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Actually weighed myself last night and surprised to see I'm 3-4 lbs under usual marathon weight. Plenty of room for the carb load then
25C in the sun here today and not a cloud in the sky. Hoping for a few more clouds on Sunday, otherwise we'll be running a bit of extra distance weaving between blocks of shade.
9M with 2MP in the aforementioned 25C. Came out around my "B" target pace, i.e 2:57 but HR was 1-2bpm high. Hopefully being better hydrated and with luck slightly cooler on Sunday will bring that down.
At the risk of starting another lengthy debate - hat or sun visor? The visor lets heat escape from your head, but doesn't keep the sun off...
That said, what prompted the discussing was my enquiry, which was born from my personal experience of running poorly at shorter distances in the heat and lack of experiences in a warm marathon. I wondered whether perhaps my own psychology was the problem and whether the heat had the same effect at slower paces. I perhaps didn't get all the first-hand answers I was looking for so did Google a little further. What i've learned is that there is an unavoidable biological process that takes place. You body pumps more blood to the surface of the skin to generate the sweat to cool you on a warm day,so hence has less to carry oxygen to the muscles. What surprised me is that the negative effect of heat actually begins at +10.c and is significant at just +20.c. I shouldn't have been that surprised really as it fits very well with my times between summer and winter. All PBs at all distances have been set in winter. You can though, adapt your body to it over time it seems.
So yes, you don't want to make it an excuse but it also appears that some level of slowdown is totally unavoidable. Personal plan is to run at a pace 2 minutes under my PB and just try and hold on for dear life. Should be fun.
ES - I've tried cap and sun visor and didn't get on with either. To me they felt like they were keeping my head warmer than nothing at all. At Kona (which was actually hot, not like London!), I threw my visor to Mrs Padams at the 4M point as it was annoying me.
I just pour some water on my head and back of the neck throughout - the stations are so frequent that it's only a few minutes until the next one.
Plus the temperature will warm up during the morning, so logic says that you should go out at a massive PB pace so you're finished before it gets too hot....
Dan - they're crazy odds on Kipchoge, although I suspect they've come down now! Edit: just seen your more recent post!
6M easy with mini-Padams yesterday morning. Then I headed to the Expo with mini-Padams and a friend who's running it for the first time - we drove and it was remarkably easy (although parking is expensive, so good to share the cost with someone else).
Main preparation remaining is get a haircut this lunchtime! That's got to be worth a few minutes. I'm not going for shaved legs though.
Shit news TR, you don't deserve such bad luck.
I'm still bagging plenty of miles (109 last week), can't stop eating, 2 more weeks until I taper.
thought I saw you at Expos Padams (with buggy - in casual clothes - not working?) 2 or 3 in front of me in champs queue, I should have said hello but you did look like you were looking out for someone else. I liked the big pile of London Pride vouchers they had at the desk, so grabbed a few for the Red Lion but guess it would have been frowned upon to take too many!
I also don't like wearing a hat/visor and will just go for running through the showers and pouring water on my head, and probably sipping a little more water than I normally would if hot. however forecast keeps changing anyway, doesn't look quite so warm latest one I see.
So, main diff off champs start is need to wear two numbers (front and back) and 2 chip things as opposed to 1. Why?
Final run for me today, probably only 4-5 miles, with maybe 1-2 at MP - going to do it in heat of day and see how bad that makes it! Time to start eating after that
I'm a little lighter than last year, so hoping that gains me a bit!
selbs - yes, I had the buggy and was wearing cargo shorts and a t-shirt - I was looking for my mate who was in one of the other queues. At the moment I'm not working Wednesdays (until the nursery has space to take mini-P for another day per week) so thought I'd take the opportunity to get the Expo done on my day off.
Champs start has had two numbers (front and back) for a long time, but two chips is new this year. I guess the number on the back is so you know who you're competing against as I think it's theoretically a separate race (UK Champs). Two chips I guess is to reduce the risk of someone not getting all the splits at the timing mats - maybe related to the increased number of course cutters being reported in various marathons?
I must have been the first Champs runner to go through the particular chip scanning guy I chose, as he was very confused when the computer told him to scan a second chip and it took ages for him to get it to work (I hope it did!).
Two chips has been around for a few years now. I like to think it's to even out the additional weight on each foot. Plus it gives you something extra for ebay on Monday.
I see the hashtag this year is "spirit of London" or something. I do hope they're not putting that picture of Matt Rees and the other fella on the finishers shirt.
Marathon mania taking full hold now I see! Leighton Buzzard AC are moving their post race gathering to the Red Lion too now, so I think the tinnies from an offie might be a good idea, god knows how busy the pub will be. Well at least I might meet a few of you if I'm lucky I suppose!
Least it should be cooling down a bit..fingers crossed.
Padams.. I tried setting off at PB pace in 2007 to get plenty of miles done in the relative cool - worked for me. PB at the time was 3:06.07, got to half way in 91 mins. When I turned into the Mall at the end a quick glance at the watch told me I still had a bubkaesque chance. What followed was my best effort at a sprint up the last 300m, crossed the line and promptly barfed over the finish gantry. Once I had sorted myself out I crossed my fingers and looked at the watch to see 3:05.59; the celebrations lasted long into the night.
Dan.. I'm not normally a gambling type, however.. back in 2001 I did a double take when I saw odds of around 7-1 on El Mouaziz. He was a rather unpredictable runner but in the previous 3 years he had finished 2nd, 1st, 2nd so even I couldn't resist £20 at those odds! He did win which was nice of him. BTW that 2004 London Marathon with Rutto etc was apparently the coldest on record - chilly and damp with a peak of 5 degrees!
SB.. by contrast I really struggle in the cold (below 4/5 degrees), both breathing and muscles never seem to get to working temperature (as it were). Sunday's forecast is perhaps little warmer than ideal but it doesn't worry me at all, my plan is just to get out there and deal with it - best of luck with your efforts. A run in the sun is still better than what they had to cope with in Boston so bring it on I say.
This week has been 0, 7m with 2m @MP, 5m, 4m. Train down tomorrow morning then Expo so a rest day. I'm staying at the IBIS in Southwark so will probably do a gentle 2.5m down the riverside on Sat AM.
My first marathon was London in 1996. The temperature reached 22c. As it was my first marathon my pacing was awful and I just assumed near death heat stroke was all part of the race experience.
OO - thanks for your insights on your improvements. Personally I have felt more motivated since turning 50 and amazed I can still PB after 30 years - though this year I have added a lot of bike commuting (~100 miles per week) in addition to running. This has helped with base fitness and meant i could avoid the pain of train/tube. As for shaving legs - I was one of the few in my cycling club who didn't shave, so no intention of starting now!
I decided to run from work to the expo today, which is about 6M. Even hotter than yesterday, so took it very easy. I caught the DLR back after picking up my number - no way I was doing 12M!
Also ordered a hat and some new sunglasses yesterday. I will bring the hat along, and if I don't get on with it, I'll bin it en route. I wore a visor in Boston last year, but it was basically useless. When you're running due east in the morning, there's not much you can do to keep the sun off your face!
Since my three quickest marathon times came in Barcelona on Sunday days, I'm not really in a position to say that the weather will have that much of an effect. There may be plenty of reasons for me to have a piss poor race, but I promise I won't blame the weather!
Im the same SB - blue sky, freezing, 3-6 degrees is perfect, it's like your body seems to just love operating with that lovely cold air going in, mine does! Obviously this is better for 10k up, it's not brilliant for shorter races.
Al - Yes, I'm an elitist watcher - anyone over 3.5 hours - sorry i'm in the pub by then
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Here is my race account of the Brighton Marathon 2018. You may want to make a cuppa first as its as long as the marathon itself!! ?
http://ultradiscostu.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/brighton-marathon-2018-race-report.html
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VLM - Two bits of good news with the strike and the weather 'improving'. Nearly time to pull up the potatoes.
UDS on the London 10000, do you know what the start arrangements are -- is it possible to get a clear run if you're reasonably swift but not elite? (Say ~35 mins.)
SL -- ha ha! Actually I had considered stitching together washing-up sponges to make a super water-absorbent hat before now... My trademark is to pour a bottle of water over my head at T-1 min at the start of any vaguely warm race now (that's what those puddles are in race photos, honest guv).
On the weather, everyone's talking about temperature, but the predicted wind has increased a bit and changed direction -- bit of a gusty breeze in our faces on the Embankment now I fear. I've done a DIY sauna the last two nights for final heat adaptation, probably do one more tonight. (Hairdryer in the shower cubicle -- shower not running!)
My shin and ankle niggles seem to have disappeared, and I've done my little tune-up tempos. Just a customary 1M run with a brisk 400m tomorrow and that's it. Big carb load today, also choosing lots of salty options -- already heavier on the scales this morning, due to carbs or more blood plasma or both.
Feeling a bit left out as you all go slightly mad