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It's a cliche but the crowd support gets you through it. Plus there is the safety element.
Re: Headphones - I'd say go without; every time I have run with them I can hardly hear the music over the crowd half the time anyway; much better to enjoy the atmosphere.
i think it would be really hard to run without them because I've trained with them do you train with them but not use them on the day?
cheers
Pacers don't bank time or do catch-up - we TRY to have as even pace as possible throughout.
I will wait for others to reply before elaborating on how i pace myself.
For the big marathons I wear and start my TWO cheapo (Argos £5.99) watches a few metres before the Start mats while mentally noting the clock time on the gantry. I then run at a pace I believe to be close to the race pace for the target time and note the gantry clock time at the first mile as the crowded start does not always allow free running with all sorts of eager beavers darting in and out and across ones path - even though I know where the pinch points at the turns are going to be (having run the course loads of times before I tend to run the least obstructive line which is not always the shortest blue line). After the first mile I adjust my pace to be spot on for the two miles and repeat this thereafter - my splits shown earlier show I am only a few seconds out either way until 25 miles/42km - very close to Big Ben afer which I ease off to come in bang on time.
Yes there are points in the race I have to put in extra effort to maintain the pace with the very slight undulations between miles 3 and 4 and again along the Highway (miles 12 - 14 and miles 21 - 23) with a little climb after Blackfriars Bridge at mile 24 but equally there is a good long downhill stretch either side of mile 19.
As for drink stations, I carry my own energy drink as back up and depending on the weather I regulate my fluid intake as appropriate. What I suggest to those running with me is to take in turns to grab extra drinks and pass them to others so that the pace is not affected as we go past the feed stations.
I hope this helps - particularly for the first timers and those following pacers - hopefully it also explains my angst regarding wearing headphones as I tend to chat along the way and hate not being heard - I now realise how my wife feels. lol
until 25 miles/42km
should read
until 25 miles/40km
I have never worn headphones and never will - same as Mo Farah and others who take running seriously.
I have been coaching people to run marathons and ultras for nearly twenty years. The dangers of wearing headphones are too many to mention but just to highlight the number of cases of women (in particular) wearing headphones while jogging who have been struck from behind before getting mugged and worse because they did not hear the assailant creep up behind them or are distracted by their music instead of concentrating on their pace are horrendous enough to put me off for advocating on behalf of those who say the cannot run without them.
Try it for a while and I would wager your performance will improve and you will enjoy the running even more. Also, you are limiting yourself to the races you can enter as there is an increasing number that will simply pull you out of the race midway if caught.
Again, this is my opinion based on the rationale above.
If they were banned outright, then of course don’t wear them but thousands of others will also be wearing them, they are only discouraged for the Top Top runners. I also take my running seriously and enjoy wearing head phones, when certain songs come on they can give a you a boost mentally and physically so will continue to wear them where the race allows it.
As for hearing safety notices etc, I always have the volume at a level where I can hear the person next to me talk when running, as talking to other runners can also give the said boosts, so hearing safety messages etc is never an issue for myself.
I have never worn headphones either but understand why some people wear them - I don't think it's any reflection on how seriously people take it?
I guess if you've trained with headphones then it might be helpful to have them as an option on race day? London is a pretty noisy race but if a certain track will get you through a rough patch, then why not?
Yeah i saw they went ahead with this strike hopefully it can be resolved just seems so selfish to do it on such an important weekend but i guess that's there point.
Has anyone received the final instruction email yet?
If you really want to enjoy the whole experience, surely open all you senses to the day, sights, smells (lot of pee on the London,
Fair point, the strike is threatened every year but is usually called off. Don't want to get "political", but personally, this stuff really p$%&es me off - I don't know / understand / or really care what their issues are, I just want them to do their job, and if they don't like it then perhaps find one which they do like. I resent the marathon being targeted and used as a blackmail opportunity by the RMT. Appreciate that not everyone will share my views, but FFS, this is my one weekend in London every year - I look forward to it for months and work hard to get myself there. Now my getting to the expo and to the start line is deliberately being made difficult so that the RMT can make a point? Like I said, I don't really care what their issues are, but any potential sympathies I might have had for their cause have gone out the window when they decided to f$%^ up my marathon weekend. I hope the RMT force KAD into a solution where they can't be held hostage to demands like this, and can instead just focus on delivering a professional service which doesn't get interrupted just because the RMT are unhappy.
Rant over. Feel better now.
On the plus side, I pulled a tendon in my knee a few weeks ago, and have pretty much missed the last 4-5 weeks of training. I wasn't sure I would be able to run London this year at all, and even if so, knew it would be painful and slow. But it seems like it's starting to clear up, just in time for taper (?), and I've managed a couple of long runs. I won't be getting a PB this year, but I will be there, which is a huge relief - I'm really looking forward to it now. Spring is in the air, and can't wait to say goodbye to winter by running London on the 22nd. See you all there.
i also feel your pain with the injury i hurt my hip somehow on my longest ever run 2 weeks ago (20 miles) then couldnt run all week but ground out a stubborn 20 miles again the week after in pain and its not gotten much better not been able to run since but going to get a massage tomorrow and hope that eases the pain.
Harmander just to go back to pacing questions (sorry!) I just wondered how many people roughly do you have running with you? Does it get pretty crowded? Also do you like people to come and introduce themselves to you in the pen and acknowledge that they'd like to run with you before setting off? Thanks in advance
I cannot put a figure on how many start off following me and my co-pacer and we don't expect people to come and tell us - the pens are pretty packed (9 pens each at Red & Blue starts plus two at the Green Start) holding 40,000 plus runners but those around us seem to be either excited or nervous when they smile at us. As we set off, some rush ff to get ahead of us while others are content to just follow us by having our backpack flags within their sight. Yes there would be say a hundred or so runners behind each of us pacers with some dropping off as the race progresses but others who have fallen behind the pacer in front would then tag along as they try to finish in their contingency time. Last year I had about 30 behind me by the time we reached Big Ben (25 mile mark) and as we coasted the last mile, some did make an effort to maintain if not increase the original pace which we encourage as we are expected to be no more than 90 seconds ahead (but never over). All we ask is for those running with us to not be running shoulder to shoulder as this can cause problems when we are overtaking those in front of us who may be struggling - it is also a little uncomfortable for everyone concerned. The only time I enjoy this closeness is when I am guide-running with a blind athlete - I have done this several times with Louise Simpson the GB double paralympian goal baller who has now taken up running. Hopefully my comments about headphones are better understood now.
It is always nice to be approached afterwards to tell us if you appreciated our help.
I hope I have answered your question.
Email received. Result! Now to print off and stick in race bag.
carpvw - I know that the whole point of a strike is to maximise leverage by threatening it when it will cause max. disruption. I guess I'm just looking at it from a customer's point of view - whatever their issue is (something to do with guards?), I don't care. I just want the DLR to be running when I need it to be. Accidents, breakdowns, etc. happen but this is completely avoidable.
Just hope it gets sorted out before the 20th.
This point has been discussed earlier. Please scroll up.
there are always people who duck in from the side when things start moving and the pen police have disappeared so that might be the way forward?