Sub 3h15

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Comments

  • moofmoof ✭✭✭

    Well done Ant, glad you enjoy then race and came away with a positive vibe this time. Plus you pulled....bonus!

  • Fish52Fish52 ✭✭✭
    Martin - Great report of your run - timed to perfection. Like the thought of the hotel staff wondering who had been using the bath.



    TR - what's the theory with diarolyte?



    Lorenzo - Marvellous pudding - is that with cream or custard?



    Ant - Missing a couple of super long runs is always going to hurt a campaign. You still ran a speedy last k, which is never easy - and 3:15 shouldn't be thought of as miserable. Unusual 'brief encounter'!



    Did a beautiful 12 miles of trails and fells in Langdale yesterday followed by a tasty pint and cheese sandwich at the Old Dungeon Ghyll. Cracking weather and legs felt nearly recovered from Manchester.
  • Ant - glad you're feeling so positive. Is the reference to "What a day. See you next year" directed at us forumites or the Spanish lass you bumped into? Brave decision to take her back on the train to your mum's for a quick dinner!!image

    Yhsif - custard rather than cream. A very yummy apple pie to follow the lamb shanks and chorizo. Sounds like a beautiful run yesterday.

    More impressive progression from Gul. Any more tune up races between now and marathon day? I can't remember what the list said.

    MsE - have you settled in to your new place yet?

    My legs aren't quite so achey this morning so made it out for a gentle 3 miler.

  • marrowsmarrows ✭✭✭

    Ha ha Ant, I enjoyed your report!  Did you get her number?

    I wrote a horribly long report here but summary is I had a pretty good race.  Have run good races in the past with joy and exuberance but this time out, tried feeling serious, selfish, and mean instead, which worked.  I had friends out watching at five or six points but didn't spot any, so focussed was I! I finished possibly a little too strong (first half averaged 4:33/km, last 2K 4:18/km), but there was nothing in my training to tell me that it would have been OK to start quicker and it was good to feel good.

    My sorest muscles are not my legs but my abs. ???

    Need to do a little hill training now - Richmond Park marathon coming up in a few weeks.

  • Leslie HLeslie H ✭✭✭

    Great mara reports image

    Gul-nice 14 miler 

    Yhsif-Nice 12 .

    8 miles for me this morn after nightshift with 5 @ 10k pace.Splits: 6:25, 6:26, 6:23 , 6:24, 6:20 . , I recon I might have set a new 10k pb if id carried on .image

  • MinniMinni ✭✭✭

    I'm going to spending the day reading everyone's reports and catching up but in the meantime here is my report (probably the longest one ever for a DNF!!!)

    I went into marathon training this year fitter than I’ve ever been and very confident that a nice PB at VLM would be mine.

    January was dodgy.  3 longs runs were followed immediately by vomiting, passing out and 24 hours in bed (48 hours after the first one).   At this time my hip that had been niggling on and off for months appeared to be getting more noticeable.  Blood tests showed there was nothing wrong and the sickness was put down to a virus.    I continued training and the only run I missed was one 3 mile recovery run.

    February was much better.  I felt well and training was good.  I did a couple of XC races and felt really strong and all was well with the world.

    March saw less than satisfactory month.  I seemed to be always on the edge of illness but nothing really developing.  The Locke 20 didn’t go according to plan (although not a disaster) and my hip hurt afterwards.  The Northumberland Half was a disaster with my time down by 5 minutes on last year and a lot of hip pain by the end.   I took almost a week off afterwards, apart from a couple of slow and short off road runs – well there was Jantastic to think of....

    The final month was about maintenance.  I had a good 20 miler and felt great at the end and a 13 at MP also felt really good.   However, in the last couple of weeks I seem to have got stiffer and stiffer.

    I woke up on Sunday morning and the hip was sore.   I also had a very dry and scratchy throat but couldn’t decide if this was the start of a cold (which is was) or a side effect to all the painkillers I was pumping into myself!

    Met AA at Charing Cross and shared some of her Champs start excitement on the train.    Into the Green enclosure and soon met up with Freemers, O4S and KFC, which was great.  Bumped into Marrows at the baggage bus too and I can confirm she is definitely female! 

    Into the pen with Freemers and positioned ourselves right at the front.  I didn’t feel any kind of nerves or real excitement as the clock ticked down.  I think I already knew I would be doing a Mo and only running to halfway.  

    The Green start did seem a bit more congested this year.  I don’t really understand why they put the GFA (meaning we have all run fast marathons) behind the celebs most of whom will be slow.  I’m happy to work my way through them but people further back didn’t seem think the same and there was a lot of pushing.  I guy literally pushed me to the side with his arm as he passed and I stumbled but didn’t fall.

    Lorenzo came skipping past and was off like the 3:06 runner he is.  I’d also lost Freemers in the first 200m!

    My hip was uncomfortable for the first couple miles but then wore off and I was keeping a good pace.  However, by 8 miles it had started to ache and tighten up.  I made my mind up then that I would stop when I say the family.

     Saw Malcs supporting at mile 10 and stopped to have a brief word with him and do some cheering then plodded on.  On the Highway I spotted the family at mile 23 but wanted to see the elite men come through before I pulled out.  It was great to stop and appreciate the speed they were going and soak up the atmosphere and when Mo came through it was as if a Mexican wave was following him. 

    KFC came past and I told her I was fine then made my way to the subway and joined the family to do some cheering.  (

  • MinniMinni ✭✭✭

    KFC came past and I told her I was fine then made my way to the subway and joined the family to do some cheering.  (I actually think completing the marathon is easier than trying to negotiate the crowds of spectators!!)

    Saw Martin come through first and he looked like he was well in control (even if you didn’t feel it at that stage Martin) Then a topless OO!  AA was next then a we spotted O4S on the far side and she came straight over to say hello – she’s a family favourite so we were all very excited!

    Back to the hotel for a quick shower, to the finish to pick up my bag then straight to the pub.  I was greeted by the very happy faces of (3:15 thread)  Lorenzo (3:06), Speedy (2:58) and Poacher (3:11 and his 50th marathon – well done that man in a skirt).  Ant was a little disappointed with his 3:15 but he won the biggest blister competition.   (3:30 thread) KFC who proved if she actually training properly for a marathon she could probably win the darned thing, Brolish and Kiwi who were spectators on the day.  (Asics 3:30 thread) Malcs and Angela who did a great pacing job just a week after running a massive PB at Manchester.

    The afternoon turned into the evening and it ended up just me and Brol downing bottles of wine until the last train home……

    A very different London Marathon experience for me but really enjoyed the whole day.  Its great to hear everyone’s stories and be part of it, whatever side of the fence you are on.

    Well done to everyone!

  • GerardMGerardM ✭✭✭

    Ant  - Enjoyed your honest report and still a very decent time by most peoples standards . Sounds like you had fun during and afterwards! Planning next year's assualt already?

    Marrows - I loved your long report, was very funny and it sounded like you ran within yourself. Much more to come from you I feel. I ran most of last year's VLM with a welsh guy who had a mankini on. He alos had a spay tan and a dragon on his one buttock too. Very uncanny, wonder if it was the same guy.

    Lorenzo - Cracking pie there and really well done on your run, it's a great time and keep chipping away and who knows sub 3 might be a realistic goal in the near future. 

    Martin - That's a serioulsy impressive run and great report. I stalked you on the photo section of VLM just to see the purple hue. Some double takes by runners you passed thinking who/what is this purple flash.

  • BirchBirch ✭✭✭

    Martin,Ant,Marrows,Minni - excellent reporting
    Martin - sub2:45 is a great landmark achieved - many congrats
    Marrows - 530 places net gain in last 4 miles- cracking effort  . . .more to come?
    Minni - nice perspective, and good endurance to keep going (wine-wise) . . . . .
    Ant - probably accurate with your analysis (missed long runs), but the key phrase "I gave it my all" stands out - you could do no more on the day, so sombrero off to you ! 

    easing back into things here - 5 days rest after Manc, then 7 Sat, 5 Sun, 0 Mon, 6 today.   

  • OO54OO54 ✭✭✭

    Blisters, it was only 1 sub 3 and a near miss in Paris.

    Yes TR the shoes are just for racing but very old and tatty even so.

    Ant- a pleasure to meet you too sir. Just sorry I missed you chat up on the way home

    Minni- I guess it was never on the cards but you had good form in Redcar- so I'm sure you'll be back soon. By the way the 16 stone giant who I ran with at Redcar managed a 2:51 PB- incredible.

  • PoacherPoacher ✭✭✭

    Martin - brilliant effort, huge cojones, take a big bow.


    Marrows, Minni - differing days but you should be relieved at being British - sounds like it was a worrying night for any Spanish ladies in London...image

    Lorenzo - MrsL has triumphed there - tarte tatin is it? - if you can keep recording Bubka PBs by a second each time there must be more pies/tarts to come. But you will have to make a concoction featuring words and number in Swedish meatballs.

    Might go for a run today - legs a bit dead, much more than that after the 27m offroader 2 weeks ago. Shows how much being on the road and in lightweight shoes batters the body to bits.

  • PoacherPoacher ✭✭✭

    Feel free to update. Cntrl/shift for spacing perfection.

     

    May 10 - Marlborough Downs Challenge 20 miler - MsE
    May 11 - Fred Whitton Challenge - SJ - no crashes 
    May 18 - Richmond Park marathon - Marrows no target
    May 31 - Kent Roadrunner - Gul Darr 3:08
    Jun 1 - Comrades - Poacher - Bike It sub 8:20 
    Jun 1 - Walled city marathon - Leslie H 
    Jun ? - Swim length of Ullswater - SJ - no drowning
    June 8 - RunJersey half marathon - GM sub 1:28 
    July - Thunder Run - Minni, MsE
    July 27 - Outlaw - SJ - 10:xx 
    October - Yorkshire marathon - Poacher, Minni TBC
    October 5 - Jersey marathon - GM sub 3:10.
    October 19 - Abingdon Marathon - MsE - to get to the start line injury-free

  • The wanderer returns... It's been a while. image

    Hey peeps. Just wanted to drop back in to say hi and Well done on the PBs - it looks like a good number of the thread had a good VLM. For those of you who it didn't quite work out for - there's always next time.

    I'll not clog up the posts with my various woes over the last few months right now but suffice to say Brighton didn't happen but it looks like the mojo has now returned, not least watching how well you all have done. I did manage to struggle through Jantastic and after some pleading with them, I got the week restored that I missed the posting deadline for. The team did ok I thought....

    Will check back in soon with all my news, and details on the ultimate Mojo restoration trip.

    See yas all soon!

  • Blisters wrote (see)

    PMJ: I understand that you stattos focus on specific trends. But, don’t you think that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy?

    I am a statto but why should statistics become self-fulfilling? It has to be 100% clear that if you take someone like Usain Bolt who is a fast twitch machine that he will never do well at marathon no matter how much he trains.

    I have plotted my 100 best WAVA graded races versus distance. You can see a lot of things here:

    1) I race a lot more short races than long ones so the stats may be valid for short and dodgy for long, but let's ignore that.

    2) There is a clear trend: the real left is poor (200m, mile, 3000m starting to be OK) so clearly raw speed is not there but also the right tails off so endurance is not there either.

    3) The best WAVA I have is at 10 miles, and there are two samples there and both are over 80%, so it may be an outlier but is backed up.

    What may be self-fulfilling is the training. I run at lunch time and I run for about an hour a day: is it surprising that I do best at a race which takes about an hour? If I ran for 2 or 3 hours a day I may well do better at longer races.

    https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HwvyreE9_0I/U00d68uS0xI/AAAAAAAAAzg/UaUTyRMjC6s/s1324/wavaVsDist.PNG

     

     

     

  • A long winded way of saying yes?

     

  • SlokeyJoeSlokeyJoe ✭✭✭

    Good effort Ant, you lothario. 

    Cracking pie Mrs L! image

    Thoroughly enjoying the reports and I'm seriously tempted to make my London debut next year. Unfortunately I don't think that my GFA will count for next year (April 2012) and I'm not running another marathon until the autumn. 2016 anybody?

  • MinniMinni ✭✭✭

    Read back time.

    Firstly OO.  Very well done on the PB and just a week after Paris. I can't believe you recovered so fast to be able to do that.  What's your secret???  I thought I saw the giant running but didn't think he was doing it.  That is a very fast time from a very big man!

    AR - sorry it didn't go according to plan for you.  You should have joined the drop out crew at 13 miles.  I think Mo started it....

    Lit, Marrows, Speedy - very well done to you all. Excellent running from the Ladies.  Especially pleased for Speedy. image

    PMJ - I know how you feel about thinking that maybe your last marathon.  I was thinking the same on Sunday.  Can I actually be bothered with it anymore...?  But I think you need a few weeks to really think about it before you make a decision. 

    You're now in the same position as me.  We have had the 16 week marathon build up but haven't hammered our bodies on the day.  This should lead to an exciting summer of shorter stuff (she says hopefully).  I'd also like to target some 10ks, as its my worst distance, then a half in early September.  Having never trained for 10ks before maybe you can give me some pointers?

    Yhsif - plans are as above.

    TR - awesome running on Sunday!  So pleased it all came good on the day for you.

    Birch - go on, you know you want to!

    martin - you have to collect that Champs number - surely?!!

    Lorenzo - great pie!

    Ant - you tart!  Did you show her your blister too?!!

    I'm very excited to see Poacher has added York marathon to the list.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Maybe I should have done this: 2:07 for the first half, 3:08 at the end for a 61 minute second half!

     

    http://www.neillock.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/pic2-1024x406.jpg

     

     

     

  • Lol, love the irony of the word "proof" across the photo...
  • Interesting to look at the top Uk runners of 2014 now the big ones are over: Mo first, then Chris Thompson, which is as expected. Steve Way, a surprise in third and Scott Overall back in 10th

    1    02:08:21    Mohamed Farah    London
    2    02:11:19    Chris Thompson    London
    3    02:16:27    Steven Way    London
    4    02:16:46    John Gilbert    London
    5    02:16:55    Andi Jones    Manchester
    6    02:17:44    Ben Livesey    London
    7    02:17:47    Andrew Davies    Manchester
    8    02:18:04    Ian Kimpton    Brighton
    9    02:19:07    Dave Norman    Manchester
    10    02:19:55    Scott Overall    London
    11    02:19:59    Jon Pepper    London
    12    02:20:54    Richard Kay    London

  • TRTR ✭✭✭

    PMJ - dont be so hard on yourself, I dont do WAVAs, Pof10 or try to win Parkruns etc but you looked like you were heading for approx 2:50 shape and I bet that compares well versus your shorter distance times and would have been a highish ranking no doubt.................remember that there probably arnt many folks that can get a WAVA at marathon distance like they can at shorter distances, as we are all doing this as a hobby in our spare time, so dont get the time to do the miles the higher gradings would need................having said all of that, do what makes you happy. You seem to be a frustrated runner at times in marathon campaigns as I get the impression you would rather be racing more often and being competetive.

  • moofmoof ✭✭✭

    The speed merchant above, is he a regular at the conker parkrun?

  • Bet he drinks beetroot juice by the gallon.
  • PoacherPoacher ✭✭✭
    That's nowt, look at the pics for runner 9037 who changed gender and age half way through the race...



    Minni I have entered York and Abo for October and hope to do both, but may be away in the gym with Charleston Girl so no guarantees. York would be fun though.
  • moofmoof ✭✭✭

    Poacher- I've just checked out your photos, laugh out loud funny.image

  • Martin HMartin H ✭✭✭

    Moof - Training this year was an average of 56mpw for the 13 weeks before taper.  Peak week was 64 miles.  10mpw average more than previous years.

    Excellent pie Lorenzo.  Mrs H was very impressed; but I'm definately not getting one!!

    Ant, Minni - Really pleased that you both enjoyed the day; even though you didn't get the results you wanted.

    Great report Marrows. 

    GM - It was the same Welsh guy in the mankini.  I was speaking to him before the start and before he started doing laps with Mo and the Africans.

    PMJ - Don't analyse it too much.  Just get back to enjoying your running and the decision to run another marathon will either come, or it won't. Either way, if you finish your marathon career with a 2.50 PB then it is a job well done.

    Blisters - Thanks again!!

    Surprisingly, looking at the VLM stats I was only overtaken by 6 people in the last 7.2k.  I obviously didn't fade as much as I thought I had.  Only overtook 66 this year though.  My photos look really scary!!!

     

  • PMJ - my marathon WAVA isn't my best by some way, but my ranking certainly is. Check out the V35 marathon rankings for 2014. image

  • GerardMGerardM ✭✭✭

    Martin - That is uncanny . I had a bad VLM last year and the same guy with the mankini looked pretty fit and was at around 3:15 pace I think, but it was very disconcerting to run behind him for 12 miles or so. There was another one in a white version, much older chap, but roused some of the spectators. Did the purple paint bother you at all?

    I see the 1st lady of Kenya set herself a rather modest finishing target of 7hrs! Her finishing time was 7:05.That puts things into perspective, the 1st Kenyan London marathon winner (his name escapes me now) ran with her all the way.

    Tried something a bit different today and did a 5k at 6:5x pace on lunch and decided to run a 5k race tonight in less than favourable conditions with a force 5 headwind on the back 2.5k. Finished in 19:45 for my second worst 5k time ever. Ah well, better than siting on the sofa wondering what would have been. Still trying to get there but given my recent issues I guess more patience is required.

    Speedy - What's your next big race?

  • OO54OO54 ✭✭✭

    Been comparing the stats for London and Paris. Basically I ran the first half in London a minute quicker than Paris and held on to that in the 2nd half. Although 2nd half of London and Paris were roughly the same times, in London I maintained good pace until the last few miles then slipped a few secs per mile. Different in Paris, I lost pace initially after half way but then blasted the last few miles.

    In summary I think I gave myself a better chance in London- built a buffer and then held on, rather than playing catch up and failing.

     

  • May 10 - Marlborough Downs Challenge 20 miler - MsE
    May 11 - Fred Whitton Challenge - SJ - no crashes 
    May 18 - Richmond Park marathon - Marrows no target
    May 31 - Kent Roadrunner - Gul Darr 3:08
    May 31 - Stockholm Marathon - Lorenzo more evenly paced than London
    Jun 1 - Comrades - Poacher - Bike It sub 8:20 
    Jun 1 - Walled city marathon - Leslie H 
    Jun ? - Swim length of Ullswater - SJ - no drowning
    June 8 - RunJersey half marathon - GM sub 1:28 
    July - Thunder Run - Minni, MsE
    July 27 - Outlaw - SJ - 10:xx 
    October - Yorkshire marathon - Poacher, Minni TBC
    October 5 - Jersey marathon - GM sub 3:10.
    October 19 - Abingdon Marathon - MsE - to get to the start line injury-free

    Marrows - did I see from your Power of 10 that you did the Self-Transcendence 10K after VLM last year? I'm very tempted to have a crack at it this year. What was the race like?

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