This time last year I ran the Kent Roadrunner Marathon at the Cyclopark in Gravesend in a fairly stupid manner; I went out over-exuberantly, paid for it painfully in the second half and struggled home in a time twenty minutes slower than target. This year I have the experience of a further 22 marathons under my belt and I know that it suits me to start cautiously with early walk breaks and build up to a fast finish. So I went out and did exactly the same thing as last year. Clearly some kind of cyclepathic disorder is affecting me. Either that or I got carried away in the early stages of the race and ran like an idiot. Again.
The trouble is that tzruns put on such good events that they attract entries from a large number of multiple marathoning types. This means there are so many friends to catch up with that I end up over-enthusiastic on the start line and go off like a dog chasing a stick. I tried to counter this effect by starting right at the back this time but to no avail, the first four miles were all between 30 seconds and a minute quicker than the comfortable pace I'd intended to start with, at which point I thought it might be a good idea to pick the pace up a bit. It was a warm day and before halfway I was getting flashing spots in front of my eyes. Luckily I was sensible enough to take this as a clue that maybe I should back-off a bit and my race plan instantly changed from trying to beat four hours to reaching the finish as comfortably as possible with as many walk breaks as were needed to achieve that aim.
I did feel slightly daft being overtaken by friends whom I'd recently passed myself but all in all I was happy to be sensible. Some days it all comes together nicely, other days you just have to do what you have to do to reach the finish. So I strolled a bit, chatted a little, jogged the downhills, struggled uphill and enjoyed watching a large number of friends go about their standard weekend business of putting 26.2 miles behind themselves. Particularly inspiring were those who had completed ten marathons in ten days at Lake Windermere earlier in the month. Some runners really did suffer in the heat and the medical staff in attendance were in action on a few occasions which provided reassurance that my change of strategy was pragmatic.
The social aspect of the event continued after the race due to Anna completing her 100th marathon and being presented with her official 100 Marathon Club gear. I still felt a bit spaced-out but joined the crowd gathered to hear the short speech from chairman Traviss Willcox and applaud the presentation before attacking the table full of cake, as is traditional on these occasions.
Being honest with myself, I reached a point in March/April this year where I thought I could now turn up to an event and grind out a four hour marathon if I wanted to do so. Since then Hamburg and now Kent Roadrunner have given me a gentle nudge and reminded me to be a bit more humble about things. I am still not fit or conditioned enough to consider that as a given minimum and complacency about the distance is a dangerous mindset. I am, though, now much happier changing my plans mid-race and rather than brooding about it afterwards, feeling like a failure, I can smile and 'enjoy' the bumpy ride to the end with no concern about how my finishing time will look to others.
It is obvious that the people behind this excellent event have run a lot of marathons themselves; everything is thought through from a runner's perspective which is why it has quickly become one of the most enjoyable social events on my marathon calendar. One of the really nice touches is that the professionally taken race photographs are available at no extra charge, compared with the big events which will often charge £60 in addition to an inflated entry fee. I have already entered for next year and will, at some stage, possibly run a decent race at this venue. Or maybe not. In any case I know there will be plenty of friends around no matter how the running eventuates and for that reason alone it's worth being there.
31st May 2014 Kent Roadrunner 4:34:10 #36
Saturday, 31 May 2014
Sunday, 11 May 2014
Run to the hills!
Stroud Trail Marathon was a very enjoyable exploration of some of the hillier parts surrounding the small Gloucestershire town. This was an inaugural event and so was entered with an element of blind faith in the organisers and I am pleased to say they delivered a very good event, instructions emailed out in the week before were comprehensive and it all worked pretty much as advertised. I was daftly delighted to collect my race number and find that it was my favourite number, 17, and was also personalised with my name. After a briefing in the 'Subscription Rooms' at the Town Hall, we gathered in the square outside
At 9am a hooter was sounded and everyone stood still waiting for someone else to move, a couple of seconds later everyone seemed to click and we all jogged off but then realised that we had to run across a narrow chip sensor, so there was a little doubling back but it was all done with good humour.
I fell in with clubmates Peter and Julia in the early stages, none of us were interested in pushing the pace so we enjoyed a very relaxed first half chatting away and having a laugh together. The event was described as being very hilly and certainly did not disappoint in that respect. There were some real steep ascents and descents which confirmed our early pace as sensible for the event. Just after half way we naturally drifted apart and I pushed on a bit, taking advantage of a few relatively flat miles along a disused canal. The flatness, however, did not last and for the final third of the race the course planner revealed a sadistic side, some of it was brutal!
By this time I had caught up with Mike and Danny and stayed with them for a few miles. Danny has recently completed his 500th marathon and in his seventies can still register a sub 4 hour marathon on his day which is impressive by any standards, I only hope I'm still capable of getting round them at that age. During this phase I started to struggle with the steepness of the climbs, I was panting and getting dull muscular aches across my chest despite walking them. I took on some electrolyte drink at an aid station and immediately felt stronger and decided to push on solo.
Some of the ascents in the final miles were very tough indeed, tricky underfoot and in some cases so steep that I found it necessary to grab handy branches or narrow tree trunks and haul myself up as I wasn't able to walk it unaided. The downhill sections were often so steep as to be almost as difficult as the ups. Eventually I bullied myself through and enjoyed the relatively easy descent back into the town centre to finish back at the start point. The run distance turned out to be a mile over at 27.2 according to my watch and others had more than this. I wasn't bothered as the pre-race information had ominously mentioned that it was at least 26.2 so I was half expecting the bonus mileage.
I was very pleased with the way it went despite the almost six hour time; this was a tricky course and I spent the second half overtaking fellow competitors on a regular basis only getting overtaken myself once. For the first half my legs felt like they weren't up for it but gradually came round to the idea and I got through a tough patch late on to finish quite strongly which demonstrated that sensible fueling and race management can get me through difficulties, something which slipped my mind last week!
11th May 2014 Stroud Trail Marathon 5:54:30 #35
At 9am a hooter was sounded and everyone stood still waiting for someone else to move, a couple of seconds later everyone seemed to click and we all jogged off but then realised that we had to run across a narrow chip sensor, so there was a little doubling back but it was all done with good humour.
I fell in with clubmates Peter and Julia in the early stages, none of us were interested in pushing the pace so we enjoyed a very relaxed first half chatting away and having a laugh together. The event was described as being very hilly and certainly did not disappoint in that respect. There were some real steep ascents and descents which confirmed our early pace as sensible for the event. Just after half way we naturally drifted apart and I pushed on a bit, taking advantage of a few relatively flat miles along a disused canal. The flatness, however, did not last and for the final third of the race the course planner revealed a sadistic side, some of it was brutal!
By this time I had caught up with Mike and Danny and stayed with them for a few miles. Danny has recently completed his 500th marathon and in his seventies can still register a sub 4 hour marathon on his day which is impressive by any standards, I only hope I'm still capable of getting round them at that age. During this phase I started to struggle with the steepness of the climbs, I was panting and getting dull muscular aches across my chest despite walking them. I took on some electrolyte drink at an aid station and immediately felt stronger and decided to push on solo.
Some of the ascents in the final miles were very tough indeed, tricky underfoot and in some cases so steep that I found it necessary to grab handy branches or narrow tree trunks and haul myself up as I wasn't able to walk it unaided. The downhill sections were often so steep as to be almost as difficult as the ups. Eventually I bullied myself through and enjoyed the relatively easy descent back into the town centre to finish back at the start point. The run distance turned out to be a mile over at 27.2 according to my watch and others had more than this. I wasn't bothered as the pre-race information had ominously mentioned that it was at least 26.2 so I was half expecting the bonus mileage.
I was very pleased with the way it went despite the almost six hour time; this was a tricky course and I spent the second half overtaking fellow competitors on a regular basis only getting overtaken myself once. For the first half my legs felt like they weren't up for it but gradually came round to the idea and I got through a tough patch late on to finish quite strongly which demonstrated that sensible fueling and race management can get me through difficulties, something which slipped my mind last week!
11th May 2014 Stroud Trail Marathon 5:54:30 #35
Thursday, 8 May 2014
Ich bin ein Hamburger
I really do like Hamburg, both the race and the place, I think I could quite happily live there, it has a laid-back feel and yet everything seems to happen with a pleasing quiet efficiency. Sadly my running was not up to the mark due to a foolish build-up, however I still had an enjoyable trip and am sure I'll be returning to run this excellent marathon again. Last year I ran a cautious first 18 miles and then blasted through the final part of the race feeling invincible, this year I finished barely able to stand up straight.
Our journey over was a little convoluted due to me trying to be a bit 'smart' and delay purchase of flights until the price was reduced. Prices kept rising and by the time I abandoned my cunning plan there were no direct flights available and so we had to fly into Dusseldorf from Heathrow and then catch a connection to Hamburg. The wait was under an hour and all worked very smoothly, the strange thing being that when we re-boarded it was the same crew, same aeroplane and strangely about 25% of the same passengers from the original flight. It seems I was not the only one to leave booking too late!
Once we arrived at our hotel we had a very relaxed day, I collected my race pack from the expo just around the corner with no problems and we went out for a meal in the early evening and I had a decent night's sleep, waking at eight in the morning. The start/finish was only five minutes walk from our hotel but I had a moment of panic thinking that my watch was still on UK time before reassuring myself that all was well and I still had an hour before all the running business commenced.
I was reasonably confident of a PB and hopeful even of getting under 3:50, I planned to take it relatively easy until the 25k point and then try my usual burst for the finish. I jogged calmly through the first 5k but noticed the race clock beside the course at this point was at 40 minutes. I knew I had taken 10 minutes to cross the start line and was slightly surprised that I wasn't a bit quicker, feeling like I had been at about 28 minute pace but put it down to the slight crowding at the start. On reaching the first aid station I had a drink and piece of banana and it was then that I realised I had forgotten to eat any breakfast. I had intended to get some fruit at the hotel but somehow this had slipped my mind.
I was aware that to have a good shot at my target I needed to go through halfway in about two hours, I was confident that I had the fitness to run close to 1:50 for the second half and so I kept myself calm and enjoyed the atmosphere of the event. Hamburg is the second largest marathon event in Germany and enjoys good support from its citizens which is a great lift. The route takes you through some interesting territory, there's always something to focus on; the sleazy delights of the Reeperbahn, the graffiti of the St Pauli squat areas, the massive ships in the port, the architectural whimsies, well-to-do suburbs, lakes and parks. It's an attractive city, definitely my favourite road marathon and it was nice knowing the route, no alarms and no surprises here, just nice easy running. Maybe a little too easy...
On reaching half way I checked my watch and was slightly shocked to see it reading 2:06. I had let things drift too much and decided that I needed to pick up the pace immediately rather than waiting for the 25k mark. As soon as I started to increase the effort level I knew there was a problem; it was a real struggle getting any response from my legs. From that point on the race was a slow death, I knew energy was depleting faster than I have been used to recently and by 37k I was in trouble, my head was swimming and pace was dropping rapidly. I was forced to the side of the road where I rested for a while stooped over, hands on knees, steelng myself to continue. I had absolutely flown through this stage last year, feeling like I was overtaking everyone. This year they were all streaming past me. Bizarrely I was still enjoying it, really relishing the battle to finish. Increasingly my head was spinning and I had to keep stopping, there was no point pushing myself to collapse and despite feeling rough I was confident that I had the wherewithal to reach the finish without unnecessary drama. The final 2k was like wading through treacle I felt I was hardly moving, my legs could barely lift my feet from the ground. Official timing shows that the final 2195 metres took 17 minutes!
I crossed the line in 4:17:21, got far enough over so as not to cause an obstruction and just rested for about two minutes with my forehead pressed on the cool metal of the railings. A marshal came over I think asking me to move on but registered my pained expression and nodded in unspoken understanding, allowing me time to gather myself. I don't think I could have mustered the German to explain so was grateful for her sensitivity.
It is said that more is learned from failure than from success, and although this was not a terrible result, in fact the fourth fastest marathon I've ever run, it was a good way short of what I was hoping to achieve. My biggest lesson was the importance of fueling properly; breakfast at 4.30am and then nothing for twelve hours the day before a marathon followed by no breakfast prior to the run was clearly not the cleverest of approaches and the resultant running on empty was not pleasant. Similarly two flights and several hours of travel carrying baggage adds its own stresses and fatigue. Finally I often experience psychosomatic illness leading up to a race but in this instance I think the symptoms which kept me awake on the Friday night may have been genuine on this occasion and also possibly impacted on my endurance. The good news is that a run which goes very badly indeed now results in a better finish time than anything I was capable of doing last year so progress has definitely been made.
4th May 2014 Hamburg 4:17:21 #34
Our journey over was a little convoluted due to me trying to be a bit 'smart' and delay purchase of flights until the price was reduced. Prices kept rising and by the time I abandoned my cunning plan there were no direct flights available and so we had to fly into Dusseldorf from Heathrow and then catch a connection to Hamburg. The wait was under an hour and all worked very smoothly, the strange thing being that when we re-boarded it was the same crew, same aeroplane and strangely about 25% of the same passengers from the original flight. It seems I was not the only one to leave booking too late!
Once we arrived at our hotel we had a very relaxed day, I collected my race pack from the expo just around the corner with no problems and we went out for a meal in the early evening and I had a decent night's sleep, waking at eight in the morning. The start/finish was only five minutes walk from our hotel but I had a moment of panic thinking that my watch was still on UK time before reassuring myself that all was well and I still had an hour before all the running business commenced.
I was reasonably confident of a PB and hopeful even of getting under 3:50, I planned to take it relatively easy until the 25k point and then try my usual burst for the finish. I jogged calmly through the first 5k but noticed the race clock beside the course at this point was at 40 minutes. I knew I had taken 10 minutes to cross the start line and was slightly surprised that I wasn't a bit quicker, feeling like I had been at about 28 minute pace but put it down to the slight crowding at the start. On reaching the first aid station I had a drink and piece of banana and it was then that I realised I had forgotten to eat any breakfast. I had intended to get some fruit at the hotel but somehow this had slipped my mind.
I was aware that to have a good shot at my target I needed to go through halfway in about two hours, I was confident that I had the fitness to run close to 1:50 for the second half and so I kept myself calm and enjoyed the atmosphere of the event. Hamburg is the second largest marathon event in Germany and enjoys good support from its citizens which is a great lift. The route takes you through some interesting territory, there's always something to focus on; the sleazy delights of the Reeperbahn, the graffiti of the St Pauli squat areas, the massive ships in the port, the architectural whimsies, well-to-do suburbs, lakes and parks. It's an attractive city, definitely my favourite road marathon and it was nice knowing the route, no alarms and no surprises here, just nice easy running. Maybe a little too easy...
On reaching half way I checked my watch and was slightly shocked to see it reading 2:06. I had let things drift too much and decided that I needed to pick up the pace immediately rather than waiting for the 25k mark. As soon as I started to increase the effort level I knew there was a problem; it was a real struggle getting any response from my legs. From that point on the race was a slow death, I knew energy was depleting faster than I have been used to recently and by 37k I was in trouble, my head was swimming and pace was dropping rapidly. I was forced to the side of the road where I rested for a while stooped over, hands on knees, steelng myself to continue. I had absolutely flown through this stage last year, feeling like I was overtaking everyone. This year they were all streaming past me. Bizarrely I was still enjoying it, really relishing the battle to finish. Increasingly my head was spinning and I had to keep stopping, there was no point pushing myself to collapse and despite feeling rough I was confident that I had the wherewithal to reach the finish without unnecessary drama. The final 2k was like wading through treacle I felt I was hardly moving, my legs could barely lift my feet from the ground. Official timing shows that the final 2195 metres took 17 minutes!
I crossed the line in 4:17:21, got far enough over so as not to cause an obstruction and just rested for about two minutes with my forehead pressed on the cool metal of the railings. A marshal came over I think asking me to move on but registered my pained expression and nodded in unspoken understanding, allowing me time to gather myself. I don't think I could have mustered the German to explain so was grateful for her sensitivity.
It is said that more is learned from failure than from success, and although this was not a terrible result, in fact the fourth fastest marathon I've ever run, it was a good way short of what I was hoping to achieve. My biggest lesson was the importance of fueling properly; breakfast at 4.30am and then nothing for twelve hours the day before a marathon followed by no breakfast prior to the run was clearly not the cleverest of approaches and the resultant running on empty was not pleasant. Similarly two flights and several hours of travel carrying baggage adds its own stresses and fatigue. Finally I often experience psychosomatic illness leading up to a race but in this instance I think the symptoms which kept me awake on the Friday night may have been genuine on this occasion and also possibly impacted on my endurance. The good news is that a run which goes very badly indeed now results in a better finish time than anything I was capable of doing last year so progress has definitely been made.
4th May 2014 Hamburg 4:17:21 #34
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