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Chicago Marathon 2006
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I did a fair bit of looking around in order to find decent and reasonably flat half marathons and as you pointed out they are few and fair between but I have found the following which are within a 90min drive from where I live in west London.
Sunday, 20 August 2006
Burnham Beeches Half-Marathon
Farnham Common, Buckinghamshire
Sunday, 27 August 2006
Vale of Pewsey Half-Marathon
Pewsey, Wiltshire
Sunday, 17 September 2006
Cransley 10K plus Half Marathon
Kettering, Northamptonshire
Sunday, 1 October 2006
Cricklade Half Marathon
Swindon, Wiltshire
I am using these half marathons over the coming months as hard training sessions run at just inside my target marathon pace. When I trained for my last marathon I added in several 13-14 mile runs at target marathon pace and going by the way my marathon in Boston went I think this type of training session really helped me a lot. And I think it is something worth adding into your training schedule.
For me I am using half marathons for my marathon pace training sessions as trying to run at my target marathon pace around London on sunny evenings is not really possible as there are so many people out walking or cycling enjoying the weather as opposed to the winter months when it was cold and wet and the street and paths along the river were pretty clear. The challenge with using races for this type of session is to remember that they are training session and not to race them flat out.
In order to gauge how my training is going I have lined up 2 half marathons which I will race these are Budapest on the 3rd of September and Eindhoven on the 8th of October these are both very flat course which should be a good dress rehearsal for Chicago.
Darren
Can't remember who said it but to find your local gatorade stockists put your postcode in here and it'll tell you:
http://www.isitinyou.co.uk/where-to-buy/
Got a bit of an achilles niggle that I hope will soon be cured. Trying to bump up the mileage at the moment. Haven't been doing the 20 milers yet, but did the 17 mile 6500 feet ascent Borrowdale fell race in the Lakes last weekend...and got round.
PB - 3:10:59 (BQ!)
Coops - 3:40
Lofters - 3:59:59
AndreaB - 3:59:59
Y2Jimbob - 3:59:59 and a half
Big 5 Dreamer - 2:45
Padams - 2:44:59
Zed - 4:15
John Lally - 3:44:59
Welsh Alex - Sub 3:44
Champagne - 3:29:59
Tired today though...
Oh well - there's always next weekend!!
Apologies if I've missed any previous postings on the subject but is anybody else travelling alone and willing to meet up for a beer (sorry I mean a soft drink) on Friday or Saturday evening?
I'm staying at the Red Roof Inn just north of the Park and am flying out on Sunday so will unfortunately miss post race festivities.
Unless I can get a few miles under my belt I'm hoping just to finish in time to catch my flight out having run 2h58m at London for the last two years.
Cheers
!!!
Hi Andy - welcome along. Unless you've been rather aggressive with your flight time I think you'll be fine!!
PB
You ain't seen how badly I run when I have an off day!
New York was one of those, but that's another story and thankfully no evening flight out.
Were you there then as well??
I had a nightmare - first marathon and I went off way too quick. Basically died on first avenue and had the most painful 8 miles of my life after that!
Andy - I'm probably going to be going on my own so would be happy to meet up on the Friday or Saturday night. I'd arranged to do the race with a friend, but he's making noises about pulling out. I'm arriving on the Friday and leaving on the Monday.
Andy, Andrea Annie I am also going over to Chicago by myself fly out on the Wednesday and plan on staying over in the USCanada for a couple of weeks. I have also got an entry for NY which I might do as well but really would be doing that just for the experience and atmosphere with no worries about my marathon time.
It was ace. Other than rading it like an imbecile, that is
Zed
I'm doing Windsor Half, though it filled up really quickly. Also doing Stragglers Cabbage Patch 10 which is the Sunday before - fits perfectly with the taper!
It makes me feel so much better than the thought of sitting alone in a restaurant corner, nervously contemplating the hardship that lies ahead. As there are a few weeks in hand I'll research a suitable restaurant somewhere central, unless anybody has a recommendation already.
Paul - yes I did wear a union jack vest with my name on it for the first time at NYC and although it was probably the only reason I didn't end up walking (can't be seen to be letting the side down while abroad and all that) I'm not sure about doing it again as it was a factor in me going off too fast anyway. It's excusable to get carried away if it's your first marathon but unfortunately I can't use that excuse and was still dead in the water after 10k - it was subsequently the hardest marathon I can ever remember.
B5D - Paul's right in that NYC is an experience and in my opinion very different to London. The course is not one for a PB so it's the right attitude to go into it not worrying about times.
'you will NOT do a PB on Arundel 10K,
'you will NOT do a PB on Arundel 10K',
'you will NOT do a PB on Arundel 10K',
'you will NOT do a PB on Arundel 10K',
'you will NOT do a PB on Arundel 10K',
'you will NOT do a PB on Arundel 10K',
'you will NOT do a PB on Arundel 10K',
'you will NOT do a PB on Arundel 10K',
'you will NOT do a PB on Arundel 10K'.......
Two weeks before London this year I did the Reading half and raced it - I am pretty sure this had a negative impact on my marathon performance.
DO you think it's OK to race the Run London 10K? As it's only 10k surely it will have no impact two weeks later??
Last year I got right on the start line and was able to race it and set a PB.
I also struggle to enter a race and not give it 100% - a competitive little bugger, you see! And mates of mine will be running in it...
A recommendation for dinner for me would be Harry Carey's restaurant. Reasons to go: always busy, is kind of a sports theme which fits nicely (he was a commentator/baseball guy if you didn't know already), its mid town so accessible and they serve pasta/carbo saturated stuff.....been before and twas good.
My reverse split was much enhanced at the boost half way around.....
11 miles this weekend....put me to shame you high mileage folks out there then!
Zed
5K race tomorrow morning (I hate them!) and hopefully a slow ten miles in the afternoon.
I've finally got my A into G and booked a flight and a hotel room in Chicago. All I need to do is get fit enough to run. I've just had the go-ahead from the physio to start gentle running. So far this week I did about 7 on tuesday and about 5 last night. Plan is to keep running alternate days for now with about an hour's jog penciled in for tomorrow. Don't know how many 20 milers I'll fit in before october though.
TAFKA... I've run halves 2 weeks before marathons with no measureable effects. In fact I've done p.b.'s for both in the past. I'd say racing 2 weeks before is O.K. but it probably is dependent on how much mileage you do. I'd expect though you'd be pretty safe with a 10K. Conventional wisdom is that in those two weeks you want to keep intensity but decrease volume in any case.
I also ran Reading two weeks before this years London and felt that it did affect me a little in the marathon. Generally it takes a day for each mile raced to fully recover so a 10k, as others have mentioned, should be ideal as a sharpener.
At the moment I'm on holiday from work and desperate to get out for a long run but I hate getting wet!!