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Sub 3h15
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Glad to have got the GFA, so will probably be back in 2013, but also glad to have got it done and out of the way. Onwards and (literally) upwards - 3 Peaks in 12 days time!
RFJ - can't believe it happened to you again - it must be my fault. Last time I saw you you crocked yourself at a water station and then it happens again 6 years later! Such hard luck. I always think about you when running through water stations and keep a really close eye out for bottles.
lovely report RJ, I enjoyed it all and didn't skim any, great detail and personal touches, uber well done.
Did anyone have a problem with the mile markers in Woowlich/Greenwich - my splits for 4-7 miles were really erratic there given the consistency elsewhere (6.43. 7.27, 8.06, 7.07) - rest of them weren't too far off 7.25 (apart from mile 25!!).
can anyone tell me what is a good for age time to qualifie for nexy yeard london marathon? and do you need to do this in london marathon or can you do any registerd marathon and complete the required time? i ask this question as i ran my first ever marathon at London yesterday in 3.26.07 aged 46 years. any advice or info very welcome , thank you
Well done Speedy. Well deserved after all of the near misses on the shorter races....perfectly paced.
RFJ - I hope that your ankle is ok this morning and no longer term damage.
GE - Sorry that you didn't get your GFA time.
O&O - Congrats on your sub-3.15.
RJ - Amazing race, time, position and a very moving report. Felt every last mile with you. Be very very proud of yourself for what you have achieved.
Simon - Those times seem a little strange for that part of the course and no real loss of reception. Canary Wharf is where you usually get the Garmin problems. My Garmin read 0.2 over distance before halfway but I always accept that I am never going to be able to stick to the blue line in the first half with so many other runners. It steadied out at the end and was only 0.25 over by the end as I know I followed the blue line more consistantly.
RtoB - GFA time for London is sub 3:15 for age 41-59 males.
3:15 - 3:50 for women age 18 - 49
see here
can be achieved in any certified marathon. So, if you're female you're in , if male, then you need to do a sub 3:15 soon ( this year, cut-off was August 21st).
I was not too sure what to expect yesterday having not run for 2.5 weeks. The plan was just to set off at 6:40-6:50 m/m pace and see how that felt after 5 miles. As a warm-up I did 5 mins easy running, some stretching and a loo stop and then another 5 mins trying to get a feel for MP. I was nervous of starting off too fast so started from the back of Pen 1. I could see XPS a few rows back from the front and Poacher at the front of Pen 2.
Despite feeling I was being held back the first mile came out as 6:51 (Garmin time so probably add 5 secs for actual) by which time I felt I was running freely. The next three miles came out as 6:39, 6:38, 6:36 - again Garmin times. The running felt comfortable although I had started to feel the left ankle hurting a little and the HR was sky high (180 vs expected 165). More worryingly, my left leg was not happy with both the calf and quads tightening up. I had planned to give it until 5 miles to reassess but at 4.5 miles I naturally started slowing down (must have been the Central Governor) so the mile split came out as 7:02. At this point, I gave up on the Garmin and just tried to run at what felt like a comfortable and sustainable pace. This resulted in splits of 7:19, 7:25, 7:44, 7:51, 8:01 for the next 5 miles. Sadly the ankle, right leg and even left leg had given up by this point and I really just wanted to stop and go home. However, the charity comitment, meant I needed to keep going so I went through some mental calculations of how long it would take me to walk the remainder of the course from various distances. If I could make it to 20 miles that would be great but otherwise 15 miles should be acceptable. Despite being only 10 miles in to the race the next 5 miles felt like the last 5 miles with splits of 8:22, 8:23, 8:38, 8:47, 8:52.
It had been a real struggle just to get to 15 miles but I ground to a halt at this point and walked the rest of the course. I can't say I enjoyed the experience of being constantly encouraged to keep going and in hindsight should have removed the vest so that my name wasn't visible. I did try resuming running a couple of time but the left ankle was giving immediate pain. Walking was fine, just slow and painful in a mental way. Finally crossed the finish line in 5:08:xx to collect my medal feeling I didn't quite deserve it having walked more than a third of the course.
So not quite the London experience I was hoping for. The ankle wasn't quite 100% and the lack of running in the last 2.5 weeks had a big impact on my ability to run at marathon pace on the day. However, it was all unchartered waters, the physio was more bullish than me so I think it was good to have tried and failed than not to have tried at all.
RJ - great report . Brings it home to us humble joggers just how quick you're going at that part of the field - significantly sub 19 5ks all the way round....gulp....very nice
Don't know if I've mentioned MsE yet....you had a great race. The 3.15 will come on a cooler day ithout all the pen stresses and crowd worries. See you in Abingdon. Looks like The Wrong Trousers paid off handsomely !
Thanks for info Birch , best find another marathon to do before August this year where i can try for gfa male time of 3.15 under, any ideas ned to knock off 11 mins of yesterday London time.
Have tried reading back as far as I can having returned from holiday late last night...just wanted to de-lurk to say Well done to all of you...am so impressed with the effort you all put in, and the positive reactions by all of you today regardless of the outcomes. The marra is a cruel beast and you do not always get out as much as you deserve.
Special congrats to Speedy, RaceJase and Martin H - RJ, am slightly ashamed to admit that your race report almost had me going as well as it brought back many memories of my first marra and the pain on the embankment onwards, and the emotional place I needed to go to keep going.
Well done to MsE, O&O and so many others
GE and SBD - attitudes like you both have post race when you did not get what you wanted are why I will always return to this thread every year...
But mainly well done to all of you for getting to the end, or getting as close as you could...
(I'm still injured - but have vowed to be back next year, and am going to target London as I am jealous as hell today!!!)
X-post
SBD - It just wasn't your day. Well done on finishing. Sounds like your body was trying to compensate for biomechanical issues in multiple ways and trying to race it would have just done you untold damage medium/long term. Good decision. Onward and upward !! Have you thought what next or is that too hideous a thought just now
RtB - can you give us some background of what you did to get your 3h26m07s yesterday? What is your running background / what are your shorter distance PB's / what training did you do prior to London?
A rough guideline is prior to embarking on a 16 week training schedule you should be running 35mpw and have achieved a 90mins HM (or less). Then it's 16 weeks where your average will be 40mpw or more with yor 5 longest runs = 100 miles.
With people like CC2, simonx98, sal f, stevec and others having acheived their sub 3h15 times yesterday I think they'd be the best placed to answer your queries about what works for them and see if it matches with what I've written above?
I would recommend following the RW sub 3h15 schedule (almost to the letter) once you've picked your target marathon but I don't honestly think it matters what schedule you pick (P&D, RW,etc) as long as you stick to it and keep us updated regularly so we can help and advise where necessary.
Bloody good debut time there!
SBD - Excellent report. Must have been tough for you out there knowing what you are capable of injury free. Massive respect to you for having the balls to keep walking to the finish. At least you gave it a go so you don't have to deal with "what-ifs". Rest up and make sure that you are injury free and you'll get you target next time.
Simon - Unfortunately, without a GPS watch you cannot know whether the splits are correct. However, with London so high profile everything will have been measured very accurately so I really doubt that the markers would have been out.
As soon as I went iver Andy - I thought of you.....!!!!!
In the cold light of day, it happened, I cant change it.... there is some swelling and redness, so the bruising should show today, have a good range of movement with out being too sore, so its only a slight sprain and hopefully nothing that will keep me out for more than a few days....
At least if I now stick with my plan of not running London again, I never have to worry about GFA again....
Bad day at the office for me but still really chuffed to have dragged myself home in 3:15:54
Quads are shot and I've taken about 4 cm square of skin off my right instep. Went shit or bust for sub 3 but wasn't to be. Through halfway in 1:29:10 but lots of walking from 16 onwards. Not sure if it's physiological or pyschological but I just don't get on with the sun.
Hard luck DomF. 3.15 is still an excellent time.
Alot of people suffered in the sun yesterday. I was talking to a sub 2.40 runner yesterday who finished just after me. He was on course until mile 19 and then was walking and vomitting the rest of the way. The sun really doesn't help as none of our training for VLM is done on days like yesterday.
Just finished reading back . . . so, have to say it was a whole new experience being the other side of the barriers . . .
SalF - many congrats on the marvellous 3:12, that's the most important bit of data - the splits on the official results will tell the broad tale, no need to worry over Garmin data
.
Wokky - excellent 7 min PB
SimonX98 - a fine 3:14, with great splits !
One&Only - another fine 3:14 off a non-optimum buildup . . .
Speedy - great job with trademark neg split, I notice !
MartinH - brilliant PB - saw you on embankment and bellowed, but you were in the "purple zone" . . . and great report also .
MsE - a wise decision taken - I witnessed some of the "roadside casualties" you referred to - including a poor sod stretchered away, and a 3:27 is a sound debut upon which to build.
SBD & RFJ - the other side of the coin, chaps, but what heroics in truly crap circumstances .
Minni - spotted you & cheered on embankment - looking forward to report.
Which just leaves the best of all to last - the incredible Race Jase. If I had any doubts about spending 8 hours in total on a megabus & a few hours jammed against a barrier on the Embankment, let me tell you it was worth it, in fact it was a privilege to see this young man fly past on his way to a supreme result. Yes, it was great to see Mutai, Lel, Keitany and the rest, but to see this fellow, knowing the work he has put in, and the sweat he has expended, and most of all that he has the other usual life stuff that we all have, then yes, it was worth it times 10 ! Really loved the report, too, Jase - we can all empathise with the loneliness, the fun, the tears that this crazy enterprise induces.
Apologies to those not mentioned - kudos to all.
Cheers.
RJ - Great report - must have been a truly amazing feeling, lining up with the elites and then finsihing in such an awesome time.
SBD - Great report, shows the flip side to the addiction we all love.
DomF - Well done for getting round, still a good time.
Speedy - Congrats on the sub 3:15.
O&O - Great run off not a great build up.
Just missed out on GFA for next year but after watching yesterday and reading all the reports I am tempted to enter the ballot.
This sums up the collective experience yesterday, from those like Martin who held it together so well, & others who kept their nerve to scrape inside GFA or whatever - to those who didn't do what it said on the tin either through injury like RFJ & SBD, or just through having a c*ap race. There was a nice contrast in Chandos with MsE, Minni & CC2 sitting in a row rightly pleased with their performances - and Ant, Andy & self in a row opposite agreeing that we'd had a bit of a mare. Ladies 3, gents nil. As Dom says, yesterday shows the value of B and C targets, it gives one stg to run for once the A target has gone to pot.
What I learned from y'day:
1 no chance of sub 3 without knuckling down to a proper plan instead of random training
2 need to give up the ultras and hard off road maras to concentrate on becoming faster/stronger
3 any mile split starting with a 9 is not something to be proud of
4 talking b***ocks with internet chums in the pub is more fun than running on a hot day
5 need a cast iron way of preventing cramp - those girly kneesocks failed dismally.
So after working out that I've averaged a mara or ultra every 54 days for 3 1/2 years, it's time to put in a proper effort, ideally in Berlin in September (there, finally said it). Anyone else want to declare?
Incidentally Jase I had a chat at the bar with a lovely lady who turned out to be your mum - she said she used to be a runner - is that where you get it from?
Waiting for, and slightly dreading, Ant's photo gallery....
DomF Good time, especially taking the weather into account.
SBD Great report. Hope your holding together physically.
RJ Amazing report, I must admit to getting something in my eye whilst reading it. Sounds like your running is a real team affair.
One of the reasons I love this thread is the bond and feeling of shared experiances, both highs and lows. The reports just bring us closer. The times in themselves are irrelevant, we can all relate when you need to dig in, or the thoughts that go through our heads.
Once the horn went I started sipping Lucozade and was rarely without a bottle of it or water for the first 23 miles, just sipping little by little because I knew an en-route loo stop was incompatible with 3:15. But the big, big unexpected benefit of this sipping approach was that I was never dehydrated and didn't notice the heat at all (I was genuinely surprised at the end when people were talking about it).
The support is fantastic and a massive boost, it outweighs the congestion issues if you don't suffer like RFJ - I saw several friends around in the first couple of miles and my family 3 times (they saw me 4 times), I had my name on my vest and got loads of name checks and the occasional chanting, plenty of hand-slapping with kids in the crowd, plus my charity Whizz Kidz had several support points and gave a massive holler each time which was a lovely big spur. For the first 20 miles my splits were virtually all 7 twenty-something (apart from some erratic times in Woolwich/Greenwich - see below - I wondered if a couple of mile markers were wrongly placed, but perhaps the fast one is fully explained by the downhill and the slow one by me losing focus in the congestion).
My legs did start to tire in Docklands but I dug in and managed to keep the same pace going - but from Canary Wharf I was thinking "even if I hit the wall soon I'm going going to finish happy, I know this is great, the support is great, but man is it crazy - I ain't doing it again!!".