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Sub 3h15
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Comments
Birch - sounds like an idyllic run; hope it's not much longer to wait now.
Speedy - good just to go out and enjoy yourself in the XC; will have done wonders for your mojo.
OOlg - good solid week; please send some of the sunshine down this way.
Bike It - fabulous PB; you should be really chuffed with that.
DM - well done on a sterling performance; that's a great time on a very tough sounding course. Perhaps you were right to be concerned about the hills after all. Congrats on the GFA.
Lorenzo - excellent sub 4 on a brutal course. Was the singing of Jerusalem compulsory? Bizarre!
FW - great news on the sub 3; huge congratulations. Look forward to the report.
AR - I am truly flabbergasted. To come back after the dreadful experience you had and nail a sub 3 a week after a herculean effort is just incredible. Hats off. Now make sure you enjoy a good rest!!!
Keir - good to hear from you again; sounds like the duathlons are going really well.
EFC-Col - cracking 10k time there.
SD - that's great news. Pleased to hear all is going well.
Poacher - amazing stuff. HUGE congratulations and thoroughly deserved. Should be a quality report too. Any plans for an ultra next weekend?
Meanwhile, I'm plodding on with 6 miles this morning.
Gul - it wasn't compulsory, but you would have stood out if you'd made a silent protest and not sung. Personally I think it's a great hymm and I've got it as myring tone. It also became my star turn when singing with my ex-Irish colleagues after a rather over enthusiastic initial version at about 3 in the morning!!
OK - confession time. I think I might have exaggerated the amount of climb on the Greensand but I'm blaming the Garmin for that, unless it was me waving my arms around alot on the descents!!!
Official result: 21st place - could have finished a few places higher but I got picked off by a few fast finishers at the end as my legs seized up. Still pleased with both the position and the time though.
Couple of days rest from running planned, but hoping to be OK for some volleyball tomorrow evening and then looking forward to another hilly local run at the end of November. Might try and get some more cross country in as well this year.
A very high standard of Marathoning across the board, well done everyone. I hope you’re all suitably pleased with the times. I feel like AR (and perhaps ARs physio) are deserving of a special mention. But hugely impressive from everyone, well done.
I’m not sure if any of you are vastly excited at the prospect of a JD3 race report, but nevertheless. Now it’s done it’s a lot longer than I expected, sorry.
If we start from the beginning, well just under 2 years ago, I was 94kg and doing the occasional 3 miler (because a 3 miler was pretty much all I could do), slowly that picked up and I got down to my current 80kg format. (I’m quite tall)
I got around my first half marathon about 13 months ago, in 1.48- which was faster than expected and more painful than expected. Training went quite well over the winter, and I ran my PB half marathon in the spring of just under 1.33 (I’ve not raced one since-just done a couple at supposed marathon pace)
The aim was, and I guess still is, to try and get a sub 3hr marathon, and when I started specific marathon training I was planning on doing each week based on a marginally faster time, hoping that I could get faster and train for a marathon at the same time. The wheels came off a couple of months ago, I was running too fast to benefit fully for it, and a particularly heavy week made me realise that 3hrs wasn’t on the cards. I readjusted my goal to 3.10 and carried on with the P+D training. It was all going quite well, I did a couple of sessions I was really pleased with- taking 2 mins off my PB for my local 5 mile lap, 14 miles in 1.39, a very relaxed 1.42 half marathon, and a MP/HMP/10k/10k/HMP/MP session that almost was faster than my 10k pb (41.xx), and a MP+10% 21miler were my real confidence boosting sessions.
But then in the last week before the marathon I’d had a cold which worried me a lot, and I lost confidence a bit, seeing people saying double your HM time and add 10% etc (which would suggest 3.25 or so.) It also dawned on me that quite a lot of my longer runs/hard sessions had been on an out and back route, that was uphill on the way out and therefore downhill on the way back. This made me think that when the going got tough in the session and when I was supposed to be working hard on the 2nd half I was getting an easy ride, because it was all slightly downhill- rightly or wrongly this spooked me a bit.
Also not having done a marathon before I was a bit scared of ‘the wall’ and the unknown that came in those much talked about final 6 miles. I hoped that I had done enough to prevent the wall, Id eaten a month’s worth of flapjack, rice and potatoes in the few days previous.
I decided to aim for 3.15 and adjust accordingly, thinking if I was coughing up the last bit of a cold, then I could scale back.
Then yesterday came around, and after a breakfast of more pilau rice I was at start line, my plan involved concentrating on one mile at a time, having a gel at miles 6,12,17,22, and making sure I had water at every stop.
Intentionally I started a bit further back than 3.15 would expect to try and prevent a stupid first mile, that work quite well, with a 7.45 (7.25s is 3.15) the next two were 7.10 and 7.20, meaning after 3 miles I was bang on target. Miles 4-10 were all pretty much 7.2x,
Then in mile 11 I narrowly avoided being hit by a fast moving wing mirror, and after that the adrenaline put that mile a few seconds too fast, miles 12-15 were all a little bit fast (7.1x) but feeling easy and I went through half way in 1.36.xx.
I’d heard that mile 13-20 were the time when it’s easy to slip a little as a few aches and pains creep in, but I was feeling very good up until about mile 18. 17 and 18 were a little slow for some reason,
but my garmin measured them slightly long.
Miles 19 and 20 was the first time I started to feel slightly tired, but I figured after running 18 miles a little fatigue was to be expected. The fatigue was creeping in for mile 21 and 22, but I was still running pretty much at or below 7.25s.
The longest run I did in training was 22, and I think that was important, as I did feel more uneasy from then on, in the unknown, I had my 4th gel at 22 and my stomach was a little tight, but the mile was pretty much on target.
Miles 23,24and 25 were the sort of dark patch, I was tiring, and slowing a little, and I was overtaking a lot of people walking/staggering and in various degrees of pain, ranging from a lot upwards. I think in hindsight I could have pushed on harder in those 3 miles, but I was a bit reserved because of the unknown, I knew I could bleed several seconds a mile and still get in under 3.15. So I just kept running, but just not quite as fast, then mile 26 I pushed on back to around target pace, and the last bit was the fastest bit of the race- though I don’t really remember any of the last 200m or so.
So overall, my first marathon, 3.13.xx, Quite pleased, pretty much even splits, (the second half was less than 60s slower) and now I know what a marathon involves. I never felt a wall, it was more like the first 18 miles were gradually downhill, the next 4 flat, and the final 4 slightly uphill.
Having felt fine for the majority of the race I felt quite unwell at the end, so I don’t know whether I could have got much more time off, I’m reasonably confident that a 3.12 was feasible if I’d been less scared in the last 4 miles, but for a first marathon I’d rather get a 3.13 and live to tell the tale, than collapse in mile 25.
I think now I’m going to have a quiet week or two and then spend the winter doing a lot of easy off road miles to try and build up my engine a bit. I don’t think it’s my CV system that is the limiting factor (my HR was nearly uniform throughout, only averaging about 2/3bpm higher for mile 26 than mile 3) I think that by far my biggest hurdle is my lack of speed, I might try and get my 5k-HMs PBs down before I try another marathon. This time next year perhaps.
JD3 - excellent report & a great effort. As you say, just over a year ago you recorded 1:48 for half - you probably couldn't have imagined that 13 months later you would stitch 2 halves together, each 11 mins or so quicker!
Brilliantly executed race, and now you have experienced those last miles, there will be more to come.
"....in various degrees of pain, ranging from a lot upwards."
Nice one, JD3 - great stuff.
I don't think anyone doubted it'd be a sub 3 from Poacher, did they? (apart from the man himself, perhaps). About bloody time anyway.
Excellent marathoning all round and I've enjoyed reading about it all. Two in 2 weeks from Also-ran is a bit lively, isn't it.
JD - enjoyed reading the report and the great progress you made since the outset. That was a really well controlled race for you first marathon (I had a monster positive split on my 1st
) Sounds like we had similar races - chalking off each mile. Well done
jD3 great report and a great 1st marathon, have a well deserved rest
JD - Brilliant report of a brilliantly-managed effort. For a firdst time you were incredibly sensible about it all (apart from the pilau-rice-for-breakfast bit).
Sorry to bring the thread down with a bump, but my knees really ache. I did 10 miles yesterday to bring up 33 miles for the week, and recently on every run I've done my knees have started to ache, a burning sensation, and swell up after 30-40 minutes or so. I've got a perennially dogy left kneee, but this is affecting both. In September I changed from Saucony Triumphs to Brooks Ghosts, and they've not been working too well for me. In November my mum is coming over to visit, and she'll be bringing me a pair of Triumph 9s. I can't wait.
JD3 Great report and even more impressive, very well controlled marathon. The objective of a first marathon is to finish thinking about the next one, rather than saying never again. So it is good you are already thinking about the next one.
Ant Sorry to hear of your knee problems, hopefully the new shoes will help.
JD3, interesting report. I'm six months behind you, having recently done 92.xx HM and looking to run the full in six months' time. If I can emulate your progress, I'll be well pleased.
Did my first 14-miler yesterday, 37 for the week. Building up that base ...
Sod the beetroot juice I'm on the pilau rice!
Look after those the knees Ant.
Poacher - Congratulations sir! 31 marathons is an unbelievable effort as is sub 3 - I doff my proverbial fruit laden hat to you
JD3 - Anyone running their first marathon should print off your race report and learn it off by heart!
Ant - Take it easy.
Will be difficult for the thread to top this weekends running.
8 miles for me yesterday, legs are achey today but no more than you would expect. I take it as part of my recovery programme I increase frequency first, duration second and intensity last?
An outstanding day of Marathon Running from the thread with brilliant performances all round.
If you're going to break 3:00 hours on your 31st Marathon you may as well do it by a decent margin - stunning stuff Poacher, look forward to hearing whether it was just an accident or a carefully crafted plan.
Cutting it fine again there Fraser but congrats on another Sub 3
A good report JD3 and an excellently executed first marathon.
I can't comprehend how you can run another marathon let alone nail a Sub 3 time AR - have a rest now!
Excellent performances from Bike-It (very well paced) and Lorenzo (sounds like a lot of mud) as well.
Did someone say 6 months to London - need to start doing training! Making the start line may the main challenge this year for me but I'm currently back up to 6 days a week of steady 5 milers so there's hope yet ...
Very nice debut, JD3 and a nice report (speaking as a runner, I like that level of detail!). But I'm with Ant on the pilau-rice-for-breakfast front. May I suggest porridge or toast?
Sorry to hear about the knees, Ant and hope a change of shoes does the trick. Is foam rollering helping?
JD3- I thought your report might end in disaster, how nice to see you accelerated over the last few miles and finished strong. You had a good strategy, you excceded your target, and something in the bag for the next one.
Nice one JD, you had the strategy and problem solving ability that others take years to learn. Spot on about the anticipation of what the dreaded last 6 miles are going to throw up, and about the darkness and pain of miles 23-25. Excellent work
Anyway, race report....apologies for what may be a long one
30 previous maras maybe, but counting out early undertrained efforts and those done offroad; jetlagged; 2-14 days apart; as ultra training; in heatwaves; or in fancy dress it was probably only the 2nd time when sub3 was a realistic possibility, although it was only an outside target yesterday and has never really been my motivation. Training had been about 48mpw ave. since the start of August, but with only 3 LRs of 20m or more, one of which was a 3.18 mara. But 3 parkruns and some painful 1-3m track reps really helped.
Crucially, a nice cold day at Abingdon. Equipment failure help dictate tactics - the Garmin is kaput so pacing was down to feel, mile markers and an old stopwatch; then bizarrely a belt malfunction meant that I literally lost all but one gel just after the start. Doh! Under the circs and without much fuel or many LRs, a negative split would have been too hard to pull off so I decided to get some time in the bank. Set off too fast, slowed to a fairly steady 6.45mm, got to halfway in 1.26.56, about right. Then it was all about trying to keep it to 6.40-6.50ish for as long as poss. 20m came in 2.14 and for the first time I knew sub 3 or a 3.02 PB were on...but we all know how much can go wrong over the last few miles. I took the solitary gel, plodded on and with 4m to go worked out that I could afford to fade to 7.30mm and still make it. The last half hour wasn't pretty but those few minutes in hand meant no stress, just stay confident and it's in the bag. Probably should have gone eyeballs out for 2.56 but at the stage it didn't matter.
....so it was 2.57.14 and 3rd OldGit50. It all felt a bit understated afterwards, sub3 had never been the Holy Grail and on the day it was a lot easier that expected. These time barriers are in the mind and I see now that there is no rocket science to becoming faster - just avoid injury, do the miles, train outside the comfort zone, and when you create an opportunity just grasp it and cash in on the hard work.
Having said that, 24hrs on it's great to have done something I never believed possible, and a nice tick in the box. Thanks for all the kind thoughts, and extra respect to those who take fewer than 31 maras to achieve the dream!
Ant - Saucony Triumph 9's are going for £65 from Milletsports online.
Excellent reports, excellent sub3's (2 weeks in a row at ~3hrs is nuts, just push one of them hard !). But a massive well done to Poacher. Easier than expected too !
Go for it - just imagine that there's a tasty fella (of your choice) waiting at the finish line with a box of Milk Tray and some embrocation...should be enough to motivate you
Minni- poachers plan sounds a fair one. Depends how important the sub 3 is. I'd say it's unlikely you'll get sub 3 on that course and you could blow up trying. I guess this is a B race so not much to lose either if you feel good on the day and really go for it.
Nice work JD3. Your strategy sounds excellent. Stay fit and there's clearly loads more to come. The detail is NEVER boring - that's what it's all about
Poacher - weird yet fantastic how it all came together for you. One of those days where it all just clicked eh. Like you said - in mnay ways it's not rocket science. Increasingly I'm realising it's about staying injury free and not getting too concerned about bad days/sessions/races in the build up
Good to see you back and posting SBD
Good luck on Sun Minni - I met the "headmaster" on Sun for the first time ! Was good to put a face to the name and have a bit of banter
Just as well you dipped under 3 then Fraser otherwise you might have been in for a caning.....
Poacher, I've said it before but I'll say it again, you are Legend.
JD3 - loved the report. We love details on here, and none of them are boring.
TR - Thanks - yes, that's where I got them from. Suspiciously cheap, no?
Poacher - *Gets down on knees* I am not worthy.