Manchester Marathon 2013

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  • Hi all, I'm also coming back for round 2 at Manchester although as a training run before Outlaw in July (unless I am feeling a bit fruity at the start line and decide to give it some beans). Looks like the course changes are positive and the weather has to be better than last year!



    Take it easy folks, long way to go yet image
  • Yes back as we'll - figure Manchester owes me after last years weather. Was great till 22 miles then cramps caused by the cold and wet getting into the quads - went from a 3:45 to an eventual 3:52 due to various stops to get rid of cramp. Surely it can't be as bad this year!!!
  • first long slow run of 2013 tomorrow. Bring it on Manchester!
  • Right, I am entering this bloody race tonight.  I have to set it in stone.  I am already 3 weeks into training for it (always start early in case of injury/illness).  Doing P&D 55-70.  Manchester killed me last year, still have nightmares. 

  • Training well under way, steady week with a nice 10 miler this morning.



    16 weeks to go....
  • 18 miles this morning nice and easy, getting fitter...

  • 9 miles done earlier. Time to start stocking up on some audiobooks for those longer runs.

  • Dominic Keavey wrote (see)
    Ally, everyone got a bag and a tag and a number. So all the bags and the tags were the same. the number (obvs) went on your shirt, not the bag. All the bags were piled up in a luggage tent, literally thousands of them, with no way to discern whose was which. Bedlam. The organisers spent the next six months apologising.

    Thanks Dominic.  So same bag, small tag, no label and no structured organisation into rows?  Let's hope that this year will be improved.   I'm sure that it will.  

    As well as that 'left-in-the-street' at the 10km I mentioned, another shocker was out in New York.  Those guys had 40,000 to deal with - I ran in 2011 - and insisted on using tiny vans from their sponsor, UPS.  Each van had 1,000 bags and they allowed one guy in the van alongside rows of 3/4 of the bags, while the other 1/4 was on the floor outside the van, with 4 people handing these ones out.  Cue lots of cold runners (finishing at a similar time because of the way they allocated numbers) hoping that their bag was on the floor and not at the front of the van!  Hubris can be a dangerous thing.  Still, the last I heard was that they were pushing on with EasyJet-style charing extra if you took a bag for 2012 (before it was understandably cancelled). 

    I did my first longer run of the year at the weekend as I ran 20miles on Saturday, including parkrun, but ended up weighing more today than I did at the end of last week!

  • Christ I need to step it up!
  • I know Jedwards it'll be here before you know it !! so better knuckle down now and get the training done.

  • cybarevcybarev ✭✭✭
    Gentle five miler for me today. Didn't get my Garmin sorted so think I'll have to hand enter my training schedule.

    Is anyone using the schedule off the Manchester Marathon website?
  • I'm sort of following the Intermediate plan with a few tweaks to fit in with my existing running e.g. my long run is done during the week as I struggle at weekends and I do some longer runs elsewhere in the week already,so have used this as my base and will continue to run them.

    My concerns are getting used to the water and gels which I've not really had to delve into during training or running half marathons, in the past, but will have to start practicing with now and perhaps my general nutrition during the training schedule as I've been feeling quite tired over the last few weeks and put that down to the rigours of the festive season.

    I've struggled a bit over Christmas/New Year with a chesty cough, I've been out doing my runs but have not enjoyed them as much and my times have been much slower than usual

    I'm hoping to do the race in between 4 and 4:30 but TBH I'll be pleased enough with finishing

  • Anyone able to say how the water is presented at the water stations?  I assume bottles but just wanted to check.

     

  • Website states

    We are pleased to be able to announce that we shall have some fantastic rehydration products for you to use whilst running around the course.

    there will be 13 drinks stations onthe course that will be positioned approximately every 3.5km becoming more frequent towards the end - every 2km from 34km.

    What products will we have for you?

    Every feed station will have the brand new, innovative 250ml Iconiq Water Pouch. This is by far the best container for marathon running as you can easily run with it without spilling, it won't trip you or your fellow runners up after it has been dropped, you can squirt it on your self, and it is top quality Scandinavian water.

  • Strangely Brown wrote (see)

    Anyone able to say how the water is presented at the water stations?  I assume bottles but just wanted to check.

     

    Blimey SB, you're expecting a very formal affair arent you if youre expecting drinks to be 'presented' to you image

  • cybarevcybarev ✭✭✭

    I'd like mine on a silver platter served with canapes please image.

     

  • "Scandanavian water" eh? Might have to revise my finshing time target in that case.

  • cybarevcybarev ✭✭✭

    If we're being served Scandinavian water does that mean when we train we have to use the same for fear of getting an upset tummy image?

     

  • I tried the Iconiq Water Pouches at Brighton Marathon last year: mixed reviews. The pouches worked well - you squeeze them slightly to drink from them. But the water itself had a really nasty bitter aftertaste - enough for me to largely avoid them and stick to the energy drinks.

  • samoffsamoff ✭✭✭

    Not a great start. Had a tooth out today so no running alowed. Instead I'm watching telly waiting for the pain to kick in.

     

     

  • image  Hey, I have standards!  What, no highball tumbler, bendy straw and a plastic monkey on the side of the glass?  I'm appalled!

    Cheers Robin, sounds pretty good to me.

     

  • Anyone know what gels they are using this year ?

    Couldn't find it on the website ..

  • Cliff shots last year IIRC. I think they ran out at some point so runners expecting to take a bit more time to get around might want to carry their own.

  • Anyone able to say how the gels are presented at the aid stations ? image
  • SB - what's your target time for Manchester ?
  • I was reading about the pacers here and wondered if anyone knows when the various pacing teams will set off? Presumably they don't all set off at the gun, as it'd be too congested. I'd guess also that the quicker pacers set off first, so avoiding bottlenecks caused by slower runners ahead. But does anyone know how this is managed?

  • I got an e-mail this morning asking if I wanted to be allocated to one of the "pace groups". I assume that you're given a separate number and then put into the relevant holding pen/area and then the various pace groups are allowed to set off in order.

    The theory is that you still get a decent start but that the faster runners can run together and not be held up by those who want to be at the front and then slow down after the first few miles when they've gone off too quickly

    Still not sure whether being part of a pace group will make me stick to it or whether it'll put me under unnecessary pressure

  • Last year there were no pens just signs which you stood near at the start. Seemed to work well. The pacers were holding signs up as they ran, theres nothing to stop you deciding to join a pace team on the day.

  • From being a spectator last year they did have sort of flags/signs strapped to their backs that were visible.

    That might be the way forward for me, aim to run with the more optimistic of my pace options and if I start to struggle then drop off the pace and try and catch up later if needs be

  • carterusm wrote (see)
    SB - what's your target time for Manchester ?

    Hey, somewhere between 3.10 and 3.30.  I'll have a much clearer idea on that toward the end of my training though.

    You?

    carterusm wrote (see)
    Anyone able to say how the gels are presented at the aid stations ? image

    I would expect nothing less than in diamond encrusted pouches handed over by tall, dark haired fellas in dinner jackets, sporting white gloves!

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