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Abingdon Marathon 2013
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that's in contrast to the old bloke in a car telling us to get off the road and onto the pavement at about 17M in the rain! Not sure about the boom box on the second lap - don't know that the track was, but it made me feel ill
Jamie - don't worry, I'd have only been able to grunt anyway
Lots of good results coming through despite the conditions, and some nasty spills by the sound of it!
Lee - my roast dinner is just being seerved - mmmmmm
Great runs guys!
I got 3h 23m 18s. Very pleased as although it's not a PB, it's my second fastest marathon (out of 6) that I've done.
Was on course for 3h 15m up until 21 miles where I fell (no idea what I tripped over) and smacked on the ground on my left wrist, knee, shoulder, hip and arm. Cue a very loud swear word, followed by checking that there were no children (or race photographers!) around. Had blood on my arm, and down my leg (which to be fair looked much worse than it actually was). Some Marshalls called after me, but I knew that they'd probably try to make me stop (even if it was only temporary) but I just had to keep going. I knew then that a PB was gone, so just had to "get round" the final 5. But very happy with my time considering. Wrist feels stiff and sore, but not swollen. Having broken my wrist previously I'm pretty definite it's just sprained, so icing and resting.
But an amazing race. Marshalls were fantastic. Great atmosphere between the runners. My first Abingdon, but certainly not my last. Wine and a takeaway curry now I reckon!!
Well done on some fantastic times guys!!
MG15: You ran it perfectly today mate; just a shame I couldn't hang on but after 15 I knew it wasn't happening; nice group with had going until then, I don't think the younger guy running with us had done a marathon before and he had a great run. My team mate managed to hang onto you for longer. You really did look like you knew what you were doing...impressive and good to meet you.
Well done to everyone else, good or bad. I fell well short of target with 2:48:5? but considering my shortened schedule etc etc I'm not that disappointed. It's another sub 2:50 after all
)
Results online here for those who want to see their exact race time:
http://www.chiptiming.co.uk/results/?sport=1&year=2013&event=20&race=55
Ouch Steve! Well done for dusting yourself off and finishing.
Great run Mr Boat, despite being under your target. I recognise you now! I was in the group with (I suspect) the young guy you mention, up until I got dropped around 8 miles - just in time to face the wind on my lonesome
The Bus: I also remember you now. I fancied the group we merged with did maybe go off a bit quickly. You still came home with a very respectable time...onwards and upwards. See you at VLM14.
Cheers Mr B, but no chance! I think my marathon days might be over (at least for the customary 2 years between them I've had - just enough time to forget
)
Wow, well done guys. I think I will have shouted well done to some of you as you lapped me!
I completed in 5:11 I got cold, slow and crampy. But so pleased to have completed my first marathon.
I briefly met Cake and Foxy Lady. Foxy lady went off faster and I think Cake was behind me.
Shame you had bad experiences with the locals, being slow I think they took pity on me! However, the Marshall's were amazing so full of support and encouragement.
Question for those at the front / bulk...how did you get through the squeezy gates with so many?
Well done everyone . What a great event that was.
Did it rain at all ? I can't remember very much of it falling on me.
My aim was to run relaxed and as free as possible so that I could get the best out of this oldish body I occupy now. Got to half way in 1:46 feeling great and running freer than I ever have. I knew I'd finish nearer to 3:30 than the 3:45 I'd predicted.
Pushed the pace from 13 and held it until 23 miles before having to slow slightly.
The best time I've ever got, not the fastest, but looking at it makes me feel Free.
Finish time ( chip) the one that counts. 3:33:33
Well done all. Zirion shame about the cramps but good to meet you earlier and am confident you can hit that target sooner rather than later...
Well done Jamie for having the guts to aim higher and pull it off!
3:04:39 for me which I'm buzzing about for my first marathon, VLM 2015 GFA unless the swines move the goalposts again. Calf cramps started to kick in at 23 miles but varying my footfalls and stride pattern seemed to help keep it at bay just enough to hang on to goal pace - whilst looking a little daft but I didn't care
Everything else pretty much fell into place perfectly except for the battery in my footpod dying so it turns out I only have cadence stats for the first 3 miles. Considering all the things that could have gone wrong and didn't, I'll happily take that!
Paulie - well run, and a very aestethically pleasing time to go with it! And yes, it did rain !! Torrentially at one point...
Well done for getting round AT - you were probably one of those I saw who ain the last mile or so who looked in much better shape than me as I hobbled back to the car like a 110 year old with Rickets!
Ballesteros - fingers corssed they keep the GFA the same for VLM 2015 then
Millsy - my racing flats have left my feet a bit battered...
Jamie, yep MK is calling. Might see you on that thread.
Steve, fair play for picking yourself up. That sounds painful.
Ballesteros, see you in 2015 (hopefully) seems we were pretty close at the end.
Well done everyone else, plenty of guts out there.
Great day. Impressed with the encouragement and enthusiasm of the marshalls. To be fair to the locals they must get hacked off with us lot taking over their roads for a few hours ever year.
Lessons learned for me for my next marathon, I.e work harder, run faster!
Ha ha ha, Thanks, The bus, I think I passed nearly every runner on my last mile, you were all leaving!! everyone was so encouraging! Though which was lovely. I was running in black with a green and black cap and breathing very heavily. Even with the torrential rain the humidity still affect the breathing negatively!!
Very sorry to be a DNS today. I was looking forward to the grandstand finish and somehow hobbling up the steps to the showers ...
Looks like the weather took the edge off all the time predictions for most, but particularly well done to Jamie F for his time. There must be something in that training plan.
Paulie B, we must have been holding hands across the line. I was the Pirate and suffering.
Chimney: I think you were you telling people about your experience with the Old Lady in the shower. That sounds wrong.
Some great first time marathon results, I recognised a couple of names on Page 1 of the results, shame they don't print the alter ego identities.
I had a good 18 mile run, and then hit the wall. Not, bizarrely, due to energy levels, but it seems that the legs were not able to deliver any more power. Everything went sore all at once, but just the lower legs: knees, calves, shins, feet. I did a lot of walking. Restarting after a walk break confirmed just how much lactic there was. From 21 was a long haul. I've had better training days.
So. Recovery. Starting with learning how to do stairs. Then, a new target. No idea what yet.
Some great efforts guys. For me it was a disapointing 3:12. First 15 were great with a lower average heart rate than last attempt. Then suddenly just lost all drive. Pretty much just jogged it in the last 7 or 8. Could barely get my pulse up to 160 during the last 3 when i normally hit 180. Frustrating as all my key sessions in the past 2 weeks were stronger than last time and i had plenty of recovery. Will just chalk it up as another finished marathon. Course was a good though and marshalls were fab!
Did anyone else log the course long? I had 26.66 on my garmin. Normally on other courses i log 26.3 - 26.4?
26.29 on my Garmin, and looking at satellite photos the extra was mainly mine adding a bit on the track at the start.
Anyone else find that the halfway marker was massively late and have a moment of fear, only to be reassured when the 14 mile marker arrived where/when expected?
Morning. Tried falling asleep on the sofa, wife made me climb the stairs against my protestations of pain. Bad enough going up last night, coming down this morning was not fun!
Mr Garmin logged 26.4, haven't uploaded yet but distance seems normal given I've never been able to follow the perfect line.
Thought the halfway marker was put there for me for the second lap. It certainly felt, effort wise, that it was halfway......
26.4 on my Garmin too. I trust the course measurer more than my gps, but would be nice to know the sortest line, as that extra is worth wel over a minute
Didn't see the half marker unfortunately until the second lap. I think someone was stood in front of it
Walking like a (very old) cowboy today!
The Boat that young lad had only ever raced a 10k before fair play to him! I was literally hanging on to him between 20/23 then I got a bit of a second wind. It was a quality group we had going there. I think maybe the wind did take it's toll on us. Every time it slowed a bit your club mate put his foot down and got us moving along. I'm glad I made the decision (at mile 4) to chase and join you as the group I was in slowed down a fair bit.
I will definitely be doing this one again next year. I'll be a v40 but looking at the results and the v40 winner was third so not much chance of a pot.
Dachs fine result there and all of you getting your GFA's well done its a massive relief and lasts two years!
Thanks everyone for all the help banter encouragement over the past few months. Barca up next for me in March then London five weeks after which will be a new experience doing two so close I normally do spring and autumn!
Ex Chimney
I was physical accousted by some woman too - she was a large lady shall we say - I tried to squeeze passed on the narraow path - wall on one side, steep grassy verge on the other, I tried to get round (there was enough room) but she deliverately stuck her elbow out in order to block my path and she hit me in the chest with some force.
I stopped and approached her at which point she then told me "I should be on the F****** road", I was so cross, but what can you say to that - it spoilt my race - until near the end when two women walking in front of me appologied for getting in the way - they weren't I'd already moved round them - no problem I said, faith in humanity restored
Chest still hurts this morning from the impact with that horrible intollerant woman.
Well done everyone - some really impressive runs from some of you guys!
Good to meet The Bus and Blisters.
Enjoyed the Boom Box and had a sing along on both laps (*Queen - Don't Stop Me Now lap1, and Leeds' own KCs with I Predict A Riot lap 2).
Race was strange for me ... heart rate and effort levels were just not producing the same pace I had experienced in my 10M and 16M MP training runs, so I played safe and went with the slower pace and maintained HR/effort. Maybe I need to look at what I did in the last 6 weeks of training as I think I went off the boil somewhat. Anyway, I felt strong until almost 25 miles and then started to slow ... but close enough to avoid anything too nasty. 3:38:15. So, despite running a much better paced race, it was still 6 minutues slower than Chester 2011 when the wheels came off at 20 (should have run much faster that year). I really need to get back to 2011 fitness levels!
Which really picked up my spirits for the last couple of miles.
MG15: The group you went off with contained a runner who I'd run the whole race with a couple of years ago when I first went sub 2:50. He'd said he was targeting 2:45 but it looked like that group inc. you went off a bit quick. I was on the back but eased off after a few hundred metres. Like you said this group slowed at around 4 miles and we went through quite quickly; I think this is when you jumped on our train. I agree, Graeme (my clubmate) did have to keep giving us a kick up the arse everytime we lost concentration and the pace dropped...well done again; great run.
For what it's worth: my Garmin 410 gave me 26.19 and I was manually splitting with 'auto lap' off. It's a great course apart from the underpass and the park bit at the end. Marshals also did a great job but I didn't really need telling I was 'nearly there' at the 25mile marker
42.4 on my Garmin, and a fair part of that must have been me walking to lampposts to stretch out the cramp! I do tend to take the racing line though, whereas most people around me had a tendency to move over to the side of the next corner as soon as they could.
@Stutter: there's a good chance that her elbow's quite painful too. I had only good experiences with the locals - lots of support, and people hanging out their houses to cheer runners on. One lady even let my parents (who'd come to support) park on her driveway!
I also missed the half way marker on the first lap, so I guess someone was standing in front of it. I feel I should give a shout out to whoever put up the orange signs towards the end of the loop. They were awesome. I think next time I go to support a marathon or a half I'll try and put on inspirational quotes like those.
Race report can be found at the bottom of page 5022 on the sub 3 thread
Clocked in at 2:49:57 having run comfortably on circa 6:20's until about 23 miles. Fought the last 3 miles and slipped over quite nastily just before reaching the track. Still managed to pull it together and dip under 2:50 so job done.
I think you passed me in the last couple of bus.
Agree about those Spedding orange signs. Great.
Great event - the only issue I have is that the car park was too far away. That felt like a long long walk!