London marathoners assemble

[KittyandTeal]

As the ballot spaces start being allocated I thought I'd start a thread for those of us lucky enough to get a space.

I was rejected through the ballot but I have had a charity space since June so I'm running (and raising £1400) I've been training for a half so I can get the distance under my belt. Im up to 11 miles now in just over 2 hours. I'm slow but getting there. I'd like to get in under 5 hours but I'm happy to just be running it.

I paced my half a few weeks ago like this photo Elba. Ran easy for first 8 miles, then notched it up slightly and went fishing and overtook so many people which was great for morale! Then upped for final mile.

I found it a really good strategy as starting slower than u need to meant I didn't get demoralised by thinking I was at the back- instead I was thinking how I'd overtake people later and finish strong. Good luck!

That looks great chocolate, definitely a strategy to try for London. On Martahon Talk they interviewed a guy who had analysed marathon times for several marathons. He said that if your first 5k of the marathon is your fastest, it can cost you up to 30 minutes at the end, so a slow steady start is definitely the way to go.

I wanted to do the first half of the marathon slowly then race the second half as if it was a stand alone half, but I ended up doing the same consistent (slow) pace all the way around (which felt fantastic, no fatigue no pain not even any mental demons). This time I'm chasing the finish line rather than any particular time, it will be tougher (colder, hillier and lonelier) but if I finish feeling half as strong as last time that will be great!

(Hillier for me = merest undulation 😳😳😳)

Thanks all. Didn't even think about the course (shows how inexperienced I am!). It's described as 'undulating' and is mainly on tracks in a forest- I'm used to flat roads only!

Read some conflicting things online about how slow to start out, but think that as it's my first time I will do my best to go out steady. Might try out chocolates model on my 12 miles next week.

I seem to start out at 10.30 ish for the first 5 or so miles, despite aiming slower, then it starts to slow right down and I'm tired by 6-7 miles. So clearly starting too fast. Average pace works out around 11.10 quite consistently though: wondering if I should try really hard to stick to 11.00 from the start, then pick it up at the end if I have reserve. It's so confusing! Whenever I think I'm going slow I'm not and if I think I'm running fast I'm actually at a snails pace!

If it's hilly def start off slower. Where is it?

I used a pacer for my half for the same reason and it was so useful so maybe try that if one available? It really made me think that 26.2 would be possible

(Until I got put out of action due to heel pain and may not even get to the start line )

Not sure if they have pacers- it's quite a small race. It's called the heartbreaker half marathon, in the New Forest. Might have to take a little trip to find out exactly what 'undulating' means! Can't believe I didn't consider the hills!

chocolate sorry about your heel how frustrating!

Ok, have had a look at the race profile on mapmyrun, it certainly is undulating although none of the hills are especially huge. Looks like a steady pace will be best, the last hill is around the 11 or 12 mile mark so you will need something in reserve. Looks like fun and a lovely route.

www.mapmyrun.com/gb/fordingbridge-eng/heartbreak-half-marathon-route-5321727

Oh thanks for that emummy that's really helpful! Will go with 'can still hold a conversation' steady then and try and stop obsessively looking at my pace on the Fitbit. Quite excited/nervous now!

Chocolate how frustrating for you.

The meet the experts yesterday was interesting. There was a talk from the pacing team which was interesting. I tried using a pacer for a London 10k but it was so busy I lost them really early on (and it was unrealistic, following the hour pacer and came in 1:07)

I'm considering using the 5 hour pacer for the first few miles as I tend to go out too quickly which will definitely be a possibility with all the excitement.

They said there are 2-3 paces for each time in each pen and at each start. However, if you're a red start and you latch on to a green pacer later on they may not be running your time as it takes 4-5 miles for them to get their pace. Apparently the starts all merging and the number of people means correctly pacing the first 5 miles is a nightmare. Was interesting.

I like the fishing idea chocolate. Might give that a go at some point.

Got a 10 mile tmrw but a hacking cough. I'm so fed up with feeling ill. It's been close to 3 weeks that I've been mildly ill. So very annoying!

Ffs. I have an utterly hideous stinking cold. Not slept in two nights. Can't breathe. Head hurts. Had a cold over Christmas and couldn't run for 9 days. This cold can't last that long. I can't afford the time out.

Is everyone doing a warm up half? I'm thinking of one in MK in March. Or Stanwick Lakes (prettier bit slightly more "undulating") But, really pathetically, I'm terrified of the A14 (any other road is fine, im not generally a nervous driver) and there's no other way to get there. Need to put my big girl pants on and just deal with it though.

waves
Have been injured. Shoulder (rotator cuff), so technically not a problem to run with but I've been quite down at the pain. Oh well, painkillers helping.

Ran 21.6km from work to home yesterday. I live in the Peaks so the elevation gain was 250m or so (over the whole distance; obviously little ups and downs in segments). Notably, between 11-16km was a relentless uphill, followed by a quick descent over km17. Am going to run the reverse route next time...... Tried an energy gel for the first time - tummy was fine and it certainly worked!

Time was 2:27, but was 0.5k over half distance, at around 6:40min km, so I'm calling it 2:24. And I was hungover. And had a monster legs session at gym on Friday morning....excuses excuses....

Manchester marathin profile v my Strava profile yesterday....

Well done Maid, hope that shoulder clears up.
12 miles from me this morning, got up and 6, strapped on the head torch & headed out on the country roads. Felt good, doesn't seem possible to run more than twice that though!
Love the London profile, it's pretty much flat with the occasional small bump! This morning's run had 160m elevation, flat will make a nice change!

Well done emummy. I agree, the idea, last night, of turning around and going all the way back filled me with horror. It's not the physiological/cardiac stress, it's the water torture of just step step step. I'm finding it really boring

A 7.5km blast today, to get rid of any threatening aches.

Just jumping on the thread to say GOOD LUCK! I ran the VLM last year. It is an amazing day, well worth all those long, cold, wet training runs.

Welldone maybe I'm living in hope that's true!

Thank you maybe. I'm finding the cold and wet really tough atm

Urgh. I'm so frustrated. I managed a very slow (much slower than marathon pace) 10 miles on Monday. I was ill and I've made myself worse. I now have a chest infection so have binned off today's run and probably Fridays. I'm hoping I can make them up over the wknd (they are short and easy ones)

Between my ankle and this illness I've not managed 3 runs a week for about 3 weeks now! I'm managing my long runs which I was tile are the important ones. I've wiped myself out though. I don't have time to be ill!!!

Oh Kitty, what a pain! Don't panic, there's loads of time. Please don't rush back into running, wait until you feel properly better, maybe next week. Hope you feel better soon.
Bootcamp for me today, think we did around 80 squats! Not sure how tomorrow's run is going to go...

Thanks. I'm trying not to panic but I just want to feel better again! My dd1 has had this cough for about 2 weeks now so I'm hoping I can shift it quicker than that.

I now have a chest infection so have binned off today's run and probably Fridays
I was on another thread yesterday (maybe the day before) about running when ill. I browsed the internet and the general consensus is that gentle running with a sore throat/tickly cough/snotty nose/bit of a headache is fine, but any running with a chesty cough/fever/systemic signs is a big NO.

I have to confess to having run with a chesty coughs before, but I have never felt that they were infections (no fever etc), more like cold hangovers, and running has got me hacking the last mucus up!

I hope you feel better soon. Look after yourself. It really is worth taking some time out to get properly fit again. Is there some other exercise you can do in the meantime? Kettlebells/weights/strength training? Or do you feel too weak for that?

emummy Good luck tomorrow. It will help any soreness, promise. I ran a couple of weeks ago after a mega leg session with heavy weights. The first km was hell- all I could feel were my quads "flapping around", but after that, it was fine!

My shoulder is still niggling a little, although I am now able to turn my head I had a week off netball and any upper body weights, but played last night and I think it was still a little too soon. My resistance band exercises are helping though, even if I look like a dick sitting at my desk doing them