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Rather you guys than me today. Next year.
Congratulations ES. Brilliant run especially given your brief campaign & the conditions.
Well done all finishers particularly those with wiser heads than me.
Hope you recover well Dan and Jooligan.
From a personal point of view, glad I went into it not planning to hammer myself into the ground. Went through half in 1:27, enjoying the atmosphere and taking it all in.
Lack of long runs (longest 15 miles) ensured that the legs were quite tight in the last few miles, but felt comfortable enough cardio wise.
Ended up with 2:57, that’ll do nicely. London really is such an awesome event, feel privaledged to be able to do it every year. Hope everyone’s recovery is a quick one.
I managed to finish in 3:01:01. Went through half way in 1:28:43 so not much of a fade but at about mile 22 the thoughts of running sub 3 started to slip away. So I ended up enjoying the last mile (for the first time in 12 Londons). I enjoyed The Red Lion even more. Great to have a few pints and catch up with lots of you. Hope you are all recovering well.
Well done one to all that finished and hope you’ve all recovered ok. I managed to make it to the RL with my tinnies and was nice to meet and chat with AL_P, BEJ, CharlieW and PP, although known PP for a while now!
Glad I’m off work today, head a little sore. Ever the sensible amateur athlete LOL.
CD -- oh no, that sounds horrible. Were you keeping yourself wet for cooling? Advanced luck for Chicago... Well done to junior though, I understand it's tough to get selected to even run the race.
Selbs -- sounds like you had a gracefully managed result, many didn't so well done.
Dan -- gosh, glad you finished in one piece (and kudos to CRAB for looking after you). Jooligan too, glad you finished safely.
ES -- great result, one of the few who didn't seem too affected, nice to say hello too! TT -- likewise (except I missed you at the pub).
JB -- so even wearing clothes this year, you didn't overheat? ;-)
Thanks for virtual and physical support OO & SC2!
So yes, rather guiltily, I had a good one. Maybe all the heat acclimatisation did the trick, and my little scrawny frame means a higher surface area to volume ratio. I also kept my hair and vest saturated the whole way round, using water from every available station. (In fact the fiddling around of doing that must have added a couple of seconds per mile at least...) I did have some optimism that I'd cope OK from practical experience: in the first Wings for Life race, in 25 degC sunshine, I ran well, but then I had motorbikes personally handing me as much water as I wanted, and I must have got through about 50 bottles of the stuff to keep myself cool in the 35 mile run. It felt similar yesterday, with my hair pretty much drying out every mile, so needing a top-up every time.
Here's a copy & paste from my Facebook post for more gory detail:
For the running geeks, here's how it went. Given the forecast of up to 22 degC and full sun, this was one where I planned to start at a good pace but was fully prepared slow down if my heart rate rose or I felt somehow peculiar. I bagged my usual free 30 sec in a helter-skelter descent of mile 3 (5:30 split), and kept my hair and vest saturated with water all the way round. And waited for the doom to unfold. But it never did -- my HR did climb to more like half marathon levels for the last few miles, and my leg muscles began to threaten revolt at about 21 for a bit, but the heat never really hit me. The headwind on the Embankment was probably at least as significant. I didn't have enough left for any acceleration at the end, other than a pseudo-sprint up the Mall, but overall was well chuffed. My scrawny little frame probably helped with heat loss (higher surface to volume ratio).
Scores on the doors (my relative position is better in hot weather): 2:39:22 chip, 140th/40149 in mass race, 10th/3552 MV45. only 52 sec slower than PB from 2016 in chilly conditions. I'll take that!
https://www.strava.com/activities/1524661037
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2643328309
Dan A - Good call on Kipchoge and hope the peeing has started. I reckon you must have been pretty dehydrated and over-heated; it looked a fast first 5K. Crab to the rescue, nice one.
I think yesterdays conditions underlie one of the reasons I run 6+ marathons a year, to increase my chances of one in decent conditions. Saying that of the 10 or so run since 2017 only 2 (Manchester/ Valencia) were decent. Hats off to you all for finishing yesterday, recover well.
CW: brilliantly paced race - I guess the combo of big mileage, DIY sauna & constant overdressed heat acclimatisation runs meant you were more prepared than most.
OuchOuch - did you get my message (sent through here yesterday)?
Enjoying it is important TickTock and Joe - glad you were both able to.
Some well executed races in the conditions, so chapeau where appropriate.
Good London consistency from DanA also
LMH - Not yet. Do you want to resend?
Al_P - fantastic run that and well managed under the circumstances.
CD - well clung on in there to the finish. Recover well. Well done to junior too.
Selbs - well run and despite those targets missed you still ran well.
DanA - great attitude and well hung on with some assistance. Recover well.
ES - great run that, expertly paced too.
OO - I was pacing the living room like an expectant father watching one of my club mates who was aiming for 2:59:59. I was relieved when his 40k time came up after a lengthy delay from 35! Needless to say he'll be trying again in better conditions.
Jooligan - tough day that mate and hope you are recovering well.
Joe - nicely done.
TickTock - great effort and enjoying it at the same time is what it's all about. I really enjoyed Manchester and felt it was one of my better races due to the manner I approached it. Probably something in that now I think about it
glad the beers went down well.
CW - fantastic result that Charlie. You must be well made up. Just snooped your official result on vlm website... Bang tidy pacing that.
Super stuff everyone.
Ticking over here with a few runs since Mcr. Speed seems to be returning as some runs have been quite pleasing to finish fast and strong.
I need some new shoes tho as latest gt2000's don't fit me. Annoying why they change stuff all the time. I hate change. Means a visit to local shop to try some on I suppose.
Charlie.. wonderfully consistent as always, as with Al above I'm so pleased your unorthodox preparation reaped dividends.
Joe B.. that almost sounds like a 'comfy' 2:55 but I'm sure it wasn't - well done fella.
Tick Tock.. shame you were just off target but that's still a great run in the conditions. Apologies are due as I didn't recognise you initially at the Red Lion. Hope you enjoyed the beers in the sun.
Dan A.. hope you are fully recovered now, glad you got round with Crab's assistance.
ES.. very impressed indeed, you nailed that one on a hot day! Sorry I missed you at the Lion.
Selbs.. another rare success on the day, nice one!
CD.. sounds like a sensible decision to ease off, 3:04 is a decent salvage job. Congrats to Junior too.
Jooligan.. sorry to hear you had a bad day so well done on getting round in one piece.
Compared to 2007 that race started in a relatively cool 16 degrees and the temp gradually increased up to 22. As a result you had 10-15 miles to cover as much ground as you could before the heat got up to 20 and onward. No such luck this year, I reckon it was 20 degrees at the start and just got hotter. When I saw a chap with a sweaty vest at 2-3m I knew this was going to be a tough day - and I am normally ok in the heat. My hydration strategy... extra water on Fri & Sat, sips of water when needed from the bottles on the course and the rest over my head and quads. I also drank 3 full bottles of lucozade on the way round. Just a pity it was too warm for the smoking jacket
By 7-8m I realised this wasn't a day to chase dreams so I dropped into GFA pace mode (3:45 as was). Out of my twenty-odd marathons this has to be the toughest I've ever done and the carnage in the closing stages and scenes resembling casualty at the finish perhaps bear this out. I've certainly never been so pleased to see a finish line and was happy enough to cross it in 3:42.37. With the new GFA system thankfully I do have a quicker time from last year should VLM be on my radar for next year. Lovely to meet a few old chums at the Red Lion.
Footnote.. IMHO VLM should start earlier, particularly now they have wave starts. I heard of two girls from my club who didn't get away until 10:40. As they are inevitably in the slower group of runners they ended up grinding their way round in the heat of the mid afternoon and finishing around 3:30-4pm. The two Spanish marathons I've done start in the cooler part of the morning at 08:30 which leaves the afternoon free for celebrating with Estrellas. Which is how it should be.
I felt for those (ode, crab, Dan, jooligan, CD) that had a tough day, after a cold winter that weather ruined a campaign.
I was chuffed for Al, Charlie, ES who all put on sterling performances, never doubted it with Al and Charlie as they take prep to the nth degree and are both very light.
Will be interested to see what padams says.
Tick Tock- big performance jump from abo. Nice one.
Id have struggled yday with my weight. Training through the summer for an autumn race has to be the best way to train.
Can run on my hammy without tightness now, but the opposite ankle now hurts (due to compensating?). I was hoping to get back to the marathon training soon too, as my campaign isn't finished yet.
Jools - I've yourself a week off, you'e been smashing the miles.
Take care with the recovery
Got up at 6:25AM for my usual jam on toast breakfast before heading to the station. My local railway helpfully had engineering works which meant I had to do the first bit of the journey by bus, but it all went OK until I got on the train for Blackheath at Charing Cross and found the toilets out of order! I should know better than to bank on things like that... Needless to say by the time I got to the FGFA start I was bursting and because of the crowds getting out of the station it was already 9:20AM. So all I had chance to do was drop my bag then queue for the toilet until 9:40, and then grab a bottle of water and head for the start! Should have got up earlier I suppose. I was already feeling hot and bothered by this point but tried to put it out of my mind and concentrate on my preparation. I badly wanted a sub-3, but genuinely had no idea if that would be MP on the day, or how I'd cope in the heat. Following CW's advice, I emptied the bottle of water on my head, hat and neck about a minute before the start. The gun went, but I was quite far back so it took just over a minute to cross the line, and I was off! As usual, it was very crowded for the first few miles off FGFA so I concentrated on not getting boxed in and trying to keep my pace smooth. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself running low 6:3x's but of course the first few miles are downhill so I didn't let my mind get carried away. With all the weaving in and out, the first three miles disappeared quickly and we hit the first water station. I grabbed a bottle, drank a gulp, emptied a load onto my bare head and neck, soaked the hat and put it back on. This became the ritual at every water station. By now I had slowed to 6:40 pace, but my HR was bang on and the effort level felt right. Mile 4 was a bit quick (6:27), but 5 and 6 were both 6:41, and HR was not climbing. I was through 6 miles in under 40 minutes, so inside my "A" target pace of 3 miles every 20 minutes which gets you a 2:54. Again though I didn't get carried away, and just thought let's see how it looks at 9 miles. I remembered to take in the atmosphere as we went past Cutty Sark, and then for the next couple of miles just focussed on effort level and HR. Both stayed constant, and as I passed 9M in 59:36, I thought this might be my day. The drenching of the head was definitely paying off, I was hardly sweating at all. Every time we got to a decent section of shade, I whipped the hat off to allow some heat to escape as well. Over the next 3 miles, I started to notice I was passing more and more people, and even remember seeing someone in a champs vest walking before we got to Tower Bridge. 12M came and the pace was still bang on 6:40. I felt great crossing the bridge and couldn't wait to get to halfway to see the split. It was 1:27:13, which meant I had averaged 6:39 pace for the first half. Now I was thinking I could lose almost 30s a mile and still get sub-3! 13 to 15M is a bit of a blur and I managed to miss the 15M marker so couldn't check my time, since by now GPS was all over the place. I remember going under the roundabout and being thankful for a long stretch of shade, and then continuing to pass people, especially noticing passing champs numbers. I thought don't miss the 18M marker so you can do a time-check, should be bang on 2 hours. As I passed 18 in 2:00:15, I realized I'd slowed a bit in that section, but HR and effort were on track, and now sub-3 was increasingly likely. Just get to 20M I thought, then you can relax. Canary Wharf was buzzing as usual, and the crowd really lifted me as I negotiated the few ups and downs in that area. As the 20M marker came in sight, I downed my final gel, and suddenly felt a lot lighter. Now I could let HR and effort climb a bit and stop worrying! I don't remember what I passed 21M in but it was only a bit over 2:20 and now I knew I had pretty much done it. I enjoyed the section where you see the runners at about 14M heading the other way and getting a few cheers. It always seems like a long way before you hit the Embankment, and at about 23M I got a stitch which impacted my breathing. Uh-oh I thought, but I just kept saying ignore it, don't let a stitch stop you! It hurt, but I was able to keep up my pace, and when we did finally hit the Embankment, I was never happier! Around this point I got my first and only indication of cramp as my left calf tightened a bit, but never fully went into cramp. I decided not to bother with water after 24M and just focus on getting home. I was still passing people but I do remember a couple of guys passing me in this section, and both got a hearty cheer. Weirdly the stitch disappeared at about 25M (maybe the gulps of Lucozade I took at the final station?) and so I was able to maintain pace and really enjoy myself! I missed the 1M to go marker but that didn't really matter, and once I entered the final section with 800m to go, I knew I'd be around 2:55, and was grinning, at least on the inside! I tried to mount a final sprint, and from the looks of it finished at around 6:26 pace so must have sped up a bit.
So, 2:55:17 (1:27:13 / 1:28:04). That's my 4th best marathon time, slotting between London and New York 2015 efforts. Considering a month of missed training and a hot day, I am very pleased with that, and especially with how I executed the race. I certainly enjoyed the Red Lion afterwards! DOMS is not too bad today, but I do have a bad flare-up of plantar fasciitis in my right heel. I think a couple of weeks off should sort that out though.
Kudos to everyone who ran yesterday.
TR - you mentioned Al and CW preparing to the nth degree. I think I can attribute part of my decent performance to the fact that I took leaves out of both their books. Saunas, increased salt intake and overdressed runs in the final week. About the only thing I didn't do was shave my legs
Wardi - sorry I missed you. We were probably both there at the same time, but managed to avoid being introduced!
Just got my stats from the official website:
First Half: I passed 2251 runners and 144 passed me.
Second Half: I passed 738 runners and 5 passed me.
I am not sure I believe the 1st half stats. I suppose that because I started from near the back of the FGFA pen, I may have virtually overtaken people from the other starts in the first couple of miles? Those 2nd half stats really are quite astonishing though.
Wardi - great race and well managed.
TR - glad you are back running. Hope the opposite side settles. Are you planning to use the training in next few weeks/months?
ES - enjoyed your report. Lovely control as mentioned previously.
What did everyone think of the compostable cups? Did they work and were they filled to brim or half full (so easily to pitch top and drink)? We didn't have them on mile 15 so I haven't seen them or heard how they went down with the runners. This year was a trial and I I expect in that vein we will see even greater use of them next year.
Picture of mile 15 station post clean up and recycling operation from my 80 strong volunteers. A very rewarded and fun day.
But R. I. P Matt. Such a sad and tragic story.
Oh, and I can't take credit for the 3 miles in 20 minutes plan. TR introduced me to that in 2015!
TR - regarding the salt intake, it was all just through food. I added salt to foods where I normally wouldn't, and ate plenty of salty snacks. I do seem to remember putting salt on a rich tea biscuit at one point though, which was a bit mad (and disgusting)!