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Paris Marathon 2014
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I think we all know the answer
We've all been in turns inspired by the dedication shown by so many, thrilled by the pb,s every time we see them posted, excited by the race reports that make us feel part of the event
We've seen love blossom , injures occur, life changes, job changes, we've followed people all over the globe,
we've laughed as a group , supported as a team, we act like family because that's what we are !! A big family full of jokes , teasing , love , affection and that drunk scottish uncle everyone avoids but secretly loves ( me )
Since I've joined the forum , I've never ran alone , I've had everyone of you beside me , granted there have been a few pinch points when it's got so crowded I slowed down, but afterwards I've picked up speed and continued my merry run
Thank you xx
I will run my next marathon for pleasure , not times ( if i get sub four, itll be nice thats all ) ill never be a great runner , I don't want to be , I want to enjoy life , keep fit and meet amazing people
Whatever you decide in time , you will our full support and backing
Kaz,
I echo what the others have said - now is not the time to make a definitive decision, nor is there any need to as you have plenty of time to think things over. No-one trains harder than you, and we can only really train up to our genetic potential anyway, not some arbitrary time goal we set for ourselves (we all do that). Some of us (well, "them" really) are destined genetically to be fast and most of us are not. I know you are very dissapointed over Sunday's race, but in the bigger picture, time is of no consequence. And you were sick.
They say you can't choose family. Well, they are wrong. You can. And we qwill always be family, no matter what you decide to do.
Sorry you feel that way Kaz, but like others have said probably not the right time to make a decision. For me, I have only run one marathon so I dont know how it feels to go through all the training each time and not see the improvement that you are hoping for. Just remember that times are just a number, maybe focus more on the whole experience of the marathon and the people you have been able to meet.
Chin up
Kaz - I understand how you feel, but take some time to rest and recover and then decide what you want to do. I've felt like how you feel just now on a couple of occasions. Mostly after Amsterdam 2010 when another sub 4 attempt was missed due to cramp with less than 2km to the finish line and despite running a PB I was miserable.
I'd had a really bad couple of years with my personal life back then and I think I put everything and some more on going sub 4. When I failed (4:01:50) I felt like an utter failure at life. It was stupid. I'd ran a PB by nearly 5 minutes and still felt like a failure. I should have been celebrating.
After that I decided to focus on something different and did the Etape Caledonia in May 2011. It was a cycling event, but I decided after Amsterdam that I wasn't going to focus on time and spent that winter/spring on the bike more than running. I trained by doing miles on my bike, but at a very easy pace and enjoying the views as I cycled along. I did that event and loved it. In fact it's up there as one of the most enjoyable events I've done. Mostly as I wasn't at the limit and I was relaxed and just enjoying the day.
As you know I was way off sub 4 in Berlin later that year. Injuries and illness put paid to that and I turned up nothing like in shape to attempt it, despite what my crazy brain was thinking at the time. The second half of that race I ran thinking "this is it for me, no more marathons". Thankfully out TD talked me into giving some event in Paris a shot and that has lead to great experiences (getting that sub 4 at long last) and more importantly great friendships with the wonderful people who make this thread and race so special.
You've been ill on race day again. It's a real shame. Personally I'd happily have a nightmare race to know that you turn up for one fit and healthy for once and run the sort of time you deserve. Don't hang up those running shoes just yet. I do think you need to take more care, particularly with regular eating and making sure you get enough rest. Take some time out and enjoy time with your girls. Then decide if you want to have another bash at a time, or just run for fun high-fiving people along the way and stealing their champagne, or if you're no longer motivated for marathons and have new goals in mind.
Just remember you'll always be an inspiration and like family to us here.
Kaz – Loads of virtual hugs. Let’s compare you to Jimbob. You have a physically demanding job, he sits on his bum. You have a second physically demanding job, he sits on his bum whilst cheering on his local football team. You live near the north pole, Jimbob wears sun cream. You have 2 teenage daughters, Jimbob has the ‘fun’ to look forward to. You studied and qualified as a PT instructor. Change places and the results would be completely different. What you do under such circumstances is amazing, you’re amazing, it’s not only about a time at the end of a race.
You were not 100% in Berlin. Perhaps you train too hard ! Get some much needed rest and perhaps speak to DV or TD about a training plan for humans.
You have so many friends, if you need advice or just let of some steam. Please don’t lurk otherwise there will be void for us.
I'm assuming My Asics uses the VDOT method as the pace ranges are very close when comparing the generated plan with the stats on that site.
Kaz - I don't know you and I've never run a marathon. But I have been in the position of what feels like such abject disappointment that you want to jack it all in. It happens in all walks of life, and all you can do is take some time away from the area causing you pain and think about something else for a while. Take a couple of weeks without running or thinking about a marathon, and I'm sure you'll start missing it. From there its a short leap to sign up for your next race. Keep your chin up!
Kaz, nearly everyone feels like that sometime. Take some time off to let the 'burn out' fade away. At some point your body will start to want to run again. When it does, dont worry about time or distance, just try to enjoy being out in the fresh air. If there are particularly pretty or interesting places near by then run at those places.
If you decide you never want to run another marathon, that's okay. Just don't say 'never' quite yet.
Hey there Kaz - love n' hugs from us - you are obviously feeling very low. I understand that. Can you remember how I was after Rome 2012 - I'd given everything to train for a 2h50 and I ended up DNF at 23kms. Ran myself to 99% MHR and still failed. I was sick. Not that I knew it at the time. You did and you still battled on - that's an incredible achievement.
Right now you lack energy and encouragement. You already know that you don't mean what you last said. Because we dare to think of ourselves as family on this thread and take inter-personal risks, I'm going to offer you two pieces of advice, which you can weigh up and assess for yourself if they are useful:
1) You train TOO hard. Specifically, too many of your activities are more intense than they should be. Good training programmes have 80% of the effort under 80% MHR. That way you are fresh for the 20% of effort that require you to really push your limits. Because you push yourself so hard, you are often very weary and this has a knock-on effect on your immune system. Eggy just gave us an example where he beat a long-standing goal that he worked really hard for, by training in a more relaxed way. Quite simply, REST and RECOVERY are essential for sustaining long term improvement. You can't brush this off. You are made the same way as the rest of us. You are not made out of Kryptonite. Only DV is.
2) There are three key dimensions for sporting performance. One is Physical fitness. You've got that. Two is effective strategy - that's not so complicated in marathon running and I looked at your splits and you were doing fine until the sickness took over. Three is psychological condition. I want to address that my dear. To perform at your best means a whole bunch of thoughts have to come together in your head: how you feel about yourself, what your performance represents to you, the significance of what other's opinions are about you, how you deal with rewards/ recognition, how you manage fear and suffering etc etc. This is true for all of us.
My advice would be to have a good old think about this dimension of running performance (when you feel fresh and recovered - a tired mind just goes in circles!). Understand what is at stake for you when you put your foot on the start line. What factors ease your passage, what mental obstacles provide resistance? Reach out to someone you know that you trust and who knows you well and start to talk these issues through with them.
As a final thought - did you read the book The Chimp Paradox by Dr.Steve Peters that we were all raving about last year? It might offer some good insights for you in terms of mind management.
Sending our love to you across the 'net, over the sea, on to your little Island. We all think you are incredible and unwitingly, you inspire many of us. So there.
Kaz
All this fluffy-huggy-kissy stuff is well and good but the truth of the matter is this: you're not bl**dy going anywhere, young lady.
We don't care whether you run or not.
Don't make us come to Orkney...
Kaz do you not remember that only after being on this thread for about 20 minutes I recognized you on Facebook not my name but by description of character and endurance... You are a rock star!! Don't make any decisions (or get a crazy haircut
) while you are driven by these strong negative emotions. Let the tears fall, let the fists fly let the shoes collect a little dust and meet me in Paris dammit!! I hugs to ya girl!!
Kaz- it might seem weird but I came to the same conclusion as you back in May/June. And that was after achieving 3:29 in Paris. Yes I was delighted to get under 3:30, but it took so much out of me physically and mentally that it had turned me into a grumpy old sod (hard to believe I know..?), and I wasn't much fun to be around. So I focussed on triathlon instead. And I do it for FUN. The training is varied and the sessions I do are much shorter. And with no Autumn Marathon this year I feel so much better for it. My running is a bit slower now. But so what?
It's with that new frame of mind that I decided to enter Boston. It would have been a great experience. And I have entered Paris again purely for the experience and meeting up with some good friends - you lot! I do intend to train for it, but I'm going to make damn sure I leave plenty of time for other aspects of my life - family and friends. If I beat 3:29 in Paris I'll be delighted. If I don't, I'll still be delighted.
You are in a place mentally with your running that most of us have, or will, encounter at some point. Others have said it, but please take some time out, try something different perhaps, and see what develops. We would miss you hugely.
And if there is a run (or triathlon? or cycle?) in Orkney that you would like to do sometime in the future, I am sure many of us would make the trip across to Orkney to join or support you.
Please don't leave us....
Kaz - lots of wise words on here. I just wanted to add one thought. People tend to focus on the physical effects of running a marathon, and don't consider the mental side so much.
Not only have you just run a race that you have been training for, planning and looking forward to for months, but you've also had the stress of getting there, looking after the girls, making sure you've got all the paperwork and you don't miss all your connections.
Basically, you're coming down off a massive adrenaline high.
It's OK to feel down. It's not anything you've done that's making you feel this way - it's just biochemistry. Professional athletes have trainers and therapists to help them with this stuff. You, I'm afraid, have us. So get home, say hello to the giant dog, put on a crappy film and don't even think about making any decisions until the chemicals have sorted themselves out.
Kaz - we're all nuts.
We train bloody hard, all year, focussing on a single event. We don't feel we do enough, so we push ourselves to sickness and injury. Nuts
As we get closer to our event, we push ourselves harder - nuts.
The last few long runs before the event are so hard that we dread them but still do them - nuts.
Then we get to the event and don't do as well as we want and we're not satisfied with running 26.2 miles in the time we did - despite feeling, sh1t, tired, or mentally dejected . Absolutely Nuts
Towards the end of my run on Sunday I was calling myself all the stupid b4stards going, for even considering a sub 4. Yet I got an 11 minute PB, that I'm not really happy with - how forking nuts is that.
It looks like weve forgotten that it should be fun.
Pressure is a vital part of life but too much is bad. There is no one who puts themselves under more pressure than you do.
Look into the eyes of your daughter. You told me how disappointed she was when she thought it had taken her 34 minutes - what would you tell her if it had?
Now, go look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself the same.
Hi everyone, newbie to this forum and my first time running in another country. A little about myself, I have run 2 London marathons and countless 1/2's all for Children with cancer charity. I'm a jogger rather than a runner and hope to finish this in 5 hours as I've long since worried about times, it's all about enjoyment and participation for me since I hit my 50's. My number is 60399 and I'm in the rose wave,any tips or help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance xxx
hi steve - welcome to the paris forum ,, you sound as if you know what youre doing , and you have a good plan for the run
stick around and we will give you all the tips , advice , help , encouragement you will ever need ,,
the paris marathon is superb , you will love it
Steve - Welcome to the thread. You'll have a great time in Paris, it's a great event. Plus that's the party pen your starting from. There were a few on here who had a ball running and enjoying Paris from that pen.
I've finally taken the plunge and signed up!
Now I'm starting to worry about the cost as my wife and 2 year old want to come and support me. The cheapest flights are Friday - Tuesday so I was planning to make a bit of a trip out of it.
Any tips on anywhere cheap to stay, that's not too far away?
I really do love this thread sometimes.
Kaz I have to echo Maus, whether you run another marathon or not if you abandon us we'll come to Orkney en masse - even if it is baltic up there by now! Get some rest and relax for a few weeks, turn your head off and do some stuff just for kicks for a change instead of because you have to.
Hi Steve and CaballoB (love the name!)
Welcome Steve and CaballoBaldo. Caballo - are you a minimalist?
Definitely! Price and location are the priority
Just realised you were probably referring to my running and not my choice of hotels! oops!
Yes, I do a fair bit of barefoot running but not long distances. Generally anything over 8-10 miles and I will wear my trusted asics.
Caballo - Most recommend airbnb for looking for an apartment. The closer to the arc you are the closer you are to the start finish area. Any place near lines 1 or 2 of the Metro will get you to the start easily enough. I've stayed at the Ibis in montmarte the last couple of years which is reasonablly priced and provides easy access to the start area and expo.
Advice for anyone wanting to come to Paris on the cheap - give up drinking coffee a long time before you get over & send Marathon Maus a PM (Personal Message) and ask for the hotel guide.
Oh yes, and learn to swim the Channel - which is what Dark Vader tried one year to save on the ferry cost. Or something like that. Can't exactly remember now.
Thanks for the tips Eggy, I'll have a look at those apartments.
I'd love the hotel guide too, but I haven't the foggiest how to send a PM!
CaballoBaldo - click on your profile at the top right hand side of the page where it says "My Inbox" then click the "New Message" button and type in "Marathon Maus". It's possible you may have to enable "Private Messaging" in your profile settings first.
Do you eat a lot of beans and have a big scraggy beard btw?
Morning, all, and welcome to the new people . *Check your mail. I m sending you nuclear waste...*
This is just a quick note to say that Paris is still beaufiful. And expensive ;but, well,there s lots to see and do for free.
Kaz? Have you got an appointment? Please let someone look at your ear ...