Shades Marathon Training

SHADES

Big G - not called the nervous nineties for nothing.  😃😃

Alehouse - I don't know Bradders name to see how she's doing.

alehouse

Hopefully I have sent you a message, Shades!

SHADES

Alehouse - thanks, great debut from her.   Really good pacing too.

SHADES

Well done Cal and Bradders 😃😃😃😃

alehouse

Hope Cal is pleased with that given the less than ideal build up!

Well done both Cal and Bradders!

xbraddersx

Hello! Sorry I’ve been lurking but not posting, not helped by forgetting my password 😅

thanks for the good luck before.

went well, 3:17:54

paced it okay - legs came off a little in the last 3 miles. Nothing could have prepared me for that tiredness!!

i loved it though, even those bits  

I’ll write a proper report when I’m not so tired! 

Hope Cal had a good race.

alehouse

Well done Bradders: sounds like you got everything out of yourself...which is how it should be!
What's next?!

SHADES

Bradders - brilliant, well done.   All that training paid off.

And most importantly you loved it.😃😃😃😃😃

Did anyone tell you that marathons are addictive........

Ian5

Big G-Nicely done and yet a other sub 4.
Bradders-Well done on your debut,many more to come 
Alehouse-How did you get on?

alehouse

Ian, I was watching! That was hard enough!

Robert OHara

Big G a problem with parkrun is that people associate it as a free hobby, even until recently £4 delivery charge for a milestone shirt was cheap and take some changing peoples perception when you’re asking £50 for a hoodie or £30 a shirt. Great news on the 99th hopefully can get yourself raring to go for the 100! 

Bradders congratulations that’s an epic debut marathon, well done for holding on in those last few miles 

Alehouse great spectating, I find it harder than actually running marathons 

3 miles today to stretch the legs, bought me upto 35 miles for the week.

Cal Jones

Well done Big G...Manchester was my 10th marathon but that 10 was a long time coming.
Bradders, holy crap! Well done!

Fairly chilly but otherwise decent conditions today...a little breeze at times but the sun came out as well, so it was pleasant. 
Obviously I've gone into this race with less mileage and more weight than I'd like, so I expected to fade, but set off at 4:15 pace and managed to keep that going until mile 17. Got a bit slower after that, and them considerably slower after 20 when my legs began to go. I was also feeling a little queasy and couldn't face any more gels so I didn't take any more on after 20 either. 
No issues with the knee or groin, but everything got a bit sore (feet were the worst actually) and I was like Bambi for the final mile. Often I rally a bit for the last mile but not today, it was my slowest by far. Time was 4:20:52 so a long way off my PB and not even a Manchester best (I've done 4:18 in the past) but it's about what I expected and I feel proud I got around without walking (just as well as when I stopped at the finish, I could hardly walk at all...I was very slow getting through the race village to meet my mate Colin who I was staying with).
Nearly collapsed on the tram too... I started feeling sick and closed my eyes and leaned my bum against the side of the carriage and my legs just started shaking. I was like I was going Full Foster after the race! Col had to hold me up until we got to our stop.
But I'm OK now. Food and a non-drama train journey back helped. Just hoping I can sleep tonight (I always sleep like crap after marathons).

Big_G

Nice running Cal, and I’m glad you feel proud!  Well done.  Glad the journey home was uneventful too!

bradders, what a debut. Very well done, and to say you loved it is a large piece of icing on the cake. Looking forward to the report. 

Cal/bradders, how was the organisation in terms of baggage etc. I haven’t heard anything detrimental this year. Did the start process work ok, with having to get into the start pen so early?

A couple of my club mates did well at Taunton yesterday, and one got a PB at Manchester. The lady who I am hoping to celebrate her 100th with in August did a large PB at Taunton too, with a 3:24, which was he 92nd. Some great running yesterday on a busy day for events. 

As for me, I can’t believe how much that one took out of me.  Genuinely hobbling around worse than after the DD. It is very odd as with 2 laps to go (of the 8 for the marathon) I was considering carrying on to try and break my 6hr PB, but very shortly after that it was a real grind and I genuinely had to dig in to get that sub 4. Legs are totally trashed - is that really due to having a relatively poor few week since Seville?  Crikey!  Also, even though I’ve ran in these shoes/socks numerous times at marathons and had good runs, I’ve got 2 blisters on each foot. Ouch!!

Knee seems okay, although foot a bit tender again, but even so I’m glad I turned up yesterday. I can’t do a recovery run to day due to blisters but I’m about to jump on Zwift for a very easy ride. 

Not looking my photogenic best (parkrun would have passed on this one I reckon...), but there’s a thing about calling the 99th the ‘flake marathon’ so here I am. RD gave me this and a celebratory pasty too, which I scoffed at the end  😄

SHADES

Robert - I wouldn't be happy to pay £4 for delivery of a t-shirt, to me that's a rip off.   Include the P & P in the shirt cost is much better for all, they'll be making a hefty profit on the shirts already.


Cal - well done, that was a great run considering the year you've had.   Congratulations on reaching double figures too on the marathon tally.    You didn't slow that much in the final stages.   Hope the feet are OK, is this hot spots/blisters?


Big G - nice to see Jenny supplied you with the Flake    and a pasty too.   It's not the greatest photo but I don't think anyone asks to see photos of the 99th.  

I'm not surprised you're sore and hobbling around, you were supposed to be injured, remember     Also as you were trying to protect the niggles that probably led to the blisters and soreness and you wouldn't have been running freely.

Anyway, now you can focus on your 100th, are the ferries running again now for your route to NI?


7 miles for me this morning, delightfully milder and a little gentle rain, great conditions, makes for happy legs for me.

Big_G

Shades, I’ve got quite a lot going on at the moment and there was no guarantee I could have made the other ones that were coming up so I made the late decision to do yesterday. Strawberry Fields weekend is Dad’s birthday, plus I already have other plans that weekend, and Shepperdine doesn’t work for me either due to other plans (OH is out of the country and I can’t really leave Tigg that long, 10+ hours). So yesterday, although not ideal, was the best day and all things considered I’m am happy with the decision I made. Also, I was running well and well within myself up to about 20 miles but after that it went wrong, which was what was surprising. 

Ferries still not going. If it’s not resolved I’ll need a new plan for a different race, as we can’t use a different ferry operator (we purposefully chose this route as it’s only a 2hr crossing, and we are going with Tigg so the longer crossings are no good). Flights not really an option as OH is off work and it’s supposed to be our holiday together so me flying off on my own isn’t what I want to do. Plus, the situation with Dad is still very up in the air in any case and to be honest I am still debating whether me being over in NI for that period of time is a wise thing to be doing at the moment.  

SHADES

Big G - I just noticed your hat in the photo, it's great, one for DD perhaps.

You'll recover from the blisters and aches quickly.   

Why not email Ines and line up NDVM as a back up?    I'm sure she'd be happy to sort you out at short notice, it's always good publicity for a  race to have a runner doing their 100th.   You'll have some Trotters there too to celebrate with.

SHADES

...and don't forget the hog roast 😋

Cal Jones

Big G, the only time baggage was a problem was 2016. Having said that, I didn't use it this time as I just gave Colin my coat to look after rather than check it in.
As for your photo, it's a great pic, I don't know what you're talking about!

Colin took this one after mine...I just about managed to stay upright and was so dehydrated my face resembles a raisin. 


Shades - feet just sore from pounding on tarmac for over four hours...the usual really. I have thin fat pads in the balls of my feet so they tend to suffer (the left more than the right). Shoes were box fresh too, so cushioning would've been fine. 
I did, however, find the solution to my chafing issues - someone recommended a nappy barrier cream so used that. Leaves a white residue on the skin but it works a treat. Having said that, I did not use the HRM - figured it'd be too uncomfortable for a race of that length.

SHADES

Big G - I just had a quick look at the entries for NDVM, number 100 is allocated but I don't recognise the name as a runner that might be doing her 100th, you would probably know whether it is.   I'm sure Ines would change the race number if she's not doing her actual 100th.

SHADES

Cal - that's a great pic, you look as fresh as a daisy.   

Good to hear you sorted the chafing, that and sore feet would be too much to bear.  Is that Sudocrem you're using?  Good stuff.

HR stats for a race are meaningless unless you do HR training, so not worth risking the chafing risk.

Big_G

Shades, I was thinking Worcester if it all goes wrong, but I could email Ines and ask. I didn’t have a great run at Worcester last year for whatever reason, but it’s a nice race. I’ll have a chat with OH about it all later as it impacts her as well. In a way, if the ferries don’t resolve themselves it will be easier as we’ll get a refund, whereas if they do sort themselves out I’ll have a decision to make about whether to go or not, and I won’t get a refund as I didn’t book a flexible ferry (at the time I thought there wouldn’t be any reason that I wouldn’t be able to go).  If I had booked a flexible ferry I expect I’d have cancelled it already. 

At the moment Dad is still in hospital and going down to theatre every other day, which obviously isn’t ideal. Trying to get a prognosis isn’t easy, but presumably he is pretty unwell as I think he’s been down to theatre (knocked out each time) 7 times now. I still can’t see him either, although I’m going to ask again a bit later. They did as about a DNR, and he apparently signed that, which is the first time he’s agreed to that. Poor old sod. 

The RED RDs sent out an email last night saying one of the runners tested positive for Covid. Not really a surprise as it’s everywhere, and in a way it’s no different to the risk anywhere else is it. I do have a couple of boxes of tests that I was keeping for when I see Dad, otherwise I’m not testing any more. 

SHADES

Big G - sorry to hear that about your Dad, 7 times in theatre, he must be tough.   I can understand your hesitation re travel right now what with your Dad, Covid and the issues with the ferries.

Yes, Covid is rampant now, that's why I stopped going to Pilates and Stretch class.    Once I'd decided to not go to classes I had a dream that my Pilates instructor came up to me in the gym and demanded to know why I wasn't going to her class any more.   As mentioned before she's ex-army (😱) and straight talking.   

I saw her out running this morning, luckily she was running too and the only time she says little is when she's running, she just managed a 'good morning' as we passed each other.    

I've got a couple of boxes of lateral flow tests too, but not using them right now.   I will only test pre any health setting visit or if I have symptoms.

Robert OHara

Shades the £4 was the postage cost for the free milestone shirts, stressing the point that peoples perception is parkrun is either free or low costs.  When they then go to buy clothes they are hit with higher prices that you'd pay for a fashion label and may not be looking for the quality side of the product.  Think the milestone t shirts are now £15 inc delivery.

Big G sorry to hear about your dad, it makes sense to keep the tests free for when you see him or if you feel ill yourself.

Shades I'm sure if your instructor did ask why they'd be understanding.  My dad was at a meal with his partner and her daughter and her partner.  The latter tested positive for covid last week, then my dad's partner tested positive and Dad has just come back from a trip away with her so is worried.  No symptoms yet so fingers crossed.

Cal glad you're well after feeling wobbly, congrats on making it 10% of the 100 marathon club!!!! 

Was raining this morning, wanted to get on with some studying before work, that's my excuse for not going out running and I'm sticking to it! Hopefully I get the courage to go out after work.

SHADES

Robert - £15 for the shirt is OK, no reason why they should be free, sorry I misunderstood that as the t-shirt was £30 + £4 postage.   
IMHO parkrun shouldn't be free or at least should have a bucket for donations every week.   Most parkrun runners can afford a pound or two, just think how much they could raise for charity that way, I mean deserving charities and maybe a contribution for the upkeep of the parkrun venues, not monies for parkrun and their inflated salaries/expenses.

You haven't met my Pilates instructor, she would accept it but as for understanding it, I doubt it.

SHADES

Big_G

Shades, yes, there are so many variables it’s tricky to know what to do for the best. It’s the main reason I turned up yesterday as I just turned the phone off in the morning and only turned it back on when I get back in the car. As it turns out, with regards to Dad, I could have made the trip to Manchester as he wasn’t discharged, but I made the right decision at the time to not go, so I’ve no regrets (plus I saved the cash). Also, I’ve got a flat project on the go at the moment, which although I don’t really count it as work as such, I still need to be there at certain times to get stuff done, accept deliveries etc. 

Probably all Manchester entrants have received similar, but as someone who DNSd, I received an email saying they’re making some big announcement tomorrow but offering what they say is their “cheapest possible price through our pre-sale” today. London is the week after though and if my time is quick enough and I do get a place, I’d like to try and be match fit for that one, so as it stands I’ll be giving Manchester a miss next year. 

Cal Jones

Shades, it's called etanium everyday barrier ointment. Got it in the baby section of Boots.

Big G, sorry about your dad, that doesn't sound promising. 

Rob - yeah, pretty sure it was just a combo of muscular exhaustion and blood pooling. I was fine after Col got me home and fed me. 

I've been to the gym for an easy half hour on the elliptical and some stretching, which will have to do. I'm very tight around the hips and I notice my back's knackered so I really need up get on top of the core stuff before the next one.

SHADES

Big G - Manchester can wait yet another year for you to run it.   I'm sure your GFA is good enough to secure entry for London next year.

Cal - thanks for that, might look at that when my Bodyglide runs out, I'm sure it will be better value.

Good to hear you're thinking about the next one 

SHADES

Big G - coincidentally, I've just had my email from Ines with my race number.   Due to Covid they're posting out race numbers this year.

So if you're seriously thinking of switching to NDVM you'll need to move quickly to get that special race number before it's posted to another runner.

Robert OHara

Big G in the grand scheme of things the few pounds you’ll save on the presale it’s not worth worrying about after you factor in travel, accommodation and other costs.  Should make gfa London Could increase your chances at Belfast, but it would be great do give London your best shot! 

Shades Don’t know what you mean about inflated salaries for parkrun 😉 … seen they are advertising £33k for a social media person how hard can it be do make a few social media posts and comment well done, brilliant run, etc on peoples comments.  

Made it out this evening for a drab 6 miles, annoyed that I gave in and had a huge McDonald’s lunch when I’ve been fairly good these last few weeks and lost 8lb.  Worst bit I didn’t enjoy most of it but still eat it! I remember a marathon talk interview about how great if you can tap into that feeling of regret and disgust after you had eaten something, but feel it before!