Manchester Marathon 2013

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  • Best of luck to everyone

    For the less experienced of you, get your hands on a paper overall.

    Once you have handed in your bag and are waiting for the start of the race they are ideal to keep you warm and if you want the loo take an empty bottle with you to the start line and you can have a pee and hide your modesty at the same time.

    I always wear one , loads of people at Boston were saying what a great idea it was.

  • bionic - absolutely, not knocking it, just jealous! Having said that I think last year maybe I did have a small drink the night before to help me sleep better

    jimmy - the start area is at the bottom on the number itself

     

  • cybarevcybarev ✭✭✭

    Time to cut my toenails I reckon!

  • Good luck to you all on Sunday, did the VLM last week so I have all the nerves and carbs behind me. Did the Manchester last year and it looks like the course and weather are better for this year. Have a great race, I'll be chearing you all on from Chester Road.

  • ShazmoShazmo ✭✭✭

    15W you should know that your support is very important to meimage  But I thought you said you might stay in bedimage

    Getting super excited/nervous now. Last little run for me this afternoon, then chillax. I've got my work's leaving do tomorrow evening which will be a dry one for me and I will have to find the safest pair of high-heels I can find!

  • Just popped to the charity shop in my lunch hour to get a cheap hoodie for the start of the race, that'll teach me to go to one in Heald Green. Am now loathe to throw it away although I assume they are recycled for some purpose or other

    Will have to stay off the beer Fri/Sat night, find myself sluggish and dehydrated otherwise plus hoping to get some sleep. Ironically the end of the taper means that I'll be getting a lie in rather than up at the crack of for a run

    Kit and shoes sorted, gels stocked, jelly babies on list for weekly shop, I think we're nearly there. Just need a pre-race haircut now that spring appears to have finally sprung and the gloves/hat are well are truly back in the drawer

    Making myself feel better by reading some of the post-race blogs/articles written by people who ran it last year

    It does seem that alot of people hooked up with runners who were aiming for a similar time during the race itself, bit of a runmance as it were

  • Last of my night shifts done, a few days off now before sunday, feet up and relax, well the best I can with a crazy 2 year old running around. 

  • cybarev wrote (see)

    Time to cut my toenails I reckon!

    Did mine last night & will wear vaseline on my feet & socks in bed tonight & tomorrow - not exactly living the rock n roll lifestyle at the moment image

  • ...Been to Hobby Craft!..great idea RR..and it was only 2.49 for a whole pack...now....I need to get my partner to iron them on for me as I don't go near an iron.  Like, ever!

  • SallymaxSallymax ✭✭✭

    A pace band ... or not ?????

  • I tried it once Sally, but to be honest, I struggled to see the figures on it whilst running!

    If you are after a time I would follow a pacer but keep an eye on your watch/Garmin too.

    Panda

  • SallymaxSallymax ✭✭✭

    Hmm, good point Panda, I need specs for reading anyway but didn't think of that!!!  Actually I can barely see my Garmin, ha ha!!  Don't know why I even thought about it...

    Can't keep away from this forum actually - these at home are oblivious as to how I'm actually feeling!!!!  Trying to be positive - I can do it.

    Weather looks ok to me - last time I checked it was overcast in the morning - that'd be good.

  • cybarevcybarev ✭✭✭

    I tried a pace band twice. First time printed it from RW pace calculaor and it just turned to mush after 10 miles. Second time I covered it in sellotape to make it waterproof and that did the trick. I shall mostly be........... following a pacer, checking my garmin and looking at my pace band! Anything to distract myself!

    Look what came in the post today ....

    /members/images/333265/Gallery/bostonsmallest.jpg

     

  • Ahhh....that's cool....I would have loved that.  I will look out for you now!image

    Sally, my eyes are ok (for close up anyway) and even I couldn't see the numbers on it.  Trouble is, they are small in size, and your arm is moving and so are your legs, so I would love to know how anyone reads them.  People evidently do that, so perhaps it's me being thick lol!!

    Course you can do it.  Just think of all the training you have done and how many people out there will have done loads less than you.  You will be great, and don't think negative!

    Panda

  • fidsfids ✭✭✭

    Hi all. Just sitting having a curry and  the last two beers before abstinence.

    Of course you can do it Sally.  You'll be on this forum Sunday or Monday gushing with pride at being a marathoner.

    I'm also toying with the idea of using a RW paceband (have laminated mine) but think i may just lurk behind the pacers until i either run out of steam, or feel i can push on. (hahaha, optimism there)image

  • Ooh, never heard of these pacebands before and now I'm thinking I NEED ONE!

  • fidsfids ✭✭✭

    Hi Sam. If you're interested go here. http://www.runnersworld.com/tools/pace-wristband-creator

    Follow instruction and it will provide you with your mile splits to keep you on track for your target finish time.

  • Cheers! That's great, think I'll give it a go. Now, think we have a laminator in a drawer somewhere...

  • Pretty convinced that after last years weather and the recent weather forecasts that this was going to be a dry one this year.

    Watching the BBC weather this morning and it's forecast for rain.

  • Yep gramck24 (how on earth do you say that?) seems like showers/drizzle may make an appearence now.  It's also not going to be warm with the meat of the race being 3-6.c by the looks of it.  They're also saying there will be wind now.  Not howling gales but breezes.  It's not half as favourable as they said earlier in the week but not terrible either.  Still time for it to change....

     

    5 miles with 6x100 strides this morning.  Still getting this discomfort early in the run but thankfully, it vanishes 2-3 miles in.

  • Lurked through 1500+ posts and wish everyone well for Sunday. 

    I too had convinced myself the weather would be quite kind this year. But lets face it cold-to-cool temps, a bit of wind and the occasional shower is what we have all trained through all spring. It should be nothing new, so I'll just stick to the training gear that as done me proud through the worst that the Manchester weather can throw at it (which has been pretty grim at times!).

    I'm just glad to have nursed my knees to the start line no matter what the weather and feel for the poor guys and girls that put most of the hard hours in and have not made it through injury. My knee niggles seem much better now I'm in the taper and now getting excited at doing my first marathon (and in my adopted town).... looking for a should be achievable good time, LOL, but no doubt the wheels will fall off the wagon at 22 miles! There is always another race!

    I've made one of those runnerworld wrist band thingys this morning and used magic tape for lamination. It looks pretty good.... just the small matter of running that even split now!

     

     

     

     

  • Not long now, had my last run with the club last night over the Cornish trails which was lush, having a relaxing massage today then resting up till Sunday.

  • Strangely Brown wrote (see)

    Yep gramck24 (how on earth do you say that?) seems like showers/drizzle may make an appearence now.  It's also not going to be warm with the meat of the race being 3-6.c by the looks of it.  They're also saying there will be wind now.  Not howling gales but breezes.  It's not half as favourable as they said earlier in the week but not terrible either.  Still time for it to change....

     

    5 miles with 6x100 strides this morning.  Still getting this discomfort early in the run but thankfully, it vanishes 2-3 miles in.

    Happier to have cool and the odd shower than the sudden appearance of baking hot sunshine, so long as the monsoons stay away. May have to revisit the additional undershirt that has been a part of so many training runs as I only intended a couple of layers on Sunday

    Still got stiffness in the right knee and a twinge in the upper inside thigh so regular stretches at present on these final 2 rest days, not painful in itself when moving but something doesn't feel "quite right". Can't complain to Mrs RR though as she's been through 2 micro fractures on her knee in the last few years and still suffers considerably

    Still getting waves of apprehension so could really do with getting out there and doing it now. Going to to find it difficult to do "nothing" tomorrow

  • rockinrocky_robin wrote (see)
    Strangely Brown wrote (see)

    Yep gramck24 (how on earth do you say that?) seems like showers/drizzle may make an appearence now.  It's also not going to be warm with the meat of the race being 3-6.c by the looks of it.  They're also saying there will be wind now.  Not howling gales but breezes.  It's not half as favourable as they said earlier in the week but not terrible either.  Still time for it to change....

     

    5 miles with 6x100 strides this morning.  Still getting this discomfort early in the run but thankfully, it vanishes 2-3 miles in.

    Happier to have cool and the odd shower than the sudden appearance of baking hot sunshine, so long as the monsoons stay away. May have to revisit the additional undershirt that has been a part of so many training runs as I only intended a couple of layers on Sunday

    Still got stiffness in the right knee and a twinge in the upper inside thigh so regular stretches at present on these final 2 rest days, not painful in itself when moving but something doesn't feel "quite right". Can't complain to Mrs RR though as she's been through 2 micro fractures on her knee in the last few years and still suffers considerably

    Still getting waves of apprehension so could really do with getting out there and doing it now. Going to to find it difficult to do "nothing" tomorrow

    Yeah, i'm cool with passing showers so long as they are light and not torrential!

    Regarding clothing, i'm still a bit unsure too.  I quite like my compression base layers that i've worn a lot during the winter.  i've worn them in a few races with no great bother but obviously i've never had one on for a distance as long as a marathon.  I just wonder if the two layers might start to get too much later in the race.

    That's the only real decision for me I think.  I certainly won't be in a hat or gloves and on the bottom half will just be lycra shorts with some lightweight normal shorts on top.  I think it'll be too chilly to just wear a vest on top.

    My plan for tomorrow is to do my final 4 mile recovery run and the potter around the house.  Some baking, make some chutneys, bit of gentle DIY, listen to the football, maybe catch a film in the evening.  Just keeping busy really.

  • I generally find this report quite accurate:

    http://www.accuweather.com/en/gb/manchester/m1-2/hourly-weather-forecast/329260?hour=57

    Doesn't look too bad for running a marathon in - certainly significantly better than last years misery

  • bionic-hip? wrote (see)

    I generally find this report quite accurate:

    http://www.accuweather.com/en/gb/manchester/m1-2/hourly-weather-forecast/329260?hour=57

    Doesn't look too bad for running a marathon in - certainly significantly better than last years misery

    Typical Manchester weather then. image

  • ValleyValley ✭✭✭

    The excitement of a big race always hits me when I get in the car after work on a Friday afternoon.

    Come 4:30 I'm going to be buzzing.

  • I sometimes find myself obsessing about weather forecasts leading into race days, but for Manchester the weather is so variable that I take it all with a huge pinch of salt. I imagine that the various forecasts will contradict eachother, and repeatedly oscillate between "light rain", "partly sunny with occasional rain", "cloudy", "rain showers", and "partly cloudly". In the end expect some rain and cool weather. Like others have said, I really want to avoid heavy winds... that was the worst thing for me last year!

    Aside from that, I've felt like I'm coming down with a cold all week, but I seem to be holding it off. When I think about it, this seems to happen before every marathonI've ever run.... must be all in my head!

    I'm going to try the pace band..... cool!

  • I must admit, i'm actually feeling a tad restless today.  Working from home, struggling to get through to customers and a little nervous energy starting to build.  I'm fidgety on my seat and sort of feel like I need to go out for a blast.  It's been a good 7 or 8 days now since my last fairly hard session and probably over 2 weeks since my last proper hard one.  Apart from holidays, that's the longest i've gone without having a proper blow out run in the last 5 years and I feel slightly like a coiled spring now.

     

    Got to resist the temptation to go out hard in manchester, i'll feel like doing it, that's for sure.

  • Had a horrible dream last night that I'd got to mile 25 and I realised I didn't have my number on and my race was nil and void!!! Arrrrrrgggggghhhh!!

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