New Forest Marathon - how was it for you?

GuyGuy ✭✭✭
For me it was great for the first 4 miles or so, and fairly awful after that. Going up the hill at around mile 4 the slight twinge that I have had in the arch of my right foot developed into something a lot more painful. By the time I had got to mile 17 the pain had spread to the outside of the foot, and the ankle. I decided that discretion was the better part of valour, and that if I wanted to carry on running this year the only real option was to stop. It was fairly depressing to finish the course in the back of a van, but I know that it was the only sensible decision.

How did everyone else get on?

Thanks for all the advice over the past few weeks. Apart from not finishing, I thought that it was a great race (if somewhat more hilly than I had expected). It seemed very well organised, and was through some great scenery.

Did anyone else almost get run down by the bolting horse in the first few miles?
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Comments

  • Guy, sorry your foot chose today to give you a hard time and stopped you from finishing, but you made the right decision. Hope you manage to get back in full running order before the next race you want to do.

    The New Forest is a bit flat for my taste in scenery, but it must be idyllic marathon territory.

    Cheers, V-rap.
  • Guy - bad luck - but good decision. Hope you get sorted soon.
  • bad one guy, but - you're talking to some one who got injured two weeks before the FLM and is just struggling t get back into some kind of form

    i did the half and clocked 1.53 (but get this, burnham beeches aug 18- DNF; budpest half sep 1 - 2.07) so you see you will sort it out and i reckon i'll be looking at sub 1.45 by next feb

    you will get it back

    very good water stops, a few hills i thought and some cheeky ones that you didn't really know you were running up, they were so gradual - also a bit warm (although nothing like the 87F of budapest)

    well done on going for the FULL and well done on doing the sensible thing by listening to your bod
  • Sorry to hear about your foot Guy. Well done WWR on your time. I didn't manage to spot you but did meet Whizzy at the water at the finish.

    We both managed to get under 1:45 so are very chuffed. I did 1:43:31 so am really happy as I didn't really believe I could do under 1:45. I tagged along with some blokes from a running club in Chitchester who I think helped me get my pace sorted - big thanks to Simon who I ran most of the way with.

    I thought the run was well organised - although I always find that with plastic ups of water I just throw it all over myself. Anyone else get hit by the rascals with water guns around mile 9?

    As someone from the flat land of Cambridge I also found it really hilly - must have been one hill per mile!
  • i like the 1.43 doobs - that would do me fine by feb. well done!!

    water guns - yep got them too - it was interesting..were hey being gits or helpful? i noticed they were behind licked gates which suggests a degree of forthought and intenet on their part, but by the time i passed them let's say 10 mins after you, every one was giving the the "thanks guys" bit - after all it was a bit warm and at the FLm you run under showers after9 miles so maybe they were providing a service...not sure though.

    hills - yep lots of em, but not buggRs. i don;t think i've ever had such an uneven set of spilts in a half - only the last three miles looked consistent.

    what;s your next one? are you at windsor - and what happened to the others: linda regel and whizzy?

    cheers
  • i should check my posts before i submit them

    what is a "licked " gate?

    what is "intenet"?

    sorry
  • GuyGuy ✭✭✭
    Thanks for the sympathies from everyone. The day wasn't completely unsuccesful, as my brother came down with me and finished in 4:07, a PB by 27 minutes in his second marathon.

    Wolf and Doobs - well done on some great times.
  • Well done for taking the right decision Guy, your time will come I'm sure and hope your foot is better soon.
    Congrats the rest of you on your times for the 1/2 m.
  • Bad luck Guy - right decision though. I did the half and can only describe it as a personal worse (PW) 2.04 compared to 1.52 five weeks ago - despite the best laid plans.....
    all the best - and rapid recovery!
  • Hey WWR. Don't know what my next one is - not doing Windsor, but I'm not sure how many there are from Oct onwards. Might have to wait until the spring - although my challenge is to keep running between halves, something I'm not very good at.

    Glad to hear about your brother Guy - how's your foot today? You definately made the right decision.
  • Bad luck Guy, I had a much better run than expected. Finished in 3:56:02 in my first marathon, I was reduced to walking on some of the course from the hill at 19 miles onwards. No twinges from the achilles I was worried about, but I am sore today.
  • WWR, I did 1.53.09 so was probably v close to you at the finish - red vest red shorts (but not the six foot tall slim girl with red/white stripe top and red shorts just a few yeards ahead). Having said here (somewhere) that I was hoping for under 2 hours I was delighted to take 6.15 off my 6.5 year old pb especially on such a mountainous course. Mind you, it was my 6th NF half so I knew what was coming. And the ex-boyfriend finished in 2.11 ha ha ha ha ha
  • Hi

    Yep - really chuffed with my time - WWR - just didn't see you at all - at the start I
    was wandering around looking for you - everyone must have thought I was eyeing them up - shame about your time - what's your next one.

    Doobs - how are you feeling today, still on a high!!

    Yep - I did get the water guns, was grateful for them tho'.

    Whizzy
  • hello all......i havent done the new forest half for some 6 years but i thought i would give it a go again. i had a poor race. i felt my legs were like lead and i had to keep stopping. i dont understand it!! i had such a good warm up race a week b4....i had totally forgot how up and down it was....saying that the last time i did it it chucked down with rain until the last half a mile and i did a better time by 8 minutes!!
  • Guy, sorry to hear you didn't make it. I had a pretty bad time of it. As an experienced half-marathon runner, I thought I was going to going to breeze this, my first marathon. Oh no. Too cocky up to 14 miles then things startd to go wrong. In real pain by 17 miles and run-walking by 19-20. Sheer will got me through to the end, that and the warm support from the spectators scattered around the course - thanks to them. Cheers also to the St Johns bloke with the shades who checked me over at the end.

    Feet now a mess and my quads are shot. Ah stop blubbing, you did it to yourself. Despite all this I'll definately do another, now I now the nature of the beast.
  • Guy
    Bad luck, good choice, best of lcuk for next time
  • Bad luck Guy, a wise but tough decision.

    Well done all who did the half and full sepecialy those who did it for the first time - a very special moment.

    This was my second marathon and I found it a tough course - so udulating it was hard to settle into a sregular.I was surprised there was only water and no energy drinks.

    I also very nearly got flattened by that horse - a time of 3.28 - 33 minutes off my first marathon time of 4 mours so I am well please. Does anyone know how I can knock another 28 minutes off ??
  • Yep - still on a high today. but my legs are slowly starting to seize up so better go home before I lose the ability to get up from my office chair!
  • HillyHilly ✭✭✭
    Well done all of you and bad luck Guy. I'm sure you did the best thing and will heal much quicker for it.
  • Bad luck Guy, I'm sure you'll be back!
    This was my first so it's my PB but I hope it will be my PW. I only had 4 weeks to train before it after a 4 1/2 week lay off due to injury so I didn't have the miles in the bank and I was just desperate to do the big one. I went out too quickly and kept a 3 min lead on my split times to about 14 miles when it all went pear shaped. I started to loose it from there so much so that I didn't even know what IT was from mile 20 onwards. The net result was 4:05:25, a full 30 mins off my target time! The next one WILL be better!!!
    Was it me or was darned hilly!? (no offence Hilly)
  • GuyGuy ✭✭✭
    Thanks to everyone - and congratulations to all who did finish. If it is any comfort, Bear, I have yet to finish to marathon even close to my predicted time.

    This morning the foot was agony, so that I could hardly walk, but this evening I managed the 10 minute walk to the station in discomfort, but not too much pain. It no longer feels like the crippling injury that I thought it was last night. However, I don't think I'll be running for a few weeks.
  • erm....4.05 sounds like an ok debut there, bear.

    i don't know too many people who do their first one in sub 3.30 (unless you're a serious club runner - i'm sure you are)

    i reckon that the experience of this one will set you up fiar and suqre for a good time on the next outing.

    maybe the learning is keep petrol in the tank and forget the watch for the first 20 miles - i have heard that one done very well by many better runners than me!

    good luck
  • GuyGuy ✭✭✭
    Bear - I should have added that I would have been extremely happy with a 4:05 debut. It took me until my fourth marathon to go faster than that.

    I must have seen you crossing the line, because I was standing at the finish waiting for my brother, and he was 2 minutes behind you.
  • Cheers chaps, you are very kind.
    I'll try not to beat myself up about it too much. I'll start back running today with a nice wee two miler as my legs feel fine (I think the ice bath after the race and the massage on Monday did a world of good). Next stop: Stroud Half on the 27th Oct'.
    Hope the foot calms down and gets better soon, Guy and thanks again both!
    Andy (AKA Bear).
  • GavoGavo ✭✭✭
    It was my 1st marathon and completed in 4:08 which I was well pleased with (I was aiming to get under 4:30). Apart from the off-road stuff between 10 & 12m I honestly thought that the course was OK and not as bad as I had feared (though I had advance notice of the hill at 19m so saved a bit in store for that). I ran with another novice for most of it but he walked from 24 to the finish and looked rough at the end. My steady pace & energy gels seemed to serve me well as I was walking easily on the Sunday evening. Here's hoping for a London entry now.
  • What did you think about running in traffic?
    Can't say I was too chuffed, but then again, I didn't mind the off-road section, although it did sap the energy a bit.
    On the whole it was a v pretty course.

    Well done, Gavo.
  • I did not have a good run although I thought both the course and the organization good indeed. I was recovering from a foot injury so was expecting over 4 hours. I was on track for the first 20 miles but ran out of fuel both physically and mentally then and ended up walking the hills ending in 4:38. I'll put this down due poor preparation and attidude I think although I'll be back next year as it was such a pretty run. Just got to put it behind me and concentrate on a proper preparation for New York now. My girlfriend Liz had good run in 3:46 coming 10th for her age which made the day a lot better!
  • GavoGavo ✭✭✭
    Running in the traffic wasn't too bad - I've seen worse in urban races. I was more concerned about the horses wandering than the cars (but then I'm a city boy and you don't get many horses where I run). Agree with the comments on the organisation, though it did appear that there weren't too many water stations in the 2nd half. Not too bothered about not giving out energy drinks (though I was offered one at about 24/25m which seemed a bit late) as I carry a couple of gels with me.

    Does anyone know if the results will be posted on a website anywhere?
  • Gavo, the results will appear at http://www.nfma.org.uk at some time. Agree with your comments about the traffic, far worse in some races, most drivers seemed pretty patient and the marshalling was very good. The info pack said that there would only be water so I took a bottle of isostar with me which helped.
  • So many Forumites there and the only one I met was Bear. He was actually SMILING at the finish. I put it down to delirium.I must have finished v.close to Grumpy as I clocked myself at 3.56.02.
    I really sympathise with Guy, things have to get pretty painful to make one drop out.
    I thought that the organisation was superb and the weather could not have been better. I was struck once more by what nice people marathon runners are.I will be back next year with a few twenty mile prep runs under my belt.
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