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Congrats to all the VLM finishers. I've enjoyed the reports so far.
I'm moving house on Monday, hence not being particularly active on here, or actually doing any running of late.
My work has just introduced flexitime though, so with earlier finishes I plan to start a steady mileage build up after the move, and try and get some semblance of fitness back.
Well done marafunners, sounds like some excellent performances all round. I've enjoyed the reports so far. Reading them and seeing marathon reports from people at my club made me slightly envious, although on balance I'm pretty glad I opted out of a spring marathon this year.
Generally plodding around at the moment, could with a little bit of focus I think.
I think fgfa is sub 3hrs or thereabouts.
I haven't run, and have no intention of running a 20mile race.
Like DT - I generally don't ask or volunteer a time unless I'm asked. Unless I'm talking to someone who I assess as a 'proper runner' then I assume that I was much quicker and don't want to appear boastful. When asked, however, I do also stress that this year was a bit of a disaster and I was much quicker last year.
Lou has run a 19 mile race though...he obviously draws the line at that...
We have all been there, Lou, having people congratulate us on a time we are much better than. It's annoying.
I was just discussing with my colleagues about medal selling and one of them piped up that the marathon is all for charity so it's only ok if you donate the money to charity. I've retreated to my office where I am now sat in the corner of the room gently rocking!!!
These fuckwits are a nightmare - good luck with them.
Unsurprisingly I have ran a 20 mile race, but I didn't race it. If we're including 20 mile times then we should also include 30k race times.
London (The) Marathon
I was looking forward to this.
Autumn 2016, after a bit of illness at the end of the summer, I was running well again. October saw an modest pb in the Oxford half and, after a brief rest I happily ramped up the miles for the Naunton 19 in early Jan. That was a toughie though, on the day after the County Cross Champs, and I ran out of steam in the freshly ploughed fields toward the end.
So I was starting the campaign in much better shapes than I was at the same time last year. The plan was not to do anything radical, but follow the same P&D55 plan, with an extra 5 miler or x-training session to boost the mileage, just a little, above last years tally. This went well initially and I was feeling like I was progressing well.
Then we went skiing, McF crocked her knee, and it felt like every waking hours was spend carry, kids or skis, or shopping or something. I was knackered. And when we got home I continued to feel knackered. Running became a chore. I was out pounding the streets, on my own, in the dark, after the kids were in bed, when I should have been in bed. Warwick Half, which I intended to run a PMP was a failure. Coventry Half, where I hoped to achieve a decent pb was disappointing – about 1 minute slower than 2016. Niggles were starting to develop, first my right calf, then my left hamstring. Fortunately, both recovered surprisingly quickly, but I wasn’t enjoying it. I felt like I was going backwards. I needed some inspiration, some reassurance, just something concrete to gauge my fitness.
So, two weeks out, I did Stratford Parkrun more or less the same weekend as 2016. On the start line I realised that I didn’t really know what pace I should be aiming for, just a vague notion of 5:50 – 5:540, something like that. Fortunately a couple young chaps from the club came along to and I followed them round a decent 16s pb. Perhaps more importantly about 25s quicker than last year. It was exactly what I needed and for the following week of taper I felt ready; I was up for it again.
Then the sniffles arrived. One week out and eldest child was clearly showing the symptoms of slapped cheek syndrome, Friday and middle child had a massive temperature and I was feeling pretty glum. But she recovered by Saturday morning and we all travelled to London as planned.
Race day morning was a little more rushed than I would like, getting kids dressed and fed in time for them to get their train to their spectating point. But I get a lift to the start in plenty of time really enjoyed wandering round, chatting to various friends and some of the guys hoping for fancy dress world records, peering into the celebrity enclosure (recognised Chris Evans and Sian Lloyd) and soaking up the marathon atmosphere. I even enjoyed queueing for the toilets.
Into the starting pen and were really squashed in. I’m standing next to the 3:00 pacer and would like to be in front of him but there’s no room to move. Then we’re off. As we shuffle forward I hear DT – he’s outside the pen with hundreds of other trying to squeeze in. The first few miles are really crowded – I keep trying to stay ahead of the 3:00 pacer, but there’s no space to get into a rhythm. I keep hopping up onto the footpath, swerving round trees and spectators and pushchairs. This is no fun.
No space to run and with the 3:00 hoards chasing me down. Then the red start merged and got even busier. Then the blue start merged and it got busier still. And I now found myself behind the 3:00 pacer group from the blue start, so I battled through that lot. It wasn’t until about 7 miles in that it felt like there was enough room to hold a steady pace. Then an overexcited chap cut across to greet a spectator, clipped my heels and almost sent me sprawling. I just managed to stay on my feet and shouted back ‘you f***ing idiot’. I rarely shout and this demonstrated how tense and frustrated I was feeling.
A group of three clubmates were running close together, obviously having started late on the red start as they should be a minute or two ahead by this point, so I make an effort to ease off a bit and let them go. Pace is about right according to plan, but it feels like I’m working a bit to hard, so when I go through halfway in 1:28:23 I decide ease off, just a little in an effort to safeguard sub3.
Is Tower Bridge before the halfway point? It’s supposed to be inspiring and uplifting due to the masses of enthusiastic support, but I found the noise oppressive and tried to shut it out. I’d expected this – I don’t like noise – I’d probably so totally convinced myself that I wouldn’t like the noise of London, that it was inevitable that wherever the support was at it’s loudest, be it brass bands, drummers, wedding djs or banks of spectators, my irritation, loathing even, was greatest.
In amongst the baying hoards was a fair number of travelling Spa Striders supporters including McFand family and it was great to see and hear their support. I saw three clubmate support in just enough time for the customary swerve for a row of high-fives. Didn’t stop me muttering obscenities if anyone else nearby did it though.
By 18 miles I was starting to tire and took my third gel. I started with four, two caffeine and two normal, with the intention of having one every five miles; normal, caffeine, normal, caffeine; however, I forgotten to have one at 15 miles, so decided to have another caffeine. It was foul, I struggled to get it down, and seemingly almost immediately I developed a stitch just above my left hip. Nothing to concerning and I continued only moderately hindered. Then I developed a similar stitch on the right side. This was starting to get uncomfortable and I was running with two knuckles wedged into my abdomen.
I was starting to struggle and when DT passed me looking strong and determined it took quite an effort to catch him and exchange a few words. Shortly after, or maybe before, a more intense and debilitating stitch developed on my upper right side and from this point I had to stop and walk occasionally with my hand stretched up above my head. The crowd noise was phenomenal at this stage and whenever I started running again it seemed to increase slightly. ‘Are they cheering for me?’ I thought, and this was both irritating and encouraging.
So it continued for the remaining distance, whatever that was. I remember passing a 5k to go sign and thinking if I could run this at parkrun pb pace I might just get under 3 hours. That might have been bollocks though, because my brain was pretty scrambled.
And then it was all over.
How have you been since? Could you be tempted to do the much quieter Shakespeare week on Sunday ?
Lit - the pace on the long runs had a couple of drivers - heart rate and an agreed babysitting window. Also I had that advice about running more at the top end of easy to stop me using my calves as bouncy brakes. And that worked! My calves came out of the campaign in not too bad a shape.
It is still a point to consider though that my longest duration run was around 2 hrs 20 and I reckon I could benefit from a slower run just to get more time on my feet to make it more like the marathon. That's partly why I was considering a fortnightly long run, as it would alternate with parenting and I would have more time flexibility.
We all went to the expo too. I would have spent more time there and had a proper look around had I not had to carry kids around. Even for small local races I much prefer to travel alone if it's a pb attack.
Muddy - do you mean do the Shakespeare marathon? No chance. Legs are ok today but felt like jean Claude van damme had gon to town in my quads earlier in the week.
i might do Birmingham or Abingdon in the autumn, but I'm waiting for confirmation of whether mcf needs an op before making any firm plans.
Muddy- oh yes, I remember about the calf thing now, which was an issue I was also having when my achilles were really stiff. It just seems a shame to have to feel knackered all the time and I can see how that would make marathon training less appealing!
I went back to the track last night. Apparently we are now working on speed, so we got to do 200s with quite long intervals. Ouch.
Re the congestion, i didn't really have any problems in '15 ahead of 3 hours but i noticed the difference last year following the 3 pacer. Several times i had my heels clipped and runners cutting directly across my path to get to spectators / water stations.
Looking back (hindsight being what it is) do you regret battling past the 3 hour pace group from the Blue start? You could just have tucked in and run with them. Presumably at some point in the last 5k (or earlier) you had the misery of all three of the 3 hour pace groups passing you?
Lit will not be surprised to learn that I only got 6/10
Do you store these comments in some sort of easily accessible folder to pull out in appropriate circumstances?
Was that in response to Lou's parkrun? I cannot even remember saying that. It just goes to show how hard a marathon is (by that I include the training and build up).
Which reminds me, have we seen much of Charlie since i tipped him as ' one to watch ' this year !?
No it was in response to my Haweswater Half Marathon in early March. To be honest I doubt the filing system in my brain would have left a comment about Lou in the easily accessible area.
Mace, Charlie had pulled back his training last September, so are you sure you tipped him for this year or was it last year?
Some advice.... does this plan work? When I am recovered in mid May I am going to follow the 10k schedule from my book. It looks very unpleasant but needs must. I will supplement it with a proper long run of 15 miles. This will take me until I am due to go on holiday for first 2 weeks of August, I then return and have 9 weeks before the Brum mara. Is that sufficient time, based on having just trained for a mara and being retained at 15 miles to get the extra endurance in?