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So, I'm now back to 'running' again and look forward to seeing Becca at the 30k on Sunday. I'm now very under-trained so will treat it as a very slow run/walk test, keeping heart rate down.
Yes, I will still be running the London, at whatever pace I may be ready for! That might be my last chance for a sub-5. I've not given up on Comrades just yet! Who else is running London - I've lost track? Depending on the next few weeks' progress (or not), I might be having a try at Utrecht Marathon next month - watch this space.
I see mention of other injury issues, especially Bike it's. Don't give up - you all have the ability, if you heal and or avoid further injury - still 4 months to sort out problems! I also see lots of seriously good training among most of you - keep it up!
The pacing I have used for BR is:
- 'flat' 5:40-5:45 per km
- uphill 6:00 - 6:30 per km depending on gradient
- downhill (1st half) no faster than 5:20 per km
- downhill (2nd half) as flat pace
- walking 12 min per km (strategy 3 minutes every 10km, getting more frequent towards to the end)
Get to half way no earlier than after 4:15 for you. Second half you would have a maximum 30 minutes positive split
A 3:23 marathon is marginal for a BR, but it is achievable. It depends on many factors
Also, rather differently to these day's recommendations, I didn't take any planned walk breaks at all, other than a couple of quick stops in the bushes, a few 10 second walks through later water stations (to not slop the coca cola!) and a couple of minutes getting a sore knee strapped at about 60km .
I think MM's 3:23, given good management on the day, bodes well for his BR.
The only occasion I ran a BR (8:48 2012 Down) I had a marathon PB of 3:20 and a kilometer less to run than 2018 runners. I have toed the line with 3:10 (Sea Level at 12C) and 3:15 (1600m altitude at 24C) in my qualifiers and been slower on Comrades day.
As Terry says, management on the day is critical.
As is avoiding over-training which I am very good at (over-training that is rather than avoiding it).
One of the reasons I credit my good time of 2012 is that I was injured from late January to middle of February (after aggressive training in November and December). I had to cautiously build up from mid-February and only got up to 20 mile long runs at the end of March. I didn't do any speedwork and I did strengthening exercises. Consequently I was appropriately trained rather than overtrained.
The following years I trained more and more and got slower and slower........
I've updated it with mine and no doubt made a mess.
Hotels
Belaire Suites: Terry48, Bike It, Debra Bourne, Dannir, Carmen23, Southern Snail
City Lodge: Becca7
Hilton: lowrez
Comrades 2018 Qualification
25 Feb Seville Marathon becca724Sep Berlin (M) marty74-Q3:14-PenB, jkissane-Q3:09-PenB
24Sep Loch Ness (M) seren nos-Q4:51-PenH
08Oct Chicago (M) Matt.., Dannirr
15Oct Leicester (M) Becca7
15Oct Amsterdam (M) Mac3
15Oct Detroit (M) lowrez
21Oct Betteshanger Marathon (M) Debra Bourne
22Oct Betteshanger Challenge (L) Debra Bourne
22Oct Ultra Trail De Edinburgh (U) marty74
19Nov Cornish Marathon (M) marty74
24Nov to 03 Dec Seaside Series (10 Marathons in 10 Days) (M) Debra Bourne
10Dec Malaga (M) marty74
17Feb Moonlight Challenge (L) Debra Bourne
25Feb Tokyo (M) Slow Duck
10Mar Viking 100 Endurance Run (L) Debra Bourne
17 Mar Eco Trail de Paris 80k becca7
31 Mar Born to Run 40 miler becca7
22 Apr London Marathon becca7, Terry48
02May Qualification and Race4Charity (PenCC) Closes
10Jun Comrades
Course Tour
Saturday: lowrez
Hotels
Belaire Suites: Terry48, Bike It, Debra Bourne, Dannir, Carmen23, Southern Snail
City Lodge: Becca7
Hilton: lowrez
Comrades 2018 Qualification
24Sep Berlin (M) marty74-Q3:14-PenB, jkissane-Q3:09-PenB
24Sep Loch Ness (M) seren nos-Q4:51-PenH
08Oct Chicago (M) Matt.., Dannirr
08 Oct Yorkshire (M) Southern Snail Q4:43- PenG(now PenCC)
15Oct Leicester (M) Becca7
15Oct Amsterdam (M) Mac3
25 Feb Seville Marathon becca715Oct Detroit (M) lowrez
21Oct Betteshanger Marathon (M) Debra Bourne
22Oct Betteshanger Challenge (L) Debra Bourne
22Oct Ultra Trail De Edinburgh (U) marty74
19Nov Cornish Marathon (M) marty74
24Nov to 03 Dec Seaside Series (10 Marathons in 10 Days) (M) Debra Bourne
10Dec Malaga (M) marty74
17Feb Moonlight Challenge (L) Debra Bourne
25Feb Tokyo (M) Slow Duck
10Mar Viking 100 Endurance Run (L) Debra Bourne
17 Mar Eco Trail de Paris 80k becca7
31 Mar Born to Run 40 miler becca7
22 Apr London Marathon becca7, Terry48 Mr Southern Snail
02May Qualification and Race4Charity (PenCC) Closes
10Jun Comrades
Course Tour
Friday: Southern Snail
Saturday: lowrez
Terry and Becca, hope all goes well at the 30K on Sunday.
I might be volunteering at London - in which case I'll see people at about 25 miles: my club marshals near Embankment station and on the Hungerford Bridge (limiting people stopping to spectate on the stairs and bridge so that people can still get up and down the stairs and across the bridge).
I still have a piriformis niggle but I'm happy with my mileage - over 200 miles in January. I'm not going to be able to manage a BR anyway, so if I can get a safe bronze I will be satisfied. I'd love to go under 10 hours but if I don't, I don't.
Must get more hills in.
I'll be at London too, running for a leukaemia charity. Have to say RR that apples after 26 is not encouraging me to locate you :-) can you up the ante at all on that please? Debra - I know those steps - that is going to be a challenging task; they always seem congested, never mind during the marathon!
I haven't qualified yet :-( (Don't tell BikeIt) I clocked 5:01:53 in Tasmania - my safety margins are no good - I am upping my pace next time from 11:00 to 10:30 per mile as my watch always seems to clock 27.1 miles by the end of any course. That "extra" mile has stabbed me in the foot twice now.
So! I am definitely going to slam it at The Grim Four by Four near Blubberhouses on 1st March! As I want London to be a party; not a desperate drama at a sub5 attempt.
Do I recognise someone smashing a sub10 at Comrades 2015 in one of the videos linked to in the latest Comrades e-mail?
You'll have to re-construct this link by putting a h t t p s : / / on the front of it, as I am so weak on this knackered account it won't let me post links
youtu.be/WahFE45nLbg?t=308
You have to be quick; she is only on screen for a couple of seconds!
That vid clip is from 2014 I think. My PB year. 9:20. Showboating was better the previous year though.
Debra - hope you get that issue sorted asap as you are going great at the moment.
Terry - Nice to hear the cateract surgery was a success and hope you get positive news for the docs in a few weeks time. Say hi to becca from me tomorrow at the race. I ran it a good few years back and had a great time. Lovely course.
I am running at the bramley 20 tomorrow. Nice to have a long run with people as always seems easier. No doubt i shall chat about comrades with at least one person en route...
Lowrez - we shall be having none of this last gasp qualifying again please. Must try harder at the next one!!!! But was the cadbury one good? I keep kind of looking at it...
Aha, yes, I can see the line the runners go over just after you disappear is in fact not the same course as the one you are showboating over!
Marty, I am so kicking myself! Perfect conditions, surprisingly for Hobart, 8C at the 6am start, a relatively flat course, its a double out and back. Got hotter as the day went on but nothing too bad. Its also a national qualifier so there were Olympians from Rio at the start! There is a bit of a drop from the start in the first half mile, nothing of Comrades proportions though, and its not on the out and back portion either, but you do come back up it at the end; I reckon if it wasn't there I'd be laughing at a sub 5 shave lowrez style! The medal is most annoying; nice enough with the outline of Tasmania on it, but it just says "Cadbury Marathon" no mention of the location. If I ever get editing rights back I will post a picture. As usual, I simply flew in, ran, flew out, I spent far more hours aloft than I did on the ground. Can't say the effort of the travel affected me though; the plus5 was all my own mismanagement.