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Shades Marathon Training
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I would do Rotterdam again if we are in the country again around that time, but I wouldn’t necessarily plan a specific trip to go and do it. Also I haven’t done Amsterdam or Eindhoven, so I would like to do one of those as well. Advantage for me is that NL is cheap for me as I don’t need hotels for the majority of the stay.
Big G - mmm strange I've never really seen any tech shirts in white that go see-through, I've got white tops and they're fine in the rain. Are you being a bit shy here? White is not my preferred colour though as it does get stained with sweat and sun cream so they don't last as long as coloured.
Good to know you got a recovery run in, hope that'll ease the legs for the long drive and that you don't have the delays you had on the outward journey.
I had a glossy Trotter's races leaflet put on my windscreen while I was running yesterday.
Jelly - sorry to hear that your shin has swollen up, unusual that you didn't notice anything last night. Can you not refer yourself straight to your GP's physio?
There's no hiding from a puppy
Robert - hope you are managing to stay awake
Good luck with quest to get an injection, you've certainly been patient enough and tried to get the PF to heal.
Steve - great progressive run, sounds like you're loving the training.
Honk - so you know what you're getting into doing IM, they are expensive though and of course there's all the equipment too. Maybe you could do a duathlon or two to get you back into it, don't think they're so pricey, not sure if they do the longer distances which would probably be your preference.
A guy from my running club did the British Champs event yesterday and won his age group.
Lovely stretchy Yogalates class, perfect for post marathon.
Steve-Yes I think the 12hrs and lack of sleep affected me a lot especially as it was up until the Thursday.Your training is looking really good at the minute,I think you will smash Edinburgh.
Rob-I did coyote as my 2nd marathon and hated that "small" hill,hope you get what you want at the docs.
Big G-I'm thinking about doing Barca next year,just depends at the minute as we're planning a faraway holiday at some point and not sure when yet.
5 miles recovery run today,as usual started running like a penguin but felt ok when I got moving.
I feel a bit better now about yesterday,as I said before I think 3x12hr days and total of 16 hours sleep in those 3 days had a big effect,I'm always busy but these were very physical days also,got a few options I'm thinking about in terms of my next race,but will probably take Big G's advice and make sure I enjoy it and see what happens.
My main aim was to beat my Chester time, which was 4:10:42, but the forecast was rather too warm for my liking (getting up to 17 by the time I'd have finished, it said) so I had a few concerns.
The trip had its problems, too. My friend Colin lost his wallet on the first day and was unhappy and stressed out - we solved a few problems by him virtual banking some cash into my account that I could withdraw for him but he was still £300 down which, for someone who has almost no disposable income, is a real blow.
We spent a couple of days sightseeing and notched up far too many steps (we covered 11 miles on the Thursday alone, just walking around airports and then Prater Park).
Due to the cash situation, we didn't eat out as much either - a few meals were things from the supermarket, so I didn't get as many complex carbs in as I was able - just a lot of crap, really. I did what I could but my digestive system wasn't playing ball.
Anyway, on the Sunday, I got to the race no problem. Rather bemused to see Austrian portaloos don't have flushes - you just piss in a bit hole on top of other people's piss and paper. Nice.
I felt strong at the half way point and continued to do well until mile 16, when I started to feel tired. I still managed to record 9:17 for the next mile but at that point, we were going on an out and back road through the park that never seemed to end. By this point my feet were on fire. They were getting absolutely battered and any discomfort elsewhere was nothing by comparison. I began to struggle and the next mile was 9:37 (not a disaster, but still outside target) and then a 9:52 and then, inevitably, I slipped back to 10:06. Feet were killing me and I just wanted it to end. I hauled it back just under 10 for the next mile but then mile 23 my breathing felt a lot more laboured and I ended up coming to a full stop at the water station and leaning on the bench there for a few seconds. That mile was 10:37. I recovered enough to pull in a 9:53 and then, with the end palpable, a 9:30, but the last mile and a bit never seemed to end. There were numermous inflatable arches across the course, each looking like they might be the finish, only to disappoint me. Finally I got in the home stretch and Colin was there and shouted to me and I managed to cross the line. My time was 4:14:17 - not what I wanted, but it's my second best time so I wouldn't call it a disaster either. (However, it has made me doubt my ability to go sub-4 this year. I'll have to do some re-evaluating).
I was very relieved to have finished.
After I got back to the apartment and showered, I lay in bed groaning for a bit whilst eating crisps out of a bag like an animal. Then we went back out to Prater and walked around, sat on the grass, had a shandy, had a meal and then went back to bed. Didn't sleep at all well - feet felt hot and hurty all night. But today, my legs are really not bad. Hamstrings and hips a bit tired but I was bombing down the airport (we missed a train so cut it rather fine) no trouble at all.
On reflection, I'm not sure I will do another foreign race, or at least, if I do, I won't try to combine it with a sightseeing trip. The travelling is stressful and it makes the ideal race prep hard. But I'll give myself a while to reflect before I decide what next year holds.
I know what you mean about the extra stress with flights and travelling etc. In San Sebastián I had a mild panic as I couldn’t get a decent coffee before the race, which I’ve come to rely on! What do you think was the cause of battering your feet so much - were your shoes a bit too tight or something? Or do you mean they were tired from the sightseeing?
Jelly, good news the lump has gone and you managed to get around Taunton. I still haven’t done that race, although it’s local.
A potential spanner in the works already about next year’s Manchester....Two Oceans is the week after. Hmmmm. I have a feeling I’ll be researching flights/logistics/costs over the next few days/weeks. Two Oceans isn’t a definite either, but if I can it’s a real bucket list race for me, especially having never visited SA before.
Got back to Devon at 5pm, so still a long drive, but back in time for committee at least.
I haven't done Barcelona but I know many runners rate it as their favourite for PB's and race organisation and the city itself.
Cal - that's still a great marathon time, I think you did really well considering you had a tiring and stressful time. Even though it wasn't your money that was lost, still as stressful for you. I hope Colin can get it back through his insurance.
Wow your poor feet, do you think that was partly due to the time you were on your feet on the Thursday plus the heat on race day.
I don't do the sightseeing bit when I go away to a race. I'd rather socialise with runners, chat and drink coffee and eat cake. Often the traveling is tiring enough. I will go for a little wander, no more, I save any sightseeing for what I see when running the marathon.
Jelly how odd, but in a good way that the lump has gone. It's not an insect bite is it?
If you have a suspected SF an X-ray at this early stage wouldn't show a SF, it may only show a few weeks later when it starts to heal and new bone forms. But a physio would be able to tell you if it's a possible SF.
I dozed off for a few minutes this afternoon, a post marathon snooze. Was woken up by tremendous noise outside which turned out to be the Air Ambulance which landed 200m from my home in the nearby park.
Shades-When we booked NYC,my wife got asked was I going to win it?then when she said no theres 50k inc elites,her friend says yeah but imagine if he did,think she gave up explaining then.
Legs don't feel too bad this afternoon,not as trashed as normal anyway.
Ate too much today so going to skip dinner - not actually hungry! Need to start hydrating better and will focus on that. I feel fat and bloated. Thank god I have a 5 mile run planned for tomorrow.
I’m definitely going to do a spring marathon next year. Brighton is the last ones I could do as Ramadan starts a few days later. It’s also the easy choice as it’s only a few miles from home. Another option is Manchester. After reading @Big_G above Barcelona is on the consideration list too now. Will have to decide soon! I want a flat one so I can go sub 4
Having said that, my feet do batter easily - I used to get it a lot when I wore the Nike Frees. I have very little fat on the balls of my feet so it doesn't take much to make them hurt.
What I liked: It was very well organised. Expo was decent, although I didn't spend long there. Race instructions were good. Course is pretty fast. Goody bag OK (fruit, snacks and drinks) and quite a nice medal. There's also decent support - nothing like Manchester (or London, but I haven't experienced the latter first hand) but there's a good amount of people cheering from the side for section of the course.
But as Khani mentioned, not so many costumes or charity runners (there were a few - I did see one guy dressed as Mozart, though not sure if he did the full or the half - and I saw some charity shirts but they seemed to be UK or American).
What I didn't like: Cups, obviously... I hate them. I've avoided UK marathons that had cups (like Brighton) but forget to check Austria.
T-shirt also has to be bought separately, if you want one. (I did get one, as a souvenir).
The stretch in the park from around 30-38K is very monotonous. It's a long avenue with trees and is an out and back and it goes on for an eternity. It's a bit shadier there, so that's not bad, but it's just long and doesn't have much support at all.
Khani - I'd do Manchester over Brighton. It's flatter, has bottles (Brighton has cups) and fantastic crowd support pretty much all the way. Brighton is more expensive and I'm also put off by the horrible industrial estate section from mile 20. I'll probably do it again next year if I don't get into London (which I don't expect I will).
I will probably go for Birmingham though - or Barcelona If I decide to splash out.
the other thing my friend didn’t like about Vienna was that the half, full and relay marathon people were all running together so there were all kinds of paces being run all around you.
Ian - ha, ha that's definitely someone that doesn't understand sport, particularly running. However as marathon runners we are lucky that we can take part in the same events that elite runners do. When I did my first marathon I remember there being a notice at the finish to say who had won the race and I found that quite a thrill to see that. It was Dionicio Ceron.
Khanivore - a lot of the overseas races don't really do fancy dress, you'll just see the odd one.
No need to overeat this week you don't want that bloated feeling on the start line on Sunday. I do hope it's only taper fever you have and not a cold.
Is there a Birmingham marathon next year?
Cal - it's difficult when you're travelling with others, even if they are considerate to your needs, i.e. not too much walking, not eating too late etc., but it's always more tiring when travelling with others.
I think you'll have to try and get used to cups, with the go greener trend at the moment a lot of races are switching from bottles to cups. We had bottles on Sunday, but they were far too big, had to empty out half before taking a swig, that was annoying in itself.
Vienna marathon sounds lovely, still on my 'to do' list, did they play Strauss on the finish line?
Big G - I meant to say that I those cups that they had at Rotterdam sound really good. I wonder if we'll ever see them here, foam is definitely not environmentally friendly though.
5 miles today, nice morning. Pilates this morning, hope she's kind to us.
Cal, just to say, there was no real fancy dress at Rotterdam either - as Shades said, it does seem to be quite rare on the foreign ones I've done. I saw one guy running in a suit at Rotterdam, but that was pretty much it. I don't mind that though, personally. Also, I quite like being amongst the few Brits at these races - I think that's (part of) what makes them a bit special for me, with the different languages, race kits, European music etc. The amount of times I had "Goed Zo!!" (well done!) screamed at me on Sunday was brilliant. Also, on occasion when a runner stopped to walk towards the end, the crowd inevitably stated chanting "Kom op, <name of runner>!" and then loudly cheered when that runner started running again ("Come on, <name of runner>" - our names were on our race numbers). It made me laugh every time. At one section of the route (the less interesting part) there were 5 massive screen with mats, and friends of runners had prerecorded videos that were shown when that particular runner passed the mat - it even gave me a spring in my step.
Shades, I messaged Allen T yesterday congratulating him on his sub-3 as I do find that inspiring. He said it's three changes he's made that helped him - 1) half a stone loss in weight! 2) a 5-mile tempo session a week 3) a speed session. Plus, the main thing - consistent, high mileage. He's always been a good/strong runner but he was around 3:15 for a long time, and then went 3:05, and now gone 2:58 is a big jump I think. As he does quite a lot of events, that is inspiring to me as I think most 100MC Wanabees just presume the only way of doing lots of events is to get slower, which is something I don't agree with anyway (I know I was slower at Rotterdam, but there are reasons for that - I know if I can get a good block in again I can get back closer to my PB).
Don't know if you know him (I know him to look at, but never really spoken before), but Keith Luxon did his 270th marathon....and went sub-3 for the first time at the age of 51 (2:56). First time he properly followed a plan I believe.
BigG well done on the time - that Rotterdam croud sounds amazing! Love it
5 miles easy for me in the rain after dropping the car at a garage. Skipping dinner was a good idea. Feel less bloated now. Must remember to stay hydrated during now and marathon - I’m awful at that.
I'm familiar with most of the course as it's where I run when I go visiting.
I can find my review from last year if that's any help? It's a good event, but one section in the second half is ran on the road (coned off from the traffic) and from memory the traffic did feel quite close by. Apart from that, I'd say it's a good, local event.
Now, isn't Allen T the one that does quite a few ultras, or am I confusing him with someone else? He's a fairly consistent runner time wise isn't he? In theory half a stone would equate to 10 mins off his race time.
A lot of the 100MC Wannabees don't train at all, nor do they try very hard at their events.
I agree, you still have quite a few marathon PB's ahead of you, it's just that lining up all the ducks in a row isn't easy, as we all know.
I know the name Keith Luxon, probably on nodding terms, that's brilliant to get a sub 3 at V50 for the first time.
I'm pleased to see that AH has postponed his record attempt for LEJOG, I know he's a brilliant runner but he has a good chance on fresh legs but not after doing JOGLE in 17 days. I read Mimi's book when she broke the women's record, would be enough to put you off running for life, the damage it was doing to her body.
Steve - it takes a little while but getting to run comfortably at Hadd pace is great news, your training is certainly paying off.
Khanivore - you're a little too impatient for the Hadd method, it's just not for you. Many struggle through the early stages, you're not the only one.
Glad you're not feeling bloated now, bet that feels a lot better.
Great Pilates class but more work on our leg adductors, I've had to cancel Thursday's class as I don't think I'll recover 100% before this coming weekend's race.
Big G - that does sound great. The Austrians were mostly going "hup hup hup hup" as we ran past, and there were a few kids asking for high fives.
That given, I've put myself in for Manchester again next year. Colin can't afford to do any more traveling for a while and it's the most convenient PB course - they're also changing the route a bit to go through the city centre so I'm keen to see the changes.
Also entered Gatwick Half in May as a sharpener for Liverpool.
I was half tempted to run today but feet still hurt and I realised after I'd been awake a couple of hours that I was starting to feel unwell again. Same nonsense - groggy, slight scratchy throat. Back to echinacea and Vitamin C. Not surprised really, given my sleep has been crap since the race and I also traveled home in a germ tube (aka plane). If I feel better tomorrow I'll have a (very) little run.
Carpets are being fitted today, so it's carnage here! There's some left over which will fit nicely into the spare room at my place, so that's ideal. Hopefully I'll do a run a bit later on.
Fairly sure I will get signed up to this in the next couple of days but better run it past my wife first, Hopefully see you in Barnstaple Shades.
Now I'm thinking about it I'm surprised I done aswell with the amount of wrong things I done .
6 easy miles today,bit faster than yesterday so hopefully recovering ok.
I tend to feel the cold in my hands and ears so might wear a buff and light gloves.