Sub 3

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Comments

  • Al_PAl_P ✭✭✭
    edited April 2019
    Great run CD :) 

    Marathon insomnia strikes again, knocked out post London blog post no.1 - The build up . Now going to try sleeping again, race report later today/tomorrow!
  • That's an incredible run Al_P - massive congrats. Saw you were stalking me on 'the gram' pre-race ;) Look forward to reading the full report.

    ES - nice work, so close to that PB, next time for sure.

    CD - you must've been stalking me all the way home - nearly got me as well. 

    Checking in very early this morning as sleep is proving pretty hard to come by. Overall, really happy with my run, but maybe not so much the execution of it. 

    Got carried away off the Champs start and went through 5km in 18:06 but then settled in with a clubmate. I knew by 10 miles that the effort was slightly higher than I wanted it to be, and it was going to be an absolute slog second half. Halfway in 1:18:36, not enjoying the though of another 13.1.

    Kept the focus on individual miles at a time, but my mind had already flipped from thinking 'PB', to 'just get to the finish as quickly as possible'. Started slowing from mile 20 (but only by 10-15 secs a mile), however the lights had started to dim. 

    Picked up the same clubmate I started with, with 3 miles to go, which was the boost we both needed, realising that sub 2:40 was still just about there. Felt like I was sprinting down birdcage (definitely wasn't), with the 200m signs seemingly taking an age to arrive.

    Turned down the mall and saw it was going to be tighter than a Scotsman on burns night, threw myself at the line, and ended up with 2:39:57, 9 seconds slower than my current PB. Properly the proudest marathon I've run to date though, as I really had to battle the mental demons.

    Great to have a sweaty hug with OO just after he finished. Sorry I didn't make it to the Red Lion. 

    One more ironman this summer and then I might have a think about shifting the attention to just running. 
  • Little M.iss HappyLittle M.iss Happy ✭✭✭
    edited April 2019
    Congratulations Al-P.

    Great to have good runs GD, ES, OuchOuch and Joe.

    Sorry you didn't have a good day CC2.

    Short version. I was shit. Or I had a shit day anyway.

    Enjoyed hanging out in the yellow start with the fast boys - thanks for making me feel welcome, still don't really feel I belong in there and more so after today. Sorry for the emotion post-race guys and thanks for the support (you know who you are).

    Rode the Crab/Ode train quite comfortably for the first 14 miles though my stomach started to play up from about mile 8, last saw Crab's red cap disappearing up the road as I dived into the portaloo. Came out and decided that all was not lost as if I just jogged it in at 7 min/miles I could still sub 3 and as the PB was now gone I may as well enjoy the race. Left calf started to fill with concrete followed not long after by the right. Took a gel as I thought it was now safe to do so - wrongly as it turned out, felt sick but worse had to make another portaloo visit around mile 18. Both of my calf's were solid - never had this before but I guess the inability to take on any fuel or much fluid probably caused it? Anyway, despite having nothing much left to run for I couldn't actually bring myself to walk though there was at least one over 8 min/mile in there. I think I just wanted it to be over with. Over the line, managed to stay upright but still got myself a two person St John's escort who took a while to shake off though I was able to ditch them before they got me into the first aid tent fortunately. Two kind gentlemen who frequent these parts had to put up with me being a tad emotional as we walked to the baggage trucks, it wasn't about the rubbish time it was that it's been such a bad year I just wanted a nice day out really. Need to have a think about what I can do differently to sort the stomach issues which just seem to be getting worse and once my calf's unlock decide whether I'm going to have a go at beating TR at Yeovil :-)
    If you think you can or you think you can't you're probably right.
  • JoolskaJoolska ✭✭✭
    Sorry to hear that, LMH: I was tracking you and saw the pace drift off. Hope you have a better day in Yeovil. I'm starting to think I have IBS and mine is worsened by stress.

    Al: well done! Nicely paced and a great result!

    Joe: you rallied just in time - limboed under a big barrier! congratulations for being able to hang on.

    CD: beautifully paced! You must be delighted!

    ES: pretty damn close to a pb, so a good day.

    Ouch ouch: well done to you, too.

    It was nerve wracking tracking you all. I missed being at the Red Lion. Hopefully next year...
  • saintjasonsaintjason ✭✭✭
    edited April 2019
    ES - well done managing the cramp and close to your PB so still a great run. 

    OO - always good to go better than expected especially after all the accumulated miles and races. 

    CC2 - sorry to read you had a bad day. Hopefully you get some answers from the doc appointment.

    Al_P - superb running and on another level completely. Well done sir on a huge PB. 

    CD - fantastic run and so good to be surprised like that. 

    Joe - well toughed out and showed guts and determination to get that sub 2:40. Really felt the effort in your post. 

    LMH - you didn't deserve that after the last few months. Hope you can get on top of the stomach issues. Showed fighting spirit to get to the finish. 

    Joolska - agreed re tracking. Waiting for those 5k splits is torture. Obviously nothing compared to actually being out there but still. I know most of you know one another/have met each other several times but I feel as if I know you all. Even Mrs SJ knows most of the forum names after me talking to her about my virtual "friends" :)
  • PadamsPadams ✭✭✭

    Al_P - superb run, and very kind not to run 10s quicker!

    CD - that's a fantastic result given your alternative build-up. Any idea where you ranked for your age, must be well up there?

    CC2 - I've seen much worse blow-ups! Shame it didn't go to plan but it sounded like you weren't expecting great things anyway.

    OO - you're a machine! I wonder how much faster you could go if you just focused on one target race?

    ES - that's a bit frustrating so close to the finish, but still a decent result.

    JoeB - that's a great effort. I hate that feeling at 10M knowing you're working harder than you should be, and the last 10k is going to be a sufferfest, but sounds like you held it together pretty well.

    LMH - sorry it didn't go to plan. As Jools said, the stress you've been experiencing won't have helped in various ways, so don't beat yourself up about it.

    Just a parkrun for me at the weekend - undulating and all offroad, which made it very hard work pushing mini-P. Finished in 20:2x, with pace varying from low 5s on flat smooth sections to well over 8m/m on a bumpy uphill grass section into the wind!

    Watched most of the race a couple of hours after it happened (we were out most of the morning) - loved the men's race, and can't say I'm too upset that Mo struggled a bit. Also, seeing the lead 4 running sub-2:03 pace to late on in the race all wearing Vaporflys does make me wonder if they are worth a minute or two. Good marketing!

  • CharlieWCharlieW ✭✭✭
    I'm going to start with a blatant copy & paste of my Facebook post from last night while I have some wifi on the train, and then read back in due course -- got a trip for a few days now with NO RUNNING KIT PACKED!

    I am a living embodiment of _The Bathtub Curve_, being that graph showing how things tend to be a bit rubbish when they're first tried out; then get pretty reliable once any early faults are ironed out; but finally start to get dodgy again as they age. Here are the graphs to prove it, charting my road marathon fortunes over the last decade.

    So today's London Marathon was pretty pants compared to last year's very pleasing outing as I apparently climb this curve, but hey, it was my 10th consecutive sub-2:45 there -- albeit by only 4 sec today! And that's a consistency record I'm pretty chuffed with. As ever it was a fantastic day out, with the huge privilege of the race itself, starting just behind the elites, London utterly rearranged and turned out for our deafening support it seemed, and the pleasure of meeting up with both the Sub 3 crowd at the Red Lion, who I see but once a year, and Sara-Ellen and co for her birthday lunch. Next stop: the Easter eggs I embargoed until this evening. It's always my favourite day of the year.

    For the runners: I came into this with my training pace trial suggesting about 2:46:30, but I couldn't bear the thought of not gunning for sub-2:45 at least. I let my HR hover around 148 bpm, a couple of beats higher than my "official" sustainable marathon effort, and got away with it until a worrying incipient cramp threat from my R hamstring (which has been troubling me a bit for months, but mainly from certain comfy chairs, not running...) at maybe ~20M. So I eased off a touch until the danger passed, scary thoughts of a first VLM DNF flashing up. That faded but I was paying for my earlier exuberance, really struggling to keep the pace in the 6:2x/mile range. The time I banked evaporated -- as I would have advised anyone else it would! -- and with 800M to go I saw that I had to be pretty close to 6:00/M to bag the sub-2:45. With agonising quads I did my best to suck up the pain and put down what hammer I could find -- almost fell over on the line as my legs (now wrecked) buckled under me, but just made it. Champs starts for 2020 and 2021 now, if the rules don't change -- by a whisker. It was only a 1min24 positive split in fact (half way at 1:21:46, finish 2:44:56), and with downhill mile 3 that is really less than a minute -- but it still felt like hell at the end compared to a more even split. No running for a week now!




  • CharlieWCharlieW ✭✭✭
    ES -- bad luck on the cramp, good going to still be within 1 min of PB then.
    OO -- brilliant!
    CC2 -- gosh if you mentioned the medical tent at the pub, I didn't take it in. Sorry you suffered -- you did well to get round in the time you did given the circumstances though!
    AlP -- huge congrats again. I too have the can't-sleep-after-a-marathon thing, keep reliving it in my head. Also beforehand of course...
    CD -- absolutely amazing, I can't remember what V50 position you said that was (or maybe you didn't know at that point, before we got our bags of course) but it's got to be good.
    JoeB -- heroic stuff! Sounds like your last few hundred metres were (painfully) similar to mine. But with a much better result of course.
    LMH -- gosh sorry, that sounds miserable. Hope you enjoyed the afternoon once you'd got over the immediate pain.
  • Dan ADan A ✭✭✭
    Great running from all those above; love looking up the results or hearing about them in the Red Lion.

    I haven't been on here since a chastening experience in Boston two weeks ago, where I spent two hours in the medical tent on an IV drip.  Legs were ruined by the Newton hills (I think I prefer mountains!), so wasn't going to bother running London.  Mentally wasn't up for it, as much as physically.  Only decided on Friday to take part, as I worked 3 days at the expo too so not back home until Saturday evening.

    Anyhow, turned up and figured anything sub-3 would be satisfactory, and short story is that I just got over the line in 2.59 for a 14th consecutive year under 3 hours (not all at London of course).
    In reality, I felt surprisingly fresh all the first half with 20-25k my quickest split.  But at the slight rise at 17miles I got a shot of cramp in my hamstring.  The only time I've ever had cramp there before was two weeks ago in Boston, so I guess I can see the link.  Had to slow down to try and make the sub 3 maths work up to about 23 miles, and the last 5k was pretty ugly but just about squeezed home.  Couldn't manage my first beer until about 4pm, but got through a few later once I'd got my equilibrium back.

    Won a few quid on Kipchoge as well which was nice.  Knew it was in the bag when CRAB overtook me on the Embankment and told me he'd been beaten!
  • OK, a bit of a report for VLM 2019.

    I said to anyone who asked (and on here) that this year I didn't really have any targets for this because I don't really know what MP is an I, like CW, climb the far end of the bathtub curve.  I thought, or maybe hoped, that inside 2:45 might be doable on a good day, but the only plan was to find a nice easy, consistent pace early on and just stick with it.

    First time on the Red/yellow start for me, the main difference with the champs start being that the average age is a lot older, and having to be in the pen 40 minutes before the start.  Oh, and those first 3 miles are definitely not flat!  I was with a clubmate who runs pretty similar to me and also planned a 'sensible' start and we set off together, ticking through the first mile in 6:10 or so and then settling in to it, feeling very comfortable as the first 5k went by in 19:16. 

    Without realising it (because we weren't really watching) the next few 5k segments were a little bit quicker as we got the benefit of the conservative start.  Not that we were checking, we were just going steady and, for a change, enjoying the day.  That said, after 11 miles or so my mate said he felt it was a bit quick for him and backed off, which turned out to be a sensible decision for him, in the end he faded a bit but didn't crash & burn.

    I just stuck to my own thing though.  The rise up Tower Bridge was the first point that it started to feel harder, but the turn eastwards onto the Highway meant a tailwind for a bit, which led to the quickest sections of the race.  Halfway went by in 1:20:08, which a week ago I'd have said was way too quick, having struggled to break 1:20 for a half in February.  But it just felt really comfy, so just keep going! 

    After 16 you're counting down the miles in single figures - I did do some mental maths and worked out that 6:30 miles would get inside 2:45, which felt doable even though it was starting to feel like harder work heading back towards Canary Wharf.  Through 20 and back to the Highway again it felt like I was drifting off pace a bit, but not by enough to matter so there was no panic.  In fact, as I found out afterwards, I was still at pretty much the same pace - even 35-40k was just a second slower than my opening 5k.  I will confess I looked at my watch at 40k and briefly entertained the thought of getting inside 2:40 again, but by then my calves were starting to ping a bit and I didn't want to cramp up - I had visions of going for it and ending up at the side of the road.  Besides, I had told myself on Saturday that if I was inside 2:45 I would just enjoy Birdcage Walk and the Mall without killing myself for a few extra seconds.  So I did - and as a bit of a bonus found myself with a bit of a gap in front and behind on the Mall to really soak it up.  Crossed the line in 2:40:46, so not close enough to 2:40 to think of it as a missed opportunity!

    Really, really happy with that.  5 minutes down on my pb, but that was 10 years ago now and I never thought I'd get that close again.  Surprisingly, 'only' 9th 50-54 (quickest ran a 2:36) so the standard is pretty high!

    I did spot Joe just after the finish, talking to a mutual friend from SLH.  The budgie smugglers & Chasers vest was an interesting combo.  CRAB & Ode were also bumped into collecting bags (and at the RL) and good to catch up with CW, Wardi and (briefly) marders (amongst others) there as well. 

    I will confess that I did give in to temptation a few weeks ago and got a pair of vapourflys.  This was my second run in them, after a parkrun last weekend.  They're not great going round tight corners, but aside from that I can't fault them.  I have no doubt they knocked some time off for me yesterday.  I'd like to think it's not as much as the four minutes I was inside target, but who knows - I'm not about to go and run it again in other shoes to find out!


  • DanA - well toughed out.  Boston can be chastening, so to bag a sub 3 after that is good going.  Good to chat at the RL.

    CW - Storming effort to hit target, that's still a pretty even run by most standards.

    OO - Saving the best for London, eh?  Nice one.

    ES - bad luck there, but still very solid to get close to PB.

    CC2 - Sorry to hear you suffered, but as CW said it's a great time given everything else.

  • TickTockTickTock ✭✭✭

    CW - simply awesome to run that series of times.

    JoeB -  congrats on another sub 2:40

    Al_P - amazing run, those early starts and high mileage weeks really paid off.

    CD - as a fellow v50 it is inspiring to see how you  keep on running incredible times

    CC2 - sorry it don't g well and hopefully you can get back to your fast times now you have a diagnosis.

    OO - amazing, you have knocked out so many amazing performances over the last couple of years

    ES - shame the cramp cost you the sub 2:50 - great to share a few beers with you afterwards.

    LMH - sorry the race didn't go to plan with respect to times. You still managed to make the podium in your age group which is epic especially given everything else going on in your life. It was great to run with you for a part of the race and to walk the long walk to baggage lorry with you and DanA... See you next year!

    My race went ok. Training had been compromised due to a dodgy Achilles/ankle which I will need to looked at but I was still hopeful to go sub 3.

    It was great to meet up with lots of folk at Yellow start as usual. In summary I ran 2:58:29. At about mile 3 I bumped into LMH,ODE and Crab and re ran as a group for  the next 12 miles. I think I lost touch with Crab and Ode at about 20 miles. At this point I felt pretty good aerobically but my legs were just not responding well. I knew sub 3 was sorted so it was almost a nice run for home. With 200m to go I passed DanA and gave him a pat so it was nice to have company post race (apart from his prodigious puking..). Great to catch up with various people at Red Lion


  • I'm glad you had a good day Dan.

    Hope Crab got what he wanted from the day.

    I much appreciated the company TickTock - you did what it says on the tin with room to spare.

    Great running CD - maybe I need to find out what size I'd be in Nike's and hope for a win on the Premium Bonds!

    Worth putting it on the line Charlie - glad it paid off for you.

    I'm not Padams - I know I didn't have any else on the day.
    If you think you can or you think you can't you're probably right.
  • Massive well done to all the VLMers  -some sensational runs in there. Sorry to hear it didn't go to plan for some of you, but that just gives you an excuse to do another one!

    Was great to cheer Al and Joe from our great vantage point at the 17K mark near Canada Water - had the rest of you on the tracker, but it's near-on impossible to follow that and the hordes streaking past and make the connection before people have whizzed by! Knowing what Joe and Al looked like from Strava (not to mention the latter's wardrobe choices) made things easier.

    I was also cheering on my sister who was running for The Stroke Association in memory of my Dad. She's not really a runner, but the fact she finished it (6:30) after spending that much time on her feet is up there with the achievements of the day for me (Eliud would understand). 
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    I had a follow of most folks on the tracker and the results last night, im jealous of the decent conditions.

    Well done to ES, CW and Dan for hanging tough and keeping going despite cramps.

    Top work from, OO, Al and CD. Seriously good times, i was happy for you all when i saw the results.

    CC - tough day there.

    LMH - i felt for you, the stresses caught up with you, i share your pain, but life takes over sometime. Hope to see you at yeovil.

    Tick Tock - another sub3 ticked off, see you at abo.

    CD - very impressed, did you do snything different in training? The new green magic shoes had to be ready for sale in order for the pros to be able to wear them, as its a production shoe as i understand. Way too light for me though.

    CW - that 22m 2 weeks out that inc your 10k test and lost a lot of fluid maybe needs revising now ?

    Joe - well done there, good feeling to walk away knowing you gave it everything.

    Good to see that ode and crab kept sub3s going.
  • TR - I think the only things different in this campaign were starting later (and therefore not plateauing ) and doing more of my lunchtime runs with some of the other quick runners working round here - which made the hard runs harder and the easy runs easier.

    In the first half I passed 486, was passed by 156.
    Second half I passed 176, was passed by 8.

  • Couldnt Run A BathCouldnt Run A Bath ✭✭✭
    edited April 2019
    CD Performance of the day for me.  Real Peter Pan stuff.  Fair play.

    Fairly uneventful day for me (WtGTY interaction aside).  Slim pickings down at the GFA start again the halcyon days of 20 plus people are long gone.  No fckr was on the Champs start back in those days. The thread really has moved up several notches over the years.  Plan for Ode and I was to punch a sub3 ticket but neither of us were super confident and largely unsure of fitness.  Last year the plan was similar and by the time we'd met up at the merge point we both knew it was eyes bigger than the engine time.  This  time we hit the 5k marker feeling good and under budget.  LMH was on board and I assumed position of train driver for the first 10miles or so.  Started to feel the pace was slightly taking it's toll and Ode nicely took over the the next 7-8miles where in truth I was feeling a little second hand, my pf was killing me and making me limp a little which was pulling on my opposite hip flexors.  Had a few doubts and on several occasions the words 'You crack on mate' formed in my head but never made it out my mouth.  We'd picked TT up at some point and it felt like we were all helping everyone stay a little more honest than they might have been otherwise. Got to around 20 and was pretty happy we would get the job done in that we had about 45mins to do 10k.  Ode was pulling me along and stopped me from shutting it down a little.  Got to the downhill (my specialty) at 23miles and then as I was feeling a bit better decided to keep the pace on.  Felt safe that the way I was feeling it was unlikely to go breasts aloft if I ran for home. Great feeling whizzing along the Embankment shelling people out the back for fun including Dan A assuming his accustomed position in the gutter doing the Xempo Shuffle.  Last 7.2k ended up as the fastest of the race.  Nice.  1:27:35 half and 2:55:51 finish.  We both finished absolutely stoked that we'd got a really decent ROI but also hadn't turned ourselves inside out to do so.  We'd said on the start line that we should judge how successful we were based on how we ran down the Embankment.  On that measure it scored pleasingly well.  Probably been 5 or 6 years since I've run a decent marathon from start to finish.  Roll on 2025.

    1st Half passed 572 passed by 703
    2nd Half passed 434 passed by 50

    If that's not an object lesson in even(-ish) pacing then I don't know what is.

    Great to see some faces at the pub - been doing this sh!t for 15years and don't see it stopping any time soon.

    As you were.
  • Really pleased to hear you had the day that you wanted Crab.
    If you think you can or you think you can't you're probably right.
  • OuchOuchOuchOuch ✭✭✭
    edited April 2019
    I am really enjoying reading these reports.  GReat stuff.  

    Also I agree CD's run was the stand out performance for me with Als and Joes' also mightily impressive. But some really good and gutsy performances across the board from CW, ES, Crab, Ode, TT, DanA. Unlucky LMH, swimming against the tide when you have stomach issues and then calf problems, still a decent time and sure you will kick on in Yeovil. Plucky performance CC, considering the build-up you had. 

    This was the second part of my Tale of Two Cities marathon challenge, Paris and London, aiming to sub 250 in both.  The incidental link being a member of a lively of a hen party I met in the loo queue in at an Italian restaurant after the Paris marathon, whose husband was running London to reclaim his Guinness World Record for running it in a/ her wedding dress, and then in London running with aforementioned attired husband at mile 4 and seeing again at the finish - he reclaimed the record in 2.49.

    Went off at a decent lick and though it was better than PB pace and faster than I've ever run a first half of a marathon before, it felt pretty comfortable.  Thought the crowds were fantastic and really enjoyed the occasion.  Half-way came in no time at all, 1.20.38, faster than any half marathon I've run since 2007!  Decided to see if I could run 2.44 and have my number next year on the back not front of my shirt, so just kept keeping on.  But around mile 18 in that part of no where land, started to fade as though I felt fine, my legs started to lose their zip and I just couldn't match the pace of those around me.  No surprise really and not really an issue as this was a bonus marathon and sub250 was nailed on, so just an issue of trying to keep as much pace as I could without pulling a muscle and not stress at the faster finishers go past, which surprisingly for me included CW at mile 22 or thereabouts.  With 1 mile to go wanted to make sure it was 2.46 not 2.47 so sped up a little and caught a couple of faster guys I was speaking to earlier.  Nice to see Joe in his speedos at the end.  Had a University old friends reunion in the Coal Hole on The Strand and then back to the finish to see some other friends their marathons and by the time got to the Red Lion, the queue was lengthy and no familiar faces outside. 

    So 2.46.46  - 2nd best overall and 1 minute off PB.  Wava - decent.  13th consecutive sub3 since April 2017.
    1st half  passed 367  passed by 205
    2nd half passed 57    passed by 218
    Overall   passed 424  passed by 423

    If that is not an object in perfect marathon racing I don't know what is.  (Yes I know I should have been a bit slower in the first half to be a bit quicker in the second and a bit quicker overall, but I do like it like that)
  • WardiWardi ✭✭✭
    OO.. 2.46 after a 2:48 at Paris must have been a very pleasant surprise, Take a bow son!
    Crab.. very nice work by you & Ode, doesn't sound like too much gurning was required.  Hope the PF can be shifted forthwith.
    Tick Tock.. another well executed sub 3, great stuff and sorry I didn't spot you at the pub.
    Dan A.. much credit due to you for pulling out a sub 3 after the misery of Boston.  Good that the beers started to flow eventually.
    Charlie.. so pleased you made the cut, that finish sounded painful!
    Joe B.. ditto dead chuffed you squeezed under 2:40 after a tough 2nd half.
    Al P.. truly marvellous time and PB.  Always nice when a marathon training plan & race come together on the day.  Celebrate well!
    CD.. fantastic performance, top 10 in the A/G ain't too shabby either.  Nice to meet you and have a chinwag at he pub.
    ES.. that is a very solid run to get close to a PB, top bombing sir.
    CC2.. 3:07 still sounds like a very respectable time to me considering you finished needing medical assistance!
    Bad luck LMH and so sorry it wasn't your day.  I really hope you can sort out those annoying issues and go to Yeovil healthy & stress free.  

    A solid run from me,  I felt much stronger than at Barca and finished 4 mins quicker in 3:36.  Safely inside the GFA cut off so I just need to decide if I want to do it again next year - ask me tomorrow!  Went out for an evening curry in Southwark with Mrs Wardi and a few clubmates in the evening.  Minding our own business and having a quiet chat when the restaurant is invaded by the Njord and Lord Didsbury contingent.  You really can't get any peace and quiet in London it seems.   :o  They also announced their intention to attend the York marathon in October so another messy day is surely in prospect.

  • Sorry about that Wardi! Might be one of the slowest on here these days but hopefully still maintained my capacity for beer. We were very drunk having, to the best of my knowledge, gone straight to the curry place from the Red Lion so must have been in there 5-6 hours with no food.

    Good to catch up with everyone again.
  • OuchOuchOuchOuch ✭✭✭
    edited April 2019
    Congratulations Wardi, 4 minutes is a good chunk of time. 
    CD - Still in awe of your performance.  I am tempted by the magic shoes - could you estimate a time saving with them?  
    CW - A really fighting finish from you, you must have gone 30 secs per mile faster - compared to me - in those last 4 to get your time.  Congratulations on continuing that run of sub 245's and love the charts.    
    Padams - Cheers, maybe next year when V55 I might focus on a target race, but really enjoy running a series of them as find them great training for the next one, so a  great ROI.

    I hope everyone is recovering well? It takes me a week or so to 'come down' from the experience and to relive the finish see: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0774b3d/london-marathon-2019-london-marathon-finish-line

    Whose racing next? TR & LMH in Yeovil in June? 
  • OO - I really couldn't say.  They're supposedly 4% more efficient but whether that manifests itself as a faster basic speed, or less fatigue (and therefore staying on pace for longer) I don't know.  Likely a bit of both.  Likely a psychological element as well. 

    But I struggle to believe that they make more than a minute or two difference tops, and if you run like a complete numpty then they won't help you at all - someone thinking they're going to knock 30s a mile off their pace and then running accordingly is going to come a cropper regardless.

  • Nice racing and recovery Wardi!

    OuchOuch - the guys who I know that have invested think that they do make a difference of maybe as CD says a minute or two over a marathon.
    If you think you can or you think you can't you're probably right.
  • bainspjbainspj ✭✭✭
    It is a while since I have posted (three years - oops), as this whole marathon campaign was intended to be an entirely, under-the-radar, attempt to put-right my nightmare from my last marathon in 2014... when I crawled home in 3:14. The aim of the low key approach being to remove the stress of the event.  I have however, popped in every now and again to make sure everyone is going well.  Delighted to see some of the performances already posted. I am just catching up on it all, so will be drafting another post shortly. 

    Here's how marathon number three played out:

    The main goal for the day was set at sub-2:50 (an 8 minute PB)
    On top of this, I had aspirations that a sensible first half might mean I could run a 2:47 - 2:48 if it all went well. 

    Pre-race: I started in zone 1 of the Blue mass start having got my entry via the ballot. It was absolutely mayhem.  I stood in the starting pen for 40 minutes to make sure I was towards the front of the pen  ... and froze in the baltic winds blowing across Greenwich. There was also a 1 minute and 8 second delay between the gun and crossing the line and I was 2,516th across the start line.
    Miles 1 - 4: (6:30, 6:29, 5:52, 6:11) Super super easy.  Rigidly ran to pace (target pace: 6:30's) for mile 1 and 2 and let the downhill carry me a bit for mile 3 & 4. Decided to increase the pace in mile 5 (only by c. 10s per mile) to try to get the HR up to somewhere in the "racing" range rather than my "long run" training zone. 
    Mile 5 - 15: (6:08, 6:27, 6:23, 6:15, 6:21, 6:20, 6:14, 6:23, 6:10, 6:15, 6:15) No dramas, just kept churning out miles at what felt a very easy pace, but still incredibly easy.  Arrived at Tower Bridge feeling like I was still genuinely warming up and yet to "feel" any effort whatsoever.  As I hit half way (1:22:36), I realised that if I play my cards right, I could not only beat my main goal for the race, but also beat my "A" goal of 2:47 and maybe even get towards my "lifetime aim" of running 2:45....
    Mile 15 - 20: (6:02, 6:05, 6:11, 6:13, 6:12) This was the first time in the race I allowed myself to remove the handbrake and just get on with running.  I felt great going round the Isle of Dogs and for the first time, felt like I was running freely and without the burden of fearing the rest of the race.  I felt like I could cope with an hour of pain, whatever that felt like.  I also realised, I was running much faster than everyone around.  For the first time, as I went round the small roundabout at Westferry Circus (18.5miles) I felt a small twinge of cramp coming on in my calf.... "stamp" on it, and don't be a wimp I told myself.
    Mile 21 - 23: (6:15, 6:10, 6:07) this short section of the race seemed to take a lifetime. Cramp was definitely setting in, I missed seeing my supporters at the planned point at mile 20.5 and the course goes through a rather boring lull once it leaves canary wharf (they don't show that bit in the TV highlights!?)  I told myself that whatever was going to happen, I was not going to slow down and I was certainly not going to stop.  Even if it starts to fall apart now, I could still squeak in under my 2:50 target. 
    Mile: 24 - 26: (5:52, 6:00, 6:11) At this point, I was racing everyone around me. My calves were both constantly cramping, the adrenaline was flowing and I calculated a 2:45 could be on.  Embankment was a dream.  I barely remember running along there, other than screaming at someone who stopped that "we're going to do it, you can't stop now" (in hindsight, I am not sure exactly what this meant!).     
    The final 0.2: (1:15 or 5:15 pace): I loved running down the mall.  5 years ago, I walked down here pissed off that in my mind the world was watching me fail.  Screaming to myself with joy, I celebrated wildly as I crossed the finish line and let the tears flow. Looked at my watch to realise a 2:42:57.

    My stats make for happy reading: 
    First half (1:22:36): overtook 1,541 and was overtaken by 105.
    Second half (1:20:21): overtook 489 and was overtaken by 1. 
    (In my 2014 attempt, I ran a 54 minute positive split, overtook 3 people and was overtaken by 1,569 in the final 7.2k)

    A 15 minute PB and a ticket to the posh loo's for next year... the hotel is already booked and I am now planning how to shed those 178 seconds.

  • MennaniaMennania ✭✭✭
    Nice reading the reports come through after tracking people on the day. Lots of congratulations on some amazing times and also runs, including those who havent ahd the perfect build up but still gutsed out decent performances. Spotted a few of you on the iplayer as you finished.

    Interesting that on the day tracking you lot it made me quite nervous and unconvinced about Edi and my training - which is in good time as ive still got a few weeks to sort it out.

    Ouch Ouch - ive got edi the end of May, but there must be someone before then.

    I have a pair of VF4 and am with CD - As nice as it would be I dont buy into the idea that you strap a pair of shoes on and everything will perform 10 secs a mile faster on the day. I think for me they give me a little more confidence and belief, maybe..
  • JoolskaJoolska ✭✭✭
    Bainspj: having bumped into you the other week I had you on athlete tracker. Paced to perfection! 
  • That laid a few demons to rest, bainspj.  You might very well run quicker than that in the future but the memories from Sunday will last a long time.  Fantastic performance.
  • TRTR ✭✭✭
    OO - cracking stuff, esp only 2 weeks after paris. You are obviously getting pretty marathon tough nowadays.

    Wardi - great to see you run another strong mara.

    Bainsy - top comeback.

    Looks like its just Menn and myself in training now. I took a tumble yday which caused some road rash, but luckily it was towards the end of my mlr, and got away with a tempo 6m this morning.
  • JoolskaJoolska ✭✭✭
    TR: I think you need to wrap yourself in cotton wool now.  Or perhaps run in a fat suit for padding and protection?!

    Nothing exciting this end: 10 miles steady and then a sports massage at lunchtime.
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