wolverhampton marathon

[Deleted User]

I think that's cheating DC!  Respect for doing a mara as your first running race. Have served my apprenticeship with 10ks,halfs & a couple of 20milers under my belt first. 

[Deleted User]

Full coverage i.e. Results, Reports and Photo's will appear on  West Midlands Running Scene website, your favourite local running site.

Why pay for photo's when you can download them FREE.  All photo's are large A4 format that you can use as a screensaver.

The links to this years race, and to previous years photo's are as follows:-

2011 Photo's          2010 Marathon Photo's       2010 Half Marathon Photo's

2009 Photo's          2008 Marathon Photo's       2008 Half Marathon Photo's

2008 Bike Ride Photo's

[Deleted User]

Sorry, pressed the submit button by mistake

2008 Mini Marathon Race photos         2007 Marathon Photo's        2007 Half Marathon Fin Photo's

2007 Half/Marathon on course photo's     2007 Start line photo's       2006 Photo's

2005 Photo's           2004 Photo's

To see my full collection of races go to the Menu on ALL LOCAL RACES

See you on Sunday.

Muzza

Luvsapb, I hope to be around the 2.55-3 mark, not putting massive pressure on myself as I got Berlin in a few weeks but that's the plan 6.40pm.

[Deleted User]

Hi Muzza.  I'm no 2140.  I'll probably be in a black vest, leggings & red bandana. Will try & seek you out at the start. Appreciate someone to ride shotgun with who's more marathon-experienced!

Muzza

I'll be there, light blue Bideford vest. Fingers crossed for good weather conditions!

[Deleted User]

A little bit of drizzle & a tad cooler than today would be ideal for me.  Will keep an eye out for you! 

Muzza

As long as there is no wind and it's not lashing down I'll be happy.

[Deleted User]

Yeah, Muzza, I agree.  No fun running round with a snorkel & goggles on. 

 Just done 2 miles @ mara pace sandwiched with a couple of mile jogs.  Came out 1st mile @ 6.29, 2nd 6.16.  Had better get that reined in a bit for Sunday!  Yesterday was 4miles easy.  Rest tomorrow.  3 miles easy Thurs.  Rest Fri & 2 miles easy Saturday.  Total 13 miles.  How's your week mapped out?  

richard osullivan

Ive got a number for the 'half' marathon if anyone wants its for a tenner.

Rich O

Muzza

Similar to be honest, I raced 10k Sunday which has wrecked my lungs, went better than planned tho. mon I did 7m slow recovtut run, tues 80 min spin on bike and wed 5m with 3m at 6.45 pace. I'll swim tomorra rest Friday and do 3 miles with 1m @ mara pace sat before I travel up. Not really tapered for this as Berlin is my main goal. I got 5-6 marathons with lots of races coming up now so won't need to train much.

[Deleted User]

You're doing Berlin 3 weeks after Wolvo,right?  Does not tapering affect your performance much?  I've run back to back halfs & 20 miler without too much bother, but would think a mara would be a different proposition.

 Is it something that gets easier with more maras under your belt, and, as you said, means you don't need to do that much training?

It does feel strange for me going from 70 down to 13 but until I'm more experienced, I think i'll do what the text books say!

Muzza

Personally I think it depends on how run goes to how you recover, if I have a good one finishing strong I've run faster the following week, last year I did Eden mara, dartmoor vale the following week then PB'd my half by 3 mins the week after that! I'll never understand how recovery really works but I tend to go with the flow and see what happens on the day. Like Sunday I plan to run 6.40ish pace bit if that feels to easy I'll pick it up or the other way if not, there's always another marathon. PB is 2.55.42 so I plan to chase that on Sunday.

[Deleted User]

Very interesting Muzza. I suppose you just have to follow your instincts instead of the text books sometimes! Instinct born of experience. Well the day of reckoning fast approaches & I'm thinking the first 20 miles mean nothing, it's the last 10k where the race starts. Talk is cheap, so let's see if I can deliver the goods!

Muzza

That about sums it up mate, last 10k is where all the good work can go out the window. Sometimes u can have a bad time during, it's a long time out there and you just have to listen your body and sometime u have to adjust the pace to feel good to push on at 20m negative splits are the key in my opinion. Put ya feet up eat well Saturday and hopefully see you Sunday and both sub 2.55

[Deleted User]

Cheers Muzza!  Negative splits are what I've started doing successfully with halves, so interesting that you feel they're important for you with a mara.  To be honest, I'm just praying I can average 6.40 mile after mile & dig deep near the end to not fall apart!

 Will try sticking to you like glue. Hope you don't drop me at half-way & disappear into the distance!  

Muzza

Just don't expect a miracle or be to upset if you don't get wot u want, after all it's your first marathon and anywhere near 3 no matter wot standard you are is a great time first time round!

To be honest so will I! I'll take a sub 3 now, but I think we can do better! ............. I hope! My shredded lungs are starting to feel better today. Phew!

What your half/10k times of late?

[Deleted User]

Hey, first time at Wolverhampton marathon on Sunday, hopefully itll be a decent day and supporters may stay out! Can anyone tell me if my wife will be ok to hang around in the park? Is there a cafe/shelter there?

[Deleted User]

Hi Mark.  Afraid I'm like you - a first timer for this one & not a local{coming up from Berks Saturday}.  I'm sure someone will pop up on this thread before long with all the gen!

Muzza, just glad to have someone more experienced nearby!  I don't expect miracles but I've surprised myself with this 'running lark' so you never know! 

Half PB is 1:25:48{Wokingham Feb'11}, 10k 36.48{Dorney Dash  July'11}.  Certainly think the half would be closer to 1:20 now. Will find out at Oxford in 3 weeks! 

[Deleted User]

Cheers Luvsa!! Those are some pretty fast PBs... Im sure you'll smash the 26.2... its just a training run for me... got marathons in Brussels, Liverpool and Amsterdam all in 14  days of each other at the beginning of October so its just miles under belt till then!! Good luck!!

[Deleted User]

Thanks Marc!  Sounds bonkers so close together but you must know what you're doing!

A good way to do a bit of sight-seeing at the same time.  Have a good training run! 

racephotos

Hi folks, all the best on Sunday.

Just to re-iterate something I mentioned ealier on in this thread just in case anyone missed it.  I will have a small table alongside side at 10miles and 23 miles where I could save your specially prepared drinks that you could give me in the Start Area just before 8.30am.  I will be wearing an orange bib.  Just collect your marked drink as you run by.

The forecast if for sunshine intervals, so something a little extra than water would be beneficial.

Please take this as intended, I just want you to know that I know what it's like to run a marathon, having run well over thirty, with a best of 2:34 in the Potteries Marathon which was regarded as a toughie, just before my 49th birthday.

Sometimes I do get a bit of abuse from runners when I am trying to encourage them, "easy for you mate just sitting there, you want to try it".

He-he, and I don't charge for my photos, I give them away, as does Brian Smith.
http://www.westmidlandsrunningscene.co.uk/

Again, all the best everyone.

Bryan.
http://www.racephotos.org.uk

Muzza

Marc, there are a few tents if it rains where I think she can get a coffee, it's nice in the park and she can see you half way as we run past the entrance where the half marathon runners come in. There is a beer van and hog roast etc there all nice if the weather holds! Think it's going to be dry and cool by the sounds if it! I've done Brussels and amsterdam, brussels wasn't the best marathon, organisation wasn't great at finish etc but amsterdam is fast flat and a great start and finish in the olympic stadium, loved it!

Luvsapb, with that 10k time yep 1.20 is doable, my 10k is 36.51 and I did 1.20.00 at Stroud just before I did That 10k last yr. Looks like it's race on mate coz were pretty level! I'm a little worried coz it marathon 63 for me nut 2nd attempt pulled out at north Devon due to injury, 1st ever DNF and it's gutting!

Bryan, great pics last yr and it's been my Facebook profile for ages! Thanks! Look forward to seeing this years!! It's much appreciated!

[Deleted User]

Hi Muzza. Yes, our times are quite similar.

 I think you've just got to try & not think about what might break on the body in a race & just deal with it if/when it happens.

 Very warm today in my part of the S.E. Hope it's cooler Sunday or else i'll be kissing my ar*e goodbye to any magnificent result!

63 maras is quite an achievement! How long have you been running?  It's just over 3 1/2 yrs for me.  

Muzza

Did 1st in 2000 did 3 or 4 a year till 2 yr ago then upd it to 12-13 beats doing lOng runs and training for 1!

Been plagued with injury the last few yrs sinse I stopped doing Ironman, less bike weak glutes = hamstring/IT trouble! So IM again for me next year, been doing lots of strength work and it feels fine now so should be fine.

Weather is gonna be perfect Sunday, no wind rain and nice and cool!

[Deleted User]

Hi Muzza, thanks for the info! Youre not the first person to mention the stadium finish in Amsterdam! Useful info about Brussels as my wife is 30weeks pregnant so may meet her back at the hotel if the finish is chaos!! Cant be worse than Edinburgh this year tho!! Hope you guys have a great run! Keep an eye out for me at the start, Ill have a yellow MARATHON MANIACS vest on, dont think theres many UK members so Im easy to spot!!

[Deleted User]

That's a lot of consistency for over a decade.  Hope I can emulate that although I've left it til I'm in my mid-forties.

 Injuries are weird things!  I've been quite lucky and only had two{thigh & knee}where I didn't run for 2 months on each one. 

 Other than that, it's just aches & pains on most long runs which come & go during a run in calves & knees mainly, although I did get a bit worried once when my left achilles seized up & had to walk 4 miles home.  A bit of icing treatment with  frozen peas & some self-massage & I was back out again after a few days.  

 Have never done any kind of cross-training yet. This is something I really must think about for long-term injury prevention.  Tried pilates a couple of times but never kept it up.   

[Deleted User]

I do hope you're not Michael Fish ala 1987 with that prediction for Sunday!

[Deleted User]

Will come & say hello Marc if I see you on Sunday! 

Carbloader

yep weather is goin to be spot on and hopefully it brings out the support im goin to need it!!!

Cant wait now going to be my first race and marathon, dont mess about me lol.

Although a little nervous as its all going to be new territory for me im fit and fairly young so i should be ok lol