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Day off today: run out of miles: P&D say 32 miles and I've done 27 so parkrun tomorrow will hit 32. Then Sunday off too: feels very odd.
Hi folks, thought I'd pop in as an occasional contributer to let you know how I got on at Manchester. I won't bore you with lots of details but suffice to say this was by a distance my best marathon ever (at the 8th attempt). For the first time ever I managed to run a more-or-less even pace throughout (quickest mile 6:50, slowest 7:39) and didn't 'hit the wall'. My time was 3:10:17 - a PB by 19 minutes
. Yes it was still very hard but not like in the past where I've been reduced to a shuffle for the last few miles. I am mainly putting this down to the greatly increased amount of carbs consumed in the days before, for breakfast and during the race.
I almost feel guilty now for making my family wait around 4-5 hours for me to do marathons in the past when I was obviously capable of much better! I'm 1.5 stone lighter than the last one, though, which helps.
On the beetroot debate, I have been taking a beetroot 'shot' about 2 hours before my main races for a while now. Whether it helps, I have no idea but I read some research saying it has more of a positive effect for those of a decent club runner standard than elite athletes. This time I took it a stage further eating beetroot every day for the last 2 weeks, consuming a beetroot/apple/carrot juice mix (made myself using our juicer (despite my wife's complaints about the smell)) every day for the last week and a beetroot shot on the morning! I do like beetroot which helps.
All the best to those doing London and other marathons.
Inspirational effort Badbark! Great report and it all sounded well within your current fitness after the lay off. Roll on Belfast!
Gul, I use 2 gel belts and have one at the front and the other round the back. This helps distribute the weight a bit.
Good session on the treadmill BikeIt - good for mental toughness!
It's been a while since I used Beetroot Juice - dam, that could have made a difference!
SJ - is your hip news going to change the way you train, more on the treadmill rather than pavements? Will that help?
Congratulations on your PB wally1976 - a great time and big chunk off your PB. Good that you actually liek beetroot with all that consumption!
Hi all, I am new to contributing to the thread, but have been reading over the last three weeks. Very inspiring and some great advice. I picked up the thread having decided to push for a 3.15/3,20 at London, following a 1.27 recent half.
I do have some reservations as my last marathon in 2014 was a disaster (3.49 having to shuffle the last 4 miles (I was aiming for 3.30)) so I would rather bank a good time rather than attempting a 3.10 which my half time indicates I may be able to achieve.
I was wondering what shoes people wear on race day. I have some Adidas Boston Boost which I use for all my races, however on the recent half I did feel sore (especially the hips) afterwards. I am wondering if that was due to less cushioning and would be better running in my more cushioned shoes which I use on all my long runs.
I would appreciate any thoughts people have and good luck to all running marathons at this time.
BB - big chapeau. Your endurance and willpower are staggering.
Loving the taper madness. You all have far too much time on your hands while running less...which means thoughts turn to beetroot.
BI - sharing your treadie pain, but well done for knocking off the session.
DG - why not weigh the rival shoes and see if the one which threatens to cause more pain offers a really significant weight advantage? If not, go with the cushioning.
Nice PB Wally
Just completed the feedback survey for Manchester. Among other questions, it asks whether there are things people have seen at other events which Manchester could adopt. It's tempting to answer "a start line" and "only one mile marker per mile". At the end, the site offers a link which can be used to vote for Manchester as the best marathon of the year! One suspects there will be few takers.
Meanwhile I'm at a loss as to how to prepare best for London. I've done a couple of maras in a fortnight/week/weekend several times, but not with this lack of endurance training. Realising now that Manc too a lot out of the legs - will some gentle recovery help or is it time to lay off till Sunday week? Decisions, decisions.
Great result Wally - very well done.
KR - I don't train on the road anymore (for the last year) (apart from the very odd time that it is a necessity or a special occasion). So won't change what I do. Planning to ignore the advice and decide when to ease off or not based on how it's feeling.
Welcome newbies you are very welcome to the tread.
Poacher I did Paris and London a week apart 2 years ago. I just did one mid week run to test out the legs after Paris and a lot of massage. I was a minute quicker in London.
SJ -Thanks for asking. Pain has come back again today. I think it could be something got to do with the pectineus muscle. Ha-ha, It was a lot of fun and even made a few buddies in the misery what was for many the baggage queue. Some Northern chap had done 2 Oceans is doing Comrades, he was a very nice chap. I was disappointed not have met up with the threadsters as I don't get to race off Island often but who knows maybe next year or somewhere in the future.
GD - fingers x'd re the hamstring . . . .
OO - an easy 13 would do no harm I guess, but on the other hand I doubt it would provide race day benefit either. My own preference a week out (8 days to be exact, as on Saturday) is 10.5 easy (simply as I have a pleasant loop of that distance).
Slokey J - I admire your stoicism in the face of a prognosis none of us would welcome . . .
DG76 - hi !
Gul - excellent early session there - and you actually have hills !!
Poacher - two or three easy runs, maybe? Perhaps you could head for a gym, and your favourite (!) surface . . . . .
BikeIt - good couple of days there, the mind-numbing t'mill session & a 19 mile double - fine work.
managed a modest double myself today - 6 miles a.m. & 4 miles p.m. 35 for the week, so with Sat/Sun to come, should top 50 for first time this year.
Bike it - that was a monster treadmill session!
Wally - well done on a fantastic PB
DG76 - DS Trainers for me - fairly light but with some support
10M for me this morning, including 2 x 3.75M at MP (7.08 and 7.05 paces respectively). I also not that the 10 day weather forecast is looking promising at a max of 12 degrees!
Poacher - I'd definitely be tempted to do a couple of easy runs between now and Sunday.
DG - welcome. Assuming that you've got the endurance in your legs, 1:27 should tee you up nicely for a sub 3:10. 7:15 min/mile pace will get you halfway in 1:35 and all the way there in just under 3:10. I've managed to convince my legs that I'm OK running in relatively uncushioned shoes (Mizuno Hitogamis) - I'm neither super-light (70kg) or especially biomechancially efficient but I've never had any problems and the feeling of wearing lighter shoes makes me feel more like I'm racing.
Rest day for me as well today - parkrun tomorrow and 10 on Sunday will take me up to about 35 for the week.
BB, you animal! I am so jealous of your running talent. That's really all I need to say. You are an inspiration. Congrats on such a superb outing and the win!
SJ, sorry to hear about the hip. I'm always telling people about you. You handle the situation admirably. May you keep defying the odds for many years to come!
So just a few days out from race day now. I've got weather fever. And unluckily, the weather leading up to and the days after would be perfect conditions. But as of the past 2 days, they are predicting full sun and about 70 degrees for the day. For reference, I can't remember the last time it got over 40 for one of my runs. So no acclimation. But I've seen the weather shift in the final days before so maybe there will still be hope. But must put this fretting aside. I'll either have weather for a PB attempt or not and will run accordingly. I put some pretty good quality work in first 2 wks of taper so am now hurrying to rest up so to speak. But had my P&D style dress rehearsal yesterday and the 2 MP miles came out fast (more like HM pace) and felt relatively comfy. Legs felt good on a short easy effort today. Heading to the Boston area tomorrow. Quite a to do figuring out how to get to the expo, the race, and how to get my wife to viewing spots. She claims this is my one and only Boston experience (but remember that Good Fellas pic someone posted a while back in response to a wife saying "you're not running another marathon, right?"...
VT - have you told MrsVT about the Wellesley students?....better not let her choose a viewing point anywhere near there...
Even if it's too hot for a fast one, you will still have taken part in THE aspirational marathon and in a race which encompasses the heritage of the sport. It'll be a fab day - savour the experience.
Lorenzo/Birch/OO - maybe a couple of short ones (no treadie!) but boy the legs are trashed. Getting too old for this sort of thing
GM - (most of) the rest of us live on an island too - come back and race here any time you wish
SJ - you're doing an excellent job in preserving your athletic career despite the doom-mongers. Don't listen to them.
So, we are finally here!! Brighton Marathon weekend. Collected my number this morning and checked out the parking and road closures.
Have only done one run of 8 miles this week on Wednesday, will do 2-3 tomorrow morning. Legs feel good for the taper, so ready to see how things go on Sunday
Weather looks perfect... Sunny and 8 degrees. Light winds.
Good luck to anyone doing Brighton
Poacher, thanks for the perspective. You are right of course. Will just enjoy! I told my wife I'd save my kisses only for her and her response was that she figured the pretty girls would likely be running and not on the sideline! Hope your legs rebound soon.
Jason, the very best of luck to you this weekend. Hope you smash it.
Was fun to eat whatever I wanted today. But belly already wondering why I'm being such a glutton.
Just did 11.6M this morning at 7.58 pace, rather than the 13 planned as legs felt a little tired
Great race reports from GM and KR, looks like you both had a tough time.
KR weaving through all the slower runners would have cost you some time plus the odd panicky surge would have wasted valuable energy. So to pb under those circumstances really is a fantastic achievement.
BB- that really is a great result, well done.
Congratulations on your pb Wally.
.
Slokey- two fingers up to the medical profession!
DG76 -I don't wear a proper racing flat for marathons, my choice of marathon trainers are Brooks st5 in fluorescent green/yellow. Lighter than my plodding trainers but they still have a bit of cushioning.
After seeing Lorenzo and OO were going for it at parkrun I thought I'd give my local one a blast. The time wasn't as quick as I'd hoped as the windy last mile at Newbury put an end to that but the victory was mine as the real speed merchants must have had a lay in.
Have a good one VTR. Hope the weather isn't too bad: current forecast is of course for a few cool days and a hot one on Monday.
Long range forecast for London next Sunday is looking good.
parkrun today and faster than last week and felt easier so taper continues to go well.
Final run of any note for me today. Will only do a couple of 3 and 4 mile tiddlers next week.
Legs felt heavy for some reason but knocked out a 10k at 7.25 pace with 3 miles at MP. Slower miles were 7.3x which felt very slow, so I guess that's a good sign?
Hammy hurt a tad on the final mile but I have a massage booked with the physio on Monday so hopefully she should see me straight.
Good luck to JT and all other Brighton runners tomorrow. That's been my spring mara for the past 2 years and I've enjoyed it very much (2 x PBs).
Weather looks great for it you lucky wotsits!
GD
Wally -that's a proper pb of 19 mins ,weight loss has a huge benefit at the longer distances
Badbark- sub 3 at Belfast looks a possibility
Slokey- you go by how you feel,its worked fine till now
LB- nice mara pace
Birch- still on an upward curve
VTR- its always the last one- till the next time
Don't be ....you know 
Jason- goodluck sunday
Moof- a win's a win
PMJ- sounds promising for a sub 3.
10 miles, first 8m an unscheduled progression to 7 m/m then 2 easy to finish.Swimming practice has tweaked my neck a bit on tues , first swimming injury, I must be improving ...
SJ - rubbish news. Hope just ignoring it works.
Enjoy the 2 days rest in 3! Good parkrun.
PMJ - yes, stick to the schedule at all costs
Wally - welcome to the thread and congrats on that massive PB! I know the feeling of shuffling to the end. Hope I can crack it too this time around.
DG76 - weclome to the thread too. I am a cheapskate and wear Aldi shoes until they fall to pieces
Poacher - LOL! I'd give it 3 or 4 days rest and then just a couple of easy runs on Thu/Fri, say. Then again, what do I know?!
Birch - nice double. When I say hills it was just the same 6% "hill" over and over again! Desperately trying to give my legs some sort of warning of what is coming at the end of White Peak! (18%?!)
LB70 - good MP session.
VTr - all the best for Boston - Monday, isn't it?
JT - all the best to you too in Brighton.
Moof - congrats on the parkrun win!
Silly o'clock start for time on feet run this morning. Tried safety-pinning a gel but then seemed far too difficult to sort out on the run, so canned that idea. Never mind, I just stuck 4 in my pockets instead. Did 22 miles in lovely pouring rain at 8:24 m/m (i.e. 3:04:49). Positive note: managed to avoid hypothermia. Only one more true long run planned even though it's 5 weeks to go as I'm doing a mini-taper for my 10k.
Have a great seaside marathon run at Brighton JT and be an Aston Martin, but not the DBS.
Enjoy your final 2 days of tapering VTR and have a great race at Boston. You must be very excited.
Sorry to read about your Doc's visit SJ. But your beautiful aero wheels seem to offer you some solace. Have you been offered any treatment?
Gul, when I've used gels, I've carried a couple and stuffed the rest into pockets. Bumbags, belts and pins just seem to get in the way.
Langdale 10k today in beautiful vest and shorts sunshine. Nice and hilly with fantastic views of the snow capped fells. It was my 2nd post hip comeback race and my first 10k since summer 2014. 40:38 was better than I hoped for, followed by a delicious pint in the NDG.
The beer is good in the Ghyll after that race Fishy. That time is good for a comfy sub 40 on a flat course.
Thanks for the comments folks. It isn't really new news, just the recommendation of how I should behave has shifted and is the opposite of what I'm planning. Fishy - only treatment option is steroid injections into the joint and when they stop working a new hip. I'll hold off on those though.
Well done on the win Moof.
Stay safe and germ free all of you VLMers
3hr Brick session today with lumpy bike course with SJjr (who I'm suddenly struggling to keep up with!) and then 90 mins on tready. Lost a couple of pound in the past week too since we ran out of cake on Tuesday....
Thanks all for the welcome and advice.
i did an easy parkrun this morning and then planning on 12 miles tomorrow, but I may take it slightly easier than planned (7.30) given the comments.
Nice run Fishy, Ah, the beer in the NDG (and ODG)
SJ get some cake in, your athletic future depends on it.
Good luck in Brighton JT
Gul - assuming you haven't got pierced ears, why not get them done and hang the gels from Long John Silver-style earrings? It would be very convenient, you might even be able to slurp the lovely syrupy mix without pulling them off the earring.
Parkrun this morning - 20.47, 30sec faster than last week but possibly because the mud was only ankle deep due to the course drying out a little. Must keep the faith for another week.
hmm, legs not too trashed, then, Poacher
nice one, moof, & good racing, Fishy !
Gul, excellent 22 - imo, the time a 22 takes at this point can be a good indicator of race goal . . . . . never easy in pouring rain, either - a run you can draw upon mentally on race day . . . . .
good luck to Jason & any other racers tomorrow . . .
13 this morn - intended 15/16, but legs very tired and stiff, so called it a day early
Good luck tomorrow, JT!
Tough day at the national relays for me. After a very stressful week my mojo was absent, and when I needed to dig deep there was nothing on offer. Hopefully this means it is all saved up for next week...