P&D Autumn Marathon 2019

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Comments

  • TR - I think the whole looking after your body piece is really important as an extra few %. I'm trying to be much more regular with my stretching, core strength work, sleep, diet etc. Enjoy a few well earned beers and rest.

    Thanks for the course tips Spoons. We always autolap so will definitely be doing that. Conditions looking pretty good, slight breeze, but maybe I'll be able to provide shelter if needed. 

    Hamo - Knocking out the runs like clockwork. Minimal taper for Sunday?

    Just ticking over before the weekend. Not really tapering at all as haven't focused on the race and just looking forward to a good, honest effort. The quicker KL runs the harder it'll be for me!

    I've been taking care of my diet and with training motivation back, managed to knock off around 7 lb's in the last 4 or so weeks. Halfway to where I want to be ideally. 
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    Good couple of days there Hamo.

    Joe - agreed, i need to take more care of my issues. Hope Katie goes well Sunday, and that you can keep up.
  • HA - well done on the XC - moving up the finishing places on limited mileage.

    Hamo - cracking PR time, agree with others, if 5k was your thing more to come if you wanted it. GL for Dublin.

    Joe - sounds like a good weekend on the South Downs.  All the best for Frankfurt to the both of you.

    John - Top session, can’t believe you managed it off such little sleep.

    AWC/Spoons - well done for taking easy, I ought to follow suite.

    TR - hope you are making up for the lost beers.

    Steve - well done on the prize and the recent elevation.

    Jools - all the best with Snowdonia, the Great Langdale caught my eye recently, seems to be the English equivalent.

    I’ll try to pen a few words on Abo  as it was an unusual sort of race.
  • Joe...same as yourself, not really tapering for it at all. Glad to see the weight and motivation is heading back on track. Enjoy Frankfurt.

    Macca...Look forward to the report.


    6 and 4 recovery miles today.
  • Hamo - here you go....

    I’ve run Abingdon 3 or 4 times now so have raceday off to a T.  Imagine my surprise then to find myself arriving at the venue and joining a slow moving toilet queue with 20 mins to the start.  15 mins, 10 mins, 5 mins, I’m in and sat down. However, I can hear a countdown and then the start.  To coin a phrase “there’s a greatness to my lateness”, I make it to the start mat before its unplugged and the PA personally thanks me “nice of you to join us Macca”.  At least I have the loop of the running track to myself as I see the back of the field leaving the stadium.  

    The first couple of miles are on a half closed road so I’m able to run my own pace on the edge nearest oncoming traffic.  A mile or so of narrow trail ensues where I thought I would get held up but the field is moving at a reasonable pace here so its not an issue.  I’m surprised by the numbers running close to sub 2:50 pace as I settle into something around 6:30pace with no real target other than to find out what the best on the day I can achieve is.  Through town and out onto roads and paths, passing people isn’t an issue.

     

    Autolapping, the first 5 miles come up thus and I decide 6:30 feels “manageably hard”

    1          6:27

    2          6:10

    3          6:21

    4          6:32

    5          6:32     section ave 6:24

     

    I pass a couple of club mates then come across Millsy around mile 7 or 8 and say hello.  I feel locked into a pace now so carry on 

     

    6              6:22

    7              6:39

    8              6:30

    9              6:34

    10           6:37        section ave 6:32

     

    Around 11 or 12 miles I’m distracted by someone running in pyjamas. Someone else calls my name and after a bit of help, I realise its TR.  I give him my best motivational speech, “were almost on the 2nd lap” and like to think I saved his race ! Halfway soon appears in 1:24:xx - IIRC

     

    11           6:34

    12           6:11

    13           6:22

    14           6:31

    15           6:26        section ave 6:25

     

    I’ve had one gel and a couple of sips of water but don’t feel the need for anything else.  For me, the temp is perfect, just bordering cold.  However, the tiniest of stitches threatens to develop so I don’t take anything else apart from a sip of sports drink around mile 20 and the stitch eventually disappears.  It’s been a strange run thus far, it feels like a solo run where lots of other runners happen to be out on the same course but running a different race. 

     

    16           6:26

    17           6:23

    18           6:26

    19           6:25

    20           6:25        section ave 6:25

     

    The autolapping is showing 6:26 average for the whole race and whilst effort is slowly increasing, it doesn’t feel like reaching a tipping point any time soon.  However, pace is slowly slightly through miles 21 to 24 but I’ve got a bit of a buffer to maintain 6:29 for a 2:49xx thereabouts finish.  

     

    21           6:28

    22           6:30

    23           6:34

    24           6:39

    25           6:52        section ave 6.37

     

    Mile 25 puts the 2:49:xx on a knife edge.  Its only marginally uphill, with the slightest of breezes but I can’t stop pace dropping and suddenly the ave pace on my watch drops to 6:29. I’m still overtaking people although the field has thinned out by now.

     

    I miss the 26 mile marker, it must have been near where we re-join the track for a ¾ loop.  I think I’ve got about 60s to run approx. 300metres. I can work out that’s 20s per 100m but I can’t fathom whether I could do that on a good day never mind now, so I give up thinking and run as fast as I can, the last 1.219miles ave 6:34 pace and dip under 5min miling if Garmin is to be believed (doubtful) but it’s not enough to get a 2:49:xx.  My watch says 2:50:04 and official mat to mat time comes in at 2:50:01.  Gun to mat time is 2:52:20 so I gave everyone a 2:18 head start.  Interestingly, my watch says I started at 9am exactly but I think it was set a couple of mins slow. 


  • What can I take from that ? I’m a plonker.  Quickly moving on, from a congestion point of view, I don’t think starting at the back was a hindrance at all, if anything, it let me run my own race.  Whilst there is an undoubted lift from passing people it did feel a bit disingenuous and a bit odd but it wasn’t a deliberate ploy and it’s not the first time it’s happened in a marathon and probably not the last.

    Whilst chasing the 2:49:xx gave me a target especially in the absence of anyone to run alongside, it definitely goes in the “would have been nice” box and I’ll use it as motivation to look for a 2:4x:xx in the spring.  Personally, I really enjoy this race, for me, conditions were near perfect and not knowing what condition I was in, I’m made up with a 2:50 for 48th place (gun to finish).  41st place would have been nice which I would have got if I turned up on time (completely my own fault) but I wasn’t anywhere near troubling the age cat placings so no matter.

  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    Macca - i was last out the portaloo last yr, but made the start with about a minute to go. This yr i was at the venue about 7.30am to beat the queue and go and sit quietly in the changing rooms. Very strong run, im amazed you werent slowed by other runners esp on the trail sections. It was nice to have a brief chat before you cruised away, you were running very strongly. Certainly surprised me to see you go past. You have had a cracking year. Well done.
  • JooliganJooligan ✭✭✭
    edited October 2019
    Brilliant Macca. I had a similar experience at my local HM - massive queues for the toilets & I finally got in as they were doing the countdown. Had to go though so I gave the field a 4:20 headstart but had a nice rolling start & clear roads for half a mile. Overtook about 2K runners over the race & finished something like 90th on Gun-Finish but top 50 if I'd started on time. Cost me a special Top 50 finisher's Tee but since I already have 2 of those it was no great shakes. More annoying was missing out on a PB by 2s :s I was definitely hampered by having to overtake since I had to mount the verges & weave at times. On the other hand I enjoyed picking clubmates off one by one. Ironically I'd almost binned the race as I'd been feeling lousy that week :D 
    Just a steady 5K for me at lunch today after 5M + bike commute yesterday. No biking for me today as I saw the Doc first thing for the results of last month's ECG: nothing to alarm anyone. HR was 39-169 range with almost no fibrillation. Next up is blood tests but got to wait another month for them. Symptoms definitely not been as bad since the comeback & may even be seeing slight progress on the aerobic efficiency so maybe I was overtrained/crocked by 2 tough marathons back to back. Snowdonia Saturday wcpgw :p 
  • HA77HA77 ✭✭✭
    Great report Macca. Love the start / toilet issues.

    Good luck to Joe and Katie in Frankfurt, Jools in Snowdownia and Hammo in Dublin.
  • Macca...Class report, and such an unorthodox race too. Fair play to you for finishing so highly after giving everyone a decent head start.

    Jools....Glad the ecg results went well. All the best for Snowdonia.


    8 mile easy this morning.
  • Thanks for the report Macca. Why doesn't the toilet story surprise me in the slightest? You should be really pleased with that run and you've had a great year.

    Good luck for Sunday Jools and Ham. DBS.

    Flying out this evening. Frankfurt now has a parkrun, so we'll do that tomorrow morning before finding somewhere to watch the rugby. Conditions looking slightly damp. 
  • JohnOzJohnOz ✭✭✭
    Love the report macca, sounds like a casual 2:50! Bad luck about the late toilet start but great way to end a massive year (I assume you haven’t got any more 100 milers lined up?)

    Best of luck to Jools, Hamo and Joe.

    Nothing exciting running wise this week, just easy with a couple of short tempos. Got a bit of a chesty cough off the kids so will keep with the easy runs next week, fly out Wed and then try not to overdo it with sightseeing. 
  • Snowdonia marathon for me yesterday. Didn't quite manage the sub 4 target due to a 2 minute pit stop at 10M & my injured right leg giving out on the second climb forcing me to walk a bit of it. Got going again once at the summit & ran on til Waunfawr at mile 22. Walked through the feed station & then tried to run up the hill but the knee went again so had to walk the steep section. Got going again as it flattened & was OK til mile 25 when the grassy river (supposedly a path) proved too slick for my shoes & down on my arse I went. Legs were too fucked to risk going faster than a walk thereafter til I hit the tarmac again about half a mile down. Much better than Chester with a comparable first half but the 2nd half was 15 minutes quicker in spite of the massive climbs & lethal descent. Not bad off too 17K training runs 1 flat & 1 hilly :D Worth watching on iplayer to really get a feel for how brutal this race is https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p07qzckx/marathon-eryri-marathon-eryri-2019
    Normally I'd manage a gentle leg shakeout today but I can't fuckin walk yet :D
  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    edited October 2019
    Jools, snowdonia sounds tough and probably my sorts of thing. 4 hrs still sounds decent on that course.

     No running for me since Thursday. A group of us went to Albi to support a mate at the World 24hr champs. It was both amazing and surreal in equal measure watching people run round a 1500m flat loop. There was a bar there which helped. Paul was 14th overall and top Brit (his first race in a GB best) with 161 miles. At just under 9min pace. 

    I got got back home just before 2 am and had to be up first thing to secure my Comrades entry so that’s the 2020 A race booked. Looking forward to seeing some more reports from this weekends running.
  • John...hope the cough clears quickly. Best of lick for New York, didn't realise it was this weekend...jealous.

    Jools...Well done, that is a good time on what looks a brutal course. Hope the knee heals quickly for you.

    Millsy...Congrats on getting Comrades booked. That is a super quick minute per minute per mile average over 24 hours from your mate.


    6 mile with strides on Saturday for me, then 26.2 on Sunday in Dublin brought me to 86 for the week. The Dublin marathon went well, I ran it as a hard training long run rather than racing it, so the 1st 20 mile where run at a steady/hard-ish effort averaging 6.20 odds min/mile (was meant to be 6.30s but hard when there's thousands running with you and crowds watching to hold back), then the last 10k i picked it up to Marathon Pace of 5.50 - 5.55 m/m. I finished in 2.43.25, so more than happy with that as it was only my 3rd 20+ run since May, and that i was feeling comfortable over the 20 and able to up the effort and pace over the last 10k. Was a good confidence boosting day. 
  • runspoonrunrunspoonrun ✭✭✭
    edited October 2019

    Good to hear the motivation is back Joe.

    Great report Macca. Running 2:50 without a proper build-up shows how far you’ve come this year!

    Glad the ECG was ok Jooligan. Great work at Snowdonia, very impressive given your relative lack of training lately. 

    Get well soon John.

    Well done getting your Comrades entry Millsy.

    Superb work at Dublin Hamo. 2:43 as a training run - not bad!

    Great running everyone else.

    I’m currently typing from the middle of the River Severn. I’m only slightly exaggerating - worst floods since I moved back to Worcester three years ago. The swans have moved in below, and water is starting to spill around the back of the building in to the car park, but it’s almost peaked so I think I’ll just about get away without needing waders to leave the building :lol:

    Starting to feel a bit more myself running wise. Did some 400m reps Thursday, pace wasn’t very impressive but was nice to get the legs moving faster again, and I sped up through the session without really trying which was pleasing. I did a tempo run on the treadmill on Saturday (in lieu of park run), as I have a bit of a cold and didn’t want to risk making it worse by getting soaked in the rain. Harder work than I’d like, but again good to get the legs moving.

  • Jools - top bombing in Snowdonia - looks like a brilliant race, would love to do it. Sounds like you’ve got some mojo back.

    Saw you were over in Albi via FB - looked like great fun, the mind boggles with a 1500m loop though - madness.

    Hamo - 2:43 as a training run is just ridiculous and shows how far you’ve come in such a short space of time. Hopefully recovery period is a short one and you can crack on. My good mate Nick ran 2:25 and said it was a cracking race - I fancy that one as well..

    Just sitting at Frankfurt airport awaiting the flight home. Cracking day yesterday, although I’m not in love with Frankfurt as a destination - not sure I’d rush back. 

    Cool, slightly damp conditions on race morning, definite breeze present but nothing drastic. Pacing for Katie, and the plan was for her to run to effort rather than target and not get caught up in any sub-3 chasing - the pace would be whatever effort felt right.

    Well, turns out the pace hovered around 3 hours exactly for most the race. Rather worryingly, she turned to me at mile 4 and said she thought she had a stress fracture in her foot. What am I meant to say to that!!

    We carried on, informally forming a sub-3 bus, and before I knew it, I was towing 20 people along into the wind. Obviously didn’t mind at all - I was having a great time and shouting some encouragement.

    We went through halfway in 1:30:01, and I could feel her start to believe it might actually be possible. 20-25km was our fastest 5km split and things still going well.

    Thru’ 30km and it was clear she was suffering, but clinging on for dear life. It wasn’t until 35km that we started to lose any time, still tracking 20 seconds under 3 hours.

    I wanted to do anything I could to keep her going, but she had given absolutely everything and we started to slow (although hardly, with the slowest mile of the entire race a 7:15 mile 25).

    Threw the kitchen sink at it in the last couple of km, a bit of a sprint into the impressive finish arena, and a final time of 3:01:10.

    Lots of emotion and damp eyes, and no regrets about being so close to 3 - simply couldn’t have given more on the day. Turns out she may have run the entire race with a broken foot - we’re off to A&E when we land.

    A massive PB - nearly 9 minutes, and sub 3 on the cards sooner rather than later.

    On a personal note, pleasing for me, as fitness seems to be coming back nicely and the effort seemed low and in control - just a nice long run. Seems as if things are coming together slowly. 

    Got Valencia in 5 weeks time, may well give it a crack..
  • Jools - Brilliant at Snowdonia!!
    Hamo - 2:43 training run!! Epic.
    Joe - Brilliant running by Katie, nice pacing from yourself. Hopefully not a break, but whatever it is, hopefully it's just a short recovery.
    15 miles on Saturday, where I got absolutely soaked through and 3 miles on Sunday to finish another low mileage week.
  • HA77HA77 ✭✭✭
    Joe - Great pacing work, dragging everyone along. Fingers crossed Katie's foot is ok. Sounds like a perfectly run race, slight positive split, everything left out on the course. Mojo seems to be well and truly back. Watch out Valencia!!!

    Jools - Great work in Snowdonia. I could imagine falling at 25 miles might bring thoughts of not bothering to get back up again. Hope the walking is coming along.

    Hamo - Smashing training run. Must've felt good to finish so strongly and sub 2:45 is cracking. 

    Spoon -  Glad you haven't been washed away. 
  • Top marafunning from Hamo JB yesterday. Saw the results on Strava so knew you'd both had good days. That was an awesome display of finishing speed Hamo - bet people couldn't believe it as you flew past even though they were heading for a sub 2:50 time :D
    Brilliant weekend JB. Great to hear you're feeling more positive about your fitness & an amazing performance from KL: fingers crossed the foot is nothing as debilitating as a fracture.
    Stay safe Spoons.
    Legs a lot better today but opted for pacing a former colleague round the local fire trail on the MTB rather than attempting a run just yet. Quads are still in bits.
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    Amazing "training" run Hamo !!!

    Sounds awful to me jools

    Glad to see you got the qualifying time and the comrades place millsy.

    Easing back into here, with a few 5s and 6s in recent days, but eased it up to 10m today. Gosport 1/2 in 3 weeks.
  • Evening all. A long time no post. Very happy to welcome Mini-SQ2 a couple of weeks ago. I’m now falling into the classic parenting trap of wondering what I ever though was tough about having only one child. Still, as my colleague and father of three put it: man-to-man is a piece of piss, I’m having to operate zonal defence here 😆. 
    Running during pat leave was fine, and even managed a couple of good sessions. Having returned to work, however, things got a lot more difficult. Nonetheless, felt like I had trained steadily for a couple of months and certainly had an enforced, albeit sleep deprived, taper before Stroud Half. Unfortunately, some dodgy cream got the better of me and I spent the first half of sat evening with some serious V&D. Ruled out racing at 3am, only to get tempted again at 6am. My dodgy mathematics skills had worked out that if I was first club member to finish then I could win the club competition. So, I was quite literally running on empty, having though better of the Beet It shot that was mockingly awaiting me in my kit bag. Felt good for the first mile, knackered after three, and had a slow although by no means disastrous slow down in the latter third. Finished in 1:24 a minute ahead of the next club mate. Looking forward to Guy Fawkes 5 this Sunday and hopefully seeing spoons there. 

    Sorry to those I miss out, but good to see some stellar performance of late. Cheeky champs time training run from hamo, some cracking performances at Abo (I’d been wondering about the big chip gun difference from Macca 😂), great Snod Jools (my favourite race, I’m definitely going back), outstanding from Katie and great to see mojo trending upwards from Joe. 
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    Congrats on the new arrival SQ, great news. Sounds like a tough race too, well done.
  • Brilliant news on the new arrival SQ - huge congrats.

    That is one very broken middle toe. No idea 1. how she did it and 2. how she carried on for over 35km without passing out/moaning for more than a couple of seconds! I thought I had a high pain threshold - I can't even imagine this.

    Crutches and a boot now, and no running for 6 weeks. Possibly the best time for it to happen (although really rubbish for her), means she can rest and reset without being tempted to do too much too soon..


  • SQ - good to hear from you and congratulations.  Well done on achieving your less than lofty ambitions in the half, great time in the circs.

    Joe & KL - fantastic result in Frankfurt.  Fingers crossed the injury is at the least end of severe as it can be.  Sub 3 is just around the corner.  Just seen the X-ray - really sorry to hear. As you say, never a good time but hopefully she’ll be recovered for a good spring campaign. Gutsy run though, unbelievable.

    Jools - cracking result off the limited training.  I watched the iPlayer, that last grassy decent ! Tempted to stick my name in the ballot.

    Millsy - sounds like a good weekend, I hope a few stubbies were consumed to pass the time.

    John - excited about NY - full on race face or city break ? 

    Hamo - class training run, well done for not burying yourself.

    TR & Jools - those wc tales made me chuckle.

    Spoons - I hope those aren’t the aggressive swans from up the river, hope disruption is minimal.

    Recover well for Gosport. I saw a link for Abo on YouTube elsewhere, https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=QF2eK69z4b0 , we all feature at some point.

    Steve, decent weekend their, I can’t recall what your plans are, which prompts me to think it must almost be springtime ( after John in NY).

    Recovering nicely here, I’ve Wendover Woods 50 in a couple of weeks. If conditions allow, a sub 9hr would be nice (course PB 9:01:22).  I’m also minded to have a pop at my soft 5 mile Pb with a couple of local options prior to Xmas.
  • Macca - Sub 9 at WW50 is a great target.
    Millsy - Congrats on Comrades place.
    SQ - Nice HM off non optimal prep. Congrats on the new arrival!
    Joe - Sorry to hear about Katie's toe. Speedy recovery.
    10 miles for me this morning. HR has been elevated the last couple of runs, leading me to believe I have some sort of bug. Hoping it goes soon!
  • Incredible performance from KL with that foot!
    Congratulations on No.2 & avoiding mid-race accidents SQ :p Well done on scooping the club championship too.
    Good luck in NY John.
    Exciting plan for 2020 there Millsy: iconic race.
    Hope HR settles down for you Steve.
    Legs still suffering from brutal DOMS but I think I’ll risk a short jog to loosen them up.
  • Spoons...glad to see your starting to feel more like yourself running wise. Hope the house is and stays water free.

    Joe...You definitely should, Dublin is a class marathon. Tough enough route at times which keeps it interesting, and the support and scenery is top class. Plus the Guinness after is a great way to recover  :D Excellent running from Katie huge congratulations to her, that's an awesome time. Was just about to write, hope its not a break..but have seen the x-ray, what balls she has running that time (or any time and not dropping out in fairness) with a toe broken like that, massive fair play to her...balls of steel that woman has. Hope she recovers quickly and the enforced break serves her spring marathon campaign well. Glad you enjoyed Frankfurt and it has boosted your fitness and confidence. I'd imagine if you give Valencia a proper crack, you might well surprise yourself.

    Steve...Nice weekend of running. Any races targeted for next year?

    HA77...yea that was the most pleasing part of it all, feeling good and being able to pick up the pace at the end.

    Jools...Marafunning, i like that :D Hope the quads improve, but nice mountain biking all the same.

    TR...You're easing back into it nicely it seems. Have you any aims for the half?

    SQ...Huge congrats on the new arrival. As a father of 3, i agree wholeheartedly with your colleague :D Well done on winning the club competition, that's an excellent time for a 1/2 on the back of dodgy cream and all the joys it brings. Best of luck for Sunday, and to you too Spoons.

    Macca...Glad you are recovering well. All the best for the 50 miler, i'd imagine the 9 hour course pb will be in trouble given the stellar year you've had.


    9 easy-ish miles this morning, legs felt 100% which was nice.
  • Thank you everyone, very kind. 

    Wow, Joe. Katie is hardcore. Wishing her a speedy recovery. I have zero medical knowledge, but what is going on at the ‘knuckle’ of the big toe?

    Macca should should definitely enter the Snod ballot. It’s awesome. 

    Amazing recovery, Hamo. You really are in good nick. 

    Hope all ok, Steve. Doesn’t seem a bad run in the circumstances! 


    10 x 400 at the track this morning. Quite windy, but happy with 1:22-25 off 60s recoveries. Seems that whilst I was very drained after Sunday’s race, running 6 mins slower than PB pace has resulted in the legs not being too destroyed. 
  • HA77HA77 ✭✭✭
    SQ - Great news. Hope mum and bub are going well. It's hard work I suppose but, for me, it's nothing compared to the fun and pride you get from your kids.

    Those extra bones around the 1st MTP joint (big toe knuckle) are sesamoids, which are bones that develop within a tendon and act to increase the leverage around a joint. We've all got them in our big toes but the biggest sesmoid in your body is your knee cap.

    Joe - That is hardcore. Hope Katie's ok. That's not just a stress fracture, but a stress fracture, leading to a complete fracture. Super hardcore. 
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