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Paris Marathon 2017
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I you want a copy let me know.
The supporters guide is very good - you can make it to 3 or 4 locations pretty easily on the metro. There are some forum members with flags which make life very easy to find people. It's worth getting everyone to the Saturday pasta meet-up as supporters can team up.
A good spot is Place Felix Eboué, about the 8k mark. There's a big fountain they can stand next to, and you'll see them all the way up the road. Then they can hop across while you're running round the Bois de Vincennes and catch you again at half way. After that they could head to the Bois de Boulogne, or just meet you at the finish.
I've never carried water (let alone gels or food) on a run before but have to say at the weekend I was even starting to seriously eye up puddle water towards the end of my run. Is it best to get a proper running bottle? For the actual marathon I assume the water stops every 5km will be sufficient but I think I need something for training runs.
Thanks for the supporters tips, Eggy I'd love a copy of the guide you mention upthread. It would be great for my husband and two kids to tag along with other supporters although I fear if I'm tagging along at the back the other supporters will need to move on before I pass!
Katey - The number of days you run/rest is something you need to workout what works best for you. I think four/five days a week is reasonably common, but I've seen plans based off three runs a week. I run four times a week and okay football once a week, with two rest days, or I did before getting injured.
I'll grab a copy of the supporters guide tonight and send a copy to anyone who wants it.
A word about hydration in general - sports drinks manufacturers would have you believe you need to be constantly swigging all the way round. Not so. It's actually more dangerous to overhydrate than dehydrate, especially if you're drinking plain water. It's best to drink to thirst - especially if you're out there a long time, you don't want to be knocking back litres of water. And consider trying out electrolyte tablets/salt tablets on your long runs, in case it's hot on the day.
Katey, four/five days a week sounds pretty good. You need the rest days to give your body a chance to recover and adapt, and reduce the chance of getting injured. On your long runs it might be better aiming for a maximum time on your feet rather than thinking you have to do 20 miles. If you're on the go for three to four hours that's as much as most people are doing (and a lot longer than the fast ones).
Oh and for water I just carry a regular 330 or 500ml shop-bought water bottle. It holds more than most running bottles, it's easy to add some electrolyte if it's going to be a hot day, and I just drop it in a bin when I'm done with it.
Pleased you mentioned Place Felix Eboué as a good spot, RR. We know it well - met FRG1 there!
Katey, I run 3 times during the week and long run Saturday (Hal Higston). Started taking 2-3 gels on longer runs (Eggy recommended High5) but just started to feel like I need to carry water on training runs too. Tried compression socks after my long run this week and feel like they made a huge difference.
For me, I've found out the hard way that my body needs a lot of water, so I carry a 500ml donut bottle in training and the race itself. It's never enough - I usually throw it away empty somewhere on the Quais and rely on the water stations from then on.
I can also handle a gel every 25 mins or so, so will take 8. I like Torq, having done some very tedious spreadsheet work to calculate carbs delivered per ml...
I've started taking them in training for the past couple of weeks, now that I'm into the 20m zone. This is partly to train my system to use them rather than the carbs/ glycogen in my body, and partly because there's nothing more demoralising than hitting the wall on a LSR - to be avoided at all costs!
Hello everybody,
Eggy I am really sorry about the loss of your cousin. Life is so fragile really – one minute all can be fine and next we are struck down.
Welcome Katy and well done you taking on the Paris Marathon with young children and a full on job. I too am in the Pink Pen and it’s my first marathon too so I can’t give you any tips like all the rest of the seasoned marathon runners on here.
However on the hydration bit – I have never been any good at drinking water until about last December time when I did my first half marathon and realised that I wasn’t going to fare too well if I didn’t get some fluid on board. I slurped some on the way round but the water they were handing out was so cold I could barely swallow it but I realised I was very naïve not to have a strategy regarding this.
I then attempted my first 18 mile run (took out a couple of gels but no water – not sure what I was thinking then). Anyway like you I started looking at Puddles and eventually passed a pub and staggered in like I had just come from the desert and they kindly gave me a pint of water which I downed in one as couldn’t exactly hang around in the pub). The run needless to say didn’t go well.
Since then I ordered a Salomon back pack thing with a 2 .5 litre water bag and I did my first 20 mile long run yesterday with it (used a couple of electrolyte tabs in the water). I wasn’t sure I would get on with it on my back but I barely noticed it to be honest and felt reassured that I had fluid with me. It did make quite a sloshing noise but I got used to that – and I took three gels with me too.
So I completed my first 20 mile run in 4 hours but it was a slog even with my water and gels. I passed another guy on the way out and on the way in from my run and he was going some lick both times I saw him and he looked strong and fast – while I felt like I had wooden legs and it was taking me longer than it should to pass the fast walkers by mile 18 (I was on a tow path).
The funniest bit of my run came towards the end when I was getting fairly huffy and puffy and whingy and must have exclaimed something like ‘ oh for God’s sake help me’ and next minute I heard a deep voice yell ‘Keep going!’. Frightened the life out of me and for a minute I thought there may be a God and he was talking to me – but it was an old guy at the front of his boat!
Anyway I am just taking it one run at a time and trying to follow a schedule and figure that if I keep following a plan then I have a good chance of getting round. I think as everyone says on this forum its best not to set off too fast – having said that I didn’t set off too fast yesterday and still got slower and slower – haha
Dean - There are no sections on the course that I've ever seen people forced to walk due to congestion. There are a couple of areas where it can get crowded, but I think the further up the field you are the less of an issue that will be.
Probably your biggest issue could be pacers. Any pacers at the event tend to have a large group running along beside them and they can take up a lot of the width of the course.
Katey: I have a camelback podium chill handheld bottle and I've used it for a lot of marathons and training runs. I would either take some with you or go via a place where you can pick some up (a shop or water fountain).
I'd also ditto what others have said about electrolytes on a hot day. I find one tab in water will do me well for anything over 16c.
Just a couple of questions - I arrive in Paris on the saturday morning before the marathon. Is it easy to get to the salon du running to get the bib etc? Is metro the best way?
Also is there anything else I need to ensure I do in advance, other than get the medical certicate (and do the training of course!)
Make sure you have copies of everything stored electronically in case and keep an eye on this forum. There's some great advice nearer the day that's helpful to remember but for now it's just about training :-)
If you want to have a look in advance to get an idea of the route from A to B, this website is great, and if you don't have it already I'd massively recommend installing the app on your phone to use whilst there (and indeed in many other cities all over the world): https://citymapper.com/paris?set_region=fr-paris
I had some time out a few months back and saw a physio. As part of my recovery I was educated on running style and gait and something that really made an impact was balance when running. Just holding something in your hand when you run, like a water bottle, can make you unbalanced and your body then compensates for this by adjusting how you run. It can mean that one side of your body works differently to the other and the danger is that you work some parts more than others and it can lead to injury. At the least you are working muscles differently so you introduce imbalance.
Try running on a treadmill and film yourself from behind. Then try it again while you hold something. It helps to have an expert analysing it and drawing lines on you as you run but it really can be quite remarkable how much your gait changes as a result.
My recommendation is to use a hydration pack or bottle attached to you rather than carrying a bottle.