My Mara PB is two years old today. Same day as many of this parish met at Chandos. What a day that was!
Ribs are still a mess, even hurt just walking the dog. Looked at my notes, I had the same injury back in September. I took a full week off before returning with some easy runs with small amounts of manageable pain, so will do the same and write this week off, as well and see how I feel on Monday.
Yes, need more sleep and must find a way! Got 6 hr last night so not great, but not as bad as usual for the weekdays lately. 12M with 10 at subLT today. Started out stiff and a little off the pace, but finished the second half with more energy and speed. A bit of sun and temps in the 50s equaled a nice day to be on the roads.
GDawg, sounds rough. Be good to yourself for the next bit so you can re-stitch.
GD - hope the ribs heal quickly. My mara PB was also two years ago but in the wilds of Lincolnshire. Hope I can join in celebrations at Chandos one day too. Birch - is your photo taken at the finish that day? VTr - 6 hours here too, but nowhere near 12 with 10 at subLT! Nice one. 8 easy miles today, so getting there slowly.
Birch, My first marathon was in 1993, that was the final year it finished on Westminster Bridge. I got in the following year for the first finish down The Mall. Barely broke 5 hours each time, didn't have a clue!
Ballot applications were made by paper form submitted at branches of the TSB. Different times...
And I thought my first marathon in 2010 was a long time ago!
What shoes were you wearing in 1991 Birch and how were the start and the on-course hydration facilities?
I made the mistake of joining the thread before training for my first marathon so missed out on the marathon initiation horror (only a 5 minute positive split)!
SBD - my first marathon was in 1986 !! ( a Gul-esque nightmare of 4:14 (not London, thankfully) with first half in 1:45 . . . . . in G-dawg's words "I didn't have a clue" )
no idea what shoes for this (PB) one in 1991 (can't tell from the pic, and my brief race notes don't mention). Similarly, can't remember the on-course nutrition (I think this was a few years before the Lucozade Sport sponsorship)
the start was fine - I was in pen one, behind the elites and champs start - of course, no chip timing, so I can't claim the 2:45:54 my stopwatch showed; the 33 seconds it took to reach the start line means my PB remains the 2:46:27 on the clock !
Well my debut was only 2009, the last one sponsored by Flora. I would have had Brooks Adrenalines on my feet and I think High 5 gels were my preference. The T-shirt was cotton and could have fitted three of me inside it. I ran a small negative split for 3.28.xx (goal was 3.30). Legs gave way the second I crossed the finish line.
My PB marathon was 2014. Adidas Tempos (not the boost ones, they weren't invented yet), still High 5 gels and since I don't appear to have the T-shirt in my cupboard it must also have been cotton and far too big. I ran a bigger negative split for 2.58.xx (goal was 3). I was so happy I ran through the finish line, ran to get my bag and ran to the pub to find you all.
I do recall applying for the ballot in 2009 on a piece of paper that I had to get from a running shop and send by post. I got rejected but got a club place.
In 1993 I wore Nike Air Max Classic, chosen because they looked good with jeans. In 1994 I wore Reebok Hexalyte which also looked good with Jeans and after running a marathon 12 months before, I was therefore a proper runner, so didn't need to train, I had the fitness, it stayed in my body and fancy shoes would get me a PB.
SBD - I joined the thread too, but was too much of a numbskull to learn anything Birch - must be a treasured memory. Speedy - impressive running all the way to the pub! OO - have you ever been overtaken by Carmen Miranda? GD - I had a branded pair of running shoes in 2010 (Brooks?) but they were such a disaster I haven't bothered since 5 easy miles today.
Working with a group of Kenyans at the moment, fit active people in a rural farming community, one is a nutritionist, thought I could get some tips on diet. She says breakfast is boiled milk, and lunch is sour milk. That’s it. Maybe that’s the secret to athletic excellence.
Who'd have thought you could spice up milk in so many interesting ways...
As for London, I think there'll be a huge appetite to get it on from well beyond the running community. It is a UK flagship event and raises huge sums for charity. However, there'll need to be a lot more smaller scale 'normal' things happening first such as 40,000 at premier league games etc. I'm just not sure there's enough time between now and when VMLM need to make a definitive statement of on or off, being August i'd guess, for all these steps to be built up.
I don't think mass events being on or off will overly trouble those chasing sub 3.30 times as a huge array of small scale maras are cropping up so the events are there if you want them.
Whilst numbers are crashing right now we have to build up and trust that normal large scale things can happen.
Anyway, we can only speculate and hope. Easy 5 yesterday and some s and c. 7M progressive from easy to mp over lunch planned.
Further reading suggests that the Maasai (the tribe which includes David Rudisha) have a traditional diet based on milk, meat, fat, blood (from cattle), honey and tree bark. Nom nom. If it's good enough for Rudisha it's good enough for us lesser athletes.
My first and worst mara was London 2014 and likewise with hindsight had no clue what I was doing. Thankfully my horror story isn't as bad as some above with a 1.34 and 1.44 split for 3.18. Still, hated every minute of the last 10 which was a shame really.
My flynits are size 12 TR and I bought next%2 the same size which feel fine. My feet are long and skinny and flyknits fit like a glove. I'd say the next% are the same but the upper material is a bit thinner so not quite as snug.
Tr, I'm an 8 in all nike running shoes including alphafly and next% so no reason as far as I am aware to go up a size. I would caveat that in that I am a small 8 and can quite equally wear a 7.5 in nike as well so wouldn't necessarily notice if an 8 was a bit smaller than expected. I'd go with your usual sizing personally.
Comments
Ribs are still a mess, even hurt just walking the dog. Looked at my notes, I had the same injury back in September. I took a full week off before returning with some easy runs with small amounts of manageable pain, so will do the same and write this week off, as well and see how I feel on Monday.
Month over, 160 scored,
9 miles steady this morning, with a bit of trail and hills thrown in.
Yes, need more sleep and must find a way! Got 6 hr last night so not great, but not as bad as usual for the weekdays lately. 12M with 10 at subLT today. Started out stiff and a little off the pace, but finished the second half with more energy and speed. A bit of sun and temps in the 50s equaled a nice day to be on the roads.
GDawg, sounds rough. Be good to yourself for the next bit so you can re-stitch.
Birch - is your photo taken at the finish that day?
VTr - 6 hours here too, but nowhere near 12 with 10 at subLT! Nice one.
8 easy miles today, so getting there slowly.
Ballot applications were made by paper form submitted at branches of the TSB. Different times...
What shoes were you wearing in 1991 Birch and how were the start and the on-course hydration facilities?
I made the mistake of joining the thread before training for my first marathon so missed out on the marathon initiation horror (only a 5 minute positive split)!
no idea what shoes for this (PB) one in 1991 (can't tell from the pic, and my brief race notes don't mention). Similarly, can't remember the on-course nutrition (I think this was a few years before the Lucozade Sport sponsorship)
the start was fine - I was in pen one, behind the elites and champs start - of course, no chip timing, so I can't claim the 2:45:54 my stopwatch showed; the 33 seconds it took to reach the start line means my PB remains the 2:46:27 on the clock !
My PB marathon was 2014. Adidas Tempos (not the boost ones, they weren't invented yet), still High 5 gels and since I don't appear to have the T-shirt in my cupboard it must also have been cotton and far too big. I ran a bigger negative split for 2.58.xx (goal was 3). I was so happy I ran through the finish line, ran to get my bag and ran to the pub to find you all.
In 1994 I wore Reebok Hexalyte which also looked good with Jeans and after running a marathon 12 months before, I was therefore a proper runner, so didn't need to train, I had the fitness, it stayed in my body and fancy shoes would get me a PB.
Absolute carnage!
Birch - must be a treasured memory.
Speedy - impressive running all the way to the pub!
OO - have you ever been overtaken by Carmen Miranda?
GD - I had a branded pair of running shoes in 2010 (Brooks?) but they were such a disaster I haven't bothered since
5 easy miles today.
First Mara 2004, last 2019 although still toying with pitching up in London this autumn for a last hurrah. Do we really think LM will happen.
I remember those air max monsters GD. Hope you took the jeans off for the race 😉
Hope it happens Poacher and your presence would be the icing on the cake 👍
Working with a group of Kenyans at the moment, fit active people in a rural farming community, one is a nutritionist, thought I could get some tips on diet. She says breakfast is boiled milk, and lunch is sour milk. That’s it. Maybe that’s the secret to athletic excellence.
Who'd have thought you could spice up milk in so many interesting ways...
As for London, I think there'll be a huge appetite to get it on from well beyond the running community. It is a UK flagship event and raises huge sums for charity. However, there'll need to be a lot more smaller scale 'normal' things happening first such as 40,000 at premier league games etc. I'm just not sure there's enough time between now and when VMLM need to make a definitive statement of on or off, being August i'd guess, for all these steps to be built up.
I don't think mass events being on or off will overly trouble those chasing sub 3.30 times as a huge array of small scale maras are cropping up so the events are there if you want them.
Whilst numbers are crashing right now we have to build up and trust that normal large scale things can happen.
Anyway, we can only speculate and hope. Easy 5 yesterday and some s and c. 7M progressive from easy to mp over lunch planned.
Further reading suggests that the Maasai (the tribe which includes David Rudisha) have a traditional diet based on milk, meat, fat, blood (from cattle), honey and tree bark. Nom nom. If it's good enough for Rudisha it's good enough for us lesser athletes.
As for pbs, that turns 4 weeks old tomorrow.