Sonia O’Sullivan: The marathon world record has given me a new challenge to chase

Nothing compares to the smell and feel of a freshly laid running track in the early summertime. It brings back all sorts of good memories, and I was thinking about how it must feel for a young athlete when walking into the newly opened Bandon Athletics Club track earlier this week.

This has been five years in the works and a much-welcomed facility for west Cork. Driving back towards Cork city on Tuesday evening, realising I wasn’t that far away, I couldn’t resist stopping by for a quick look around.

It’s just a short distance out of Bandon on the Kilbrittain Road, nestled among fields and small farms, and still only the third athletics track for the entire county of Cork. With more than 60 athletics clubs, and no track at all anywhere in east Cork, the county is still significantly underserved by running tracks, but at least things are moving in the right direction.

I’ve also become a little obsessed with access to a running track after Derval O’Rourke called me up a few weeks ago and asked me if I’d like to meet her for some “sprint training”. This turned out to be more of a dare than an invitation, motivated by Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe becoming the first man to run a sub-two-hour marathon in an official race when clocking 1:59:30 to win the London Marathon last month.

For a lot of people, and a lot of runners too, it’s difficult to appreciate just how fast that really is. Ray D’Arcy was also discussing this on his new podcast recently, and he asked Derval how far she thought a regular runner could keep up at the marathon’s world-record pace.

Going on the marathon distance of 26.2 miles, or 42.2km, it works out at an average of 13.16mph, or 21.17km/h, depending on your preferred speed dial. For a former distance runner such as myself, more used to running laps of the track, that equates to about 68 seconds for 400m, 2:16 for 800m or an average mile of 4:33.

Measured at 100m running pace, a 1:59:30 marathon would be just under 17 seconds – 16.9 seconds to be exact. And then running it 422 times in immediate succession.

Running 100m on the track is a distance most people can relate to, roughly the length of a football field, although running it in just under 17 seconds is a lot faster than most people might think. This was the part that piqued Derval’s interest. She wanted to know whether I could still run 100m in under 17 seconds, even as a once-off.

So, for the last week or so, Derval and I have been meeting for sprint training at the newly resurfaced UCC track at the Mardyke Arena, which also bears my name. The track isn’t actually lined or marked yet, that’s happening next week, so it feels a bit like a swimming pool with no lane ropes.

For running laps, that’s no problem. You can just put down a marker and start and finish at the same spot. For our purposes, all we needed was the home straight. In true sprinter style I found myself lying on the track beside the river Lee, taking my time to stretch and get warmed up, while waiting for Derval to arrive.

One of the things I discovered with speed training is that even if it’s at the lower end of the endurance spectrum, in a social setting, it still takes as much time to complete as, say, a 10km run. After a lap to warm up, it’s straight into some specific drills to wake up the muscles. Short drills over 15m, walking and marching, high knees, jumps, hops, skips, etc. A short jog after each one, then repeat.

Eventually we got to line up and run. The cone was first moved out to 20m, and then, from a standing start, it’s all about driving with the legs, head down, not worrying about the arms.

Then it was a slow walk back, some rest and recovery, before pushing the marker out to 40m, then 60m, then finally to something I do understand – the time for the 100m. Again, not helped by the standing start, the best I have so far managed is 18.1 seconds, just about hanging on, but I am getting there.

I do feel a little held back by not getting a running start, but I’ve also got to the point where I’m back enjoying my running. I like to mix it up but I’m not going to do something that’s going to injure me, so I approach it with a level of caution.

Derval won’t admit it, but she has maintained some of her old speed, by doing the various speed drills. So, she’s still good for about 15 seconds for 100m.

She also asked whether the new super shoes might be of some help. Actually they would more likely slow you down in a 100m sprint, as they’re more about sustaining running efficiency over long distances. The super shoes, remember, are also banned on the track for official races.

This was ultimately a bit of fun, to get some more appreciation of the marathon world record pace. You could also get on a treadmill, start moving the pace up to 13.16mph, or 21.17km/h, and see how long you last.

[ The secrets of Sawe’s marathon world record: How the Kenyan ran under two hours in LondonOpens in new window ]

It’s also good to break out of your routine sometimes. Even though there are more people than ever out running around the streets and parks, very few consider going to the track to test themselves over the 100m or a fast lap. This can also help build and develop good running form and style.

It is easier for distance runners, who can keep on running after they hang up their track spikes, but there are very fewer options for sprinters to keep doing what they do on a more fun and social level.

But I for one will be looking at the sprinters differently as the outdoor season gets going in earnest this weekend with the Diamond League back on our screens. How they start, push off and drive from the legs, keeping low for as long as they can, before reaching top speed and driving for the finish line. That 17-second barrier, or marathon-world-record pace, is still within my reach.

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