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Paris Marathon 2016
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Ness and List Fairy ...it's Sept 6th the week after Severn Bridge!
Been a while catching up on everybody's updates. I think it was TD that asked if anyone felt the earthquake. Well, yes, it was felt on the South Essex coast. I was getting ready to fly to Sweden, very early,eating my breakfast, and my wife came running downstairs claiming the whole house was shaking. I didn't notice a thing!
Was in Sweden for the Gothenburg Half. Absolutely brilliant race and super sunny weather. Looks like we stole all the good weather from the Stockholmers a week later. Was very hot and hilly. I managed a decent time (but 5 mins slower than PB) and Mrs LloydR ran her first ever half.
Super well done to the Comraders and Stockholmers and any others racing this last weekend. I've enjoyed watching your progress and updates.
I've never been so wet in all my life as I was during the Stockholm marathon, it started raining just as we got about a mile in and it was absolutely belting it down for the whole of the second half, water was running down the streets in rivers, puddles were up to your ankles, it really was completely miserable out there. Despite that I did actually enjoy the route and the run and would certainly recommend it.
But I don't think I've ever been so miserable at the end of a marathon, everything was soaked, even the finishers tshirt I got needed wringing out, I couldn't even use it as a towel when I went to get changed (in a corridor with no benches and only a wet floor and hundreds of bedraggled runners!!)
The medal is beautiful though, it's quite possibly my new favourite, well worth the pain and the wet!!
I loved Stockholm, but could have done without the soaking. That really was the first time in my life were I felt worse once I stopped running! I was shivering and shaking the whole way back to the hotel. I must have spent at least 30 minutes just standing in the shower getting warm again.
Stockholm was a bit of a strange one for me. I didn't think of going for a PB time, just to run and see how I felt. In Paris I knew I was going to go after my old PB and was delighted when I broke it. On Saturday I just felt good for most of it and it paid off with another couple of minutes getting chopped off my time. I might be strange but bizarrely enough I'd rank Paris and Stockholm as the two easiest marathons I've ran, both physically and mentally. These runs are far less trouble when you are in good form.
As always there are lessons to be learned. Mine are to pack the right shorts you big eejit! I normally run marathons in my Ronhill cargo shorts which have pockets for my gels. I packed the wrong shorts, so had to use a stuff the gels under my watch strap mechanism. Secondly, check the frickin weather report! Nothing was going to stop any of use getting soaked on Saturday, but not bringing a change of gear for after the race was a huge mistake. I dread to think how bad I looked when I bumped into Picklelilly at the Metro station!
I would recommend Stockholm as a race. Good event and a beautiful city. Glad I got to share this one with some lovely folks from here.
I'm also really tempted to buy the photo's from this one, as they are soooooo bad they're good!
I learned a couple of things from this one too:
1. Always take a towel, especially when you've known all along that you're going to get wet!
2. Take a rucksack with proper shoulder straps as carrying a bag with soaking kit feels sooo much heavier after you've run 26.2
3. Don't expect your husband to thank you for jogging the last 5 miles with him even though he tells you you're not to beat him as you attempt to overtake!!
Love number three!
I'm still waiting for it Eggy, don't think it's ever going to come!
Well done guys for surviving Stockholm. Isn't it weird how the weather can vary so much in marathons, just think how Paris was! I did Stockholm in 2013 and it was boiling hot and sunny for about the first hour of the race, and then rained hard for the rest of it. I had also seen that the weather in a previous year had been around 3 degrees, and another year 30 degrees! I think they should move it to a more stable time of year, they seem to have a lot of races in September over there.
I must say I got my best collection of race t-shirts ever at the Stockholm Expo so hopefully that was good this year.
I didn't buy any t-shirts. The last thing I need is any more running t-shirts.
That was marathon number 15 for me. Funnily enough it's the first one where it's rained, and boy did it rain! I've done a few in stupidly warm weather. I'll take the rainy one over them any day.
Yes I agree Eggy, it's still easier to run in the rain than it is in the heat.
I have post-marathon uhhhg-ness, lack of interest in anything really. I just looked at Oslo marathon though, including flights *shakes head*.
If you're thinking Norway it has to be the Midnight Sun marathon in Tromso.
I'm starting to fight off a cold, which isn't surprising after Saturday.
Loving the race reports coming in. Some really heroic stuff for the BCRC last weekend (for the individuals really, but I will bask in your glory via the association). Your endurance and tolerance levels are so much higher then mine. Massive respect to you all.
Can't believe that the 18 week plan for Amsterdam starts in only 2 weeks
After Paris when I just took it easier because of injury in training I had half a thought of going for a sub four for only the second time in a marathon in stockhom
I knew the weather would play a part but hoped cool weather would help me
At the expo I bought honey gels which I had never tried before, but thought what's that can happen !
On race day had my 3 honey gels and 4 normal gels but after running 300 metres dropped all my honey gels and one normal gel , so I'll never know if they were any good
As said before weather was horrendous , never looked at my garmin from mile 2 until mile 24 when I realised I could get sub four if I pushed on
Getting closer to the stadium with mins to go I thought I'd make it easliy
However those dastardly swedes make you run all the around the stadium before letting you into the track to let you finish in style
So with a mighty sprint on the track I got 3:59:31 and mild hyperthermia
Felt worse when I stopped than I did running
Great marathon , pity about the weather
beechams reported a sales spike in northern europe today
Get well soon Stockholmers, well done
Great stockholm reports.. Huge respect for your webbed feet!
hope you don't mind me asking but I have a vague plan for the next month and wanted your opinions. I also wondered if I ought to try an autumn half as a build up to Paris( my marathon debut!).
wk I - 5 mile hilly with group, 3mile faster, 7 miles
wk2 - 18 mile training walk, 3-4 mile, 5 miles
wk3- 7 miles ,3-4 miles , 3 miles, 20 mile pink ribbon walk
wk4 5 miles with group, 3 miles faster, 8 miles
Comrades report for those who haven't already read it (and want to):
It was never really my intention to run Comrades more than once. I always said a race is an experience to be enjoyed, but not repeated. That idea died in Paris for the same reason I went back for my second Comrades. People. Some who were once strangers and are now friends. Some new friends who have now become as close as family. And many nameless who have remained strangers along the side of the road. That is the real draw.
Training for the Up run went fine. A little more mileage than last year. Some food long training runs. No significant injuries. So I felt confident that if nothing unusual occurred, I would likely finish. But I needed a better race plan - something more structured. So I chose a fixed run/walk irrespective of terrain. I also set myself an 11 hr target.
The pre race days were once again filled with fun and anxiety. Linda was there this time, as well as my brother Rod and his husband Chris. Alison joined in and together we set off on this adventure. The park run was huge fun. Ate at some very good places. But in the back of our minds all the time was the race. The heat. The humidity. The hills. Or really, the Hills. In a pre race talk Bruce Fordyce described the hills that "break you".
Alison met me and a few others in the lobby at 4:30 and we walked to the start. The pens filled quickly with nervous chatter. And then the anthem started. Like most white South Africans my age, I had never learned this anthem. But this year was different. I had learned it over the last few months with this race in mind. And now, with thousands of others, I sang the anthem in full for the very first time. I think that's where I began to lose hydration first. Then a jubilant renditions of Shosholoza, the cockerel's crow and we were off.
I should have started walk breaks immediately, but held off for about 4 miles. Then I went into my plan, and all was well until about mile 7 when I caught sight of the sub-11 hr pace group. I joined them and within 2-3 miles realized they were going on a 10 hr pace. Way too fast, but I stayed. That was my mistake. I should have dropped back but stuck with them for almost 3 hours - during which we took 1 walk break. After dropping off I resumed my schedule, but the extreme conservatism of the first half has been ignored and it cost me in time and pain later. My fault. I was not disciplined enough.
At the top of the second major climb - Fields Hill - I found the BCRC flag and the family. Seeing the flag from afar is a huge boost. I grabbed some chips and was gone again in less than 20 seconds. By halfway I was still on an 11 hr pace, but after that it began to change. I was having trouble running up the major hills and mostly walked them. Then I would cramp on the downhill slowing me to a stop. I have never cramped before. It took me a while to figure out how to stop that, but I did.
I never had a bad enough patch where I doubted I would finish. My legs were tired and my old back pain had returned, But I really was in good spirits. I loved the crowd interaction. The shirt got tons of comments and photos. I stopped once to pee and once because a spectator insisted on a photo. No other stops at all in the entire day. Just kept moving forward. Every water table I took 4 sachets - I drank one and poured the other 3 over me. It was hot. I ate something every 30 minutes or so. I never passed an orange without taking it. I chatted to fellow runners.
I loved seeing the disabled kids at the Ethambeni School. I high fived them all. I wish I had something to give them.
The final hill is Poly Shorts. It is 1.8 km of sheer pain. It climbs steeply, and after 75km your legs see no reason to continue. My quads burned with every step. But I knew a prize awaited at the top. For once you cre
Wendy - That looks fine. Just hope you have some comfortable walking boots for those walks.
Targeting an autumn half isn't a bad idea. That could be a good confidence boost. Just remember that come the end of that you'll be thinking you couldn't have gone a step further. That's normal and you'll be fine come Paris.
Thanks eggy.
dannir- thanks for writing that I will never do anything like that but am fascinated by those who do and what it's like. Incredible achievement xxxx
Wendy D - Paris 2014 was my first marathon. Although I had previously run a few half marathons before that I set a half marathon target in the Autumn allowing an 18-week plan to progress on to the full marathon. That seemed to work for me. Scored a half PB and then went on to finish Paris. There are plenty of plans out there that will help you progress from your current run & walk plans and up the mileage to a half marathon run.
Dannir - I think you ran out of space and your tale has been cut short ...
That sounds like a good plan for June Wendy. If you get to 8 miles by the end of June then an Autumn half marathon sounds realistic to me. I wouldn't worry at all about speed - increasing the endurance without getting injured is the important thing
Wendy - I commend you for thinking so far in advance about your training! I entered Paris 2014 as my first marathon and started training the Xmas before it, so there were 3 full months and it really wasn't anywhere near enough. I think that a successful plan will be one that allows you to build a very solid base of shorter runs before you progress to trying longer things. One initial aim might be to get out 5 times a week and cover 5 miles per session, you might still need to build up to this a bit as the cumulative effect of running 5 times a week can be tiring, but it builds strength and stamina! The problem that I think most people new to marathons have is that they fixate upon the distance rather than the frequency of runs, so they get stuck putting themselves through very long and tiring runs that knock them out of the game for a few days afterwards, and I think this doesn't help in the long run. This may apply to you with your 8 mile run that you have planned. At the moment it is so far out from the race that it may possibly be more beneficial if you cut that in half and did 2 days of exercise instead of 1, and did 4 miles for each. If you build a good base up by going out for shorter runs more regularly it will help you with the longer runs later on - you don't really need to be worrying about distance until you're say 3 months away from the race.
Ah but I forgot about the Autumn half that you have planned!
In that case you do want to build the distances up, sorry, should've read it a bit better!!
Oops. Here's the rest
The final hill is Poly Shorts. It is 1.8 km of sheer pain. It climbs steeply, and after 75km your legs see no reason to continue. My quads burned with every step. But I knew a prize awaited at the top. For once you crest that monster, there is just 7.2 km of undulating hills to the finish. With plenty of time in hand.
The street of Pietermaritzburg are lined with gold on race day. Not the kind you mine, but the kind you only find in the hearts of strangers treating you as royalty. Willing you on to the finish. Like last year, entering the stadium is indescribable. The noise from the crowd drives you forward. It carries you on fresh legs. And the you cross the line and realize, for the first time, that it really is done. The duo of an Up and a Down run is complete. And for a kid who grew up in a sport loving South Africa as the fat kid who never participated, that never seemed possible. I finished in 11.31 - 2 minutes slower than last year and I am extremely happy with that. There were a lot of people who did not finish, an entire pace group that missed a cutoff and were pulled from the race, and several serious medical issues for some. I think my preparation was right, and I am sure that that along with the incredible support of family and friends is what ensured a safe result.
I searched the International tent for Alison and the family, finding neither. This really worried me. I watched the cutoff come and go, with heartbreaking results, and still couldn't find them. Finally I borrowed a phone and got Linda. They had returned to Durban as traffic would not allow them into Pietermaritzburg. I found Alison. . Now we could really celebrate as all was well. I was just incredible to have Linda, Rod and Chris this year. It transformed the weekend.
The up run for me was the more difficult of the two. It is absolutely true that they are two completely different races. I am no longer a novice.
Today I sit in a game reserve overlooking the Sabi River. Animals come and go. And all I can think about is how much Africa has given to me. It's people have cheered me through two tough journeys in the Valley of 1000 Hills, and it's animals have reminded me of our responsibility to them. It's rivers run through my veins and it's soil supports me underfoot.
Alan Paton in "Cry the beloved country" describes it as "beautiful beyond and singing of it". I always thought he was right, but he's not. I know know there is a song that stands up to that measure, and it begins like this: "Nkosi sikeleli Africa" (God bless Africa).
A great read again Dannirr - very nearly makes me want to run myself, until I remind myself that I struggle enough with the marathon distance and perhaps I should try to get that one properly done before I start thinking of anything further!
Wendy - an autumn half sounds like a good plan to me as it will give you a nice gradual build up in distance, and then you'll be a bit more comfortable going on to 'stage 2'! Also good to have a measure of you where you are by that point to compare against if you do a half as part of your training for Paris, hopefully you'll see an improvement in both speed and how you cope with the distance!
Here's my race report. I'm afraid the problem with ultra runners is that we have a lot of time to think about stuff, so you end up with ultra race reports too...
This year was a different challenge. Last year was a total leap into the unknown. I'd never run more than 37 miles before, so I had no idea if I could even cover the distance on the flat, let alone with hills, within the 12 hour cutoff. This year I at least knew I could do that, but I had no idea how I would cope with the 'up' run (Pietermaritzburg is over 600m above the start and there are a lot of 'undulations' along the way). Although the up route is normally a couple of miles shorter than the down, we had been told to expect to take 20 minutes longer. Plus, because of roadworks this year, there was an extra 800m added to the route. So, with a finish time of 11:23 last year, I didn't have a lot of buffer time.
One advantage of the up run is that it starts in Durban, so it was just a short walk from my hotel to the 5:30am start, rather than a long bus journey. I had a slower qualifying time this year, so I was starting further back. There are several rituals at the start, and I was now familiar with the singing of 'Shosholoza', the South African national anthem, and the Chariots of Fire music. And it still made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Then the cock crow, and we were off.
I was over the line in under 6 minutes. My plan was to run to average pace - all I had on my Garmin screen was average pace, time and distance. I was hoping to keep to a 4/1 minute run/walk strategy, with a bit more walking on the up and a bit less on the down. I had practiced this in training. It's hard to take the walk breaks at the start, when you're feeling fresh, but you have to be disciplined.
The hills started straightaway with a long pull up the motorway out of Durban. I had a bit of a moment when I dropped the top of my water bottle (I carried my own water at the start to avoid the first few chaotic water stations). I had to scuttle in front of a giant Zulu guy - instead of tutting he just grinned at me and said 'oopsie daisy'!
I was playing a little game in my head of 'how long would it be before I meet someone who knows Emmy_H?' And sure enough, about mile 7 I got chatting to a guy called Douglas in a 100 club vest. He was pacing his sister for her first race.
I was relieved to find the hills weren't as bad as I'd feared (in my head they were just one giant 'up') and the walk/run was working out OK. I would 'bank' a walk break by missing it out on a down so I could use an extra on the up. I was running for a while with the 11 hour 'bus' (pace group). This worried me a bit, because that was a much quicker finish than I was going for, but my own average pace was bang on, so I kept going.
I had some jelly babies and marzipan with me which I used early on, then mostly kept going with coke, lurid green sports drink and bananas from the aid stations. This worked well - as long as I had some water with the sugary drinks I had no digestive issues. There are loads of aid stations, about every mile or so, so you never need to go long without what you need. At one point I stopped at one of the tables set up by the locals, in search of something salty. 'How about some salt?' they said, and gave me a bag of pink crystals which were, I think, Himalayan rock salt. (Don't accept bags of mysterious crystals from strangers, children).
I saw Dannir at about 26 miles. He was looking strong, but we were doing different walk/run strategies so we just waved at each other in passing. I saw his family later, with the Stool flag, which was a great boost.
I made it to half way spot on the average pace I wanted. I knew this gave me a buffer of a positive spilt of an hour, with most of the big hills behind me, so I felt I could relax a bit. I stopped to text to say I was still alive but it was difficult because the sweat kept dripping off my nose on to the screen. It was warm (mid-20's, I think), but not as warm as last year. I got a lump of ice from an aid station and put it under my hat, but it was quite pointy so I must have been running along looking like a Smurf until it melted.
I lost touch with the 11 hour bus eventually, which was a relief because it was very crowded. I was still keeping to the pace I wanted, and eventually the 11:30 bus overtook me. I stuck with them for a while (the 'bus driver' was my friend with the penguin on his head from last year), especially on the hills. But they took quite a long time at the water stations, because they were so crowded, so eventually I pulled ahead of them. The buses aren't infallible - one of the 12 hour ones missed the cutoff, which must have been awful.
I was slowing a bit by now, but because I'd run well over 40 miles by that stage, my average pace wasn't changing much. I walked up Polly Shortts, the last big hill. Soon after that I got chatting to a girl in a GB vest. We stuck to a 2/1 run/walk strategy rigidly from then on. That was a great help - having someone to talk to really helps take your mind off the pain, and I'm sure we both finished much faster than we would have done otherwise.
The finish in Pietermaritzburg is much nicer than Durban. It's just a small town, and at the end you run down through an avenue of palm trees with cheering supporters on both sides. I did a bit of shameless showboating round the stadium and steamed across the finish line in 11:08 for my back to back medal. I was delighted to be 15 minutes quicker than last year.
Looking back, what was different? My training was very similar, although I'd done a few more long runs. I was slightly lighter, which I think helped. I wasn't running any faster when I was running, but I think I walked less towards the end, and my quads weren't as mashed as on the down run. And it really helped to have company for the last few miles.
Will I be back? Probably not. I've got my back to back medal, and two years of fantastic memories. From very difficult moments to moments of absolute joy. I've met some inspiring people, heard stories of triumph and disaster. I've seen jaw-droppingly beautiful scenery, and paddled in the ocean. I owe a special thanks to Dannir for talking me into it in the first place, and it was great to meet his family this year and have their support.
What's my one lasting memory from this year? Just after the finishing pen there was a man lying stretched out on the ground. His eyes were shut. But he was holding his medal, and smiling. I know how he felt.
So Dannirr and Running Rodent - normally after finishing a marathon we tend to feel an almost instant need to enter another! Is that the same for ultras or is it really just too shattering to ever contemplate another!?
I'm struggling with the post-marathon need to enter something else right now! Thankfully my calendar is already very busy so I've got to just sit still and not do anything stupid!
Well done everyone!
Am enjoying the rest days - I did cycle to the pub and back yesterday, which was nice.
Support was amazing in Stockholm, thank you minions! Got slapped on the bum by Scott at mile 8 and got an 'Allez Madame' soon after from a lovely French lady who recognised the Arc and the Eiffel from my BCRC vest.
Stockholm was wet and cold but I really enjoyed it and a controlled, steady 4:19 pace has given me loads of confidence for Amsterdam, which is great. I'm currently mainlining Redoxon in an attempt to stave off the inevitable post race sniffles.
I have no plans for June beyond a couple of weddings, a hen do, my birthday and a gig or two. I might do parkrun. I'd like to get my diet in order so when my training for Amsterdam starts I'll be in a good place, nutrition wise. I also want to carry on stretching and planking - from the marathon videos, you can see that my right leg is extremely naughty and I need to do something about those wayward muscles.
Today was one of those days when it is a joy to run.
But it didn't start out that way. I'm on week 2 of 18 of my Berlin Marathon training and it is a bit of a chore. It doesn't seem like I've had much of a break between races and now I'm on another long hard plan. Well my plan for today has me down for a 10 mile steady run and I wasn't feeling it. I commute into London and have to fit mid-week runs in before work. So this meant a 4am start. Groan. But I made myself set the alarm, tried to get the kids to bed early so that I could too, but they were full of energy and weren't having any of it. Then when I was in bed I was full of thoughts. Especially what I'm going to say at my father's funeral tomorrow - words churning through my mind.
So, after little sleep, the alarm went off at 4am. I got up, got ready, fed the cat, and went out. Just after 4am and it was already light. The birds were twittering like crazy. And it was very cool, but pleasantly so, I just needed to warm up. I jogged the 100m to the beach and set out along the coast path. Straight away I could see a clear blue sky with the night's moon still high in it, no breeze at all and the sea was as calm as you like. So still it was like glass. So peaceful. Already my mood was lifted.
A few aches and pains that were there when I started out soon eased away and I headed in-land. My route took me along a number of paths and through parks, all green and fresh in the early morning dew and not a soul about. It was wonderful. I finished the run with a 3 mile run back along the seafront, with wide open sky and the sea perfectly still and without a ripple. By this time the sun was up and gave a warm glow. In the space of a 10 mile run all my thoughts and worries had lifted , I'd had a good think about the words I will use in my speech tomorrow and gathered lots of great memories of my dear old Dad.
What a great old thing this running lark is. I'm sat at my desk now, in my office (the gherkin building if anyone knows that) by the window with a great view over the city of London. The skies are still blue and I'm ready to tackle the day.
Wishing all of you a great run like I've just had.