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Paris Marathon 2014
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The feature I make the most use of though nowadays is 'workouts' . I set them up on the website, add them to my training calendar and sync them to my watch. Then it tells me what speed/hr/distance to run for each step. Brilliant if you need a structured plan like me. If my watch doesn't tell me what to do, I won't do it!
I've not used the on board intervals feature on the 220 - I set them as workouts instead - but it also comes with pace alerts which you can set on the device too without having to preset the workout.
The charts and stuff you get on the garmin website are all pretty smart from device to device. One thing that the 220 does have if it floats your boat is a cadence sensor without need an extra (cost) footpod. I'm not quite at the level that I pay much attention to it.
The 220 and 620 are largely quite similar. Both are light, colour and look like a normal watch. I think the 620 is touch screen, can auto sync with garmin coonnect via wifi and has extra sensors, like the ability to track 'vertical oscillation'. Features I doubt I'd ever use.
In short, I love my 220 and can't imagine running without it now! But as mentioned above, DC Rainmaker has great reviews and comparison tables so you can compare them on a per feature basis. Other wise you just get people like me harping on about their model - great to hear positive feedback about a watch but hardly a scientific analysis. Which is where DC Rainmaker shines.
Benignmurmuring - sorry if this sounds harsh, but I strongly disagree with the strategy of starting a marathon with no intention of finishing it - I think it diminishes the integrity of the race. If you really believe you cannot finish it, I think it better to not run.
Hmm... I can't get the quote thingy to work properly...
but there was mention of peroneal tendonitis last week. I suffered from this at the beginning of last year. After completing a 10 mile run on the Sunday (feeling fine) I couldn't put weight on my right foot on the Monday morning. Freaked out after googling the possibilities and decided a trip to the physio would be best. Best thing I did (although had to abandon the car at work as she strapped my foot up and I couldn't flex it enough to drive!) 2 physio sessions, rest, icing and lots of OROD on the lower calf seemed to help it. I ran my first half with it still not quite right and suffered from about mile 9 with it flaring up, but a couple of weeks proper rest after it sorted it out. Not sure if that helps, but I’ve not had trouble with it since. I was also recommended to practice standing on one foot with my eyes closed to increase the strength in the ankle/foot.
Kaz I love my 310xt, although agree with Malcs that it’s huge! Mine’s one of the refurbished ones which takes the price down a bit (look for NOH on wiggle). As for battery life for my 10 miler on Tuesday I noticed that the battery was down to the last bit of the bar, thought that it would only last a couple of miles, but managed the whole run which I was pleasantly surprised with!
+1 for DCRainmaker website – although I have lost a lot of time reading the reviews!
I did my first 18M weekend before last (before a week of high altitude, cold weather training
) I learnt a few things during it… firstly it doesn’t matter how full the car is if you are planning to run in the Lakes put your trail shoes in. Secondly, assuming you know an area because you grew up there does not mean you know the distances between them, suddenly realising you need to find an extra 6 miles whilst hemmed in by major roads, barbed wire and angry sheep does not a fun run make. Thirdly, milky ways are an excellent mid run treat (I happened upon a village store) although having the advert jingle in my head the rest of the way home, less good! It all worked out well in the end and I even pulled out a couple of MP miles at the end once I had finished wallowing in the mud bath that had been the rest of the run! 20M planned for Sunday, I have a better plan this time!
After weeks of resisting, thinking I should wait to see how Paris goes before signing up for any more I have registered for Loch Ness – see you there!
I wish all those with the lurgy and on the injury bench speedy recoveries
Huge congrats (and Happy Birthday) to Emmy and Weedy for the Quadzilla, awesome effort!
Haha TD, yes we do get signal but only just! At present still using mu Nike watch, which does the job although very basic. I like the big screen which I can see effortless on runs. Finding the battery life getting a bit naff, and unless its fully charged it doesn't pick up signal. As for features, I like the idea of having a few pieces of data on one screen(only two with Nike), and the uploading training plans idea - if I ever get round to following one!
By the way I was told in no uncertain terms not to start Paris last year, when I had the notion of pulling out half way, you know where that ended up!
feeling a touch better today, so I may be tempted to try a wee run, otherwise I will no be running this week at all.
But no running this week has led to me organising all confirmations for Paris and everything else planned this year! Dilemma now is flights from here have smaller hand lugguage allowance than other flights. Going to try and convince them to let me use the bigger allowance since its the same airline as the other flights???
'MORNING, BENIGN! HOW'S THE HEAD?
I think you could, certainly, have a good time with the ' Halfway' plan...as long as you went into it with no regrets. But you could also go in with an open mind and see how things go. There are Metros pretty much all along the route, until the Bois de B. ...By the time you get actually opposite the Eiffel Tower, you are going into the park and have 10 k to go. You might fancy a walk... Shortly before that, the cafes run out ( For the record, I've had a comfortable' comfort stop ' in a cafe, followed by a Perrier and a chat, followed by a bit of a walk trot to the Finish. It was the only way I was going to get there and it's not a bad memory.) Whatever you do, you might having to consider what kind of effort from the Start.
This morning's probably not the best time to decide...
Another vote for the 310xt, which I bought after in depth review of DC Rainmaker's in depth reviews. The long battery life was the main selling point for me. BTW I run past DCR's flat every Monday night, he lives here in Paris. Check out his blog on Parisian life.
Glad to have a rest day today, had a real mud bath yesterday on my 14k trail run. Loved it! Shoes still drying out.
Yoga tomorrow and pacing the running group for 29k round Paris on Saturday.
For those wanting a sneak preview of the marathon there's a good blog on that DC Rainmaker website with a ton of photo's from last years event.
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/04/paris-marathon-report-2.html
And yes it is bloody annoying he can run a 3:27 marathon while taking pictures and not even look as though he broken a sweat!
A quick HM taper/pacing query as well... I'm doing the Great North West Half weekend after next, normally I would not do a 20M run the Sunday before a race, but as the main goal is Paris I don't want to lose a good LSR. I'm still keen to go for a PB at the half (it's a flat'un) but not sure if this will be counterproductive for the Paris training? My current intention is to do 20/22 the following week as well. Am I naive to go all out in Blackpool or would it be a good speed training session for Paris?
Kaz - for the 310xt (don't know about other models) you can choose the number of datasets displayed per page, personally to be able to see at a quick glance whilst on the move 2 is plenty for me, but on the bike I tend to have 4. The choice for what can be displayed is huge and you can choose the speed that it toggles through them as well (if desired!) The workout function that matty mentioned is great and I've been using it a lot this year, particularly the HR alerts for the LSRs!!
Even more annoying is his wife has a cupcake making business and is a very fast runner too. Maybe it's all the sugar making them speed ...
Dannirr - you can cycle through the screens when you're paused. You just need to press the 3 bars icon on the right hand side of the screen and then you can cycle through the screens as normal. One caveat - don't try and do it with gloves on as you'll likely do what I often do and hit "save" on the screen accidentally.
I love, love, love my 620. I've taken to wearing it as an everyday watch. I know others have said they think the vertical oscillation info is useless, but I find it a quite helpful indicator of my form. I know what my "normal" figures are and it's a good signal to me that I'm struggling and jiggling about too much, or being lazy.
I can't get it to sync over wifi, though, something to do with the channels on european/UK router. We need our telco company to change them for us, but others might be able to do it without any problems.
Still feeling kack. Back under the duvet for me.
Jo - Every half marathon pb I've set has been while marathon training, including doing a 20 mile LSR on a Thursday and then running the a half pb on the Sunday. I'd say your far enough out from Paris that racing a half isn't going to cause any issues. In fact I'd say it would give you a good indication of what sort of form you are in.
TP - That's the issue then. I obviously don't eat enough cupcakes!
TinkerBel, I echo the other advice you've been having - rest up. It's better to have a week off now than keep trying and making yourself feel worse, mentally and physically. There's still enough time before Paris.
Er...Did I tell the story of my faulty garmin? I charged my watch on a Sunday, then ran on a Tuesday. Low battery. Thought I must not have connected it properly. Charged again Tuesday night, then ran on Wednesday. Low battery. Resigned to getting a new watch (oh no!A pretty blue 620!) I decided to give it a last go and realised that I had forgotten to plug the 'plug' end of the charger in. Mystery solved! Although am now jealous as my friend Sparkes (who's running Paris) gets to try swanky tech stuff out for his job and is currently trialling the 620. Hmph.
Uisage Jo - join the Loch Ness crew!
5M last night, bit windy and wet but nothing like the rest of the country (or Atlanta, Danni).
Weedy - my friend's cousin played John
I have to say I've never met him and my friend and I aren't best buds or anything, it's just a nice link, I reckon.
RR - thanks for the recipe, that sounds brill. I really dislike bananas - is there a good substitute? I know, I'm a big baby and I need to get over it but I hate the taste, the texture, the feel...ick. I can also taste it a mile away which rules out most shop bought smoothies.
We've currently got an entry level two speed blender (off and on) but we're going to spend some of our wedding fund next week and a slightly more super blender might be on the cards - any recommendations? Something that can do soups and smoothies and be easily cleaned would be pretty good. Ta!
Uisage Jo - not that my experience (or lack of) should sway you, but I will be going for 20 miles this Sunday. I will then be trying for a PB at Blackpool and doing 20 ish the week after. Sound familiar?
As long as you don't feel like you have any problems then a blow out will do you good in gauging your progress.
Of course, cleverer people may disagree.
Jo - I'm doing 17-20 miles LSR miles this Sunday, 20 miles LSR the following Sunday, a flat out half the following Sunday and a 20 mile race the following Sunday with at least 60% of that at target marathon pace (god it's making me tired just thinking about it all). The only thing I will say is that the half will take it out of you a bit - technically you'll be doing a 5k paced MLR which is a battering your legs , so keep the pace/intensity out of your first couple of runs after the half. Going into it you (and I) want to have a really good crack at a fast time so maybe axe any planned pacework that week, so the half is your pacework for that 2 week period and everything else is just keeping the engine turning over mileage wise and still able to complete the very important long runs on the Sundays either side.
BM. ATM speaks sense. If you can make it to the Eiffel Tower, you are almost home. I'm not sure of the cut off, but you could certainly do a bit of run/walking and get in before the cut off. Worse case you hop on the train and head straight to the pub!
10 mile to the office today. Lots of miles in my legs and starting to feel dog-tired!
After the beasting 14 miler on Tuesday I'm cancelling my speedwork this week. Might do a fast little 4 miler tomorrow arvo if I can be arsed.
Some very basic Garmin advice:
FR205/305 - very old models now. Batteries have short life, GPS chipset means getting satellite locks can be long and slow. Prices are not low enough to justify getting newer/ better models so my advice is avoid them, unless you like the retro sci-fi look on your wrist. Certainly don't buy one secondhand.
FR110 - basic, no frills running watch which can work with a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM). FR50 - no HRM. I would advise everybody to use a HRM if they are serious about training and improving their running. Even if you don't know how to do it now, we can help you find out. I wouldn't recommend these watches.
310XT - good for running and cycling and very waterproof (can be used in a pool). Now at the cheaper end, very good battery life, screen very visible. Looks a bit chunky. I use one and have no intention of changing it.
FR210/610 - last generation of watches. Not vastly different from the newer 220/620 models and price differences are not so significant. I'd advise going for the later models unless price is very important to you
FR220 - a very good running watch. No frills version, does all the basics very well. Fast satellite pick up, looks nice on the wrist, clear display, good battery.
FR620 - same as the 220 but has more features for the geeks. Some interesting stats like the amount you bounce up and down, measures cadence (no need for a footpod), measures the amount of time your foot is on the ground. You may not have the first idea what to do with such stats mind you, but you can get them. A significant price lift over the 220, so only get this if you are sure to value the extra features, or you are price insensitive.
910XT - the king of the triathlon watches. Much more expensive than the 310XT, looks much more sleek and has more features related to swimming stroke analysis. Prices around the same point as the FR620. If you are interested in triathlons but want to save some money on a new set of carbon rims, go for the 310XT instead.
Hope this helps.
I have the FR110 Garmin which works fine for me but I do dream of upgrading to the 310XT eventually.
With our travel plans upcoming it won't be anytime soon!
On Tuesday I decided to run from my work to my children's school to collect them, and then run the last km home from school while they road their bikes. It was only 8km from work to school and I was seriously struggling. The heat was so strong (2pm in the afternoon in the Darwin wet season = stupid running time!). I ended up looking like a lobster on my chest and arms and I think I had sun stroke. I was so emotional that night and my poor husband didn't know what was wrong with me. LOL I was loopy! So moral to the story - i will continue with my 5.30am runs and not try to change what is working!
I have a 26km LSR planned for Saturday morning, so will see how that goes! I am going to leave home at 5.30, and hope to be home by 8.30. My twin boys turned 9 the other day so we are having a party for them on Sunday so I have a ton of baking and preparations to do.. not to mention Europe plans. I have planned nearly everything - just have to organise Disneyland tickets, and Colosseum tickets.
On that note it is night time here so I better have another drink of water and head to bed... I have a 5.30am running date with my neighbour.
Hello everyone
It's 7 weeks on Sunday! Lordy, how time flies.
Training going reasonably well for me. No-one runs around this part of la France Profonde so I am always on my own. I am viewed as the local nutter but I'm used to it by now.
Had an aborted 32km run on Monday as I feared that I may get injured by airborne branches, such was the strength of the wind. Managed eventually to get out and do my LSR run yesterday in beautiful weather.
Don''t get me started on Garmins. I have an on-going battle with mine as no amount of resetting will convince the device that I am not a young, short and very heavy man!
Is the plan to meet in the Irish bar again after the race? My husband (who works in Paris) says that the Guinness is now watered down....sacre bleu !
Some very basic carbs when racing info:
There are whole books on this stuff, so I will try to be very concise about how much carbs you need to take in when running a marathon, to be able to chase down a good time. If I say anything incorrect or inaccurate, please let someone better informed correct it!
The average human body stores about 400g of carbs (the proper term is blood sugar or 'Glycogen'). It stores this in muscles and the liver. The glycogen is transported via blood.
A well trained athlete is capable of storing more glycogen than an untrained person (this is half the point of our LSRs!) but it is not significantly more. Also, the greater your body mass, the more glycogen you will store but you will also need more glycogen to move your mass so there's no advantage to be had. The opposite is true for lighter runners. Less mass, less storage ability but less energy needed to move that mass. So let's just go with the 400g of Glycogen for simplicity, just beware it is an average figure.
One of the problems with the mara is that we burn more carb energy more quickly than we can replace it. This is true for all people. Our energy comes in 3 main ways:
1) ATP - this is the chemical energy used to make muscles twitch. We have a few seconds worth of ATP in our muscles.
2) Carbs - these breakdown quickly into ATP. If we burn carbs aerobically - with oxygen, then the amount of ATP production is good. But if we burn those carbs anaerobically (without oxygen - say when we are sprinting), ATP production can be 19x LESS. So the higher up we run in our heart rate range, we get an ever more inefficient use of our carbs. So sprinting to overtake, varying our pace up and down, surging on a hill - these all use up huge amounts of extra energy.
3) Fats - these are very slow to breakdown into ATP and require lots of oxygen - so this only works well when we are running slowly. So when you've "hit the wall" or "bonked", this is where you have depleted all carbs and your muscles are only getting a slow delivery of ATP from fat. You. Just. Can't. Go. Faster. A slight variation on this is that we can also catabolise protein when we are low on carbs. Your body literally eats it's own muscle to power the muscles. You can tell when this has happened when you get horribly painful muscles in the following day after a run. Nothing to worry about - it just shows the body has extraordinary ways of being able to maintain delivery of energy in extreme circumstances.
So good marathon running relies on delivering carbs. Three strategies for doing this. i) Train to store more carbs in the body and do carb-loading before a race to ensure you are full of carbs. ii) Run more slowly to avoid burning carbs too quickly (but goes against our objective of finishing fast). iii) Replace carbs being burnt off as you run around. I'll focus on this from now on.
On average, a person will burn 120g of carbs as they run a marathon, per hour. But the body never allows for full, 100% depletion of carbs before it starts to rapidly reduce glycogen availability and increases fat supply (you start to hit the wall). So you have about 1.5-2.0 hours of running before carbs are wasted. The body can ingest 60-90g of carbs per hour (assuming a mix of sugar types - fructose and glucose go in different ways, so if you combine, you can get more in at the same time).
In effect, this means that most people could consume either one 600ml sports drink or 3 gel sachets per hour. It is essential for good carbs absorption for water to be present. Not a problem with a sports drink but with gels, it's a big issue. People often complain about feeling sick with them. Too much sugary gel in an hour, or too little water, is nearly always the issue.
If a person runs a 4hr mara and burns off 120g of carbs per ho
If a person runs a 4hr mara and burns off 120g of carbs per hour. They will be completely depleted after 3hrs and a bit but the body will have already started cutting down carbs from halfway through the race. If you start adding carbs after 5kms at a rate of 80g per hour, you can finish the race without your body cutting back on you
This graph illustrates what I just said. The blue line is the constant rate of carbs being burnt. The purple line is the carbs being added (none in the first few kms and none at the end as they won't bring any benefit as they take time to have an effect). The green line is the amount of carbs available. When you get under 50% of your carbs stock, the body starts to slowdown the supply.
Hope this is clear but questions happily answered.
TD - Great information there. I really don't think I take in enough during a marathon, but I have been experimenting on my LSR's so far and switching from SIS to High-5 gels seems to mean I can take more than two without my stomach deciding to cripple me. I'm planning to see how I get on with a mix of gels and Shotbloks this weekend.
TD - that's really interesting and thanks for taking the time to post. As Eggy says, that's way more than I would normally consume. I generally have 3 Shotbloks an hour, so for a 4 hour marathon that would be 2 packets (12 pieces). That formula suggests at 48g of carbs per packet I should be scoffing more than 6 packets (or 10 scoops of Perpetuem). I suspected I need to take on more to be able to finish strongly, but just how much more is a surprise. I might have to work up to that gradually.
Thanks for making the effort to post that thing on race carbs - TD - interesting stuff, I've learnt something today and will hopefully be better prepared for Paris as a result!
that boy loves a graph!
actually, just reading all that helps - I need to get on my first gel earlier for starters.
Agreed, thats a great post about the Carbs and its made me realise I need to have a rethink about my nutrition strategy.
And to Eggy - That link to the DC Rainmaker Paris review was awesome! I'm getting so excited now. Just hope for a bright clear day like it looks like it was last year.
Thaks Malcs and TD for the carb loading and race fuelling info. I need to increase my intake significantly!
10 very windy miles this morning. Feet up now watching the Olympic Ice Hockey.
910xt for me. Love it.
RR et al. The faster you run, the less flat your lactose profile is, the greater the rate at which you burn up your glycogen store. So don't read that graph as if it tells you what level of carbs you ought to take it. It's different for everyone. What it tells that applies to everyone, is two things:
1) Get on the carbs early. Don't wait until you are tired. It's already too late. No later than 5K, keep the intake regular. Little and often is better as the rate of absorption through the gut is smoother, less chance of feeling pukey.
2) The more aggressive your race strategy, the greater the risk of going past the point where the body chooses to limit glycogen supply. This is why a regular pace, even split marathon is almost always the best approach.
A final point I'll make is that if you go to a sports lab you can do a Lactose Profile test (usually at the same time as testing your VO2Max and MHR). This allows you to know very precisely the pace and HR at which you start to burn glycogen inefficiently - when you go anaerobic. Marathon running should always be below this lactate threshold otherwise it is impossible to complete the race without depleting carbs. For me, that point was around 88-89% MHR (I have probably lost a fair bit of base fitness since I last tested).
Thank you TD. Things I already knew but have blatantly tried to ignore.
Really struggle with this carb thing, as I am sure you do too? I think having two full days in Paris pre marathon ( if I get to run) make help as the travelling prior too certainly has an impact on food available.
Thank you for the info re Garmins.... Now to print off and leave lying around for all to see!
Planning on running with lady I haven't run with in 8 months tonight and really looking forward to it. Hope I am recovered enough to do it justice!
Probably not be on much for the next few days, but good luck to everyone running/ racing this weekend. I hope those will lurgy/ injury are better soon. Can't wait to see you all, and meet new peeps..... 7 weeks and I will be at the airport for leg 1!
Interesting stuff re carbs TD. I can only physically carry 6 gels with my belt and usually consume one each 6km. I've been training without gels this time in the hope that I get an added energy boost during the mara.
Its almost impossible to get the carbs in as gels or blocks etc. The only way to get that many carbs in per hour is as a drink - which is why elite runners use drinks and not gels when racing.
Weedy - please put me down for the Goergia Publix Marathon on March 23rd. I intend to use it as 26 of the 31 miles I have to do that day! And it s my hometown marathon