I missed the GFA (Good For Age) qualifying time in London by just 2min 7seconds. I was determined to get that time, so have entered Cardiff on October 9th with the aim of getting my precious 3:45.
Cardiff may be a few days too late to qualify for London 2006. I won't know for definite until the entry forms come out in July (or early August?). So even if I get my 3:45 time, I might still need to get through the ballot and might not be doing London 2006.
But here's a thought:
I've just found out that I've qualified for the Boston Marathon! Boston is the world's oldest marathon. It is an elite race with a qualifying standard to meet. I've met the standard: 3:50 in my case.
So if I fail to get into London, I can have a holiday in Boston and run in a race only a select few get to do. Sorted!
I know Paula wants to add Boston to her list of titles, so I might get to run alongside her (in a manner of speaking)!
ps More Paula news coming soon - there's something I've been itching to tell, but I'm waiting until it's all played out before I blog my news!
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Monday, April 18, 2005
The full report
The international battle lines were drawn, and all was set for a bruising encounter. Not exactly the way I thought I'd start a marathon report! I'll elaborate as the tale unfolds.
Now let me offer my one and only excuse: it was hot OK! Good. I've got that out the way!
And now the good news and bad news: the good news is I achieved my qualifying time. The bad news is I've qualified for the London to Brighton 54 and not the Flora London Marathon!
To avoid this becoming a piecemeal report of pithy soundbite style clips, let's backtrack a little.
First bruise of the day came on the coach up to London when I stood up to let my friend Kath out of her seat. I caught my left kneecap on the fold-down tray. Ouch! Fortunately it didn't affect my day, but it's sore enough now for me to think that this could have been one of those bizarre accidents that takes you out of a marathon at the last minute. (James Cracknell and a towpath?)
We arrived at Blackheath in good time and settled down on the grass to enjoy the sun. This was going to be a warm day! Brendan Foster take note: bright sunshine is not perfect marathon weather for the majority of us, particularly if we are due to finish at the height of the day!
Having done my obligatory second toilet visit, (wouldn't want to have to crouch on the side of the road now would I?), I joined the start a good 10 minutes before the off, only to find the line was already moving forward and I was a little further back than I would have liked. Looking around, there was a big mix of pen numbers: 3,4,5, 9!!. This might take a while for everyone to settle to their pace and position!
Soon underway, and mercifully we didn't have to stop half a mile in as we did last year. As I suspected, the further forward you are (pen 4 this year, pen 6 last), the smoother your journey. Despite the slow pace of the start, not a bad thing anyway, I was already up on my pace plan!
A feature of this year's race was that I saw various international groups of, usually, 3 runners. They all had their country, in English, on their back in the same white lettering. Was this some sort of international marathon challenge, or just the same travel firm? There were teams from France, Belgium, Italy, and 2 from Portugal. At 2 miles in, I encountered the first of the international teams: Transylvania! I would have just run past them oblivious, had I not heard the shouts of "Cheeky cheeky" from the crowd. Yes! My first ever celebrity spot in a marathon: Monica and Gabriella - the Cheeky Girls!
Fun was had as the blue and red starts merged at 3 miles: the traditional booing! I don't know if this is just human nature, booing the other runners on the other side of the barrier, or whether the old lags initiate what is now something of a tradition. Whichever it is, it's quite funny and causes some puzzled looks on the faces of the FLM virgins.
I was relieved that my pace seemed relaxed and I was very comfortable at 8:15/mile. My heart rate, as ever in London, was a little higher than usual for that pace. I knew this would be the case, but cracked on, knowing that a) I was no higher HR-wise than last year and b) I had to stick to my pace plan, if I was to get the 3:45 qualifying target.
I spotted someone wearing the same outfit as me. For the men reading this, I should perhaps explain that when we go running we pick an outfit. We don't just smell the laundry bag and wear whatever we think we can get away with. For me, this was a Nike crop-top, a la Paula, in Victory AC colours, printed up with the club name and ship logo, and topped off with 'Susie' in silver letters. I was wearing the matching lycra shorts, not briefs 'a la Paula' but the sort that cover the thigh. I was to discover later that there are practical benefits to running briefs, but I fortunately didn't get any stomach cramps! The lady ahead of me was wearing the identical shorts and top, minus lettering. I complimented her on her fine taste, and established that she too was aiming for 3:45. I wanted to avoid running with anyone, as I wanted to run my own pace, and also not waste energy chatting, which those who know me probably appreciate could be major energy expenditure. I wished her good luck and pushed on.
Team Portugal 1 was now in my sights as we neared Cutty Sark. Fortunately there was plenty of room to get round them. People running together really bug me, as they tend to block your path making it difficult to run round them. They should run in single file! UKAA rule change maybe?
Cutty Sark was much easier this year, the crowd being thinner in the rarefied atmosphere of the sub-8:30/mile brigade. I had much less delay than I budgeted for. Quids in! I was now nearly a minute inside my pace plan. Lots of jostling though, as we all tried to stick to the blue line. This was a physical marathon!
I like a good moan. This year, apart from formation running, there was very little to moan about. I had a great time! Allow me then, to vent my spleen at the mobile phone users. I know it's probably very useful for the spectators to know where you are, but spare us the race commentary! I heard this classic: "I'm coming up to mile 9. Yes, I'm taking it fairly easy, otherwise I'd be up with the leaders." - !!!!!!!!
10 miles arrived, as it usually does, at the 10 mile marker, and as I had done continually in training, I broke my 10-mile PB. I guess I need to race 10-milers a bit more often!
Next milestone was Tower Bridge, magnificent as ever, and then we wound on to the first of the new course variations as we joined the right hand side of 'The Highway' heading for Wapping. This was an unexpected milestone. On the other side of the road was the new section heading north of the Tower of London and there were the leaders of the men's race! For the first time ever in the London Marathon, I had reached the crossover point before the elite men! There was a huge roar as I watched the leader, who I didn't recognise, but later found out was Martin Lel, go by. I recognised Paul Tergat, but was surprised to see he was out of touch with the lead in maybe 6th place. I would have recognised Jon Brown, but didn't spot him. What struck me about the elite runners was the huge gap between the first group and the rest of the field. There was a trickle of elite women tail-enders, but very few men until the pack a long way back. It doesn't appear obvious from the results, but by the road side the professionals appeared to be literally streets ahead of the club runners.
It was around now that we discovered Paula had won in 2:17: what I knew to be a women-only world record. The mood this time was different to the cheering of 2 years ago. This time we had knowing nods of approval. A "job done" attitude, rather than frantic adulation!
Another milestone at half way as I took nearly 3 minutes off my half marathon PB - see previous comment about frequency of races!
As we neared the next water station, another limb copped it. I got elbowed rather hard in my right forearm. I meekly apologised, and then, realising the insanity of apologising for getting hurt, let out a loud "Owww!". No apology was forthcoming! It's now rather sore!
Another minor moan: Why put the signs "Showers ahead" on the opposite side of the road, implying that the showers are on that side. I missed the first lot of showers, in the Surrey Quays, because of this. Now I was more prepared. I ran through the second showers - a tunnel with rows of sprinklers - giving blessed relief from the heat. It's lovely! I just wish they had them every mile. So refreshing!
We now headed towards the Isle of Dogs - I will resist the temptation to use the "I love dogs" joke from last year. I now had to overtake the country of France. In the narrow lanes here, having 3 people abreast, blocking the way, was a bit much. Fortunately they all decided to irrigate the brickwork, rather bizarrely without breaking formation. What is it with men and peeing in public? (I just know you are thinking the name Paula at this point - stop it!)
As we headed down into the tunnel onto the Isle of Dogs, another limb copped it, this time though it was my GPS on my left wrist which took the force of the guys elbow. The impact broke the pin holding it onto the strap, so that it was now flapping loosely, held by the other pin. I wondered whether to take it off. I feared I might lose it. I knew it was fairly useless around Canary Wharf, but figured it would be of some use in the rest of the race. Wrong! At one point it read 1:20/mile, enough to catch Paula up if not for the fact that she'd already finished. With hindsight I should have stowed it in the pouch of my bottle belt.
We were now heading towards mile 17 and the Runner's World support point. There would be loads of folks I knew on-line, but how would I know who they are and how would they spot me? I knew that 'lp' (Lindy) had lots of bright red hair, so kept my eyes pealed. Towards the end of the long line, there she was! "Lindy!! Susie" I shouted like a mad thing. She spotted me. Contact was made. It was a brief encounter, but it seemed to matter to me. A virtual pal became flesh and blood in a brief glimpse. Sweet!
Things were now getting serious. I was ahead of the pace plan still, but I sensed that it was becoming a struggle. My GPS gave no clue, but I was having difficulty keeping my heart rate up, so knew I was dropping off the pace. Mile 19 took me 9 minutes, which surprised me. "Push Susie! How much do you want this? Push!"
Mile 20 came up a mere 1 second behind plan. With an 8:37 for the mile I was still OK, but I was starting to struggle. Would the crowd lift me back onto pace like last year?
No!
I think last year I still had reserves which just needed unlocking. This year, I needed an extra 30 seconds/mile and it simply wasn't there. Even the sight of James Cracknell at Blackfriars didn't lift me. "James!" I got eye contact!! "You really should be running this you know!" Possibly a bit harsh considering the guy was on crutches!
Time was slipping away from me as we emerged from Blackfriars tunnel. My final miles were going to have to be faster than 8:00/mile to rescue my qualifying time. I was determined to keep pushing, but knew that only a miracle would save me.
Then the miracle happened! The lady with the same outfit, and the 3:45 target ran past me at what seemed like the required pace. If only I can hang on to her, I'll do it. I summoned my reserves and managed to stick with her for a while. With a big effort, I still only managed a 9-minute mile at the 24 mile marker. I let her go. I kept pushing, giving my best, but realised that 3:45 was not on. Good-taste-lady would have got very close to the mark, but I suspect she missed it too. I hope she wasn't just seconds outside it; that would have been awful.
A shock for me as we neared Big Ben. I passed my friend and club-mate Alex - the pink fairy (cute!). He's a quality runner so clearly was having a total nightmare. I tried to pull him along, shouting encouragement, but realised he was spent. Poor guy! An awful lot of my clubmates had bad days. I suspect the heat may have been a major factor.
I pushed on as best I could, still determined to give my best, and soon I was rounding the corner by Buckingham Palace into the Mall. No sprint finish this year, but a job well done. Don't laugh, but I wanted to make sure I pressed my stopwatch button on the line to get a true time. Trouble was I did that last year, and the finish line photo was me gurning at my watch - awful! I had resolved beforehand to remember to take off my watch so that I could stop it with my arms outstretched in classic pose. I had the presence of mind to undo my watch as I raced down the Mall. Finger on stop button. Arms outstretched. Here comes the line. Remember to smile for the camera. Bingo! Job's a good'un. 3:47:07. A huge PB by over 18 minutes. Bloody good effort!
I marched straight off to the Parkinson's reception on the Strand. Hot shower. Fantastic! Massage. Lovely! Lasagne. Magic! This is FLM in style. I rejoined my friends back at Horseguards Parade ready for the coach home. Lots of war stories, but generally a good day had by all.
Now how the hell did I get the graze and 2 bruises on my right knee?
Now let me offer my one and only excuse: it was hot OK! Good. I've got that out the way!
And now the good news and bad news: the good news is I achieved my qualifying time. The bad news is I've qualified for the London to Brighton 54 and not the Flora London Marathon!
To avoid this becoming a piecemeal report of pithy soundbite style clips, let's backtrack a little.
First bruise of the day came on the coach up to London when I stood up to let my friend Kath out of her seat. I caught my left kneecap on the fold-down tray. Ouch! Fortunately it didn't affect my day, but it's sore enough now for me to think that this could have been one of those bizarre accidents that takes you out of a marathon at the last minute. (James Cracknell and a towpath?)
We arrived at Blackheath in good time and settled down on the grass to enjoy the sun. This was going to be a warm day! Brendan Foster take note: bright sunshine is not perfect marathon weather for the majority of us, particularly if we are due to finish at the height of the day!
Having done my obligatory second toilet visit, (wouldn't want to have to crouch on the side of the road now would I?), I joined the start a good 10 minutes before the off, only to find the line was already moving forward and I was a little further back than I would have liked. Looking around, there was a big mix of pen numbers: 3,4,5, 9!!. This might take a while for everyone to settle to their pace and position!
Soon underway, and mercifully we didn't have to stop half a mile in as we did last year. As I suspected, the further forward you are (pen 4 this year, pen 6 last), the smoother your journey. Despite the slow pace of the start, not a bad thing anyway, I was already up on my pace plan!
A feature of this year's race was that I saw various international groups of, usually, 3 runners. They all had their country, in English, on their back in the same white lettering. Was this some sort of international marathon challenge, or just the same travel firm? There were teams from France, Belgium, Italy, and 2 from Portugal. At 2 miles in, I encountered the first of the international teams: Transylvania! I would have just run past them oblivious, had I not heard the shouts of "Cheeky cheeky" from the crowd. Yes! My first ever celebrity spot in a marathon: Monica and Gabriella - the Cheeky Girls!
Fun was had as the blue and red starts merged at 3 miles: the traditional booing! I don't know if this is just human nature, booing the other runners on the other side of the barrier, or whether the old lags initiate what is now something of a tradition. Whichever it is, it's quite funny and causes some puzzled looks on the faces of the FLM virgins.
I was relieved that my pace seemed relaxed and I was very comfortable at 8:15/mile. My heart rate, as ever in London, was a little higher than usual for that pace. I knew this would be the case, but cracked on, knowing that a) I was no higher HR-wise than last year and b) I had to stick to my pace plan, if I was to get the 3:45 qualifying target.
I spotted someone wearing the same outfit as me. For the men reading this, I should perhaps explain that when we go running we pick an outfit. We don't just smell the laundry bag and wear whatever we think we can get away with. For me, this was a Nike crop-top, a la Paula, in Victory AC colours, printed up with the club name and ship logo, and topped off with 'Susie' in silver letters. I was wearing the matching lycra shorts, not briefs 'a la Paula' but the sort that cover the thigh. I was to discover later that there are practical benefits to running briefs, but I fortunately didn't get any stomach cramps! The lady ahead of me was wearing the identical shorts and top, minus lettering. I complimented her on her fine taste, and established that she too was aiming for 3:45. I wanted to avoid running with anyone, as I wanted to run my own pace, and also not waste energy chatting, which those who know me probably appreciate could be major energy expenditure. I wished her good luck and pushed on.
Team Portugal 1 was now in my sights as we neared Cutty Sark. Fortunately there was plenty of room to get round them. People running together really bug me, as they tend to block your path making it difficult to run round them. They should run in single file! UKAA rule change maybe?
Cutty Sark was much easier this year, the crowd being thinner in the rarefied atmosphere of the sub-8:30/mile brigade. I had much less delay than I budgeted for. Quids in! I was now nearly a minute inside my pace plan. Lots of jostling though, as we all tried to stick to the blue line. This was a physical marathon!
I like a good moan. This year, apart from formation running, there was very little to moan about. I had a great time! Allow me then, to vent my spleen at the mobile phone users. I know it's probably very useful for the spectators to know where you are, but spare us the race commentary! I heard this classic: "I'm coming up to mile 9. Yes, I'm taking it fairly easy, otherwise I'd be up with the leaders." - !!!!!!!!
10 miles arrived, as it usually does, at the 10 mile marker, and as I had done continually in training, I broke my 10-mile PB. I guess I need to race 10-milers a bit more often!
Next milestone was Tower Bridge, magnificent as ever, and then we wound on to the first of the new course variations as we joined the right hand side of 'The Highway' heading for Wapping. This was an unexpected milestone. On the other side of the road was the new section heading north of the Tower of London and there were the leaders of the men's race! For the first time ever in the London Marathon, I had reached the crossover point before the elite men! There was a huge roar as I watched the leader, who I didn't recognise, but later found out was Martin Lel, go by. I recognised Paul Tergat, but was surprised to see he was out of touch with the lead in maybe 6th place. I would have recognised Jon Brown, but didn't spot him. What struck me about the elite runners was the huge gap between the first group and the rest of the field. There was a trickle of elite women tail-enders, but very few men until the pack a long way back. It doesn't appear obvious from the results, but by the road side the professionals appeared to be literally streets ahead of the club runners.
It was around now that we discovered Paula had won in 2:17: what I knew to be a women-only world record. The mood this time was different to the cheering of 2 years ago. This time we had knowing nods of approval. A "job done" attitude, rather than frantic adulation!
Another milestone at half way as I took nearly 3 minutes off my half marathon PB - see previous comment about frequency of races!
As we neared the next water station, another limb copped it. I got elbowed rather hard in my right forearm. I meekly apologised, and then, realising the insanity of apologising for getting hurt, let out a loud "Owww!". No apology was forthcoming! It's now rather sore!
Another minor moan: Why put the signs "Showers ahead" on the opposite side of the road, implying that the showers are on that side. I missed the first lot of showers, in the Surrey Quays, because of this. Now I was more prepared. I ran through the second showers - a tunnel with rows of sprinklers - giving blessed relief from the heat. It's lovely! I just wish they had them every mile. So refreshing!
We now headed towards the Isle of Dogs - I will resist the temptation to use the "I love dogs" joke from last year. I now had to overtake the country of France. In the narrow lanes here, having 3 people abreast, blocking the way, was a bit much. Fortunately they all decided to irrigate the brickwork, rather bizarrely without breaking formation. What is it with men and peeing in public? (I just know you are thinking the name Paula at this point - stop it!)
As we headed down into the tunnel onto the Isle of Dogs, another limb copped it, this time though it was my GPS on my left wrist which took the force of the guys elbow. The impact broke the pin holding it onto the strap, so that it was now flapping loosely, held by the other pin. I wondered whether to take it off. I feared I might lose it. I knew it was fairly useless around Canary Wharf, but figured it would be of some use in the rest of the race. Wrong! At one point it read 1:20/mile, enough to catch Paula up if not for the fact that she'd already finished. With hindsight I should have stowed it in the pouch of my bottle belt.
We were now heading towards mile 17 and the Runner's World support point. There would be loads of folks I knew on-line, but how would I know who they are and how would they spot me? I knew that 'lp' (Lindy) had lots of bright red hair, so kept my eyes pealed. Towards the end of the long line, there she was! "Lindy!! Susie" I shouted like a mad thing. She spotted me. Contact was made. It was a brief encounter, but it seemed to matter to me. A virtual pal became flesh and blood in a brief glimpse. Sweet!
Things were now getting serious. I was ahead of the pace plan still, but I sensed that it was becoming a struggle. My GPS gave no clue, but I was having difficulty keeping my heart rate up, so knew I was dropping off the pace. Mile 19 took me 9 minutes, which surprised me. "Push Susie! How much do you want this? Push!"
Mile 20 came up a mere 1 second behind plan. With an 8:37 for the mile I was still OK, but I was starting to struggle. Would the crowd lift me back onto pace like last year?
No!
I think last year I still had reserves which just needed unlocking. This year, I needed an extra 30 seconds/mile and it simply wasn't there. Even the sight of James Cracknell at Blackfriars didn't lift me. "James!" I got eye contact!! "You really should be running this you know!" Possibly a bit harsh considering the guy was on crutches!
Time was slipping away from me as we emerged from Blackfriars tunnel. My final miles were going to have to be faster than 8:00/mile to rescue my qualifying time. I was determined to keep pushing, but knew that only a miracle would save me.
Then the miracle happened! The lady with the same outfit, and the 3:45 target ran past me at what seemed like the required pace. If only I can hang on to her, I'll do it. I summoned my reserves and managed to stick with her for a while. With a big effort, I still only managed a 9-minute mile at the 24 mile marker. I let her go. I kept pushing, giving my best, but realised that 3:45 was not on. Good-taste-lady would have got very close to the mark, but I suspect she missed it too. I hope she wasn't just seconds outside it; that would have been awful.
A shock for me as we neared Big Ben. I passed my friend and club-mate Alex - the pink fairy (cute!). He's a quality runner so clearly was having a total nightmare. I tried to pull him along, shouting encouragement, but realised he was spent. Poor guy! An awful lot of my clubmates had bad days. I suspect the heat may have been a major factor.
I pushed on as best I could, still determined to give my best, and soon I was rounding the corner by Buckingham Palace into the Mall. No sprint finish this year, but a job well done. Don't laugh, but I wanted to make sure I pressed my stopwatch button on the line to get a true time. Trouble was I did that last year, and the finish line photo was me gurning at my watch - awful! I had resolved beforehand to remember to take off my watch so that I could stop it with my arms outstretched in classic pose. I had the presence of mind to undo my watch as I raced down the Mall. Finger on stop button. Arms outstretched. Here comes the line. Remember to smile for the camera. Bingo! Job's a good'un. 3:47:07. A huge PB by over 18 minutes. Bloody good effort!
I marched straight off to the Parkinson's reception on the Strand. Hot shower. Fantastic! Massage. Lovely! Lasagne. Magic! This is FLM in style. I rejoined my friends back at Horseguards Parade ready for the coach home. Lots of war stories, but generally a good day had by all.
Now how the hell did I get the graze and 2 bruises on my right knee?
Sunday, April 17, 2005
So close!
Flora London Marathon 2005: 3:47:07
So close to the qualifying time of 3:45! I can't say I'm gutted, because I had a fantastic day.
At mile 20 I was within 1 second of my pace plan, but I just didn't have the endurance, possibly from the missed long runs, to keep the pace going for the last 6 miles.
Here's some stats:
Marathon PB by over 18 minutes
Half marathon PB at half way
Inside my 10 mile PB at 10 miles, and inside it again in the next 10 miles
20 mile PB
Can't be displeased with that!
I'll blog a full report in the next day or 2.
So close to the qualifying time of 3:45! I can't say I'm gutted, because I had a fantastic day.
At mile 20 I was within 1 second of my pace plan, but I just didn't have the endurance, possibly from the missed long runs, to keep the pace going for the last 6 miles.
Here's some stats:
Marathon PB by over 18 minutes
Half marathon PB at half way
Inside my 10 mile PB at 10 miles, and inside it again in the next 10 miles
20 mile PB
Can't be displeased with that!
I'll blog a full report in the next day or 2.
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Weekly summary - 1 week to go
...or Weekly summary - 1 day to go!
All the preparation is done and I'm ready. I'm in the best shape I've ever been in, but still the nagging doubt that I could have been in even better shape had I not got ill. I'm sure few ever get the preparation they hoped for, so under the circumstances I think I've done OK.
After last year's experience, I realise that a large part of the latter stages of the race are down to mental preparation. I've been spending time this week focusing on the race and preparing my mental strategies for coping. I have my 4 key words from last year to try to keep my focus:
'Relax': I tend to tense up, particularly the shoulders. 'Relax' tells me not to waste energy by tensing.
'Glide': Similar to 'relax' - I tend to lose form when I tire. I can end up stamping rather than gliding, which is inefficient and wasteful.
'Smile' is a little more left field (or perhaps right field?). Apparently smiling is a right brain activity and helps to wrest control back from that naughty logical left side telling you to slow down. It also reminds me that all my best runs I’ve really enjoyed and felt great. It will hopefully help recapture that mindset.
'Push' will only come into play later in the race. No explanation needed!
I really do need to relax on the day. There is so much wasted energy running in a big crowd. I need to conserve energy wherever possible. I'm sure the fact that it's now my 3rd FLM will help.
I have my race day kit sorted out: I've decanted single helpings of 'SIS Go' powders into little ziplock bags: I find Lucozade too syrupy, so mix my own more dilute drink with the supplied Vittel, and sip this all the way round the course from my bottle belt. The bottle belt pockets contain the powders, 5 gels, 1 every 5 miles, a hat, and arm warmers if it's cold at the start - I'll be running in crop top and shorts so it could be chilly first thing. All that remains now is to pack my kit bag with some warm clothes for afterwards, and write my pace plan splits across the top of my race number.
I'm ready. Bring it on!
All the preparation is done and I'm ready. I'm in the best shape I've ever been in, but still the nagging doubt that I could have been in even better shape had I not got ill. I'm sure few ever get the preparation they hoped for, so under the circumstances I think I've done OK.
After last year's experience, I realise that a large part of the latter stages of the race are down to mental preparation. I've been spending time this week focusing on the race and preparing my mental strategies for coping. I have my 4 key words from last year to try to keep my focus:
'Relax': I tend to tense up, particularly the shoulders. 'Relax' tells me not to waste energy by tensing.
'Glide': Similar to 'relax' - I tend to lose form when I tire. I can end up stamping rather than gliding, which is inefficient and wasteful.
'Smile' is a little more left field (or perhaps right field?). Apparently smiling is a right brain activity and helps to wrest control back from that naughty logical left side telling you to slow down. It also reminds me that all my best runs I’ve really enjoyed and felt great. It will hopefully help recapture that mindset.
'Push' will only come into play later in the race. No explanation needed!
I really do need to relax on the day. There is so much wasted energy running in a big crowd. I need to conserve energy wherever possible. I'm sure the fact that it's now my 3rd FLM will help.
I have my race day kit sorted out: I've decanted single helpings of 'SIS Go' powders into little ziplock bags: I find Lucozade too syrupy, so mix my own more dilute drink with the supplied Vittel, and sip this all the way round the course from my bottle belt. The bottle belt pockets contain the powders, 5 gels, 1 every 5 miles, a hat, and arm warmers if it's cold at the start - I'll be running in crop top and shorts so it could be chilly first thing. All that remains now is to pack my kit bag with some warm clothes for afterwards, and write my pace plan splits across the top of my race number.
I'm ready. Bring it on!
| Day | Miles | a.m. | p.m. | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 4.4 | Easy recovery 68%maxHR | ||
| Tuesday | 6.0 | mini drift/fitness test | ||
| Wednesday | Rest? | Spent the day wandering round the FLM exhibition | ||
| Thursday | 7.6 | Slow run 120bpm 69%maxHR 9:31/mile | The club long handicap race, completed 7.65 miles in 71:25 - last place but one, but on target for London! | |
| Friday | Rest | |||
| Saturday | 2 | Slow recovery with some 150m strides at marathon pace | Felt great! Rather important the day before a marathon | |
| Sunday | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Total (excluding marathon) | 20 miles |
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
A great final session!
A rather shorter drift test session tonight, being the last week of taper, with half the usual warmup, 3 laps instead of 5, and a short cool down. 6 miles total. Despite it not really being long enough to reach a steady state HR-wise, it was definitely my best session yet! This should finally convince me I can maintain my pace plan on Sunday.
One negative though! My legs did feel rather sluggish. Despite my low heart rate, it was quite an effort, mentally, to keep the pace going. Tapering blues? I've felt a bit down for a few days now. I think I'm just experiencing what a lot have reported as one effect of the taper. For now, I will choose to ignore this and concentrate on the positives.
Here's my slightly disappointing session from 2 weeks ago:
and my best session previously, from 10 weeks ago:
One negative though! My legs did feel rather sluggish. Despite my low heart rate, it was quite an effort, mentally, to keep the pace going. Tapering blues? I've felt a bit down for a few days now. I think I'm just experiencing what a lot have reported as one effect of the taper. For now, I will choose to ignore this and concentrate on the positives.
| Lap | Lap time | Mins/mile | bpm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12:12 | 8:08 | 129 |
| 2 | 12:14 | 8:09 | 138 |
| 3 | 12:15 | 8:10 | 141 |
Here's my slightly disappointing session from 2 weeks ago:
| Lap | Lap time | Mins/mile | bpm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12:36 | 8:23 | 141 |
| 2 | 12:36 | 8:24 | 142 |
| 3 | 12:39 | 8:26 | 143 |
| 4 | 12:35 | 8:23 | 145 |
| 5 | 12:35 | 8:23 | 145 |
and my best session previously, from 10 weeks ago:
| Lap | Lap time | Mins/mile | bpm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12:23 | 8:15 | 138 |
| 2 | 12:19 | 8:12 | 141 |
| 3 | 12:18 | 8:12 | 142 |
| 4 | 12:20 | 8:13 | 141 |
| 5 | 12:15 | 8:10 | 141 |
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Weekly summary - 2 weeks to go
Yes, I know there's only 1 week to go, but at the start of this week there were 2 to go, OK!
Having reported on my mile reps session on Tuesday, I had another good session on Thursday where I maintained 8:06/mile, much of which was into a strong headwind, and averaged only 81%maxHR. It would have been interesting to have done this session as one of my drift tests, so that I could have compared the pace directly with 2 months ago, when I reckoned I was at my peak. It felt good though, but running that fast into a headwind did take it out of me and I consciously slowed to let my friends get away; I didn't want to be racing them only 10 days before the marathon. Even so, I beat my PB, on what was our club's long handicap course, by 4 minutes. Another sign of how far I've come!
Friday night was our club's annual dinner. I really enjoyed it: they're such a good bunch - 55 friends together. There was much talk of marathons and a lot of encouragement. One friend though warned me not to let my 3:45 target ruin my enjoyment of the day, particularly if I miss it! I know what he means, but I wish he'd been a little more positive. Maybe the thought that I might beat his PB was too much for him? ;-)
Saturday's easy 13-miler wasn't nearly as easy as I'd thought it would be. Maybe staying out till after midnight didn't help. Maybe it being a rather chilly 6 deg C didn't help. My legs were OK, but it just seemed an effort mentally. As I write this I feel as tired as if I'd done 20 miles. Tapering blues? At least I now have an easy week to get my energy back before the big one. The main thing is I now feel I'm back on form. I just hope my endurance hasn't suffered, having missed 2 long runs. I guess I'll find out in a week's time!
Having reported on my mile reps session on Tuesday, I had another good session on Thursday where I maintained 8:06/mile, much of which was into a strong headwind, and averaged only 81%maxHR. It would have been interesting to have done this session as one of my drift tests, so that I could have compared the pace directly with 2 months ago, when I reckoned I was at my peak. It felt good though, but running that fast into a headwind did take it out of me and I consciously slowed to let my friends get away; I didn't want to be racing them only 10 days before the marathon. Even so, I beat my PB, on what was our club's long handicap course, by 4 minutes. Another sign of how far I've come!
Friday night was our club's annual dinner. I really enjoyed it: they're such a good bunch - 55 friends together. There was much talk of marathons and a lot of encouragement. One friend though warned me not to let my 3:45 target ruin my enjoyment of the day, particularly if I miss it! I know what he means, but I wish he'd been a little more positive. Maybe the thought that I might beat his PB was too much for him? ;-)
Saturday's easy 13-miler wasn't nearly as easy as I'd thought it would be. Maybe staying out till after midnight didn't help. Maybe it being a rather chilly 6 deg C didn't help. My legs were OK, but it just seemed an effort mentally. As I write this I feel as tired as if I'd done 20 miles. Tapering blues? At least I now have an easy week to get my energy back before the big one. The main thing is I now feel I'm back on form. I just hope my endurance hasn't suffered, having missed 2 long runs. I guess I'll find out in a week's time!
| Day | Miles | a.m. | p.m. | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 5 | Easy recovery 65%maxHR | Probably the lowest average HR I've ever recorded - 113bpm | |
| Tuesday | 6.8 | 3 1-mile reps | ||
| Wednesday | 5 | Easy recovery 66%MaxHR | ||
| Thursday | 7.6 | Steady run at marathon pace or slightly faster 141bpm 81%maxHR 8:06/mile | Ran the course of our club long handicap race, completed 7.65 miles in 61:55 - 4 minutes faster than my PB! | |
| Friday | Rest | |||
| Saturday | 13 | Slow 9:40/mile 121bpm 70%maxHR | Sunny but rather chilly | |
| Sunday | Rest | |||
| Total | 37.4 miles |
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
That's better!
I just had my best ever mile reps session:
Now here's the thing: I set out to do the reps at 5km pace as suggested in a marathon schedule I got from the Pfitzinger/Douglas 'Advanced Marathoning' book. I reckon I could do a full 5km at 7:28/mile, particularly as I was still easily aerobic and well below my 155bpm lactate threshold. On the assumption that this is indeed my 5km pace, then that makes a 5km time of 23:12. Feeding that into the Runner's World calculator gives a marathon time of:
3:42
OK, that may be stretching it a bit, but I'll take any form of positive reinforcement at the moment. Bring it on!
| Lap | Time | ave HR |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7:36 | 139 |
| 2 | 7:31 | 142 |
| 3 | 7:28 | 146 |
Now here's the thing: I set out to do the reps at 5km pace as suggested in a marathon schedule I got from the Pfitzinger/Douglas 'Advanced Marathoning' book. I reckon I could do a full 5km at 7:28/mile, particularly as I was still easily aerobic and well below my 155bpm lactate threshold. On the assumption that this is indeed my 5km pace, then that makes a 5km time of 23:12. Feeding that into the Runner's World calculator gives a marathon time of:
3:42
OK, that may be stretching it a bit, but I'll take any form of positive reinforcement at the moment. Bring it on!
The 3:45 pace plan
Here's the pace plan I'm going to use to get me under 3:45. It's based on the Myers slowing-down formula, with some delays factored in, based on my experiences last year. I've added a hefty delay in the first mile, where the green and blue starts merge, and a smaller delay at Cutty Sark. I think the delays get less the further up the field you are, judging by comments from my faster friends, so hopefully I'm erring on the side of caution here. I've also knocked my pace per mile back by 5 seconds from the pace I came up with in my previous post. This is to allow for the general jostling and weaving. I found that I was always slower per mile than my GPS was indicating, due probably to the weaving in and out. I think the effect is a bit more than 5 seconds, but I found the discrepancy was less last year than the previous year, probably due to my experience keeping me running a more even line.
What I can't account for is the wasted energy running in a crowd, slowing and speeding with those around you. Running at a pace of 8:16 on my GPS in a London crowd is not the same as running at 8:16 on a training run. Hopefully on the day I will be feeling fresh and this will feel OK. It's going to be tight though!
So here's the plan:
What I can't account for is the wasted energy running in a crowd, slowing and speeding with those around you. Running at a pace of 8:16 on my GPS in a London crowd is not the same as running at 8:16 on a training run. Hopefully on the day I will be feeling fresh and this will feel OK. It's going to be tight though!
So here's the plan:
| Mile | GPS pace | Delay | Lap | Split |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8:16 | 1:40 | 9:56 | 9:56 |
| 2 | 8:16 | 0:05 | 8:21 | 18:17 |
| 3 | 8:16 | 0:05 | 8:21 | 26:38 |
| 4 | 8:16 | 0:05 | 8:21 | 34:59 |
| 5 | 8:16 | 0:05 | 8:21 | 43:20 |
| 6 | 8:16 | 0:05 | 8:21 | 51:41 |
| 7 | 8:16 | 0:39 | 8:55 | 1:00:36 |
| 8 | 8:16 | 0:05 | 8:21 | 1:08:57 |
| 9 | 8:16 | 0:05 | 8:21 | 1:17:18 |
| 10 | 8:16 | 0:05 | 8:21 | 1:25:39 |
| 11 | 8:16 | 0:05 | 8:21 | 1:34:00 |
| 12 | 8:16 | 0:05 | 8:21 | 1:42:21 |
| 13 | 8:23 | 0:05 | 8:28 | 1:50:49 |
| 14 | 8:23 | 0:05 | 8:28 | 1:59:17 |
| 15 | 8:23 | 0:05 | 8:28 | 2:07:45 |
| 16 | 8:23 | 0:05 | 8:28 | 2:16:13 |
| 17 | 8:23 | 0:05 | 8:28 | 2:24:41 |
| 18 | 8:23 | 0:05 | 8:28 | 2:33:09 |
| 19 | 8:31 | 0:05 | 8:36 | 2:41:45 |
| 20 | 8:31 | 0:05 | 8:36 | 2:50:21 |
| 21 | 8:31 | 0:05 | 8:36 | 2:58:57 |
| 22 | 8:31 | 0:05 | 8:36 | 3:07:33 |
| 23 | 8:31 | 0:05 | 8:36 | 3:16:09 |
| 24 | 8:41 | 0:05 | 8:46 | 3:24:55 |
| 25 | 8:41 | 0:05 | 8:46 | 3:33:41 |
| 26 | 8:41 | 0:05 | 8:46 | 3:42:27 |
| 26.2 | 8:41 | 0:00 | 1:54 | 3:44:21 |
Monday, April 04, 2005
Weekly Summary - 3 weeks to go
My first full week since illness. The key session was probably Saturday with the marathon pace miles in the middle of the long run. It was a hot day (for April) and most of the 'effort' miles were either into a fresh breeze or slightly uphill.My HR hovered around 144bpm 83%MaxHR with no loss of pace, although the last 2 miles were out of the breeze. It looks like my aerobic conditioning may have recovered, judging from the steady HR - good news! I was rather hot - 19deg with bright sunshine - so to be within 10secs of the magic 8:15/mile (see pacing post) is more good news I think. Once again I hit the 10-mile mark inside my 10-mile PB time - this time by over 2 minutes!
Another interesting session was on Thursday, when I ran the first of our club handicap races as part of a tempo session - 3.65 miles of effort as part of a 9 mile run. I ran the mixture of road, grass, footbridges and kissing-gates in 29:25 - only 10 secs off my PB. I was generally running at around half marathon pace or slower, apart from a slight burst on the last half mile, so another sign of my improvements since last year.
Tapering now, but still a mile-reps interval session to come and a slightly reduced distance marathon pace run before my last weekend long slow run of somewhere between 12 and 15 easy miles - to be decided.
Another interesting session was on Thursday, when I ran the first of our club handicap races as part of a tempo session - 3.65 miles of effort as part of a 9 mile run. I ran the mixture of road, grass, footbridges and kissing-gates in 29:25 - only 10 secs off my PB. I was generally running at around half marathon pace or slower, apart from a slight burst on the last half mile, so another sign of my improvements since last year.
Tapering now, but still a mile-reps interval session to come and a slightly reduced distance marathon pace run before my last weekend long slow run of somewhere between 12 and 15 easy miles - to be decided.
| Day | Miles | a.m. | p.m. | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 7 | Easy recovery 71%maxHR | Nice day! | |
| Tuesday | 10 | Drift test. Marathon pace | ||
| Wednesday | 5 (+10 cycle) | Cycle to work | Easy recovery 69%MaxHR | Car in for MOT - felt the extra 10 miles cycling even though v easy! |
| Thursday | 8.9 | Tempo run, middle 3.65 miles ave 144bpm 83%MaxHR | Club handicap race - missed PB by 10secs even though running at half mara pace | |
| Friday | 6 | Very easy 66%MaxHR | ||
| Saturday | 16 | incl 8 miles at marathon effort | Bit tired. Hot day! | |
| Sunday | Rest | |||
| Total | 52.9 miles |
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