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Shades Marathon Training
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Good luck with your club race today, first race in your new club vest? Hope that groin niggle is OK.
Also good luck to Big G at Nottingham, and anyone else racing today.
Ian - this is no time to be coy about wearing your new vest,
When we get to warmer weather again you'll find that running in a vest makes a great difference, for me in warm weather a t-shirt would add a couple of minutes to my marathon time, with a vest the body can control body temperature much more efficiently and is much more comfortable to run in.
Went off a bit fast as it was very congested with about 400 runners and no chip timing so everyone wanted to be near the front,the first 500 mtrs are downhill also to help get speed up.I enjoyed taking over people and fighting to stop people overtaking me.I finished 106th so that shows the high standard at these races.I'll have to wait until the results are out to see if I scored points for top 10 in our club,but if not my position knocks others back a place.
My groin held out ok and had no twinges which was the main thing.
Forgot to add,I got to 5k in 19:35 which would be a new PB,and it didn't feel too bad so still more to come there.
Just over 13 miles for me this morning. Trying to run them easy but still finding the correct pace to run them over difficult always finding I'm running every mile about 20-30 quicker than what my easy pace should be. I'm sure with more practice I'll get the pace correct. Had to basically run a loop today due to the cycle paths although they didn't look to bad they were like ice rinks so very dangerous which made me stick to the roads.
Delighted.....but now the long journey back. I think a KFC may be needed at Bristol!
Ian - great running, sounds like you really enjoyed that and fast too.
steven - keep practising with getting the pace down to where it should be. We had an ice free day down here today.
Shades- I know the more I run them over the winter I will get the pace right.
KFC devoured...
I think you've thrown that gauntlet down to Ian now
Shades-As for the gauntlet,I remember when I first came on this thread I could only dream of getting anywhere near G's times so I'm delighted to be close to him.But absolutely I'll try and beat it next time
Thanks for all your comments everyone - below is a fuller update from me.
The day started well enough, and I got up at 6:45am, had a shower and went down for breakfast for 7am. I'd slept well, but was feeling a bit groggy - almost like my legs didn't want to play ball, which wasn't encouraging at this stage of the day! There were quite a few runners down there having breakfast, and even the speed snakes had piled up their plates with bacon, eggs etc. I looked at it and fancied it (as opposed to the porridge) so had bacon, eggs and toast, with a coffee. I didn't know if I'd live to regret this later on, but I enjoyed it non-the-less
I got to the start line promptly at 10:00am, but we were held up for 5mins, and it was cold. A lot of people were wearing jackets etc, but I was just there in my T-Shirt (I did have gloves on), and from the forecast I knew I'd be fine with this, as I like the cool conditions once I get going. I was still a bit worried about if there would be a headwind on part of the course, but it was fine and I got on with the race, which was 8 and 3/4 laps and flat.
On the start line I decided to "give it a go" and went out at PB pace (approx 8:30s), and after about 4 or 5 miles, I realised I was feeling pretty good, so decided to push on a bit. At this stage I was thinking "If I blow up, so be it!" and just went with it.
Splits are below, but I did quite a lot of miles around 7:45s and I went through half way in about 1:45:30. Still feeling quite good, I obviously knew sub-3:30 was on...if I could hold it, and that was the unknown. I did walk through the aid station 3 or 4 times (once per lap) as the water was in cups, so I needed to. But other than water and literally a sip of electrolyte and 3 or 4 sweets, I didn't take anything else. Could this be because I ate a good breakfast? I don't know!
I was lapping loads of people, and of course the front runners lapped me. There were half runners as well as marathon runners, and probably there may have been people on 3 or 4 different laps at certain points. But this actually helped me, as although lapping people running slower than me, it was something to focus (it was quite a big race) to help push me on. There were a couple of hairy moments where people nearly veered into me (wearing headphones....) and a runner with a dog on a long lead, but I got through unscathed, even though the course was narrow in places.
Each lap was almost 3 miles and with four miles to go I knew I needed to do under 8min/miles to get in under 3:30. It was really tight for time (I got in with just 20secs to spare), but with a bit of a sprint finish I managed it. I have to say, I didn't totally rinse myself, so I was really pleased with the time especially, with a small negative split, and maybe there's more to come at another race if it all comes together.
Trying to dissect it a bit, there are lots of similarities from Munich (my previous PB):
- a slightly busier race, compared to the Enigma races, which I do prefer.
- race conditions were perfect for me....cool, with very little wind (I actually think this is the main factor for me).
- over taking people late into the race, even though we were on different laps, pushed me on.
One main difference is that at Munich I was really holding myself back in the first half, whereas today I pushed on much earlier. It's funny though as I tried to do that at Abingdon, and it didn't work, but I feel that today is more representative of what I can do. It was a great event with a lovely, friendly atmosphere; there were some quick runners (2:44 was the winner), but also people in fancy dress and one guy running around juggling 3 balls, dressed as a tiger.... I was 46th out of 218 in the marathon.
Would I do it again? Yes, and not just because of the PB. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and all the stuff going on around the lake was really good, as well as all the runners on the course, which made it interesting. Better than those bloody Enigma marathons, anyway. The journey up is off-putting though.
Similar to Ian, I suppose the next big milestone has to be a GFA time (3:15). I'm not saying I'll get it straight away or anything, but it's a goal that is kind of in sight now, whereas with a 3:42 it seemed a long way off. Who knows. It's something to work towards anyway, along side still doing a few more events if I can.
Anyway, I'm really pleased. I've feel I've been mentioning for months that I had a sub-3:30 in me, and now I've finally done it. I think at one race I need the confidence to go out at race pace from the start, as opposed to taking it easy for the first few miles, but I still worry about blowing up. I have two more marathons this year, but I won't be going for a PB at those...I'll just try and enjoy them and maybe get a sub-4. Well see.
Splits were:
8:33, 8:22, 8:20, 8:16, 8:12, 8:07, 7:59, 7:50, 8:05, 7:38, 7:46, 7:44, 7:37, 7:39, 8:06, 7:37, 7:37, 7:37, 7:42, 7:45 9:00 (included a long walk, as I was very thirsty!), 7:42, 7:46, 8:08, 7:48, 7:45 and 7:26 pace for the last bit, for 3:29:40 (7:59 average).
Well done too to Jelly on the club handicap. Looks like you’ve seen the back of the virus now.
I had another go at pacing parkrun yesterday, doing 23 mins. A bit alarming when the 24 min pacer was ahead of me in the first half mile, I think this through me off a bit and I ended up doing the 1st mile a bit fast. But miles 2 and 3 on target and finished in 22:44, so not too bad. OH’s PB was 23:26 and he ended up running 22:19 so was v pleased (and partly had me to thank!!)
Did the Perivale 5 mile race today which is a nice local race, run by a local running club. Really pleased to finally break 32 mins, with a new PB of 31:48. 2nd lady - 1st was 30 secs ahead and 3rd and 4th were about 15 secs behind me. Made it a bit nerve racking at the finish, when you do a lap of the trap as was convinced they were going to overtake! Got a big box of celebrations, a bottle of proseco and £30 running shop vouchers. The 1st V60 finished in 28 mins, which I think gave him an AG of 94%!!
I reckon the sub 3:15 is do-able in next year for you - you should also try to nail the sub 90 HM first or at the same time as they seem to go hand-in-hand.
Jelly, well done on your event too. I do really like that event, as the nature of the course means you can always see who you're trying to catch and at the turnout point see who is trying to catch you....
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You're all probably getting bored of this already but I'm trying to find a pattern for when a "good" time happens for me. Munich and this Nottingham one were unexpected PBs, whereas Abingdon I set out for a PB, but it didn't happen for some reason; definitely having no time pressure as such at the start of a race seems to suit me for some reason and I don't know why this is really. I think the other similarity between Munich and Nottingham was that I had a relatively easy week before the race. The weekend before Nottingham I was away, and then in the week I did just 29 miles in training, most of it easy paced.
Don't tell Shades, but the other similarity before both races is that I had, errrrrm, "a few" drinks on the Friday before race day. To be fair, I was totally trollied the Friday before Munich, and was hungover all day on the Saturday (I wasn't that bad this week...)! There must be something in that
Shades, I assume still no movement in my training paces, so keep doing what I'm doing in terms of paces?
SK - well done on your PB and 2nd place, nice prizes. Fast V60, is he from your club?
Congrats to your OH on his new parkrun PB and of course your brilliant pacing.
Big G - congrats again, lovely report. That must be the flattest marathon in the country! We'll never get bored of your race analysis and I think it's important to note down all the details to indeed see if there's a pattern. I certainly think the cooked breakfast helped you, a high protein meal like that gives you a much slower release of energy and that combined with your good pacing and cool conditions is probably why you didn't feel any need to take on extra fuel. A cooked breakfast wouldn't suit everyone but works for you.
Re the alcohol, it is in warmer weather that you certainly should have no alcohol. Alcohol stops your body being able to regulate your body temperature in hot weather and will easily spoil your race. (Ian take note if it's warmish in GC). So not so important in cool weather, but I still wouldn't advise it. You've definitely got more to come and now that GFA is within your sights.
It just goes to show that saying we should only run one or two marathons a year is talking bollocks
So how much in total have you now taken off your marathon PB this year?
Training paces remain the same, I think they're working for you
Chilly and a little frost on some cars but not on the roads so good for running, beautiful full moon, really bright.
That is a lot, I bet you can't wait to submit your press report on Trotters website, be proud, you deserve it.
Anyway, I've not tried to run since the injection. I've been doing a lot of yoga - I just completed the 30 day challenge, going every day in November, and some of those days were doubles. My back is hugely better - it doesn't keep me awake now, though I still wake a few times in the night which I think is down to hormonal jiggery pokery (the big M).
So, I decided a stress test was in order. After thorough warm-up (squats, glute bridges, stuff with bands, blah-de-blah) I had a jog around the block. And it felt OK. I'm going to see how it feels later but if it's happy I will attempt a proper run tomorrow. Not too much, maybe a mile, maybe two if it's going well. We'll see.
Cal, good luck with the run. As you say, just take it steady and build up slowly. Sorry if I missed it, but is there are anything specific you can do to tackle the root cause?
Anyway, just about to head out for a recovery run. Legs feel okay actually, so hopefully the run will go fine.