Abingdon Marathon

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  • I think, Loula, I'll try to fit in a medium to long run at the end of this week, just to reassure myself I'm fit to do this thing, then taper from there. Hope your cold clears up. Can I park at your place?image or stay even!!!

  • Loulabell – wow 30 miles hilly, rather you than me and good luck. Abo will feel like a stroll in comparison.

    Shadowed – sounds like reasonable news. Take it easy in any case.

    SlokeyJoe -

    SlokeyJoe wrote (see)
     ominously I've been given 313...which is 12s outside my PB. Would have hoped for number 259.....

    ......my number is 359, so I hope that is not tempting fate

    3 ½ easy this morning. Club track session tonight. Should be 5 x 1miles.

    Good luck to the racers this weekend

  • AC, you will be twice as fast as me though i can guaranteeimage

    ...i would love 3:58 to represent my possible time!! lol

    PC, i am a bit far away to park and walk to the start!!!!!!!!!

  • Number 35, hopefully to be seen making a dash for the line in sub 3:30. I won't be reclaiming the £1.19 postal surcharge.

    Last run this morning before Sunday's Half - 6 miles steady in Windsor Park, after 3 last night finishing at race pace.

    Here's a question for you founts of racing knowledge. Windsor is a very undulating Half, with 4 pretty stiff (though not very long) climbs. I always have adopted the tactic of taking downhills quite easy when they approach a climb, in order to save a bit/get the heartrate down to attack the hill. As a result I tend to go pretty well on the hills, but I've taken to wondering if this is the wrong approach, and that maybe going eyeballs out on the downhills and a bit slower on the climbs would result in faster times. What do the panel think?

     

  • I am not a fast runner but I find that I can run a faster race if I take it easy up hills and faster on the way down.

  • I'm rubbish at going up hills but always seem to make the places up on the way down but that's not a tactic, I'm just rubbish at climbing and in my neck of the woods that's not a good thingimage

    Did my last longish run today 17 done in 1:56:06 ave pace 6:51 much happier than last weeks 22, I know it's 5 shorter but I just Walt so much better fresher legs etc I took a rest day yesterday and I think this paid dividends so with not much running at all in the final week the light is peeping through at the end of the tunnel!!
  • CFB - interesting question. Personally I try to keep to an equal effort when tackling hills in races, i.e. slow down on climbs and then speed up on descends. It means you sometimes get overtaken going uphill, but retake them when you go down. I have been told that by keeping to an equal effort during a race, this optimises your race time. However I live in Essex where hills are small and rare, so I am no expert on this matter.

    Martin - quick 17 there. Sounds like things are coming together. Agree with you on a rest day. Took one on Monday, and legs have felt better all week.

    Club track session last night, 5x1mile reps (3min recovery). Mile reps time varied between 6.22 and 6.32. Did most of session on my own as I was the faster one (very rare indeed!) down there last night. An easy 4/5 planned for Saturday and then 15 miles Sunday.

  • imagesheesh , you guys are far too technical for meimage

  • Chillies -  I agree with AC  try and keep the effort equal so you will slow down a bit going uphill.

    AC-  Nice pace, mile repeats are hard.

    MG - Quick long run from you,  I'm similar to you, planning not to do a lot in the last week especially towards the end.

    8 miles last night steady came out at 7:08 avg and 3 recovery in the rain this afternoon.

  • So why do you guys choose to do Abingdon over other events?

     

  • Mark - it's flat, it's local (well, 35 miles away, which is local to me for a marathon), it's not too big, it's brilliantly marshalled, and it's obscure enough for non-runners to ask me how long it is image - regarding the "it's flat" statement, I must qualify that the only other marathon I've run is the South Downs one, so I'm not afraid of a hill or two

     

  • Thanks for the vote of confidence Aching, but I've decided to withdraw.  Managed 1 mile before pain set-in the other day.  Hardly ran a stitch in 2 weeks.  I managed a total of 5 miles that morning to see if it would dissipate or stay at the same level of pain, but alas, got progressively worse.  Frustrating, but at least I'm in to VLM13, so will take a week of total rest, then rebuild to have a decent pop at it.  Good luck everyone.

  • I chose it cos Loula told me to image. I do like the sound of flat too.

  • Shadowed runner unlucky mate but you know your body best and as they say there are plenty of other marathons and London is a great target to have. It's never worth running if your not right ivebhad to pull out of races before and it's gutting but the right decision.

    The reason I picked abo is the course profile I'm chasing times at the minute and a flat course suits me, plus I have family from there but tbh I'd have run without the family being there.
  • Mark -   Good course, well organised and a nice finish at the athletics track, always fills up early, but can get a bit lonely out in the sticks.

    SR - Unlucky but better DNS than DNF, get yourself sorted and see you at London.

  • Bad luck Shadowed - it's rotten to have to pull out of a marathon when you've trained for all those weeks.

    I might have to skip Windsor Half tomorrow after a couple of days of the sort of medical condition we DO NOT discuss image - It's a lunchtime start, so there's a chance of staging a recovery.

  • Defo - I don't DNF!  Thanks for support Barry and Martin, and Chillies.  All the best to everyone.

  • Sorry about your news SR, do they give you a deferred entry at this late stage?
  • Thanks to the feedback from everyone last week - as a result I decided to do my RW scheduled 18 miles this morning. Fairly comfortable @ 7.08 pace, which is almost exactly the MP+10% recommended by AC. No drink available and plenty of cocolate again, without the same feeling towards the end this week. Barry - yes I tend to feed on chocolate, biscuits and jelly babies - usually carried in small bags in shorts pocket and continually graze on them. Not exactly text book stuff but I know it works for me !

    Taper really does kick in now !

    Martin - Good to see the positive result from your long one on Friday - assume you're back on a 6:30 start schedule now?

    Shadowed - very bad luck - hope you get back runnng consistently again soon. April will be here before you know it

     

  • Yes I think I'm over my wobble lol, the rest coming in the next couple of weeks will hopefully freshen my legs up no end and with the forecast looking favourable and the pancake flat course hopefully I can stick to pace. My long ones recently have all been with fairly strong winds and the course although not hilly is far from flat so maybe I've been a bit hard on myself. Just heading out for 14 steady then really drop things down next week and even more so the week after!!
  • Hiya

    Sorry you have had to pull out Shadowed.

    I'm just back from my last long run. I still never made it to 20 miles but managed 18.54 with a good few hills. I am not fast and it took me 3.40 but I'm confident that I will make it round before the course support stops.

  • shawdowed, am sorry to hear that but im a bit the same.id rather not run at all than risk a DNF so i understand.

    just over 26miles on the hilly but beautiful  sunny terrain of Northdowns way (NDW50 ultra course)in Surrey for me yesterday, over 2000ft of ascent , lucky with weather tooimage it feels like home to me there on that trail image

    Ecky thats fab run , you are gonna be fine

  • Awww Thanks Loula. You and Rocker did brilliant too. I just cant wait now *boing boing *

  • hope the weather is like this weekendsimage

  • Dart -  Nice long one from you. Whatever works for regarding refueling, I have problems getting a jelly bean down when I'm running so I'll stick with the gels.

    Ecky -  Good running,you will be fine come race day just do not set of too fast.

    Loulabell -  You are right, hope the weather is the same for Abo.

    Cricklade HM for me today,perfect conditions for racing and nice course, shame to waste itimage.  1 mile warm up,  Set off what I thought was a steady pace Garmin beeped about 10 metres short of mile marker 6:29 oops, teamed up with RAF runner and second lady for about  next 5 miles  splits 6:35,6:38,6:35,6:42,6:41 through 6 miles just over 40 mins - feeling good.  RAF runner pulled away, but second lady on my shoulder for next 3 splits 6:45,6:41,6:42, though 9 in about 1 hour,  spotted first lady about 50 metres ahead of us. Pushed on and lost second lady.  Started to feel the pace but knew Sub 1:30 was on. splits for last miles 6:44,6:52,6:44, 6:47 ended up finishing just behind 1st lady.  Garmin time 1:28:13  for 13.2 at 6:41 avg and very very happy. I know it's close to Abo but if I've got a chance to go sub 1:30 I'm going to take it.

  • Thanks Barry. Yes I will need to watch my starting speed. I have been working on that in my training as it was my downfall. Well done on your HM today,thats really speedy.

    Loula yes it was perfect for running today.

  • I should not have started the race today. I knew it and I didn't effing well listen. Practically no food for 3 days,  blah blah - 1:43:00 and I feel like death even now. Ran like I was dragging a tyre behind me. I STILL HAVEN'T GOT A DNF TO MY NAME THOUGH!!! There's determination! Slowest road half since my first 2 attempts at races in 2008.

     

     

  • Shadowed - sorry to hear you are withdrawing - good luck for London next year though.  Hope you are fully recovered and back to training soon.

    Eckytump - looks like you and me towards the back together!  I'm no 107. Well done with your long run.

    All was going well for me, last long run done, starting to taper, good 12 miles on Saturday then gentle 4 miles on Sunday.  Sadly not too gentle as took a tumble and ended up in  A&E having jaw, hand and elbow xrayed.  Nothing broken luckily but black and blue all over (inluding chin!) and rather swollen knuckles and elbow.  Other than lots of grit in my knees the legs seem to have got away with it so really hoping all will be ok for the 21st.  Was planning on resting until end of week then picking up taper at the week-end - does that make sense?  As it's my first marathon I have been sticking rigidly to the training plan so now a bit nervous as I won't be!

    Not long to go now!

     

     

  • Shadowed – Sorry to hear the bad news. I am sure you have made the right decision, and you will come back fitter.

    DartMore – good 18 miles at this stage.

    Echytump – I am sure come race day, you will have no problems.

    Loulabell – well done on your the hilly 26 miler. Sounds like you had the most enjoyable run of all of us over the weekend

    Barry – great HM result. You have produced what you have shown in training lately. You certainly are in great form. I am certainly going to be well behind you at Abo. If I had ran the time you had just done, I would certainly be going for sub 3.15 at Abo.

    CFB – well done in digging in. Don’t worry about the time, we have all been there, you are only 22secs slower than my HM last month, and I had not been unwell.

    SR3 – sorry to hear about the tumble. Make sure you rest up, and only go very easy next week. 

    15 miles slow for me on Sunday (av8.31). Some short speed stuff in the week, and 10 miles slow next weekend, and we will nearly be there.

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