London Marathon 2013

So after a near-perfect buildup 21st April was race day.

Before the race I have to be honest I have never felt so fresh. I felt so fresh it was incredible, I felt like a coiled spring, a loaded gun, a massive pocket of energy ready to bounce around the streets of London. The carb load had gone well and for once I hadn't even had a dicky tummy on the morning of the race. I was ready. Confidence was sky high. I had even declared my target to folks I knew. I was gunning for sub 2:25. The weather was perfect. There were no excuses.

I got the train with fellow club mates and enjoyed the banter to the start as the nervous excitement started to build. Got to the Champs start and had a good chat with Ben Martin-Dye, Howard Clark, Rob Downs, Charlie Wartnaby, Stuart Leaney, Peter Tucker, Simon Hart, Steve Way and Chris Minns before being led to the line. It was awesome seeing Mo and the World's best marathoners lining up just inches confront of me. Got myself some BBC facetime (it'd be rude not to). Aidan Adams, a future club mate also said hello to me on the start line.

We pay our respects to the Boston victims which was very emotional and then before we know it Dave Bedford has sounded the hooter and its down to business.

I told myself to go really steady and to try to make my first mile the slowest. It came in at about a 5:40 (I failed) but it was still slower than the average pace I had planned. I was getting into my rhythm and gradually found myself in a nice little group, going through 5k in 17:03. This was fine as the first three miles are downhill and I wanted to hit each 5k in roughly 17:10. It felt alright but just after 5k I went past Steve Way who was unfortunately having to slow to a jog as he had picked up an injury the week before the race and had decided to see how it would go once he started. His training had been  impeccable and he was sure to get a PB and almost certain to get a 2:17 or under based on his form. Gutted for he fella.

The next 5k was about making sure I was comfortable with my running. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and although I know now I was working harder than I should, the pace and rhythm felt fine at the time. I was having way too much fun. showboating to the crowds, giving out high fives like they were going out of fashion. I was, quite frankly having the time of my life! I went through this 5k in 17:09.

After the Cutty Sark it is probably the time that one should be really relaxing into their rhythm and I did this to an extent feeling more comfortable as I went through. Next 5k was passed in 17:09 too!

Now it was all about getting to Tower Bridge, making it to half way before getting down to business with the hard end of the race. Going through the next 5k in 17:15 and hitting half way in 72:20 I was absolutely bang where I wanted to be but it was at this point that doubts started to creep in. The group that I had been running with had quickly disintegrated and there were only three of us left. Paul Marchant who I had run with at Peterborough last year (until he took off about 7 miles in!) and a Polish guy who still seemed incredibly comfortable. Confidence was still high as I kept trying to refer to how I felt during the race two years ago. I was convincing myself that I felt better but in reality I was probably lying to myself a bit! As we reached 15 miles this is were my race started to unravel. I got a bit of a stitch which was manageable but I did have to ease off the pace a fraction meaning Paul again started his march(ant) to glory. As the stitch dissipated I was isolated and then I started to feel a bit of cramp coming on. Not dangerously so but I felt if I forced the pace it would hold me up significantly. At this point of the race I was now just focued on getting to 30k where I would see my wife Hania, daughter Mia and Mum (who had made the trip from Yorkshire on the day to support me). This was all I could focus on but I was starting to be in a bad way. A very bad way. My racing head had deserted me. Thoughts of dropping out came to mind. I did that last year. I wasn't going to do it again. Last year was acceptable, this time wouldn't be. I would accept the end result, even if I hadn't raced it as well as I should have!

This was about hanging on. As I went through 30k in 1:43:31 (17:41 5k split) I knew my game was up but I could still see a familiar figure in the distance. It was Peter Tucker of Blackheath, one of my proudest scalps from Edinburgh Marathon last year (he may not have been completely fit at the time but he has represented England!). I was getting closer to him and as we approached 20 miles I was virtually on his shoulder. He must have been having a terrible patch as I was certainly not running well. It didn't take long though for him to get it together and start pulling away from me.

I hit the return after Poplar High St and saw my mate Ben Shearer at the side of the road (2:29 marathoner who pretends he is retired from marathons). I could see in his face that he knew I was having a bad time of it, but his support was nice all the same!

Now people were starting to come past me and that is so demoralising as it shows that you have not run a good race. Working toward the Tower (30-35k in 18:32) was so hard and having shouts from a few folk I know supporting helped but I was still struggling to lift the effort. I was spent. I was completely gone. Please. Where is the finish??

As I reached the Highway I get all sorts of cheers from mate Rich Hodge, Catherine Charlton, Derek laws, Suzy Yates, Simon kenyon, Dave Farmer. I remember them only vaguely. There were plenty more too but it was just so hard to know who was shouting at me!

Now we hit the City and its all about the Embankment. It's a bloody long way. Calculations going on in my head and despite not being too bad at the Maths generally I have no idea what I'm likely to get. I still think I'll get a PB but the pace is still dropping, I cant hold on! Whatever happens I must get another sub 2:30. Anything else is unacceptable the work that I've put into this campaign! Andy Rayner gives me a shout as I soldier on.

It feels like loads are streaming past me. In reality its hardly any but each one hurts, like a dagger to the heart. And each one slows me still. I try to hold onto their heels but I cant. I hit 40k with a 5k split of 19:19. Oh my goodness, that is awful! If I continue to slow at this rate there is no chance I will get under 2:30! Head down, now is about standing up and being a man. You can lift those legs a little higher, you can get them turning over a little quicker. You will get under 2:30. Don't let yourself down.

Now it's all about getting to Parliament square and seeing the family again. I know they will see my face and know that I am not getting what I want.But I know they will be proud. I see the pride on their faces. I hear their cheers, it lifts me. I have been lifted by the thought of seeing them and that it is nearly all over. Drive on! Nearly there.

By this time I think the PB has gone and as I enter the Mall I can see the clock just going over 2:29. the finish line still looks a mile away, I dig in. There is no point leaving anything out there. Leave it all on the road. I do. as I get closer to the finish I cant quite believe it but there is a chance of a PB! I struggle and strive and get them little legs moving and although I finish my watch on 2:29:34 I know there is a chance I may have PBed given I try to start my watch just before the gun and stop it a little while after! I find out from a friend Tim Aldred on one of the baggage lorries that I have PBed by  massive two seconds! I would have cried if I had any emotion left, I wanted to but there was nothing left. Spent.

Oh my word, that was hard!

Marathons are hard. really hard. I'm not sure I have the mental capability to be a really strong marathoner which is a shame as physically I think it suits me. There are certainly things to work on.

Just a good job when I finish one I get to see this.

Not a fantastic experience truth  be told, but I am proud of how hard I pushed myself. I don't monitor my heart rate during races but having looked at the stats post-race (full details below) my heart rate was 5bpm (185) above what would be expected in a marathon. This just goes to show that I was working way harder than I was capable of! Maybe I should monitor it next time.... keep it a little lower and just accept the outcome was the best I could do!

So scores on the doors were 2:29:31 for 41st place out of c36,000. 72:20 first half and a 77:11 second half shows how painful it was!

All that said, running is ace. The best hobby ever. But it is just a hobby.

London Marathon 2013 Build Up

Last year I gave a week by week account of my build up to the London marathon. This year rather than boring any readers (or indeed myself) week to week I decided to do a wrap up towards the end of my training giving an overview of how it has all gone. That's the purpose of this blog and hopefully it will serve as a reminder for me in the future as to what has (so far) gone right and what could be worked on a bit more.

As a brief reminder I ended up DNFing London last year due to illness but that didn't mean all the training had gone to waste. I had a back up plan of Edinburgh at the end of May which went to plan and I hit my sub 2:30 target. That was done on a pretty warm day and it was also a solo run for the most part but a race I feel I executed very well indeed.

Then in Autumn I had decided that I would focus on the half and try and get a sub 70 time. This was achieved with a 69:46 at Peterborough. I was incredibly pleased with this one as my training had been a bit inconsistent over the summer as I struggled with the occasional niggle. Luckily we had perfect weather conditions and a good group of guys to race against on the day.

My focus was then to take some down time and just run when I felt like it with no pressure on racing or training hard, so I did a bit of easy running through November (159 miles) before picking up the marathon training towards the back end of December (183 miles). At the start of this cycle despite the fact that I had kept the running ticking over, I felt really quite unfit so I knew that it was going to be a long old haul.

Last year I followed the Pfitzinger & Douglas Advanced Marathoning up to 85miles per week schedule virtually to the letter but had decided this year I would follow the up to 105 miles per week in the hope it could eek out a little more improvement! I had always planned to play this by ear though and be less rigid with it depending on how I was coping and the fact that life/work are a priority over my running.

January

January started off with the Kent Cross Country Champs and whilst I wasn't expecting much it just went to prove how unfit I was. The higher mileage in the legs may have had a bit of an impact on my performance too but I finished way back in 27th, four places worse than last year! Quite frankly it wasn't good enough and I was beaten by a long way by folks who I would ordinarily beat on the roads with ease. I have decided that next year I am going to really focus on a solid XC season as I feel it is a real weakness. If I can improve at this I will be a much better road runner because of the increase in strength I will get from it and also the toughness it gives you in terms of pure racing.

January continued quite nicely and managed to get some decent sessions in including a couple of 5 mile tempo runs at about 5:30 per mile and the mileage continued to increase which would all help come April.

Total Miles 381
Avge Pace 6:53 per mile
Avge HR 151
Long Runs 18.5, 20, 20

February

As I moved into February I was starting to feel fit and pleasingly I was also starting to feel pretty fatigued which meant that the marathon training was kicking in nicely. I did a 5 mile tempo @ 5:20 per mile on a very cold and icy Tuesday morning in the middle of a 102.5 mile week that also saw a 13.1 miler, 15 miler and my long run up to 22 miles. Unfortunately this is where my body started to ease off as I came down with a sickness bug the following week that meant four missed running days. It cleared pretty sharpish though and I was back 'on it' the third week of February which tied in with Bradford City's League Cup Final Appearance at Wembley. Naturally I had to get in a big session the morning of the final so did a 22 miler with 12 miles at Marathon Pace. This also saw a 105 mile week which was my biggest ever at the time. Despite Bradford being thrashed in the final it was a day I shall never forget and I ensured I had fully rehydrated with quite a few beers whilst catching up with friends that I used to go to watch the Mighty Bantams with week in week out.

Total Miles 317 (a lot less than planned but understandable due to 6 rest days)
Avge Pace 6:44
Avge HR 149
Long Runs 19, 22, 22

March

The first weekend of March was to be my first tune up race ahead of London and I felt in OK form but still somewhat behind where I was at the same time last year. I actually did the same corresponding race, an early Saturday morning 10 miler in Battersea Park. They run a series of races which are fantastically run all on certified courses and nice and flat so can be good for quick times. On this day Chris Greenwood of Kent AC, a guy that beat me at Peterborough turned up and I thought I would try to hold on to him. Chris had had a really good XC season and was now turning his attention to his first marathon at London. There were also a couple of other very strong runners that I knew I would not be able to keep up with if they were in any sort of decent shape. This turned out to be the case and they ran into the distance within the first mile and a half. I kept Chris in my sights and although I pulled level with him around five miles and feeling strong the recent high mileage started to take its toll and I struggled to maintain pace and gradually Chris pulled away finishing nearly 30 seconds in front. I still finished the day in 4th place with 53:15. Last year I did 52:58 in what was in effect a solo time trial. I feel, having reflected on both performances that perhaps my heart wasn't quite in it this year's race as last and I also hit the race last year fresher and actually fitter so all things considered that actually made this year's a better performance. At least that's what I'm telling myself!

I then continued to build the miles throughout the month and had a great tempo run of 7 miles@5:15 per mile. I also slowly started to introduce some interval training on top of the standard diet of two medium long runs per week and a long run! March also saw my beats per mile heart rate steadily improving meaning I was getting fitter.

Then came my second tune-up race which was a 10k again at Battersea Park. Now, as any reader in the UK will know the weather this year has been absolutely atrocious and although we were now officially in Spring we were greeted with freezing cold temperatures and blizzard conditions. This race was the day before the scheduled Southern 12 stage road relays so it was unlikely that many really top quality runners would show up as they would be racing the next day. As it happened the 12 stage was cancelled due to the weather. Anyway, I lead the race from the front and whilst having an ideal target of sub 32 this proved a little too much for me (finished in 32:05, a PB by 36 seconds) with the weather as it was and the fact that I didn't quite get stuck in as much as I could. Some folk would call this soft others would say I was being sensible as it was not the A-Race. I agree with the latter; there will be plenty of time to do some damage to that PB and I think if I can get in the right race on the right day I can go under 31:30 later this year.

Finally for March would be my last massive session before the big day; a big 22 miler with 14 miles at Marathon Pace (details of this segment below). The plan was to see what came out and use it as a guide for what pace I should run at on 21st April. Quite frankly I had expected the pace to be c5:35 per mile but as it happened it ended up being 5:26 per mile! I went through the half marathon point in 71:12 (my second quickest half marathon ever. In training. On my own!). I don't for a second expect this to be my marathon pace as the effort did feel higher than I would want but it should not be too far away. This has given me confidence that providing the weather sorts itself out and we have a nice cool calm day then I will be brave enough to give sub 2:25 a go (5:32 per mile pace).

Total Miles 433
Avge Pace 6:35 per mile
Avge HR 151
Long Runs 20, 24, 22, 20, 22

April

As we are only a few days into April there is not much to report but I am now officially in taper mode and will gradually be reducing my training with only a few hard runs to come over the next two and a half weeks. One of which will be the Gdansk parkrun this coming Saturday where I will be attempting to break the course record and also go for a PB. I feel in shape for it. 5ks hurt like hell but the pain doesn't last for long so I'm looking forward to giving it a good blast!

All in all, this training cycle started off slowly and I was relatively unfit but I really feel like I am coming to a nice peak and think (touch wood) that I may have timed it absolutely perfectly this time. Last year I felt I may have peaked in early/mid march and although there wasn't a massive drop off in my form before Edinburgh I felt perhaps I was getting into overreaching territory so could have raced better if my race had come earlier!

I am very excited about the marathon and can't wait for what is simply a brilliant day. Sure, it hurts and it's emotional but whatever the result the feeling of toeing the line with those international athletes and pushing myself to the limit in trying to be the best I can be on the day is one of the greatest feelings I could possibly imagine....