Loch Ness Marathon 2012

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Comments

  • Blimey and there's pleasant surprise, just checked the website and my time wasnt 4hr 28; that was my gun time, my real time by chip was 4hr 24m!!!!!!

    How is everyone feeling today, sore quads but all else ok!!!

  • Loved it until the hill at dores, half way up and my ankle went (a recent injury reoccurring) and really Struggled the last 8 miles was on for 3:40 until then, but still chuffed with 4:03 all things considered.



    Amazing course, if a bit too hilly for my liking, great organisation and great people of Inverness made it a special weekend.



    Was there really 4000 runners? With 2500 finishers that's an amazing drop out rate.
  • Sounds like a lot of people hit troubles or struggles on the hill out of Dores, and a lot of people around me at the time were saying and feeling the same thing. When I drove it the day before it didn't feel so bad, but after 18 miles.....brutal. 

    Well done for making it to the end despite the injured ankle Paul! 

    And really, only 2500 finishers?? They did say 4000 runners at the start, seems amazing that so many people would have dropped out.

  • More likely that 4000 registered , doesn't mean that many turned up. I certainly thought there were more than 2500, Also I was at the finish line for a while and I would say way more than 300 people finished after me, having said that I was in such a bad way I could be wrong!!

    I would be surprised if 1500 dropped out, I was really suffering but managed to finish!!

    Paul - well done for finishing with an injured ankle, hope it's recovering!!

     

  • From looking at the results just over 2500 finished.



    I was considering pulling out prior to the race due to my ankle, but as it felt ok the couple of days prior I went for it. Probably goes against all medical advise but was so looking forward to this race. That and I'd paid for the flight image



    One other thing, that strong wind in your face on the finish straight when you cross the bridge onto ness walk!!! Just what I needed after 26 miles!!! image
  • Just got home. Well done everyone. Came through with a chip time of 4:23:37. First 13 miles I was doing well (1:48) but the hills got me in the end! Great scenery and good support at the end. Very well organised race but my bones didn't like the long bus ride to the start!

    Post race - Polished off a fillet steak and chips, preceeded by a huge dish of Shetland mussels at the Dores Inn, Excellent local brew too!

    A great weekend - and now for London 2013!

  • I had a nice run just over 5.04 but considering zero prep and only 9 miles in 12 weeks I'm happy, Chester on Sunday next and Elli well done you were going well from the start
  • So folks now its over - what's the plans now? What should I do from here? In my head I gonna take 2 weeks off totally to recover (swims n stuff to loosen off) then start up my training runs around the 6miles mark ... That sound ok?



    Oh and just looked at my HR monitor ... Looks like my MHR is 197 when pushing to a marathon's finish line!
  • Well I'm in for Chester 7th oct and Liverpool 14th don't waste the mileage use it while you can it doesn't have to be an annual thing
  • Preston Half for me in 4 weeks - no training this week - my legs are that sore I can hardly walk never mind run. Start of with 6 miles next Monday,  then very other day for a week, then 5/6 times a week the following week and then every other day after that, I will put in a 10/12 miler sometime during week 2/3 before the run itself.

    More of a HM runner so hopefully 1.50 at Preston providing I have recovered.

    I had fish n chips on the motorway services - it was awesome. Followed that up with a caramel mars and a double decker duo so already put back all the weight I lost during the run.

    Bus ride to the start was not great, the sight of 2000 people having a pee in the heather when we got there was rather strange and a sight I wish I had missed.

    Still the best marathon I have done - better than London in my view, the scenery was just breathtaking, well until about mile 20, everything after that was just a blur

    BB - Enjoy London, it's a fantastic esperience.

    EKGO - great time, enjoy Chester and Liverpool. I really enjoyed Liverpool last year

    Happy training!!

  • Young cowboy- yes I was in red fetch top, plus blood spattered everywhere- strangely I got my second wind at the top of the hill at Dores- usually it kills me, but just knowing I was "over the hill" and all downhill from there, I felt I could really go for it.

    I feel for whoever did 4:01- I'e been there, a few years ago at this marathon- nearly killed myself trtying to go sub-4, never maanged it at LN, and I never will now- I have slowed a bit over the last 5 years!

    Whats next? A 33 mile ultra in Nov, and a double marathon in april!

  • I'm back on-line so just catching up with the posts from the last few days.

    Congratulations everyone, especially the first-timers!

    My aim was to run sub-3:15 and (possibly) finish in the top ten. I managed 3:09:15 (nine mins off my PB) and 7th lady so I'm over the moon! I even ran a negative split which came as a huge surprise given the course. I guess my legs just had more in them than I gave them credit for.

    A big thanks to the organisers - a fantastic race which I'll be recommending to all my friends.
  • Lemony that is amazing, wow what a time. 

    Seems like the hill was the undoing for so many people. Tricialitt, I think I saw you too, you passed me on the hill. Poor you, what a time for a nose bleed.

    Can believe a lot of people didn't finish, looked like loads of people were waiting by the ambulences, one chap I spoke to at the finish said he had to wait half an hour to be shipped out after breaking 2 toes at mile 14 and then he only managed to be driven off if he sat in the front with the driver.

    John, everyone peeing in the heather made me chuckle. I was worse, we had to stop the bus on the way there so that me and 4 other women and 5 men could have a pee. Strange experience all crouched in a line chatting whilst everyone on the bus tried to look elsewhere.

    Whats next, well, I am joining a running club, adding in more hill training and looking for a spring marathon. At mile 20 I was saying never again but that sub four is like an itch I need to scratch.

    Hope everyone is a bit looser today. Had a sports massage last night,hurt like hell but at least today I can do stairs.

    SNB I think I did see you, I was wearing a grey hoody and black tracksuit bottoms, 5 ft 9 and like a string bean,brown hair. I wish I had just shouted SNB at all the chaps. Such a shame to miss you.

  • Lemony well done that's great going!



    I'm standing and walking all day at work and have been bombarded with 'take the stone out of your shoe' and 'have u a brush shaft up ure *bum*' and the classic how quick did u do it? Oh 5:43:15 I could walk it quicker



    Not 1 person has taken my challenge to walk it quicker than my time next year



    Best thing about it? I did it - yes slowly but got a time to beat now!
  • MSTH I prob heard you but all I could do was look at the finishline I was blind to everything else - pity I never just got to shake your hand and say cheers for the advice but maybe one day!
  • Oh and does anyone still have a sore chest if you breathe in deeply? ... I do image
  • Very well done with the excellent P.B. Lemony, I'm sure there is a sub 3 there soon !

    Just had a sauna and steam for the sore muscles, might help your sore chest SNB.

    Agree with you JO5, this Mara' is up there with London if not better, but my fav ' is still Berlin.  

  • Well done everyone, I loved it!!!!

    I was hoping for 4.30 until i drove the route on saturday then i decided i was probably looking at nearer 5 as i have struggled mentally with hills since an op on my knee and the sight of them truly gave me the eeby jeebies.

    I decided there was no way i could try for an actual pace on those hills so just went with the flow and managed 4.21.10. I am absolutely chuffed to bits with that. It was only 10 mins slower than my PB set 6 years and multiple injuries ago.

    I will be recommending it as one of my favourites image

  • The photos are up on the website if you want to see how pained we all looked!!

  • TmapTmap ✭✭✭

    Really good race.  Very well organised, beautiful course, great finish, brilliant t-shirt & medal (whoever did that shoelace design needs a bonus), and lots of really nice touches, especially the soup.  Just about the right size of field, easy registration, and I even quite enjoyed the Dores hill as I'd dawdled quite disgracefully up to that point and ended with a slightly negative split.  Plus of course one of the loveliest towns and surroundings in the whole world.  I especially liked how it was wonderfully tranquil at the points in the race where you just want to switch off, but starts getting more support right at the point where you start needing it.

    I suppose my only hesitation would simply be that the course really is quite a challenge, even the first few downhill miles.  The profile map makes it look easier than it is because it's on such a big scale it hides the fact that the flat bits along the like aren't flat at all.  This isn't a criticism at all - I like my hills - but it's worth bearing in mind for anyone aiming for a specific time.

    Still, will almost certainly be back as I fell in love with Inverness.

  • I am not impressed with the pics at all, 26 miles of the most fabulous scenery and I have a choice of 10 pics all taken in the last 20 yards of concrete path (for £29) with more on top for 10 seconds of video, smacks of sheer laziness to me

  • I thought there might of been more photographers out and about on the course taking pictures as some of the backdrops were glorious! As for the video I'm not sure I'd want to watch the final 20 meters anyway - I was shattered!



    I have 1 picture I really like but I certainly aint payin that much for 1 pic
  • I look ok in the photos surprisingly(3102) but then again i  was feeling like crap but you gotta put your "athletes " face on for the camerasimage

  • Yup- the photos are always bad- although you may notice I've sneakily used an old "thumbnail" one for my picture on here ( you can copy and paste those for free) - all they are good for I'm afraid- I can't believe people actually pay money for them!

    I did see a couple of photographers on the course- and even smiled and waved for 1 ( that was before the nosebleed- I was much less picturesque after)- perhaps I'll feature in the advert next year!

  • Oh dear, I bought one, image Well the wife did..only a small one showing the Loch in the background - how sad is that ? !  No 727.

    Otherwise agree, they are petty much rubbish..did any of you have to wave your arms in the air, going up hills, for the photographer hiding in some obscure place up an embankment..I could barely lift my legs..let alone my arms!

    Full respect given to the blind runner and his partner. They were going well, coudln't catch them.image 

     

  • I kept seeing a photographer on a motorbike (brown jacket) who was taking a fair few pictures of runners near me during the first half of the race. But these pictures don't seem to be the ones available on the web so I'm not sure whether this was a different company, or even a private individual who was taking pictures of a friend (though he was taking pictures of most people running past).

  • started running again yesterday - 4 gentle miles with the same this morning (with hi-viz, gloves and hat!!)

    Well that's my last post on this forum - big thanks to all your help over the last few months your help and encouragement has been immense. I'm off to the Preston Guild Half Marathon forum, so if anybody is doing that I will see you there!!

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