A non-running day, but a couple of things to report. First, a great email from the previously-mentioned Dave Clayton, whose suffering as a fellow QPR fan is compounded by an addiction to marathons. I’m sure he won’t mind if I reproduce a slightly edited version of his message:
…My training is not so good at the moment. I’m finding it a bit of a struggle actually. My method to a successful run is the following :
- Vaseline is your best friend.
- Take a disposable camera with you – get pictures of your experiences all the way round, and get people to take pictures of you with people you meet or with QPR fans along the way. You will appreciate it when you get home.
- Train enough to run a 1/2 marathon in about 2hrs – 2.15hrs comfortably (10 min miles) [This means] You now have 2:45 – 3 hrs to do the 2nd half (13 min miles)
- Now that you are able to run half of it, the crowd and adrenalin will get you through another 6-7 miles = 20 miles so far, and you can walk the rest !
- In fact you get to a point at about 21 miles where you are running slower than you walk – it’s a very strange thing !
- Set yourself little targets all the way round especially after half way mark. Even little things like “I’ll run to that lamp post and walk to the next, then run to the next……” work,the more running you can do the quicker the end time.
- Stop at the drink stops, take on liquid slowly for 2-3 mins then start running again.
- Get friends and family to be at pre-arranged places,that way you know you want them to see you running so you build yourself up to it. When they start cheering you (once they see you) you feel like a king because everyone around them is looking at YOU and it feeeeeeelllllsssss good !!!
- Always think about finishing – the thought of getting to that finish line is not daunting – think of the glory !
- Most important tip of all……As you approach Buck Palace and get ready to turn right into the Mall, just stop briefly, compose yourself, make sure everythings where it should be…..now, as you run up the mall and you see the finish line ahead you are a champion, this is YOUR moment of glory…milk it, enjoy it and make sure that no one is too close in front of you and no one too close behind. Why? Because you are going to have your photo taken 3 times as you cross that line and you want to look good. Arms in the air,clenched fists and a look of triumph. You run 26 miles to get here – Have a decent photo to remember it by.
- Then get your medal,have your pic taken again and go and collapse somewhere….ITS ALL OVER :O)
It will be one of the most fantastic things you will do in your life so the more you train the more you’ll enjoy the experience.
I will struggle to get round and I’m still a bit too heavy at the moment and expect a 5 1/2 hour marathon but by doing all the above I’ll enjoy it still. Even though I’ve been fortunate/mad enough to have done 8 so far it is still as exciting as the first. You just know what to expect and psychologically its worth a good few miles.
We’ll definitely meet up before and have a chat. In the meantime,
Keep on Running
Dave
I’m not at all sure about Dave’s race strategy (run the first half relatively quickly, then slow down for the second), which pretty much goes against the received wisdom of aiming to run at a steady pace, but it works for him… Apart from that, some inspirational stuff and plenty of good advice in there.
I met another seasoned London marathoner this evening when I went for my sports massage. The scraping and pummelling of my calf muscles, and the vigorous tugging and thumping of my neck and shoulders was not entirely painless, but Lesley assured me she was being cruel to be kind. She has the benefit of the doubt at this point, though Sunday’s 16 miles will be the true test. While she was beating me up and slapping me around, Lesley encouraged me with a stream of London Marathon anecdotes and advice, which helped a lot. I have a feeling it was all a Good Thing To Do, but ask me again in a couple of days.
