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Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon 2014
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I am not running this year but am doing the next best thing, volunteering as an Eventeer.
Good luck everyone!
Saw your hill in the park today reiki and then ran straight past it, wasn't in a hill mood today.
I liked the comment from Martin Yelling in the news letter about doubting yourself at this point in the training. I'm going through waves of highs and lows at the moment so good to know its something that a lot of people go through and really what we have to do is trust our training.
so got the email about getting to the start...not sure what to do - we are staying in the city centre but OH doesn't want to get out of bed to drop me off. Was thinking about getting the shuttle from the station - but there is no info about getting back into town afterwards. OH would probably walk out the finish to see me finish - so then how do the 2 of us get back to the car in the city centre. I hate these logistical problems!
I think that, like CatCat, I am experiencing waves of high and low confidence about the marathon - swinging from one to the other on an almost daily basis!
Although I got in some really good training runs last month, I pushed myself a bit too hard and have had to pull back and rest in order to minimize the risk of a DNS. I followed my first ever 18 miler on Sunday 17 August with a hilly 16 miler on Saturday 23 August... although on separate weekends this put the two hardest runs I have ever done within 6 days of eachother and I began to suffer. 2 full rest days later and I struggled around 4 really hard miles on dead legs. At the minute, I have not run since 26 August. Some of this was a planned gap as I was walking in the Alps over the weekend, so this is not a complete activity gap - but nonetheless with my first 20 miler scheduled for this weekend I am hoping the rest time away from running will see me refreshed, rather than having got me out of my groove!
From here the plan is a well-rested 20 this weekend, 12/13 the following weekend, a less well-rested 20 the following weekend and then taper madness!
Incidentally, whilst in the Alps I was fortunate enough to get to see the end of the Ultra Tour du Mont Blanc - absolutely inspirational! We first arrived to the finish on Saturday evening and saw Anton Kupricka from the elites coming home in 26 hours despite not being able to take in calories for much of the race and needing a lengthy sit down at one of the aid stations.... and we also spent some time on Sunday morning watching the more "normal" runners coming in after having spent some 40 hours (and two overnights) running. Really amazing stuff...
Well done Holland it sounds like you're going to be fine to me, take the 20 miler steady and you'll be well set.
I did my first 20 mile run on Sunday 24 August and felt good, did a shorter 12 miles this Sunday just gone followed by some intervals on Tuesday am, suffering now with achilles and calf trouble and I have a half marathon this weekend. I think I'll still do the half but hold off on intervals after that, I always seem to have calf problems for a few days after interval sessions. As much as I enjoy speedwork it's not worth it at this stage.
Hopefully another couple of 20 / 22 mile runs to come if I can keep injury free.
Quite inspirational for marathon runners, If they can go through that, then why can't we run 26 miles.
I thought I'd come and join the thread. I was PB hunting when I applied but I haven't been as focused on training as I should have done. Training suggests around the 3h15m mark. Thanks for updating the nutrition available on the course. I don't know why that isn't up on the website. I'll test out the High 5 gels today but I'll take some of my tried and tested SIS caffeine gels with me as well on the day and plan around that.
I had a friend do UTMB also, she hasn't sold it to me!
So I managed 21 miels this morning, the leg is slowly improving, however I'm not getting the quality pacework sessions in, everything is very hard work when a nerve doesn't fire up as it should.
Happy enough though, think I can get round now, am improiving week on week, so may even scrape sub 4.
I booked the shttle from the station. You have to specify your outbound journey time in wavebands 7:00 - 7:30 etc...then I think you just go to the buses when you're ready t the finish if you want a lift back [I'll hopefully walk back].
I may get a lift with my sister's various connections but didn't want t take a chance for the sake of a fiver.
Hope you're all doing well and getting excited, it's soooooooon!
In case anyone is interested, they seem to have snuck the 2014 update of the route map up onto the website now:
http://www.theyorkshiremarathon.com/media/30761/route_map.jpg
Best I can tell, the only updates are with respect to the positioning/marking of the hydration/nutrition options.... dont think there are any changes to the route?
Gareth - thanks for the kind words, although I am still struggling mentally with the idea that I will be all set! Hope that your achilles/calf is on the mend.
Ed- Welcome aboard the thread! What is your current PB that you would have been targetting, had all gone better?
Rabbit - So soon.... so scarily (yet excitingly!) soon! Congrats on the 21 miles!!
Well for me it is another weekend down, another slightly confusing long run tucked away! Had hoped to get in 20 miles this weekend (well, 32km, as I tend to measure runs in km). However, I only managed 30km on this occasion.
On the plus side, 30km is still my longest run (by a paltry 1km) and, as I was running this slower than previous long runs I managed to accumulate an extra 15-20minute of "on the feet time". However, I was a complete eejit in terms of route planning for this one - I normally run through a couple of Royal Parks during my long runs, and so have got into the habit of not worrying about hydration, as I always pass a couple of water fountains en route. This time, I moved to a new (park-less) route, forgot to plan for hydration, and ended up doing the whole 30km without a single drink!
So therein lies the confusion - I was very disappointed in myself not to have been able to push myself along to hit the planned distance. But at the same time I had created a silly uphill battle to fight against, which may in part explain why the wheels were falling off in advance of hitting the distance.
Still, 30km is 30km, and thankfully the timings will allow me to have another crack at a 32km training run the weekend after next.
Hope everyone else had a fun, or at least productive, long run weekend!
I may attempt to pick the brains of some of you more experienced types later this week, as I try to figure out what pace I should be aiming for in the marathon, given recent training feedback...
I spent last week on holiday in Tuscany, so had pushed a bit leading up to it in the knowledge the week would be easier (not to mention that wine/beer consumption would increase). I'd had sniff round where we were staying on Google Earth but I hadn't appreciated just how hilly it was. Ran 10k the morning after we arrived. Down the hill and back up the hill...
Chesterfield Half Marathon next Sunday for me and then two last LSRs before it's taper time. Need to read up on the transport options to/from the start.
Keep on running everyone.
Managed a Half Marathon PB yesterday of 1.41.38 and no real injuries worries, we're going away for a week on Saturday so I will get 3 or 4 runs in but not in the 20 mile range.
Feeling like a 3hr 45 - 3hr 50 is possible if I keep on track from now
Awesome time garethbotterill, you can definitely aim for 3h 45 from here.
Off to check the revised map...
Thanks reikirabbit, hope so. I would really love to do the full distance without having to walk, don't know if that's possible though.
If you can run 1:41 for the half, winding the pace back and following the 3:56 pacer should be comfortable for you.
I'm thinking of trying to start with the 3:56 entourage and, if everything is good, hopefully speed up later on. 3:56 would be a big PB for me anyway though, so would be chuffed to finish under the magic 4 hours.
Gareth why would you have to walk? Or let me re-phrase that - if you're going to adopt a run/walk strategy why not do it from the off? There's a oach at my club who tells me I'd smash my PB if I did a run/walk, and Bobby Mc Gee has loads on this, arguably more eefficient strategy for anyone over 3 hours.
The thinking is don't wait til you have to walk / slow down, start at the sustainable pace / arrangement.
I ran 4:35 for Edinburgh in 2011 (no doubt I mentioned it earlier in the thread!) but when I hit the wall, I went from averaging something like 5:40 to 5:50 per KM to 7 or 8 minute per KM. I WILL fuel better this time!!!
Thanks for the name of Bobby McGee reiki - in my ignorance I'd never considered a run/walk strategy for a time under 4 hours. Always interesting to read alternative plans (though I don't think it's the time to start changing my plans!)
Ran 15km last night, steady around 5mn/km but it felt like hard work all the way. I did 11km on Sunday evening at a very similar pace and that felt so much easier. Perhaps the Sunday roast + pudding made for good running fuel?
I try to use the shorter runs to go a bit faster, avoid being one paced.
The good run I had last Sunday was 8:14/mile. Garmin Connect reckons my average HR was 152bpm.
My last long run of 30km averaged out at 9:12/mile, average HR being 148bpm. I know I should possibly slow that down a bit more but I find my running form goes out the window trying to go slower and I reckon I look like Quasimodo out for a trundle.
Away from all my stat's, my race pack arrived yesterday. I'm in zone 2 at the start.
Ours have arrived today, I'm in Zone 5 and Keith Zone 6. We want to run together so need a careful read to see if I can drop back a zone or we need to sort a meeting point out en route. Got a 21 miler planned for Sunday round the Guild Wheel.
Race pack arriving this morning has put me in a better mood, that and a ten mile run in the New Forest a couple of days ago.
Supposed to have Northampton half on Sunday but might skip that and do a 3 hour run instead to get more time on my feet as only really have this weekend and next before we get to taper madness time.
Judith, I can't see them complaining too much about you dropping down a pen, pretty standard procedure.
Chris, know what you mean about running form when you go slower than normal. I feel that my legs just don't swing right, hopefully it's all in our minds.
My number arrived today - Zone 2 - hope my sis got the same.
Managed 21 miles today. So we are both feeling more confident. It was tough, hot and at times windy and the wind was in our faces not from behind
. But we got round and let the taper begin. Been dreaming about this!!
Monday greetings fellow Yorkies.
Feeling good today, if a little tired after the Chesterfield Half yesterday. New PB of 1:43:24, just a few seconds off being a 5 minutes improvement.
Two hard weeks of training left, then it's taper time. I was very concerned when a colleague came into the office this morning sniffling - stay away you evil germs!
You can move back zones just not allowed to move forwards, read that yesterday in the pack.
Have seen the map of the course now does anyone know if there is a profile of the course anywhere, just wondering how big and at what point the hill is near the end that people mentioned.
edit found one in the previous thread
for last years event
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/226837063/
Davey - plucked this example GPS track for last year's race off Strava. This shows the profile: http://www.strava.com/activities/92390959/overview Overall it is pretty flat, and it does not look like the last hill is anything massive topographically... it is just positioned very very late in the game! Try "walking" up the hill in Google street view and you can also get some sense of what lies in wait...
For me, I had a great cutback weekend, with a scheduled half marathon training run. Decided to have some fun with this run and threw in some hills and trails in the first half (my first trail running - exhilarating, even on the relatively urban trails I found to run on!) ran at LSD pace, with the final 3-4 flat miles at tempo pace to bring the overall run to goal marathon race pace. Not sure if you would find that session outlined in any coaching manual, but it was a LOT of fun, and finding that I can so comfortably cover the half marathon distance, and "play" over that distance, has provided me with a lot of confidence.
Now just 20 miles next weekend standing between me and the taper beyond...
Chri5B - congratulations, great time.
Thanks for all the course profile info, had been looking on MapMyRun and was discovering a lot of variance.
It still looks nowhere near flat, and from my recce a couple of weeks ago it isn't! Maybe it depends what you're used to.
I'd been considering differential pacing in blocks to suit the dips & climbs!
Reikirabbit - I took a look through some of the records of last year's Yorkshire Marathon on Garmin Connect and noticed that the majority of records with elevation correction enabled showed the entire course change in elevation to be around 130m. My most recent 30km run was along the Thames and was thus completely flat barring for occasional dips on and off the riverside and going over bridges, and my similarly-measured elevation gain was around 110m. Going on this, I was expecting this to feel like mostly pretty flat day out.
However, very aware that the proof is in the pudding, and so I would be really interested to hear some more details around your recce run on the course - what parts you ran, your overall view of the course and hillyness etc