Running Thread - Join our Strava Club!

[Thrillthorpe7]

Completing my first marathon this Sunday in Sydney, very excited! Have been training with a few mates since late last year and completed 4 runs over 25km (largest was 40 about a month ago). Probably a dozen runs between 10-20km (most common distance is 10km).

Pretty hopeful that I can go sub 4 hours, the major lesson learnt from the 40km run was going out about 30sec/km too hard over the first 20 (~5min/km), which cooked me by the 27-28km mark. Had to walk a few kms and then ran the last few at a much slower pace (ended up a bit over 4hrs).

Planning to get up a bit before 5am (race time 630ish) and try keep my normal morning routine as much as possible (coffee and a couple of muesli bars). I'm staying only a few minutes from the start line so I can maximise the amount of time at the apartment (especially knowing how busy toilets will be at the start line!).

 

[faible]

Completing my first marathon this Sunday in Sydney, very excited! Have been training with a few mates since late last year and completed 4 runs over 25km (largest was 40 about a month ago). Probably a dozen runs between 10-20km (most common distance is 10km).

Pretty hopeful that I can go sub 4 hours, the major lesson learnt from the 40km run was going out about 30sec/km too hard over the first 20 (~5min/km), which cooked me by the 27-28km mark. Had to walk a few kms and then ran the last few at a much slower pace (ended up a bit over 4hrs).

Planning to get up a bit before 5am (race time 630ish) and try keep my normal morning routine as much as possible (coffee and a couple of muesli bars). I'm staying only a few minutes from the start line so I can maximise the amount of time at the apartment (especially knowing how busy toilets will be at the start line!).

Good luck! Great plan to book the room to have a nearby toilet

 

[Thrillthorpe7]

Good luck! Great plan to book the room to have a nearby toilet

Thanks! Unfortunately, I think my AirBnB host has scammed me and said ‘apartment flooded due to a burst pipe, so you can’t stay there, but here’s another location 20min away’. Saw a review from someone a month ago with the same issue from this host, absolutely no doubt wanting to take advantage of the jacked up prices near the start line (hotel rooms going for 5-6 times normal price).

Will definitely lodge a complaint with Airbnb when I get home, but just need a place to stay for now!

 

[darrenmorgan]

Thanks! Unfortunately, I think my AirBnB host has scammed me and said ‘apartment flooded due to a burst pipe, so you can’t stay there, but here’s another location 20min away’. Saw a review from someone a month ago with the same issue from this host, absolutely no doubt wanting to take advantage of the jacked up prices near the start line (hotel rooms going for 5-6 times normal price).

Will definitely lodge a complaint with Airbnb when I get home, but just need a place to stay for now!

I’ve run Sydney before I reckon you better to stay near finish in the rocks or somewhere. Easy to get across bridge to start line from there (10 min jog or 20 min walk) and then nice and close walk home afterwards from circular quay. Anyway, good luck! I’m 2 weeks out from Berlin, things were going great but have had a poor last couple weeks, a bit of life getting in the way as well as some flu. Have managed to get all my long runs done but missed a few speed and base sessions, so of course this close out the doubts start to creep in. Have a 23k progression run tomorrow which will be last decent length hit out - am doing 13k progression and then tacking on the Sri Chinmoy 10k race at the end of it. If I can have a good run there the mind/doubts should hopefully settle a bit and look to just try and really nail the 2 week taper. Then I come back to Aus and have the melb half booked (which I would just run as a pretty easy training run), followed by New York marathon 3 weeks after that. Big couple of months coming up!

 

[Wetdog]

Completing my first marathon this Sunday in Sydney, very excited! Have been training with a few mates since late last year and completed 4 runs over 25km (largest was 40 about a month ago). Probably a dozen runs between 10-20km (most common distance is 10km).

Pretty hopeful that I can go sub 4 hours, the major lesson learnt from the 40km run was going out about 30sec/km too hard over the first 20 (~5min/km), which cooked me by the 27-28km mark. Had to walk a few kms and then ran the last few at a much slower pace (ended up a bit over 4hrs).

Planning to get up a bit before 5am (race time 630ish) and try keep my normal morning routine as much as possible (coffee and a couple of muesli bars). I'm staying only a few minutes from the start line so I can maximise the amount of time at the apartment (especially knowing how busy toilets will be at the start line!).

I’ve run Sydney before I reckon you better to stay near finish in the rocks or somewhere. Easy to get across bridge to start line from there (10 min jog or 20 min walk) and then nice and close walk home afterwards from circular quay. Anyway, good luck! I’m 2 weeks out from Berlin, things were going great but have had a poor last couple weeks, a bit of life getting in the way as well as some flu. Have managed to get all my long runs done but missed a few speed and base sessions, so of course this close out the doubts start to creep in. Have a 23k progression run tomorrow which will be last decent length hit out - am doing 13k progression and then tacking on the Sri Chinmoy 10k race at the end of it. If I can have a good run there the mind/doubts should hopefully settle a bit and look to just try and really nail the 2 week taper. Then I come back to Aus and have the melb half booked (which I would just run as a pretty easy training run), followed by New York marathon 3 weeks after that. Big couple of months coming up!

Good luck, Gents. Look forward to hearing how you both go.

 

[Thrillthorpe7]

Got through the marathon… just!

As I did in my training runs, went out very well for the first 25km and was well on track for sub 4 hours. After that, it was a battle.

The right calf just suddenly seized up, heart rate and rest of the body was fine. It then seemed to subside by the 30km mark and if I could just hold 6min pace I would easily get under 4 hours. Unfortunately, it flared up even worse at between 37-38km and I honestly started getting very emotional from a combination of the severe pain and thinking I may not even finish! Thankfully, the last 1.5km was downhill and I shuffled my way to the finish line.

The hills were brutal and it was very hard to get any consistency in the run. I’ve realised that 10km runs up to half marathons are ok (23min 5km, 48min 10km, 1:49 half mara), but I just don’t have enough conditioning in my legs for marathons. I’m very content this will be a one and done for me, but still very happy I did it!

 

[Thrillthorpe7]

Oh, and they really need to fix the post race area next year. Once you finish the marathon, there is absolutely no time to soak in the Opera House as you are quickly moved along into the 'recovery zone'. This is a 500m journey on a narrow path with 100s of other people and you better not try lie down on the grass here as it'll make the officials very angry!

Once this 500m journey is done, there is yet again another massive hill to get up to the massage area, just what everyone wants after running a marathon on countless hills

 

[faible]

Oh, and they really need to fix the post race area next year. Once you finish the marathon, there is absolutely no time to soak in the Opera House as you are quickly moved along into the 'recovery zone'. This is a 500m journey on a narrow path with 100s of other people and you better not try lie down on the grass here as it'll make the officials very angry!

Once this 500m journey is done, there is yet again another massive hill to get up to the massage area, just what everyone wants after running a marathon on countless hills

I remember after Melbourne last year they were trying to hurry on a girl who'd just finished the marathon and was bent over dry heaving. The officials are brutal.

 

[Thrillthorpe7]

I remember after Melbourne last year they were trying to hurry on a girl who'd just finished the marathon and was bent over dry heaving. The officials are brutal.

Absolutely ridiculous! The majority of people finishing this have put every ounce of energy they had just to get over the finish line, how can you expect them to then just walk another 500m flat and 200m up a hill to exit the marathon?!

 

[Wetdog]

Oh, and they really need to fix the post race area next year. Once you finish the marathon, there is absolutely no time to soak in the Opera House as you are quickly moved along into the 'recovery zone'. This is a 500m journey on a narrow path with 100s of other people and you better not try lie down on the grass here as it'll make the officials very angry!

Once this 500m journey is done, there is yet again another massive hill to get up to the massage area, just what everyone wants after running a marathon on countless hills

The way I see it, you ran 43km, so you completed an Ultramarathon!

Seriously though, congrats for gutsing it out. You will be a better runner and person for the experience.

 

[Thrillthorpe7]

The way I see it, you ran 43km, so you completed an Ultramarathon!

Seriously though, congrats for gutsing it out. You will be a better runner and person for the experience.

Thanks, it took a lot of willpower to keep myself going!

Haha, well my Apple Watch tracked 42.88km, which makes sense given how much weaving in and out of people was required, so technically yes I ran an ultra

I have enjoyed running more, but will keep the focus on 5km up to half marathons (Parkruns, City to Bay etc).

 

[faible]

Nice to see even an elite runner suffering, makes me feel better

Apparently Ingebrigtsen blitzed 10km, blew up, walked for a bit, then ran the rest to get home.

 

[darrenmorgan]

Absolutely ridiculous! The majority of people finishing this have put every ounce of energy they had just to get over the finish line, how can you expect them to then just walk another 500m flat and 200m up a hill to exit the marathon?!

Unfortunately all majors are like this, they are massive events and have to follow international security protocols etc. New York feels like a good 30 minute walk to even get out of Central Park and then another 30 to leave the secure area; it’s pretty brutal. Congrats on finishing, great effort! I hear you say one and done, see how you feel in a few days. I say ‘thats it’ after every one and am coming up for #9 and # 10 in the next two months..