to mile 23, feeling I had much more to give. I didn’t experience ‘the wall’ and when I went over the line, I was emotionally drained. I was pretty wobbly and cried (a lot). I had done it! 3hrs 20 minutes. I had achieved my target time!
What did I do differently this time?
Having David Gibb coaching me made a big difference. Some of his sessions were ‘fun’ – there are other words I could use! I ran much harder intervals than ever before. An example of this is the 10x1km intervals, covering 11km in total. It was savage! But he believed in me and pushed me to my limit, without breaking me.
I’m fortunate to work with a great bunch of people at work and was able to look after my diet more than I have done in the past. I was also ‘cross training’ with gym strengthening exercises three times a week.
I was focussed on my goal and the week before the marathon achieved a parkrun PB of 19.26. I sensed things were different this year.
Oh the time… 3hrs 20 seconds, (3.18 on my Strava!), which earned me a good for age qualifying time for Boston and London (17 minutes inside the time) in 2027. I have also been fortunate to win a ballot place for Chicago this year!
What next?
I’m looking forward to representing Thanet Roadrunners on the summer Relay competition. Improving my 10k time is in my plan too. It’s taken me almost 7 years to beat my previous time. It has been a goal for such a long time and I’m finally there.
Whether its parkrun or a marathon, focus and hard work can get you there… eventually!
Asmaa Hatim
We’ve number crunched Asmaa’s pace and this works out at a marathon pace equivalent to a 23.45 parkrun, 9-times over. That’s super-human!
