April 2009 – The Final Countdown

[marathondan]

No, there's apparently a web tracker here. (Only found out about it today at the Expo, I think it's a late addition.) Not clear if the tracker only reports start, halfway and finish, or every 5k (which is where the mats are positioned now).

Adidas also has a WAP phone tracker, which is every 5k, and which you can access by texting "RUN" to 83040.

Post yer bib numbers here people!

I'm 44275.

[Sweder]

Congratulations big fella - followed you most of the way via Addidas.
Brilliant time on a day when a lot of people struggled - you must be chuffed to bits and high as a kite just now. Enjoy your beer - I'm off to raise a glass of my own to you and the other London marathoners

CHEERS!

[marathondan]

Thanks mate. Yes, very pleased with time, and feeling pretty chilled now having taken on some pasta. I paced myself for 3:55 and managed to stay within 2 minutes of that all the way. There was the customary hellish last hour of course, but sensible pacing and lots of gels meant that there was enough left in the tank.

Thanks to everyone for the good wishes on other threads, and congratulations to all the other runners -- I hope you're now celebrating a job well done.

[El Gordo]

Hey everyone -- Dan's here

Great run, mate. I couldn't get updates, so sloped off to bed at 3am local time, but awoke to a flurry of excellent news from Sweder. Very pleased for you. Superb pacing by the looks of things. Will look forward to hearing the full tale, after you've had some time to sit and reflect, and rehydrate with something nutritious and mentally stimulating. Hope the family were able to share your success, and feeling rightly proud of dad.

Great stuff.

[Bierzo Baggie]

Very fetching little number
Congratulations on a job well done Dan.

[Antonio247]

Well done, Dan. You managed to do the marathon under 4 hours. That´s fantastic. Have a well-deserved rest!

[Nigel]

Congratulations on an excellent run, Dan.

Looking forward to seeing that tutu in action at the Brighton 10k in November. Might be a little chilly in places...

[stillwaddler]

Brilliant run, you must be over the moon, and I love the outfit :RFLMAO:

[marathondan]

I seem to have spent the time since the race doing all those things that I should have been doing in the run-up to the race. So, not running and not writing. Here, belatedly, are my reflections on the day.

Having given premature thanks all week for the impending cool weather, as I left home at 6am it occurred to me that the BBC’s weather forecasters should be considering a transfer to the comedy department. 15 and showers it was not going to be.

A short cycle ride to the station, and I boarded the 0636 to Paddington. There was a tangible buzz among the train and tube passengers. At Greenwich station I met fellow-kids-music-class-dad Will and his running mate Jim, celebrating the 10th anniversary of their first marathon together. Jim hadn’t run for a month due to a groin strain, so they were planning to employ a wait-and-see strategy.

I, by contrast, was leaving nothing to chance. I was wearing a custom pace band calculated for a 3:55 finish, using the Myers pace tables in Hal Higdon’s book (8:50 pace for the first 12 miles, then slowing in steps to 9:17 for the last 3.2). Lemon Squeezy gels were safety-pinned to my pink boxer shorts (the best thing I could find to wear under the tutu) along with a pouch of Vaseline.

I strode off towards the park, leaving Will and Jim to film their anniversary video in leisurely fashion. I somewhat self-conciously peeled off my normal-person’s running gear, pulled on the tutu and wig, and joined the world of the crazy people. Unfortunately I’d missed the Sense team photo by 2 minutes, but later one of the staff got a good picture for my album (and their website). Next to me, a bloke wearing a rowing club top was assembling a 6 ft wood-and-canvas rowing boat, which he planned to wear via shoulder straps. This was only his second marathon, and he was hoping to finish in somewhere between 5 and 6 hours. Incredible.

I applied a little of the sunscreen that I’d packed “just in case the forecast is wrong, you never know”, deposited my bag at the excellent baggage truck service, and made my way to the 4 hour pen. Will and Jim caught up with me on the way over; they had donned bin bags (clearly unnecessary given the weather) to hide their allocated pen numbers, and were going to blag their way to the front. I knew that “sensible” was the watchword of the day, so I took my allocated place and wished them good luck and robust groins.

And so we were off. 8 minutes or so to cross the start line for me. Fabulous atmosphere of course, immediately it was clear that I was getting lots of extra shouts due to the fancy dress. Again, “sensible” was the watchword. In no circumstances was I to get more than 1 minute ahead of schedule, at least until 20 miles. So I forced myself into a relaxed trot, but was a little alarmed to see I was already a minute behind schedule after 1 mile. The traffic was pretty heavy, and I had to resist the temptation to work hard and nip into gaps.

The first half of the race was an absolute joy. I was feeling in top form, running at a gentle pace, getting amazing support from the crowd, enjoying the bands, and generally having a great time. By this point I was around 2 minutes behind schedule; I didn’t want to let that slip any further, and I knew that as the planned pace slowed down I could get push on at the higher pace for a while to catch up. Around halfway the pack began to thin out a little, and it was easier to maintain pace.

The wig was remarkably untroubling. I’d done all my training in a woolly hat, and conditioned myself to forget about the temptation to take it off, but all of that training had been done at night. But it seemed to be enough. Maybe I subconsciously knew that the support benefit from the wig outweighed the discomfort. The only time I took it off was for a dip under one of the showers. I spend the next 5 minutes wiping diluted sweat out of my stinging eyes, and didn’t try that again.

Heading into the high teens I was still fine, hanging in 1-2 minutes behind schedule, but really wanting to reach that 20 mile post. At this point it was hard to keep to the pace while remaining relaxed, but my mantra was that I had to remain relaxed until 20 miles. After that point, I was free to go for it, and try and at least make up the slight delay.

When I did reach the 20 it was with a great sense of achievement. I was still feeling good, but knew that I had the hard hour ahead of me. To cut a long story short, it was a hard hour, but I made it. It was noticeably easier than the end of my first marathon, which I have previously described as “among the worst 5 hours of my life” (although someone asked me to name the other 4, and I couldn’t immediately come up with anything – but “worst hour of my life” sounds a bit of an exaggeration).

It may have been the (slightly) better pre-training fitness base, it might have been the 6 minutes slower pace, it might even have been the more relaxed training regime. But I suspect that it was mostly just knowing what was to come, and that it was achievable. The miles were hard, but there was none of the “I don’t know if I can do this” despair that I experienced last time. As I passed each of the last few mile markers I was punching the air and shouting to myself. There are few better sights in life than the 600m, 400m, 200m and 385 yds signs, and then the finish line.

I had tried to up the pace during the end phase, but whenever I tried there was a tension in my calves and quads that said “back off on the gas”. But there was a bit left in the legs for a gentle push over the line, and I even managed a smile, raised arms and a few high fives with fellow finishers.

Lesley had valiantly brought all three kids (7 months to 6 years) into London, but I somehow managed to miss them at Westminster Bridge (25.5 miles). I’d run for about half a mile, over to the left, staring into the crowd like a zombie, which at least took my mind off the running. But at the crucial moment, I somehow overlooked them. I guess them calling my name didn’t help, as everyone and his dog had been doing that for the past 4 hours. But as I was strolling through baggage reclaim, they were immobilized in the middle of a crowd due to a demonstration in Parliament Square. Not a pleasant place to be on a hot day for half an hour with three young and tired kids. That was the only downer of the day.

I got a text later from Will to say that they’d finished I around 4:30. Jim’s groin had been fine, but the wheels had come off a few times for Will (not least due to a full-on shunt when someone stopped dead [not literally] straight in front of him during the final “I want to stop but I daren’t” miles) and he’d failed to make his hoped-for sub 4. I must have passed them at some point, but somehow we missed each other. Their marathon retirement was immediately cancelled, and talk of Berlin later this year ensued… (not for me I hasten to add).

So we sat in the park for an hour or so with friends, who were supporting me and another runner. I needed a sit-down for sure; I’d had a few light-headed moments in the meet and greet area (fortunately there was a pushchair handy to lean on). But there was no chance of me emulating some fellow finishers and quaffing bubbly. Water, and about 3 crisps, was all I could manage for about 3 hours after the finish. A crowded two-hour train ride, partly standing and with kids to juggle, wasn’t the ideal recovery, but it was all part of the experience. Finally reaching home, just in time to give baby Emma her tea, felt like we’d all travelled halfway round the world.

[marathondan]

The training

Less is more. Three sessions a week, max: short fartlek, medium tempo (with easy sections start and end, as the distances got longer), and the classic long easy run. This worked beautifully for me. Almost all of the runs were done in the late evening, which conferred two benefits: I found that particularly the slow runs were a good way to wind down at the end of the day, and running just before bedtime ensured several hours’ elevation after the run.

Only running three sessions a week was surreal at times. It often didn’t feel like proper training. I could sometimes go four days without a run, then it would be “OK, better pop out for a 15 miler” as if it was just another errand to be completed.

This training regime also challenged two pieces of received wisdom:

1. The long run shouldn’t be at race pace. My race target was always sub 4, and almost without exception my long runs came in around 3:55 to 4:00 pace. This was in no way a conscious effort; just a reflection of what felt comfortable. I guess if I was pursuing a more aggressive training regime then I might have been able to finish in a faster time. But on three sessions a week, I don’t think I could have done much more on the day. The question is, if next time I want to shoot for 3:45, should I push myself harder on the long runs?

2. Stretching is essential. Guilty confession time: I didn’t do a single stretch throughout the whole training programme. I wasn’t running much last year, so had got out of the habit. When I picked up the marathon programme, I figured that I would start stretching when I started to regularly feel stiff. But it never happened, so I never started. I put that down to the post-run elevation, and the relatively low volume of training. And luck…?

The costume

The full horror of the outfit can be seen here. The support was so fantastic that I don’t think I would consider doing London again in normal attire, possibly even any marathon. The wig was surprisingly trouble-free, especially given the unexpected sunshine – the diligent preparation with the hat was apparently enough. I’m also inclined to say that technical fabrics may be overrated – I was wearing a cotton vest with paper labels stuck to it, and a pair of cotton boxer shorts in place of running shorts. Neither gave the slightest trouble.

By the way, in the end the tutu was made from a pink plastic party tablecover. Net seemed too flimsy. There were a number of tutus in evidence during the race; most of them looked like they had been professionally made. But I was pretty happy with mine in the end; it did the job.

The future

The gravel of Horse Guards’ Parade is still embedded in the soles of my runners, as they haven’t seen any use since the race. Just too busy this month. Still, a month off won’t hurt. Half term we’re off to Menorca; hopefully a few late evening seafront plods will get me back into the groove.

I’ve thought about what’s a realistic ongoing running plan. I reckon the most I can try and keep up is two sessions a week – maybe something like a fast 5 and a slow 10. I enjoyed some spoken word mp3s on the long runs this time, so I need to find around 90 mins worth of quality weekly podcast to take on the long run. I’m hoping this will make it feel more like “me time” and less of a chore. I also hope to take advantage of the light evenings and get out into the lanes a bit, rather than my well-trodden suburban circuits.

I’d like to launch an assault on my 10K and HM PBs on the back of my marathon fitness. Nothing planned so far – let’s see how quickly I can get back into regular running – but I reckon that if I ever wanted to I could find a 10K or half every month of the year within 15 miles of home. So there should be no shortage of races.

Current thoughts on race strategy:

- the use of a pace band was great: pick a target time, and stick to it, at least until the end phase. No longer will each race be an open-ended mission to finish as fast as possible. If I achieve the target, then next time I shave a minute or two off. Calibration over a hilly course will be a little harder, but I’ll see how that goes.

- gels: essential for a marathon, probably not necessary for a half. It’s all about glycogen, and the reserves should be good for 13.1 miles. A gel might give me a blood sugar boost, but I’m not sure it will really improve performance.

And another marathon? Right now, I’d love to. But we’ll have to see how life is shaping up next autumn. I managed to keep the training from taking over my life too much, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t have a big impact.

But I don’t think this will be the last one.

[Sweder]

I really enjoyed reading that; it's given me renewed hope for a (possible) return to Big Race. The 'less is more' strategy is one I whole-heartedly endorse for the 'more mature' marathoner. The idea of a strict, pre-programmed restrictive strategy (safeguarding against temporary insanity & the resultant inevitable blown gasket) sounds right for me; I may well try this out at Bewl.

Evening, pre-bed running would be fabulous if only I could get home in time. Some of my favourite local runs have been conducted on the hazy edge of dusk. Stretching, tiresome though it undoubtedly is, will remain part of my apres slog so long as my knees threaten to ping off my legs, leaving the wobbly limbs to roll up in a comedy/ cartoon stylee like spring-released window blinds.

Your last line made me smile.
It can be just as hard to accept that you've run your last marathon as it is to commit to the next.
My own jury's still out.

[El Gordo]

Excellent report Dan, thank you. Really comprehensive.

[Nick]

Great report - I am still impressed with your time, especially in tricky conditions.

[suzieq]

You had a great race Dan! I'm impressed that you did so well with only running 3 times a week. Obviously something to be said about quality training. I might have to think about that. And I think running your long runs at race pace might've helped. I know they don't recommend that, but you're proof that it works; your body knows what it has to do on race day.

Good race and good report, thank you.


Suzie

[marathondan]

I'm still not quite sure where it all went right... :o

[glaconman]

Thanks for the report Dan. Really impressive how you managed marathon training with 3 young kids. And pulled-off such a great performance. Alot for me to learn from there.

Having a go at your 10k time sooner rather than later would be a good thing to do.

All the best.

[Antonio247]

Congratulations, Dan. Beautiful report with a lot of advice to be taken into account if I decide to take part in a marathon again. You seem to have enjoyed the race and managed to do it very well in spite of the heat.


Regards

Antonio

[Bierzo Baggie]

The training

I don’t think I would consider doing London again in normal attire, possibly even any marathon.

Looking forward to the next one already... maybe we could all vote a costume? Any ideas?

Great effort and a great report to match.