Paris Marathon 2017

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  • SmudgerncfcSmudgerncfc ✭✭✭
    edited February 2017
  • Blimey, where have all the avatars gone? Hoping that mine still remains.

    Up bright and early preparing to travel to Cambridge later today. I am kind of dreading this run. I haven't got the training in that I'd wished for, so feeling a little unprepared. I also have no ideas what the course is going to be like, so wondering what shoes to wear and hoping that I don't get left to run on my own for too long , as I believe that the course isn't the best Marshalled, is a mixture of trails, roads and fields and that you could be left to find your own way around certain parts of the course.

    Oh well, it will be an adventure! 
  • TBO2TBO2 ✭✭✭
    Good luck Smudger!
    Eggy I'm so sorry to hear about your pain, I am struggling with it too and haven't run properly for two weeks. Am going to try tomorrow but agree with your view. If I can't do it I will be looking at pulling out of Brighton.
    Dom -sorry for abbreviation -I totally agree with you. The best marathon I have run was New York where I had the summer to train and then a freezing cold day with 45mph winds!
  • Smudger - are you doing the H&H Cambridge Half/ Full?

    Me too. Done it a few times, with mixed feelings. The course has changed in the past few years so that it now goes anti-clockwise around the city, with fewer bottlenecks. It isn't really marshalled -  there are people at the water stations, but that's about it. The organisers are students, and it shows! There are a couple of sections around & across fields, and they're going to be muddy. I'm wearing my oldest serviceable pair of trainers!
  • Can anyone who has run the route before tell me if there are toilets around the course? I can't see them marked on the route map
  • TBO2 - Sorry to hear your injured. Hope you're off the injury bench soon.

    Smudger - Good luck at Cambridge.

    Kenno - No decision made yet. I'll see what progress I make over the next couple of weeks then decide.

    Emma16 - Yes, there are toilets on the route at various points. The worst of the toilet issues is the start pens. There are very few provided for the number of runners in each pen. 
  • Eggy and TBO2 hope you're both feeling better soon. Hopefully you can keep up your cardio fitness with some cycling and/or swimming whilst your injury heals? Fingers crossed for you both.

    Emma16, I second what Eggy said about the start pens. Best to use the cubicles at the bag check area. In the pens there were plenty of stand up urinals, but the queues for the few cubicles were terrible. Hope nobody's eating as they read this, but I'm sure I'm not the only person who saw people squatting in the gutter. 

    And good luck for tomorrow Smudger and Dom. Paths have dried out a little bit round the common near me in London so I hope it's not horrendously muddy for you in Cambridge.
  • FRG2FRG2 ✭✭✭
    Plenty of branches down on my run today, and I stuck to the pavements. Hope they've cleared your route in Cambridge.

    Bit nervous about MK20 next Sunday. Will be my longest run ever and apparently there's a long slow hill to finish!
  • Peeing in the streets is something if a Paris marathon tradition.

    Some of the ladies have selected the side streets next to finest luxury stores as their alfresco toilets.

    I've used the empty sports bottle trick in the pens. Top tip, never pick up any full looking sports drink bottles in the pens!
  • kateykatey ✭✭✭
    Wow lots of comments, on mobile so hard to scroll up and address everyone's comments. 

    Eggy, sorry to hear about your injury. I'm sure you'd be faster than me even if you were taking it easy. Sorry about your injury too TBO.

    I did another LSR today, 15.4 miles. The first 13 flew by and then my legs seized up, I struggled on to just over 15 and then shamefully called my husband to come and pick me up. The fact that the first 13 were pretty easy is hopeful though as it was very different to last week. I carried water for the first time (switching bottle from hand to hand) and after 7 miles had a jelly baby roughly every 15 minutes. Quite a few hills and all was good until my legs were just so stiff I could hardly walk.

    I'm toying with doing a half marathon next weekend which will be my first but I have one on the 19th too and I'm worried I'm running out of weeks to try an 18 or 20 mile run. I'm worried 15 is my limit after today.


  • Katey - Don't worry about it. You're still building endurance. Even as someone who's ran plenty of long runs I still have days like you've had from time to time. The only difference being I don't have anyone to pick me up, so have to force myself through until I get home.

    For the sudden impact it might be worth looking to what you're eating pre-run and during the run. Everyone is different, so it can be trial and error in what works best for you.
  • kateykatey ✭✭✭
    Thanks Eggy

    I did find today a lot easier than last week and I didn't even feel the need to walk until the last mile. I think that is what suddenly stiffened me up.

    I'm just worried time is running out, only 6 weeks!!!
  • Nerves are normal, particularly for your first marathon. You'll make it to the finish line. 

    You're doing better than I did when I decided to run my first marathon. I entered a marathon that was four months away. I hadn't ran since my school says, even then I was the kid who couldn't run the length of themselves and didn't even own a pair of running shoes at the time I entered! A process that can only be described as an exercise in stupidity. 
  • kateykatey ✭✭✭
    Ha Eggy! Did you manage to finish it? 

    I did learn a valuable lesson yesterday. Jelly babies need to be in a bag in my pocket, not just in my pocket. Sweat and jelly babies equals one sticky ball of mushed up limbs.
  • TBO2TBO2 ✭✭✭
    Thanks those who have given words of encouragement, managed 8 miles today! Sitting here with an ice pack on. Hope everyone's running went ok.
  • 10 min half-marathon PB for me today, which was even more amazing on a back of a difficult week's training, tired legs and some nasty headwinds. The first 10k, if run as a 10k, would also have been a PB.

    For context, before you think I've been getting training 'input' from Salazar, I haven't really done any competitive races other than marathons in about 2 years, in which time I've lost more than a stone, so this is why the margins of improvement are so high.

    Knackered now!
  • Dom - Well done! That's a huge chunk of time to knock off a half.

    Katey - Surprisingly I did manage to finish.
  • Bandito27Bandito27 ✭✭✭
    edited February 2017
    emma16 - there are toilets dotted around the course, I've used most of them :smiley: Obviously like any marathon course there can be a gap between toilet stations. Depends how brave you are but seen plenty of people diving to a side street as well. Also saw one poor women last year who didn't make it to the toilet in time and she was carrying on as if nothing happened. Sorry to anyone eating dinner :). I don't intend to scare you as I've ran a few races over the years and that was a first...

    Katey - I had the jelly baby carnage :smile: myself until I started using gels. In relation to running out of time (sorry about the pun) you could focus on "time on your feet". If you go out for a run and have to walk some of the way it all counts, you just need to be out there on your feet. A walk at the end of a long run will also be good for your legs. On the day you'll fly round, swept up in the event and you'll forget you ever worried about it.

    Great news to have knocked 10min off your PB Dom.

    Smudger - I see from Strava you had a great run today... and a quick pint as well :smiley:

    I was out on a long run today with tired legs from yesterdays efforts and I took a bit of convincing that I could complete it. You know that little voice in your head that says "stop it hurts" and the other that says "keep running you're fine....". Nearly called International Rescue (my other half) to pick my up but so glad I persevered and completed it.

    Whatever you managed to do today hope you enjoyed it :smile::smile::smile:
  • ok... I do like smiley faces :smile:
  • Hi everyone – lots to catch up on here

    Eggy and TBO2 sorry to hear you are carrying injuries and hope things improve.

    Katey – well done on your long runs, I am finding mine really tough too and despite reading all the encouragement from everyone else about how it will be ok on the day I can’t quite visualise running 26.2 miles but one step at a time I guess.

    I just got back from a 16 mile run and it was quite wild and blustery out and I ran down a stretch of the Kennet and Avon tow path which was much more like a mud bath as it turned out. My feet must have weighed an extra few pounds for all the mud stuck to them.

    Well done Dom on your half marathon PB – that’s impressive

    FRG2 – A hill at the end in Milton Keynes!! :o      I too am doing the MK20 next week and I hadn’t done much research on it but for some reason I thought MK was a flat place and just had loads of roundabouts! It will be my second go at 20M and the first wasn’t very impressive as I could barely shuffle along at the end of that. I will certainly be bringing up the rear next Sunday.

    Bandito 27 – it’s good to hear that even experienced runners have heads that play games. My mental chatter is a nightmare and part of me is always wanting to pull up for no good reason. If I could leave my head at home things would be a lot easier haha
  • Katey - running a marathon is mostly about jelly baby management. It's good you've got that sorted early.
  • NellsNells ✭✭✭
    Hello everyone! Seems like a lot of running went on this weekend... I had a terrible week Mon-Fri last week with work getting a bit out of hand and hardly any running being done at all, but Saturday I went along to my 100th parkrun and managed to chip another 11 seconds off my PB to boot, so I'm very happy with that! I've managed to take about 2 minutes off my time there in the past year which I'm really pleased about. I tend to try and go as hard as I can every week, and use it as a measure of my general fitness over a period of time, and it doesn't do my confidence much harm either when times are coming down.

    After that I did another 20 miler which went a bit better than the other two I've done so I'm pleased with that, but it was still a bit of a slog at the end! I've got a 21mile run left to do in the plan, which will be my longest every training run if I manage it, though it isn't for a few weeks yet...  :|

    Katey - Paris was my first marathon, this year's will be my fourth, and I think it took me until the third one last year to get to the start with decent training! I found that when I was increasing the miles, I could always get to the distance of my last long run, then the extra mile or two on top would be murder! Incidentally, like Eggy I managed to complete the first two despite my terrible lack of training and preparation. I think in the first one I got a half marathon PB in the first half and then crawled the rest of way to the finish line! A wise man once said: 'Bank energy, not time'!

    Another thing from my first one - I hadn't tried any gels or anything in training, but had been using Nakd bard. I think I ate half a bar out on the course so mainly got around on the bananas at the water stations. I've switched to gels by now, but the bananas and oranges are still quite nice on the day (despite also being a massive slip hazard with their slippy skins everywhere!).

  • NellsNells ✭✭✭
    If anyone would like anything added, let me know and it will be there next week  :)

    Mar 1: Radar Sal's birthday.
    Mar 5: Pafos Marathon - Andy-W-. Milton Keynes 20 miles - Chris 1875, Pistol101. St Helens 10K- ryantilley.
    Mar 11: Shakespeare Marathon - kenno.
    Mar 12: Bath half - Chris 1875. North London Half Marathon - ryantilley, Pistol101, Nells. Barcelona Marathon - Nodster.
    Mar 19: Reading Half - The Jimbob, Pistol101. Alloa Half - KennyM.
    Mar 25: Leggy Mountbatten's birthday.
    Apr 2: Manchester Marathon - Andy-W-, Karen Bowman 2, Chris 1875. Bungay Black Dog Marathon - Smudgerncfc.
    Apr 3: Betzza’s Birthday.
    Apr 7-17: Marathon des Sables - Dannirr, Nodster.
    Apr 9: Paris Marathon
    Apr 10: Kaz's birthday.
    Apr 11: Chris Morgan's birthday.
    Apr 17: Boston Marathon - Slinkyminky. Chasewater Easter egg 10k - Chris 1875.
    Apr 23: Kirsten Lancs Lass' birthday. London Marathon - The Jimbob, agentpenguin, LeggyMountbatten, Smudgerncfc, chris 1875. Hamburg Marathon - KennyM.
    Apr 24: Picklelily's birthday.
    Apr 26: Nells' birthday.
    Apr 30: Birmingham 10k - chris 1875.
    May 1: Milton Keynes Marathon.
    May 7: Lichfield half marathon - chris 1875.
    May 14: Leeds Half Marathon - Andy-W-. Draycote water half marathon - chris 1875.
    May 15: Scott W's birthday.
    May 17: Simon Mac's birthday.
    May 20: TBO2's birthday.
    May 27: Kent Roadrunner Marathon - Nodster.
    May 28: Liverpool Rock n Roll Marathon - Andy-W-, Orbutt, LeggyMountbatten. Liverpool Rock n Roll Half - Chris 1875.
    May 29: Vitality 10,000 - The Jimbob, Nells, TBO2, baldstan.
    Jun 1: Penny71’s birthday.
    Jun 2: Eggy's birthday.
    Jun 3: Harvel H5 - baldstan.
    Jun 6: Comrades - Nodster, Running Rodent.
    Jun 11: Bahtat marathon - Karen Bowman 2.
    Jun 23: Nodster’s birthday.
    Jun 25: Keyser Suze's birthday. Wythall & Hollywood 10k - chris 1875.
    Jul 1: Birmingham black country half marathon - chris 1875.
    Jul 8: Timbermonger 10k - chris 1875.
    Jul 9: Leeds 10k - Andy-W-.
    Jul 20: Meadower's birthday.
    Jul 28: ATM's birthday.
    Aug 4: Uisge Jo's birthday.
    Aug 6: York 10K - Andy-W-.
    Aug 18: Andy W’s birthday.
    Sep 4: Benign Murmurring's birthday.
    Sep 16: PC's birthday, Mrs O's birthday.
    Sep 17: Worcester 10k - chris 1875. Richmond Half Marathon - baldstan.
    Sep 24: Berlin Marathon - Slinkyminky, LeggyMountbatten, chris 1875, Smudgerncfc, baldstan, 1992km.
    Sep 26: Hayley B's birthday.
    Oct 6: Slinkyminky's birthday.
    Oct 8: Yorkshire Marathon - Andy-W-, Chris 1875. Chicago Marathon - Nodster, Nells, The Jimbob.
    Oct 15: Birmingham Marathon - Chris 1875, LeggyMountbatten, AspirantRunner.
    Oct 22: Great South Run - Loubella.
    Oct 30: Orapidrun's birthday.
    Nov 6: Danni's birthday.
    Nov 25: Jimbob's birthday.

    2018
    Jan 12: Orbutt's birthday.
    Jan 15: Yer Maj's birthday.
    Jan 30: Stuchbury's birthday.
    Feb 10: Emmy's birthday.
    Mar 1: Radar Sal's birthday.
    Mar 25: Leggy Mountbatten's birthday.
    Apr 3: Betzza’s Birthday.
    Apr 10: Kaz's birthday.
    Apr 11: Chris Morgan's birthday.
    Apr: Two Oceans
  • Nells - Well done on the parkrun PB!
  • TBO2TBO2 ✭✭✭
    Eggy knee has gone today, maybe I spoke too soon
    Thanks Pancake 2, sounds like all ok with you
    well done on PB Nells, sadly I'm slow on park runs also but have used them for interval training. I am also impressed with your 20 miler and aim to do 21. I haven't managed 21 before a race thus far. I am looking forward to the summer when there is a longer time in the day to run-may look for an autumn race to keep my hopes up. Here's hoping!
  • kateykatey ✭✭✭
    Well done on your 100th Parkrun Nells and with a PB too! My 100th was one of my slowest but I was in the third trimester of pregnancy so my only goal was to finish without walking which I managed! For Paris my goal is just to finish before they pack up the medals; I'm not one for time based goals! 

    I did a pathetic three three miles during my lunch today but it was raining and quite windy, I rarely see Brighton seafront so empty. My legs felt like lead so I'm still wondering how I will make the distance. I've got three long training runs left over the next three weeks, two are "only" half marathons and then I'm going to try a 20 mile run between them ... we will see. My mid-week runs are quite short though as have to fit into lunch breaks. I have a 75-90 minute commute each way so it's late by the time I get home and children to deal with if they're still up!

    I had a question about something beginning with c I keep seeing we need ... a convection? What is this?
  • kateykatey ✭✭✭
    A convocation I mean! Phone autocorrect!

    For the list fairy ... Hastings Half on 19th March ... and my 40th birthday on the 10th
  • katey said:
    A convocation I mean! Phone autocorrect!


    It's the paperwork they send you - just print the PDF and bring it to Paris
  • Eggyh73Eggyh73 ✭✭✭
    edited February 2017
    TBO2 - Really sorry to hear about your knee. Being on the injury bench is no fun.

    Ah, the good old convocation question. It's a document you need to take to the expo to collect your bib. You should receive an email a couple of weeks before the marathon letting you know it's available. You can download and print it from your ASO account, which you would have used to sign up for the marathon.
  • kateykatey ✭✭✭
    Ahh thanks everyone.

    TBO sorry to read about your knee, I've suffered knee issues myself in the past so I know first hand it is no fun.

    Just on the subject of gels I did try a High Five one (I think that is what it was) on my long run at the 12 mile mark. I didn't really like it, it just didn't do anything except leave me quite sticky and carrying rubbish until I found a bin. I didn't dare put it back in my pocket with the jelly baby mass, they were suffering enough.

    I think I'll just stick with the jelly babies although somebody has given me a runners flapjack type thing to try so might give that a go next long run.
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