27/09/09
So I showed up for the New Forest Marathon yesterday – a standalone marathon! which was a first for me. A hot sunny 20 degrees C day, a hilly 315 metres elevation gain and descent and 3 miles of cross country (mostly loose chip gravel!) - not the quickest course/conditions but a very good test. Finished in 2hrs 57 mins (ave 6 mins 47/mile pace) and 8th overall from 515 finishers. The winner finished in 2hrs 47 mins.
Finally won a trophy (and a kiss on the cheek from a pretty lady!) for being the 4th senior male (18-39) finisher.
Since early August I had put in an 8 week run block averaging 45 miles/week in the 5 weeks 8-4 out from race day and totalling approx 300 miles for the total 8 week block – not huge mileage, but running as fast as I could go for most of these miles (between aerobic and anaerobic threshold). My run form, cadence and speed improved as a result and I tested this with visits to the local 400m track – test run was 35 times around the track non-stop (= 14km) taking splits every 2km. I could handle the intensity and increasing faster pace due to a solid base after the season of Ironman training and incrementally started to strip huge chunks of time off my regular run routes and track times. Had also kept ticking over the swimming/biking and tapered down for a week before the race - I had swam 8 early mornings out of 10 up to 1 week before the race, ideally should have tapered down/rested up that week also.
Ran the first 13.1 miles in 1hr 24mins (6min 24/mile pace). Haven’t run that fast in my life! and at the halfway mark I felt good. I probably pushed a little too hard in miles 14-15 trying to catch and pass the guy up the road. At the 15 mile point I reached 4th position overall! and held this until mile 22. I had slowed a little from mile 19 due to MAJOR blistering on my feet and the continuous up and down was beating up my legs and feet (bones), particularly the downs! I found that aerobically I was fine, with controlled breathing throughout, but my lower leg (mid-shins down) and feet started to suffer big time at that pace (maybe partly due to some high volume, hard, low gear biking that I had done 4 weeks out whilst the family were away, 300+ miles in a week - big forces through the foot bones). The big learning point that I took away was that running at 6min 30/mile pace over 26 miles is very different from Ironman training/race pace and takes its toll on the legs. Continuing to incrementally build on run pace in training is the way to go and will put my legs in better shape in the second half of a marathon.
The aid stations only provided water (!) so I carried 3 powerbar gels (ate at 55 min, 1hr 50 and 2hr 40 marks) and 2 fuel belt flasks containing SIS Go electrolyte drink powder (topped up with water at the 1hr 30 and 2hr 15 marks).
With the late race start the last 6 miles were run with the clock approaching 1pm and with the sunny, cloudless sky it was very hot. As I approached mile 21 a small family was standing outside a cottage, the mother holding a running hose pipe and the father holding a black bucket. As I approached, the father shouted ‘free shower?’ to which I responded ‘just a little’ to which he proceeded to empty a full bucket of water on my head. A combination of his whoops of laughter and my speed caught him out and for a bizarre 5 or so seconds I was running along with an empty bucket on my head until he caught me up. I ended up with a cut nose but at least the torrents of water momentarily anaethesised the pain from the blisters on my feet!
All in all a great day out. The course and scenery were fantastic and it was a lot of fun to be up there right at the front with no other runners in sight for long periods. 30 mins quicker than my IM marathon PB and gets me good-for-age entry (sub-3) for London 2011 which will be a lot flatter! Importantly I gained a knowledge of what it will take to improve my marathon further.
I may have a beer next weekend.
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