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Talkback: ASICS Target 26.2 Team: Colin
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I stuck to my plan & kept it to 7.30s for first 10k then upped it to 7.20-25 till 15 but it didn't feel right & I had to seriously dig in mentally from 16. Hoped it would just be a bad phase & kept going boosted by friends at 14 & 21 but no...!
Rob I feel your pain, my performance doesn't seem to match up to my training or HM/10k times so a little bemused. 8 mins slower than last yr PB when I know I'm fitter & faster... Feel ok though as consoled by raising money for my mate's charity, Mrs BLT's performance oh & both of us getting interviewed by Colin Jackson on the BBC in the reunion area - he thought our story was hilarious...which it is! God knows if they used it but I'll look for it tomorrow when I get home!
Well done everybody for such great performances, dead chuffed for you all & definitely include you in that Rob. We'll feel better in a few days I know it. I did look out for you n the pen but couldnt find you sorry.
Learnt a huge amount on here so thanks again to all for your contributions!
BLT
Steve MC: hardcore, you just keep delivering. An example to us all.
CHS: Get the feeling you have serious potential
Martin: awesome time. just awesome.
Rob: In all of my previous mara campaigns (a whopping three admittedly) I've said to friends and family that "i prefer halfs", "i'm just gonna do halfs from now" on etc. Yet a few days after each I've signed up for the next big one. There's something about the mara distance that keeps dragging peeps back. My thoughts on this: a)You get to a pretty good standard where even if you just do halfs you have to put in serious mileage anyway to get PBs. You may as well tag on a mara.b)The really long SLR's give you the fitness enabling half mara pb's (IMO)c)The good and bad mara experiences (had both) teach you to become a better runner. d) you learn from mistakes made in maras whereas in halfs you can get away with mistakes (training, nutrition etc) most of time but not improve as a runner. Mull it over for a few days fella.
Rob - Apologies if my comments sounded a bit flippant last night. Just read them again and didn't really convey what I was trying to say. Have a few weeks of just going out and enjoying a few runs at a pace you enjoy running at. Get the mojo back and then decide on whether or not to have another go. As KR eluded to, there may be some unfinished business and I am sure that you can conquer the distance. Join the sub-3.15 thread and see how you go. After this week there will probably just be a load of inane chat on there, nothing too serious.
BLT - The marathon is a cruel mistress. 26 miles is a long way and I am sure that KR will understand what you went through with the cramping. It looks as though you have taken the fact that Mrs BLT beat you in good humour. You'll certainly relive it all again in a few months time.
Also, I know that this problem raised it's head a few weeks ago on here.
How do I un-ignore someone on here. I was using my phone on Friday and accidentally ignored someone and I want them back!!!
Morning everyone.
First of all, a massive congrats to Martin. Superb effort. I saw your photo on the Virgin site. Surely a Championship place is within your sites now...? I'm really pleased for you. And don't worry, I thought your comment was pretty funny about whipping it out. That's probably what I should've done.. Lol.
BLT - I was looking out for you as well, but there seemed to be a few people with white visors. I'm sorry it didn't go quite to plan. It is tough when you know that you've trained well and know that you're in good shape, but it sounds that you've taken it all in the right spirit, which is absolutely right. Well done.
Thanks for all your thoughts on whether I should do another marathon. I absolutely love running and have really enjoyed hearing your training and have been very inspired. I want to be faster before I try again. I'd like to be in 1:27 HM shape and then I'll think about it. But I'll definitely join the banter on the 3:15 thread, even though my marathon time is way off this at the moment.
Here are my splits, aiming for a slower start and then around 7:38 pace: 8:13 (a deliberate slower first mile); 7:45 (again, a deliberate slower than MP); 7:30; 7:38; 7:40; 7:53: 7:45: 7:43: 7:37; 7:43: 7:51: 7:42: 7:44: 7:37: 7:37: 7:01 (mile 16, feeling good but too quick); 7:55: 8:06 (realised my mistake at mile 16 and slowed down a bit for final push at 20); 7:47; 7:35 (mile 20); 8:11; 8:08; 8:10; 7:49 (mile 24 - still feeling good); 8:39 (mile 25 - stopped for a wee... ); 16:23 (mile 26 - couldn't get going again).
I got to Big Ben, dug in and sprinted the last bit, hitting 6:20 pace at the end according to my splits. I was absolutely determined to get something out of the race, so pushed to beat my PB by a minute. The biggest mystery of all is why my GPS read 26.98 miles. It totally threw my pacing. I wonder if I would've just been better doing 8 m/m until 20 and then pushing on, but not sure that would've done my training justice.
Well done everyone - especially Martin
Rob think you may have drunk too much. In warmish conditions and running 26.2 miles, you should almost be mildly dehydrated from 10 miles onwards and should be topping up liquid levels not overloading that you need to stop.
Is your 16th mile accurate? I lost signal through that tunnel and also briefly at Canary Wharf and the underpass to 24. I was having a differential of 30 seconds between Garmin and actual by about 10th mile so I started pressing watch on the markers so I got a more accurate time.
Your 5k splits look like you were on for sub 3:30 until 35k so you clearly have the potential for a sub-3:30 with minor adjustments
You are capable of 3:15 soon so 3:30 was doable this time - your pacing seems ok to me other than that 7:05 mile which may not be accurate - maybe try one longer slower run next time (24M) and try and get the half time slightly faster. If you had a slower half PB then maybe 8 min miles would be better but with your half time, 7:45s should feel comfortable and don't think it would have made a huge difference.
I managed 6:45 miles for most of way yesterday (bit quicker in first 5k) but only could do about 6:20s in my half-marathon so wasn't that comfortable in marathon at any stage but have 35 years of marathoning and was reasonably determined to break three to prove I still have the right to suggest to other people how to possibly prepare!
It sounds like you were well on target until 24 and that's a bad time to stop. I'm sure that won't happen again - just one of those things. I had a gel disaster (lost all but one) and had to take a Lucozade, which didn't agree with me so had to make a pit stop at mile 21. Finished 3:20.40 which is an 8 minute pb so very pleased.
Well done Steve!
I had a bit of a mare and came in at 4:06:53.
Must have been the beetroot juice!
Very well done to all.
PMJ - first of all, well done on your PB. A fantastic time and I'm delighted that you made your target. You really deserved that. I have a lot to learn about race tactics and I'm obviously drinking far too much. I hadn't considered that until today.
Oscarr - thanks. I'm sure that's right. It's a fine line and the marathon, as I have learned, is not just about how fit you are. There are many different factors that determine the outcome.
Minni - a fantastic PB. Very well deserved and I'm impressed that you made such a great time despite your pit stop.
AndyV - you are right about the training required for a fast HM being almost up there with a marathon. I think that's what drew me to running the marathon in the first place, to be honest.
KR - there have been many people on here with similar HM times and very different marathon times, so you're right that it's a fine line. I found it easier this year than last from 20-23 miles, but the last two were just as hard as last year.
Steve - I don't think you need to run sub 3 to prove your credentials. I agree with PMJ that we're very lucky to have someone of your calibre on this forum. Thank you for your insights. My first focus will be the HM. I need to improve my speed with better interval sessions and build on my improvements with the tempo sessions. I'll get there...
Minni - I also had gel issues. I carried 5, the 3 I opened all exploded over my face, then made me wretch after taking them. I threw the last two.
Rob - Agree with the hydration. I think that I only took water from every other water station at most and only had a few sips from each bottle. I had one sports drink but threw it after a third of a bottle. I also didn't take anything after 20 or 21 miles. I take virtually no fluid on training runs so know that I don't need much in races. I drank 500ml of cherry juice, 500ml of water and my can of London Pride at the end and went toilet about 4.30 for the first time.
Steve - If you never run sub-3 again you will still have the knowledge of how to do it. Coaching is not always about being able to do it. It is about imparting knowledge.
Perfectly paced effort from me gave me a 28 second negative split for 3.08.58. 1 minute and 1 second under my target and a shiny new PB.
My Garmin went completely loopy in the underpasses and lost signal, so it looks like I ran 26.85 miles, but I know I didn't as I certainly didn't run a full mile at 5.48 pace for mile 25!
Nice to see Steve at the Expo, although I nearly didn't see him as I was wondering around in a daze. Actually I was looking for the Athletics Weekly stand and completely failed to notice it, so it's a good job that Steve spotted me, since he was actually on that stand.
I opted for the Beet It Endurance Shots this time round. More portable and much smaller so the nasty taste is over so much sooner;)
Anyway, a reasonably comfortable and controlled effort from me, struggled to keep the pace down in the first 4 miles mainly due to the press of bodies and some down hill sections.
What shocked me was the noise of the crowd. I've never run in an event like it. Amazing support but I did wonder whether it could be a little distracting for those who need to focus precisely on their run.
Still I loved the whole event and knocked 6.5 mins off my pb finally gaining a GFA grading.
Minni - Keyboard - Speedy - PMJ - great PBs , well done to you all
Steve - if you never ran another mile you would still be the same excellant coach and one a lot of people would still listen to
well done on all those other PBs - Minni, Keybaord, Speedy (well done on disclipline and negative split), PMJ
yes I know I don't have really have to do any more for people to listen but I find it helps to put some of minor pressure to acheive a target but now I have a 35 plus year span (Oct 76-Apr 12) between my first and last sub-3, it won't matter if it doesn't extend further.
Maybe unlikeIy but I still hope to be fitter and healthier next year and lighter - I was a stone heavier than I was when I ran 2:43 a few years ago!
My namesake beat me for first time in 26 years though and shame I couldn't have been fitter then I could have ran with him. We were the only two Smythe's in whole race and same first and middle name and same club and both sub-3!
Well done on your PB Speedy (knew you'd do it), Minni & Keyboard W! It's great to hear of all the stories, times and the effort that everyone has quite obviously put into their marathons - a lot of lessons (good & bad) have been learnt!
Chris Finill, Harrow AC
Rob- glad you can reflect and be philosophical about things. Re Garmins - I don't think I've ever done a race when the Garmin hasn't measured slightly long. Hence they can't be trusted to within 2 or 3 per cent for accurate paces. Clearly it means that all the paces we think we're achieving in training are correspondingly a bit slower in reality than they appear too(slightly depressingly!)
I have a sneaking suspicion you'll be toeing the line with another sub3 at the back of your mind next year Steve !