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Sub 4 Amy: #asics262
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Well done Amy, you did it, must be so pleased. I hope you've enjoyed the celebrations this afternoon!x
Yay! Well done Pocket. Rocket and all who ran at Paris
Well done Amy done it brilliant. It's not always easy out there but you pushed on and did it. That's a great result for you. It was warm out there and that can really effect you. Go enjoy your well deserved celebrations ????
Huge well done Amy, chuffed to bits that you got your sub 4:00, and even more so for digging deep when the going got tough.
Enioy those well-earned post-race celebrations
Well done Amy. Look forward to reading your report.
GJE
Ha! Beat you this time!
Congratulations on such an impressive performance yesterday, you were amazing and have been throughout the last 4 months. Don't ever question yourself young lady, you fully deserve the luck that you've had and it's been a pleasure to share this whole experience with you xx
You wee star! Huge congratulations Amy – what an incredible achievement. I’ve seen first-hand how much effort you have put into this campaign and was so delighted to see you smash 4 hours. To run through pain with your lower leg strapped in difficult hot conditions is inspirational.
It was an absolute pleasure to share this journey with you and I’ve no doubt we’ll be running together again soon.
Well, what to say, where to start....
I am home after what has been one of the best and most memorable wekeends of my life to date. Ypu guys sure have been busy chatty little bees while I have been across the Channel.
A massive thank you for all the kind comments and well wishes. I took all the good lucks with me
Sorry I didn't post while I was away. I think some of the others managed a cheeky few words on their forums somehow but it was a compact schedule. After responding to you guys below what I'll do is maybe go through the whole weekend in stages like a bit of a story as I don't want to miss out on telling you anything. Maybe like chapters, bed time reading, I used to love it when my Dad read a chapter to me each night 
That ok? Please feel free to ask questions along the way 
Thanks for the local knowledge tips Malcs and the milk vs alcohol race day beverage lol!
Great words of advice by Peter Foster 7 "keep strong, pace sensibly, remember all the hard work and training done" - all of which I tried my hardest to follow.
Buxton Running Bunny you are an inspiration to me also, you have such grit and determination and a positive outlook. So pleased that we met at bootcamp. I have every confidence and utter belief that you will nail sub 4 come VLM. Your PBs just keep rolling in, well done on yet another 5km one. Star.
Sarah ascis pro team, thank you for the kind words and advice and for all the help at training days. Your expertise has been greatly appreciated. And you were right, the leg was not such an issue on the day thankfully.
Pete Holt I am afraid you will have to educate me on "Da Ominia" ?!
Reikirabbit how was your farm camp?! And did you really get up super early so you could run pre watching Paris?!
Thanks for popping back in Cbo, sounds like you have had a stressful time. Sorry about your injury and London. Next year?
Snufflepants hope your doing ok. Thinking of you. I too had nightmares in advance of the run. Don't let them put you off.
Iain Hickman 2 I can't wait to hear how you have got on when you are back tomorrow. I did keep a look out for you but no luck.
Haha yes Andrea Wescott you beat me to it! Thanks for the words, I find you such a calming influence and you really did help me through my stresses. I hope that Thomas Rann is right and we will all be running together again soon. It has indeed been a pleasure sharing this journey with you two, and of course SupermanRuns Tim and Ant McNeill Tony.
I really want to thank you all, everyone who has supported me on this forum and Twitter. You have been great and helped me rationalise through some tough times. I really hope that you have found it useful too and gained as much from each others words as I have.
Ok, now are we all sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin....
Hi All
Well elation and disappointment for me all rolled into one.
Disappointment firstly, unfortunately diabetes reared its ugly head big style in the warm conditions in Paris. I was going really well and then from 30km a total disaster, I had a hypo that nothing seemed to sort out (this never happened in training, but then we also did not have any of the warm temps either!) so from that moment on I kept plodding on and when I hit 20 miles I looked at my watch and I saw that the only way I was going to break 4 hrs was to run 8 min/miles, and I was in no shape for doing that).
So at that point it was all about making the finish, and my special friend the sponge was a true godsend in that regard I reckon without it I would most definitely have been in even more trouble. I got chatting to another diabetic and we jogged along until he collapsed- I did the only thing I could I stopped and helped him until medical aid took over he told me to get to the finish, that added at least 5 mins to my finish time.
Now the elation making it to the finish and despite all the problems I faced, I can now say I am a marathon finisher and I'm very proud to be able to say that. I thought the experience was fantastic, the atmosphere was amazing and what a huge race it was, I wouldn't say no to doing it again some day in the future.
I said that I would only do one marathon, but despite the troubles of race day, I've truly loved the whole experience and I'm definitely going to do another marathon in the future.
Oh, my finishing time was only 04:26:55.
Lastly, congratulations Amy on a fantastic result, I'm very impressed you did brilliant, sorry I wasn't able to match your amazingness!!!
Paris Marathon #asics262 in the words of Pocket Rocket Amy
Foreword:
First week of November whilst in Ireland being treated by a friend for a few days away for my birthday - see the competition in Runners World, love it, want it, apply.
The following week get a call saying I am through to the final 50 and asked to attend bootcamp in Birmingham 28th Nov.
28th Nov attend bootcamp. Learn about Asics and Runner's World and what will be expected. Meet fellow bootcampers. Meet the organisers and Pro Team. Gait analysis. Physio session and intro to the famous foam roller. Track session with Steve Marathon Coach and SamMurphyRuns and run my first ever 5km track session in 22:22. Was christened with my nickmane Pocket Rocket Amy by fellow bootcampers Chris Brammer (Bramster) and I believe also Craig may have been involved (Bramster you may know better than me!).
Call - you made the final 5!
Voting week - sell sell sell yourself, promo promo promo! Make a fool of yourself for an amazing prixe.
Call - you made the sub 4 position - unbelieveable!!!
12th Dec - Store day: Didn't go to sleep - got an overnight bus to London to make sure that I got to store on time and couldn't sleep at all!! Met my coach, the one and only Steve Smythe. Wow. Slightly nervous but very excited, burning to get going! Gait analysis and new trainers, new kit. Bioelectrical impediance machine - great low fat internal fat stores, external fat ass!
22nd Dec: the training programme begins...!
24th Jan: Training Day 1 at Battersea Park. Stayed with Ant McNeill and family. Track session, so much fun! Put through our paces in staggered starts for Yasso 800s. Ant McNeill and I starting at the same times. Some of the crew joining in and helping to pace us. Sprint finish with Thomas Rann. Update with Steve Marathon Coach. Meet Ruth McKean 2 sports dietitian and begin a training run nutritional strategy. Physio session with Sarah asics pro team, exercises to go home with.
28th Feb: Training day 2 at Battersea Park. Stayed at Ant McNeill's again. We missed our stop on the overground because we were talking too much! 20mile run, which I did with ant McNeill apart from the last lap. Update with Steve Marathon Coach over lunch. Physio with Sarah asics pro team and chat with psychologist Victor.
13th March: Mum arrives - visiting from NZ for 5-6 weeks and will be coming to Paris with me.
W/C 16th March: start to notice problems with my right lower leg and start seeking help with this. Exercises and taping up to follow.
W/C 30th March: the taper officially begins. Miles reduce. "No puddings until after the marathon, they are not necessary!" Challeged by friends to no chocolate from easter Sunday onwards until Paris (achieved!).
Chapter One: Thursday 9th April Midday.
Excitedly I left work early and raced home to Mum and our pre packed suitcase to change and leave immediately for the train to London. Of course we heading to Ant McNeills's house to stay with his family in their basement level, which has become my second, just as the family have become my second also. Mum and I arrived at Ant McNeill's about 20-30mins before they got back from their wonderful sounding holiday in Italy, so we sat (getting a few odd looks) on the wall outside their house in the small sun trap that was left as the evening started to draw in. When they arrived it was a case of drop bags and head straight out to Nandos for dinner. A carefully chosen salad meal of sweet potato and avocado chunks, tomatoes, cucumber, salad leaves, feta cheese, sesame and roasted seeds and grilled chicken breast washed down with a glass of
Part 2....
...A carefully chosen salad meal of sweet potato and avocado chunks, tomatoes, cucumber, salad leaves, feta cheese, sesame and roasted seeds and grilled chicken breast washed down with a glass of water, no pudding. I sat inbetween the two McNeill kids and we all caught up on each others news and discussed the excitement of the coming weekend and the furture. Before the end of the meal I was presented with this amazing card creation (sorry its on its side):
The pic was from Training Day 2 when Ant McNeill and I made our way to Battersea park. We were meant to be capturing Tony's commute to work as part of his day to day life and training combined, but couldn't resist this one!
After dinner we then home for a hot drink and bed ready for our early start next morning....
Chapter 2 before bed tomorrow
Iain Hickman 2 just seen your post buddy. Congratulations on joining the marathon club, and for being a complete hero!!! I am sorry that diabetes reared its head. It sounds like that finishing was a real achievement for you so I hope you thrive on this and being in the club. The weather was much warmer than I think any of us predicted. I heard that on the TV coverage they were saying that even the elites were struggling with it. You could not be fully prepared for it with regards to managing your hypos as we have not had to train in this heat. You more than matched my achievement. I do not have to contend with anything like the challenge that you do. I hope the guy you helped was thankful. And pleased to hear that other diabetics like yourself have great running aspirations too. Did you guys swap contact details or names at least? Perhaps you could learn from each other. Get home safely.
Amy
pocket rocket about sums your running up! What a great PB AND in the heat as that will slow you so really fantastic result!! We are cross writing at the moment I think so will nip on tomorrow to see rest of your report!
Well done
Also a special well done to Iain - the heat mixed with adrenaline will not have helped your cause so well done on getting to that finish line- I bet that took a lot of guts and sheer determination.
Amy (Pocket Rocket) What can I say. Our fab 5 group have been a brilliant bunch. We have all brought something great and different to the team, which has added to our excellent camaraderie. You are a pocket rocket. And a speed demon. But you are also an excellent team mate. Motivational. And pretty inspirational to boot. Always with a smile on your face and with a humour which is awesome. I am so so pleased you got your dream too, you worked your smaller arse than mine off to get it and witnessing your Yasso 800's at TD1, I knew then you were not going to ever give in without getting your sub 4.00. Well done it was so richly deserved.
Loving the report Amy! Can't wait for the next part
Congratulations Iain. Amazing result considering the obstacles you came across - a real hero for supporting a fellow runner in trouble. Its what running is all about for me - the community.
Enjoy your buzz guys - rest and eat those puddings!!
ps. As I'm a coeliac cake is actually a good way for me to carb load as GF pasta makes me ill. I've just eaten a rather large piece of strawberry yoghurt chocolate cake (I did have rice for tea though). Look away now Ruth Mckean!
Iain well done, that's a huge effort, sorry to hear about your hypo but you did your first marathon which is a great achievement.
amy loving the report, look forward to hearing more!
Massive congratulations again Iain; your achievement is so inspirational! Like Amy said, non of the rest of us have to contend with the additional complication of diabetes. So sorry to hear that you struggled with a hypo, especially as you seemed to have found a solution to them during your training. Like Ruth's said tho, adrenaline and the heat won't have helped. In my eyes you're a hero for stopping to help a fellow runner, be proud, you've definitely earned your marathon badge of honour.
Congratulations also to Giles Pattison on your sub4 Brighton marathon finish!!! Another one joins the club... Just hope I can do the same in 12 days time, eek!
Just a brief training update from me: the plan for Sunday said 12M steady (9:30min/mile) so after giving up trying to track you Amy, I heading out to the Monsal Trail again for an out-and-back run. I chose the trail as I thought varying the terrain would be good, plus it's basically flat and fairly sheltered. The weather here was nothing like Paris! Blustery with the threat of rain again... I accidentally did 12.5M as I wasn't quite concentrating and forgot to turn around at 6 miles, oops! I also forgot to take a gel at 6 miles, it was 7.5miles before I remembered... I was engrossed in the 'Marathon Talk' podcast I was listening too, lack of concentration again! Oh well, thankfully I didn't have any adverse effects. I did the 12.5M in 1:56.50, average pace 9:20min/mile and I felt good and strong throughout. I was pleased with my consistency of pace too, all my miles were run between 9:15 and 9:28 pace despite a vicious headwind for the last 3 miles.
I really can't believe that's the last double figures run I'll do before London?!?!? Where have the last 16 weeks gone? This tapering madness seems so counterintuitive; runs that were previously 7/8 miles are now 4/5 miles. It's so tempting to think, "I'll just do an extra mile!", but I know why I shouldn't and I definitely won't. 12 days and counting now RR and ktkt...
Can't wait to read the next instalment of your story Amy, keep the updates rolling in!!!
Thanks for the kind words, Amy and BRB. Good running again BRB. Looking forward to following your progress in London in a few weeks time!
Also loving the full write up of Paris too.
I also should have said well done to Giles for another sub 4hr @ Brighton!
Iain - well done on your courage going through that experience and still finishing and also finishing in a very respectable time despite what you had been through.
Overcoming those challenges and helping your fellow competitors is more significant than any finishing time.
And now you're part of the marathon finishers club!
Hi Amey, Miss sub 4 hour marathon runner
Da Ominia is latin and roughly translates to 'give everything', which I recently chose as my marathon running moto.
great effort on a hot day, so very well done.
My marathon is this coming Sunday in Manchester, my hip (hamstring/knee) is better but not 100% although I have been given tasks to work on it daily so hopefully it wont be too bad.
Hey Amy - well done you, you sub-4 marathonienne!
I thought I'd respond to the lovely words you posted about me both here and on my thread with a post on your thread. I am a wordy guy but I'm going to reply with a photo gallery of some of my favourite Pocket Rocket moments from the last 4 months. I might have to do this over a couple of posts. Enjoy!
Amy getting down with the kids before training day 1 at Battersea. Eve is reading her a selection of terrible jokes from her joke book but she manages the pain with dignity.
On our way to the Brighton Half Marathon where she, Tom and I all grabbed some great PBs. Amy is once again coping brilliantly with the huge stress of a 90 minute car journey with my children.
Amy with Sarah and Eve looking pretty "fly" in her Asics kit (see the Roach rap YouTube video for the reference).
In Kingston upon Thames en route to Battersea Park for training day 2. Amy looks pretty small and feeble but she did actually push over those telephone boxes.
Battersea Park for training day 2 where we ran a good 15-16 miles or so together chatting away until Steve popped up behind us on his bike and told us off for talking too much.
Just compare these two runners: the bloke on the right standing all limp is never gonna make sub-4; the girl on the left with her dynamic, go-for-it pose, well ... you just know she'll smash it!
I'd love to have a picture of me and Amy at the race start but this one from the Paris expo will have to do. The race numbers have got our names on them - we were both very excited by this!
Amy's third from the left. Just look how she's over-striding to get to the finish line before everyone else. I reckon the two runners behind her have got bruises from her elbowing them out the way ...
This is how I'll always think of Amy: a smile on her face as she's conquered in style another new challenge.
Looking forward to seeing - and running with - you again soon, Amz! x
Great series of photo's. Well done for that and of course for you and Amy and team for the marathon. Fantastic.
Amy - congratulations on an excellent result in Paris!
And very well done on your campaign too. It's a lot of hard work and you got through it brilliantly.
Very best of luck for your future running!
Iain - that's really bad luck for the hypo to hit you like that. The marathon is such a tricky beast to tame, everything has to go right over 16 weeks and then you need things that are completely out of your control to go your way on the day.
Very well done on finishing. You have a great fighting spirit - I have no doubt you'll get what you deserve next time.
Iain - well done on what you did and you will go much quicker without the problems.
Great photos Ant
Luckily Amy was a lot quicker in the marathon than she was in writing her report up - though enjoying the detail so far.
BRB - well done on your run, sounds like you're in great shape for next weekend..I can't believe it's just 12 days away.It's also my birthday on the 26th and the marathon has been a great distraction from that! Am really feeling like my legs need a bit of a rest, I've been getting a little bit of sciatica over the last few days so have been stretching a lot which is helping and treating myself to a sports massage on Saturday, hopefully by next week it'll all be fine.
I love the photos Ant...looks like you were a great team who all got on very well, what an amazing experience to do it!
Just while I'm thinking about it, when should you start carb loading? I don't think I've ever got this right in the past and I've heard some people say 3 days before some say 5 days...Thank you!