Warsaw Marathon 2012

THE SUMMARY

A good race, good atmosphere, fairly good conditions, good people to go with, Polish food is delicious and reasonably priced, nice course, a no hassle race and a low priced city – beer is good too.   Apart from one very small steep slope after about 25 km, any other slopes were barely noticeable, so essentially a flat course. Great weekend without the stresses and queuing you get at one of the major marathons (but you will never get a perfect course..).

WHY DID WE CHOOSE WARSAW?

We (Amanda, Gareth, Dave E W and Gary) started thinking about the Warsaw marathon about December 2011   largely because most of us had run Berlin the previous year and enjoyed travelling as a group (and tasting the German beer!!).  The previous reviews of the race seemed reasonable and a few of us wanted to try a smaller marathon to see how it was running in less crowded streets. 

BUILD UP?

By about mid-Feb 2012 we had the date of the race confirmed.  But entries were not actually open yet – contrast with the London ballot that fills up within 6 hours!  A few marathons were already full for the September 2012.  By mid March quite a few of us had booked flights but not yet actually entered the marathon - it was not open.  It opened around April 2012 and  about 5 of us entered promptly.  Throughout the summer we picked up a couple of extras to the trip.  Making us a group of James, Amanda, Gareth, Dave W, Gary B, Caroline N, Gerry C, Brian R , Dave C - all running with Claire Beatty coming along to taste the beer.   During the later stages of prep for the marathon it was good being able to compare notes on expected performances in the marathon with others and training plans.  We arranged for white t-shirts to be printed - getting to become a tradition for the Amanda/Gareth/Dave W/ Gary, James ‘the Bruce’ marathons.   The majority of us stayed at the Novotel  central Warsaw. 

COST OF THE MARATHON:

The cost of the marathon was low (around £20) and the hotel prices in Warsaw are very reasonable.  Superior twin room in Novotel £60 per night, i.e. only £30 each if sharing   Flights were about 100 quid giveor take a bit.   Cost of official race photos very cheap - 78 photos for total of £8 - giveaway compared with more well known marathons (£8 per photo?? AT LEAST! ).

THE TRAVEL TO WARSAW:

We all had different routes to WARSAW, some via low cost airlines via Stanstead, others with BA, other with LOT airline and it is less that a 2 hour flight. Generally it was fairly easy to get from the airport to our hotel.  The public transport from the airport to the hotel was really expensive, all of 3.4Zloty (less than £1.   The airport information was fairly clear and the staff friendly.  Arriving in Poland you would not have know there was a marathon in Warsaw at the weekend, unlike Llondon and other really large marathon cities.  From Stansted on Ryanair, Warsaw Modlin airport is about 30 miles from Warsaw which  can tend to mean a long wait at the railway station after short shuttle bus ride from airport. Also on return trip, shuttle bus from Modlin station to airport really packed, so leave plenty of time in case you cannot get on. Really cheap on train - about £2 one way for 30 mile trip to Warsaw on decent train. 

INFORMATION ABOUT THE RACE:

Generally the information provided by the organisers was efficiently issued and in a timely manner.  No real issues. 

THE EXPO /REGISTERING:

The expo was a small event, only perhaps 10 or 12 stalls, located in the national stadium.  Easy to get to from public transport – it’s hard to miss the national stadium!  I got my number on Saturday at 12 midday, I waited all of 30 seconds to get my number, chip and it was nice that the chip scan showed my name so I was confident it worked. They had enough stalls (e.g. runners food, t-shirts etc to meet most needs) but not every type of food. Certainly not busy and certainly there was enough good stuff for me. 

THE DAY BEFORE THE RACE:

There was a protest the day before the race. We initially thought they were protesting because  Les Croupiers  came to Warsaw without Mick, but then we later found out it was a protest about going back to old fashioned values and austerity measures.  A non threatening protest, very peaceful. They even had a midday mass which a few of our crew watched.  

THE NIGHT BEFORE COULD WE GET PASTA? (Yes NO PROBLEM)

Yes, getting pasta was fairly easy in Warsaw - we all eat together with a quality meal - I forget the price but not much more than 10 GPB each at a good quality outfit.  Note smoking is not allowed in Warsaw restaurants (even if you run too fast!), seriously that's such a good thing - I was concerned that I was going to a smoke filled place.  Gareth had his trusted ipadwith him -in case we had any problems- but English was no problem in the restaurant.  It was a really nice atmosphere with the group we came with. We had the really experienced runners like Gerry, Brian and Dave to help calm the nerves of the rest of us..great to have a nice mix of people.  Some one ask Brian about 5 a side football - not sure why - you better ask him!. 

THE RACE DAY:

We met at reception early about 7am I think (9am race start). We took the bus to the start, transport was free on the race day to runners (Cardiff half - please take note!).  Oh! and Gareth you forgot your ipad (it wasattached for the rest of the time!)  Easy to get to the start, a bit of walk around the stadium and underneath but if it was raining you would have been dry and warm.  Toilets were a little short on numbers but generally ok.  Baggage store was easy to get to and to store bags. 

THE START:

The start pens were not actively managed, to keep the different bibs separate, but I generally found people kept to them.  It’s a small race and the elite field was quite small.  They had pacers for several times 3 hours, 3hrs 15, 3:30 and maybe another time as well but I could not see them. On the start, it took me a few seconds to cross the line and get going, it wasn’t too crowed and I got going into a good pace fairly early on.  The start for the first 1-2 km was slightly up hill (only a little) but then you knew that you had the last 1-2 km down-hill.

THE COURSE:

The first 5-15 km was reasonable well supported and mostly flat. At 15km to around 25 km we moved away from the city and there was less support.  For the most part the road surface was very even and flat.  At around 15 miles there was some cobbles and a wood lined section - this was a bit difficult, and a hill at 17 miles. This could have hurt if you were struggling though tghe hill was about equivalent to  the hill from the club to Gabalfa plus a bit I think give or take a bit but enough to add 30 seconds to 45 seconds to your mile/km split (at the time I was doing 4:09’s per KM) – this was a 5 min KM.  The last 6 miles or so (before we turned to the stadium was into a wind - the opposite direction to the weather forecast so a bit tough.  For me I had trained very hard for this race but still lost time in the last bits.  Once we turned to 40km, you could see the stadium and knew it wasn’t far and marginally downhill from 40 to 41.5 KM.  At 42km you had the hill into the stadium, which was a little hard but then you came through the tunnel and it was great to finish in the stadium - for me very special as I broke 3 hours after not quite making it in London.  It was good to finish and be able to be under cover almost immediately, so on a rainy day that would be really good. If you wanted a massage you could have one, I just wanted a beer (or 5!).  There was a bit of walk from the finish to the stands but really I didn’t care, it was a really nice atompshere in the stadium. 

WATER STOPS:

There were sufficient numbers and paper cups so no problems for there.  They had Poweraid which was a fine sports drink.  (Would have preferred bottles but oh well and  my plan of using a straw didn’t work) 

AFTER RACE CELEBRATIONS:

We enjoyed an afternoon in an Irish bar (a few people even knew Claire’s Dad!)  Then we all eventually met up, together with Gareths ipad, after an afternoon of watching a game called Hurling.  We went for food in a local steak restaurant, the Sphyn restaurant I believe a common chain in Poland It was good quality as was the Polish beer. Following this was a late night as we managed to drink until the early hours in the hotel bar.  Gareth and Amanda visited Krakow the next day, I went to Krakow with Claire on Tuesday. Krakow is worth a visit allow 5 or so hours in the city. On Monday night we went to a Polish restaurant, for 7 of us we all had dinner and beer for around 70 quid total very expensive..!  

WOULD I DO IT AGAIN..?

Maybe..but I like new challenges.. so probably look for another one? but would definitely recommended it..  Probably not myself, as I like the variety, but for those who want a change from the massive numbers of London and Berlin, this is perfect - large enough to warrant feeling you were at a big event, but far more relaxed at the start.

MY RACE:

I cannot leave a write up without giving a little info on my race.. This was another attempt for me to break 3 hours. My previous attempts have been

• 1998 Las Vegas 3:03: Splits 131 / 132  * to be honest my goal in this marathon was to qualify for Boston in the April (8 weeks later rather than break 3 but it had remained by PB for 13-14 years)
• 1998 Boston  3:05 ( Cannot recall the splits something like 129/136)
• 2011 Edinburgh 3:09 (splits 126/ 143 – a windy day),
• 2011 Berlin 3:06  (127/ 139)
• 2012 London 3:00:30 (129/131), 

In the run up to Warsaw I’ve done some very high mileage, I’d managed 4 weeks of 80 miles and a week of 100 in August/early September- ran a PB at a half marathon in a 70 mile week.  And did some less exciting speed work on my own of 800m reps and mile reps so I felt reasonably well prepared. It also included 3 sports massages in the preceding weeks to get any stiffness out of out my legs.  In my race I started well, target pace i’d eventually decided was 4:09 per KM(2:55-2:57 pace). I had lots of helpful discussions with Ed Donavan and others on suitable pace  I’d also say Ed was very helpful in providing guidance for suitable marathon track sessions in the run up.  With the realization that if I hit even pace I’ll go 255 and with a 2 min drop off I’ll be 257,  at the expo I predicted my race time was 256:59 on the Adidas win a T-Shirt stand. 

THE RACE FOR ME:  

I started fairly steady at 4:09 pace.  A few of the KM markers seem to be placed 50 meters or so in the wrong place as I did a 400 km then a 415 km a few times.   Cannot see that happening in Berlin.  It was very good for me to have two similar paced experienced old heads in the same race, Brian and Dave.  I managed to keep them in my sights for the first ½ passing Dave at half way.  I struggled in the woods and after that the wind was tough.  I generally felt comfortable, much more so than London – no cramp.  I was quite gutted when I passed Brian at 32 or so km because I had been running to keep him in my sights as I know Brian was a good pacer. At about 34 km I was close to 255/256 pace.  But slightly eased my pace as I knew I was well inside 3 hr pace but wanted to make sure I broke 3 and remove any risk of going above 3.  The last 2 KM going down hill didn't quite feel as much down as I expected but none the less a good experience to finish under 3 (approx 127/129 for me a very happy camper).  Now looking forward to London 2013.

James Bruce

Ultra Tour de Mont Blanc – August 2012

I like journeys. I am drawn to races which make a journey, that make a mark on a map which fits with the shape of the land, traversing between places with meaning, round a landmass or water. This is what drew me to UTMB which follows the hiking trail around the base of Mont Blanc, run as a flat out race rather than the usual one to two weeks of hiking. The route follows a 165km route taking in 2500m passes and a total climb of 10 000m. The raw stats are intimidating; a course record of over 20 hours, most of the finishers scraping in close to the maximum 46 hours and nearly half the field chased down by the harsh checkpoint cut-off times, exhaustion, injury, dehydration or hypothermia.

UTMB and I have had a long four year courtship, getting the required qualifying races, with the bar going up each year, and being unlucky in the ballot. Demand for the 2300 places rising with the increasing popularity of ultra distance running. I should have felt pretty pleased just have got the start in Chamonix go as I waited with 3 hours to, but it didn’t feel that way. The weather was shocking, it had poured with rain for 2 days, the trails were boggy, and there was 20cm of snow on the passes. The finishers of the ‘baby brother of UTMB’, the shorter TDS, were staggering in after 30 hours, soaked, shivering, blank- faced and mud spattered. Only 40% finished the course. I don’t know whether I was disappointed or relieved when the announcement came in that the organisers had changed the course to a shorter low level route, a mere 103km with 6000m of climbing and a 26 hour limit. Six hours later at 2100m in the dark and a blizzard, the disappointment had totally evaporated as I the last thing I wanted to do was go up any higher!

The atmosphere at the start was a bit deflated, as there were many who had travelled from Japan and the US, feeling as though they had been beaten by the weather in an unfair fight. So at 7pm the runners packed in to the centre of Chamonix, were subjected to 30 minutes of annoyingly jovial Francophone razzmatazz, and a very brief English safety talk. ‘EET EES COLD. DO NOT STOP MOVING. YOU ALWAYS MOVE. ALWAYS. OK!’
I had managed to end up at the back so we all the shuffled the first mile and jogged the next 4 miles down the valley to Les Houches, it was just a relief to be on the go after all the tapering and waiting around of the day. The main hazard was being impaled on one of the ubiquitous hiking poles being flailed at eye level, for this reason they are seen as being rather suspect by the British. Having until recently dismissing them scaffolding for feeble continentals or crumbling ramblers, I underwent a U turn of opinion worthy of a nimble toed politician after borrowing a pair. It’s like changing from 2 to 4 wheel drive, so more miles for less pain.

Darkness came at the start of the first climb, and the reason for the evening start became apparent. A pretty line of torches danced ahead and behind. Impossible to get lost and benefitting from each other’s lighting. The grinding sensory deprivation of night running transformed in to a tunnel of light. The night passed quickly, but many succumbed to the lures of the lavish feed stations, gorging on Savoie cheese, sausisson sec, noodles and cakes whilst entranced by a brazier, only to be caught by the grim sweeper.

My race plan was just to stick with the pack during the night, keep steady, be gentle on my legs, stay warm, only 5 mins at each feed station and look forwards to the dawn – when everything feels better. The dawn came and it was rubbish. I was slogging up a hill in the mist in a place that looked just like Afan Argoed in winter. My morale collapsed and I threw in inner temper tantrum -  I decided to abandon the race as I was fed up and I can run up a hill in the real Afan Forest any time. The trouble was that the only way to abandon the race was to carry on for the next 2 hours – so I slogged on with only a few miles to my finish – and then the sun came out and revealed a view of a glacier across the valley. This interested me as there are no glaciers in the real Afan Argoed, so maybe it would be worth doing a few more miles to see a bit more. A few more miles added to a few more miles, and then it seemed a shame to stop because I was really enjoying myself!

The last 20 miles, although very hilly, was a spectacular traverse of the northern wall of the Chamonix valley. I took my time, enjoyed the view and was comfortably ahead of the time cut-offs. By early evening I was at the finish, pretty fresh, in good spirits and 1730th out of 2500 starters in 23hrs 30 mins. The winner finished in 10 hours 40 mins – all run in the dark. How? I don’t understand.

I got the T shirt but I didn’t really finish UTMB. I did have a good day in the hills and will be doing more trails racing next year. Having got a taste of how hard this race is I have the greatest respect for those that do the whole thing. If the weather had been fairer and the full race been on, would I have got to the end? I still would have had 20 hours to go and was only 2 hours ahead of the time cut-off, and a lot of things can go wrong in 20 hours. But I was keeping steady as those around me were slowing. I don’t know, but I give the same 50:50 odds that I gave at the start.

Will I try again? The hardest thing about this race is simply getting in. It has an international cult following, and next year everyone will need to run three trail races of at least 50 miles in the previous 2 years just to get in the ballot. I have no plans to try again – but I am planning on running a few longer trail races next year – and one thing sometimes leads to another.......

Richard Self

Kom Sa Michelle …

Not Port Talbot but Copenhagan….. that was the call from the spectators at the Copenhagen Marathon that I ran on 20th May.  The day before I was jogging at the back of the  PaAmager Fælled parkrun with one of the organisers of the event in Copenhagen on its 3rd anniversary.  It was a strange course where you could easily, especially in my case, go the wrong way and get a very good time by cutting ½ k off the route, so it was a good job I wasn’t running alone.  It was a great event, not many running that day due to the Marathon the next day, but everyone was friendly and shared home-made cakes and drinks with us at the end of the run where presentations also took place to members of the parkrun Team and Runners.

On the day of the Marathon the clouds disappeared and the sun came out – it was a warm start and the temperature rose reaching the high 20’s.  The route was flat and looped around in a few places.  There was plenty of entertainment on route – live music and dancing, DJ’s to keep the spectators entertained and runners spirits up.  There was hydration stops every 3 miles with water and powerade and some having bananas and oranges, unfortunately although the stations were well organised and well-manned, the drinks were in cups and with the hot weather there was a need to slow down to a walking pace to the get the liquid in.  There were also 2 toilets at each station; unfortunately, spectators were also taking advantage of these to the dismay of queuing runners. Showers were at each station, something that I thought I would not be using, however with the hot conditions I was grateful of these showers, as were many of the other runners.  The on-site first aiders and ambulances were busy dealing with people that had collapsed; there was very little shade to be had throughout the race.

During my run there were shouts of come on Wales from parkrunners that I had met the previous day, which certainly lifted my spirits.  The run included bridges that offered views of the city and marina’s and some of the fantastic architecture as well as the smaller streets with cafes and small shops where some spectators based themselves to cheer runners on.  By 35 k I was beginning to feel the effects of running over 20 miles in the heat and started to walk, but quickly decided that it would be a long walk and I only had a parkrun and a bit to go, so got back into my stride and tried to visualise the parkrun course, this kept me going until I ran over the bridge and turned the corner towards the end of the race. I imagined that I’d reached the 400m to go sign, the finishing line was in sight and so was a man wearing a Union Jack top, and at that point I decided that I could not let that man beat me at the line and in true Park Run Style, found another couple of gears and sprinted passed the Union Jack man and another three runners to boot.  With my arms in the air I crossed the line with a big grin on my face and to great amusement and relief of my partner who was patiently waiting for me in the spectators stand.

Over the line there was the customary medal and drinks, fruit and a goody bag, also a red rose for each woman.  Reclaiming the baggage was easy unlike at the start of the race where a huge bottleneck occurred at the narrow entrance to the baggage area.

I enjoyed Copenhagen, the transport system makes it an easy city to negotiate and there are lots to do and see there.  To save time on your legs, I would recommend a sightseeing tour on one of the boats.  The Marathon route although flat, does have its obstacles, high curbs and cobbles that you tackle twice on a loop, so maybe not one of the fastest courses, but on the whole enjoyable and one I would recommend.

Michelle Rivett

Greater Manchester Splashathon

On the advice of a few club members (namely James Bruce, Gareth Rees and Amanda Thompson), I'd like to submit my race report for the Greater Manchester Marathon on Sunday just gone (you remember, the day with the freakish weather!). I hope folk enjoy reading it, if not out of solidarity then at least out of schadenfreude ;-)

Most marathoners, myself included, are control freaks. Through their respective rituals and practices, they will try to manipulate every possible variable of a race: hydration, nutrition, comfort, pace/speed and to some extent even the course itself (don't go too wide on that corner!). But the mere mention of one particular variable will strike fear into the heart of any long-distance runner seriously gunning for a shiny new personal best: wind. No, not the kind that prompted Paula Radcliffe to take an unscheduled roadside toilet break during the 2005 London Marathon, but the kind that sweeps almost unnoticed across flowery meadows before hitting you square in the face with all the subtlety of an anvil.

For almost every kind of weather there is some line of defence. Hot and sunny? Don't sweat it: just don your cap and sunglasses and take on plenty of fluids. Pouring with rain? No need to get all pissed off: you'd only be drenched in sweat otherwise. Even snow and ice can be negotiated pretty well in the right footwear. But wind? Well, the best you can do is tuck in and 'draft' behind another runner, preferably one bigger than you are. Then again, there aren't many big guys towards the front of the pack and, man, why is this guy going so slowly?! See what I mean? That's why I and -- I suspect -- most of the other 7,999 runners who had signed up for the Greater Manchester Marathon were anxiously checking the long-term weather forecast up to a week before the big day.

Never before have I been kicked so hard in the teeth by Carol Kirkwood. Meteorologically speaking, Sunday 29th April was a truly vile prospect: 5°C, heavy rain and, crucially, gusts of up to 45mph. As the big day encroached, the long-term forecast proved uncharacteristically accurate. What's more, the conditions were set to gradually deteriorate right up to Sunday morning and then improve again! (As I write this on Monday afternoon, I'm considering stripping down to my underwear, such is the intensity of the sun effortlessly beating its way through the tinted glass of the conservatory roof...) It was as though the running and weather Gods had got together for a piss-up and chosen us as the butt of their cruel, drunken practical joke. Well, all I could do was suck it up and take it like a man. Albeit a martyred one. Probably a contradiction in terms, right? Yep, thought so.

On the morning of 29th April, 8,000 marathoners awoke at some unearthly hour and gingerly pulled back the very corner of their net curtains to peer outside. Faced with incontrovertible evidence of those dreaded weather forecasts, some 3,200 runners turned over and went back to sleep. I, on the other hand, had made a 300-mile round trip for this event and had resorted to run whatever the conditions. As an added incentive, I had been kindly put up by my cousin and her fiancé, Mark, who would also be running that morning (somehow it's always more motivating to do these things in twos).

Mark and I drove separately to the start as we would be heading in different directions after the race. Once we had parked, we figured we should do a bit of a recce of the finish area. "May as well get used to the cold", I thought as I pulled on my gear (racing shoes, running tights, a base-layer vest and t-shirt) along with a bin bag sporting head and arm holes. I soon realised I had underestimated the temperature. After 20 minutes of milling around outside, my arms and hands were genuinely painful. Mark and I agreed to keep warm in my car until the start -- I headed straight there while Mark took an unenvied detour to the portaloos. When I got back, I rifled through my running bag for a long-sleeved top. Hadn't packed one. What an idiot. Despite all my preparations, I had made a total rookie error.

Mark got back to the car to find a gibbering wreck in the driver's seat: what was I going to do?! I hadn't even started the race and could barely feel my extremities! Mark said he had a long-sleeved top I could borrow, but it was locked in his car, the key to which was now at baggage collection a 10-minute walk away. We looked at our watches: 30 minutes until the start. Selflessly, Mark set off to get his key anyway, but after 20 minutes he still hadn't reappeared. Something must have gone wrong -- we would never find one another now. I frantically scanned the contents of my car: compression socks! I pulled them over my arms and looked at them. They covered my arms pretty well but the parts meant for the feet were flapping about annoyingly. Thankfully, there was a pair of scissors in the first-aid kit in my passenger door. I customised my socks. There. Now at least my arms would be warm.

I jogged over to the start and jumped the barrier to the section for runners targeting a 3:00-3:29 finish time. We were given a motivational speech by Ron Hill, the legendary runner from the North-West who had been only the second man to break 2:10 for the marathon (none of the UK's current marathoners are quite as fast). "I'll settle for an hour slower than Ron", I thought (3:10 would also be a 'good for age' time for entry into the 2013 London Marathon). The gun fired without a countdown and the pack of around 4,800 runners moved off quickly and smoothly.

The first few hundred yards were downhill and I immediately settled into quite a nice rhythm, hitting both of the first two miles in 7 minutes dead (to finish in 3:10 I would need to average 7:15/mile). Since the course looped around South Manchester, the landmarks were few and far between. In fact, they were pretty much limited to Old Trafford. No matter. It was at least largely flat. I got chatting to a fellow called Rob and together we eased our way to 10km at between 7:00 and 7:10/mile. I can't recall much of our conversation but do remember Rob geeing up the spectators in crowded areas. The energy generated by the crowd gave me (and others too, no doubt) a huge boost, so I stole Rob's tactic and started to shout and whoop whenever I saw a reasonable number of onlookers. To my surprise, they didn't look at me like a complete loon but cheered and egged us on with unbounded enthusiasm. What a buzz. I was so grateful to all those members of the public who took to the streets to support us. They probably don't realise how much of a difference they made.

I unwittingly left Rob behind at a water station and -- just as unintentionally -- sped up, logging mile 8 in 6:53. Maybe I needed a pacer. I had, after all, been overtaking other runners pretty steadily: at the start mat my position was 379th; by the 10-mile marker it was 269th. At that point I struck up a conversation with a Scouser called Jamie. He was aiming for "anything below 3:30", but seemed to be running way in excess of his expectations. This was his first marathon (poor guy!), though he had done a handful of half marathons. Together we maintained a steady pace (between 7:04 and 7:16/mile) for the next 10km or so and tackled the only real hill of the course. We were mocked by spectators on more than one occasion for doing "too much chatting and not enough running". Apparently we were enjoying ourselves too much! I moved ahead of Jamie as the course narrowed along a muddy farm track and ultimately lost him at about mile 15. I would have no more running companions, but that was perhaps for the best, as it can be all too easy to lose concentration at this point.

The biting north-north-easterly wind was starting to become more of a factor as we edged north-westwards.  I held my pace and passed a few more runners, feeling strong while others seemed to flag. By mile 20 I had gained another 46 places and was sitting pretty in 213th. In fact, my time by that point (2:21:14) pointed towards a 3:06 finish.

Then out of nowhere, things really got tough. The proverbial 'wall'? No, I had prepared for that. In retrospect it was a combination of things. For one, the wind was no longer just a factor: it was my main obstacle. Strong gusts were hitting the thinning pack head-on. The wind lowered the temperature further still and we were pelted with hail. The runners around me no longer flagged but slumped and in some cases pulled up. As though sympathetically, one of my left calf muscles knotted suddenly and tightly before releasing again: a warning sign. A month or so earlier I had strained my Achilles tendon and now the tightness in that area, which had been perceptible since about mile 10, was spreading steadily upwards.

I tired, slowed up, got frustrated and sped up again, prompting another intense shooting pain in my calf. "Don't do this to me", I muttered to my own body, foolishly expecting it to take heed. Instead, the cramps got more regular and more intense, so that my entire left leg buckled under load. "OK, I'm giving this too much thought", I decided. From then on, as far as I was concerned, my legs were no longer part of me. I shifted my attention to the people and places around me. I remembered that my best friend, Brett, would be somewhere around the 25-mile mark, waiting to give me a final push. It was the perfect focal point.

I would love to end this report with some tale of superhuman stamina and endurance, but in truth I plodded my way to the finish line on auto-pilot. One or two people passed me but, miraculously, between mile 20 and the finish I managed to climb another 30 rungs up the ladder to 183rd of 4,760! (Apparently I wasn't the only one having a hard time towards the end!). I managed a spurt of sorts in the final strait, focusing solely on the finish line and completely blanking out the encouragement offered by my uncle and cousin who had come to see me at the end. And it was just as well they did: when I sidled over to talk to them I was so cold that my words were slurring as I spoke, and I was shivering uncontrollably. My uncle offered me his coat and hat and I did away with the silly foil blanket I'd been handed. I later heard tales of runners being treated for exposure. The conditions had been cold and miserable, but at least I had made it!

So, the all-important question: what was my finish time? Well, I came home in 3:10:36 -- not bad considering! I suppose that's not fast enough to qualify as a good-for-age time, but on the advice of a friend and fellow runner I'm going to call the organisers of the London Marathon to find out, just in case. A wise man once said: if you don't ask, you don't get.

Update: In case you were wondering, the London Marathon organisers are very strict when it comes to good-for-age times. Unfortunately, not one second's leeway can be given, regardless of course and conditions. Public ballot entered, though -- fingers and toes crossed!

Ed Ashley

Déjà vu again and again… aka Barry 40!

The historic Jenner ParkHaving lap counted on 2 previous occasions at Barry 40 I’d been keen to have a crack for a few years however, prior engagements or injuries always seemed to get in the way. So after getting a marathon PB last October at Newcastle (3.13.11) my mind turned to considering Barry once again.

Training:

I’d aimed to do Barry 40 in 2011 and had mapped out my training weeks intricately only to have it all fall apart with an injury so this year I decided just to go with the flow and take it week by week. Unfortunately due to a bizarre tight hamstring issue that has blighted me since Newcastle (despite lots of treatment) I was unable to run at pace for fear of flaring up the problem although a slow (very slow) plod mile after mile seemed more manageable. So after resting 5 weeks up to Christmas hoping the hamstring issue would clear (it didn’t) I finally got back to plodding. Most of my weeks were based around only 4-5 runs / week allowing me 2-3 days rest for the hamstring to recover a little. Then in January I tweaked a calf out of the blue that had me lose a further 2 weekends and now I was seriously thinking Barry was yet again a pipe-dream. With 6 weeks to the start line I knew I had to decide so concluded I could use Barry for a decent long training session and maybe do the marathon distance or if things went really well maybe a baby ultra (50km). With no 20 miler sessions in the legs at this stage and only having 6 weeks till D-Day the option of a 3 week taper was a non-starter. Those last few weeks actually went really well and although I was only running 5 days a week I managed a couple of weekends just before race day where I managed up to 15 miles on the Saturday and then around 25 miles on the Sunday at a steady 8.30 mile pace with my biggest weekly mileages being around only 55. So with 13 days to go I started my taper.

Gear:

Based on the weather forecast (cold, potentially wet and very windy) I decided to go with a long sleeve HH base layer top allowing me to adjust for temperature (sleeves rolled up, sleeves rolled down, simples)! I also went for long leg tights and 1000 mile socks. Hat and gloves were worn from the start and dispensed with after the first few miles.

Although I rarely suffer blisters I tend to have a few toes that take a battering in long efforts and would therefore usually tape my toes for said long efforts. Recently I’ve been trying out a different, newer type of tape called Kiniseo-Tex in training and it worked brilliantly. This tape is less abrasive than others therefore friction against un-taped bits of skin is much less likely meaning less risk of hot-spots and it also has a bit of elasticity therefore will give a little if/when feet start to swell. It’s also very sticky so will stay attached and comes in many different colours for those who want to be colour co-ordinated.

Nutrition:

The subject of nutrition and endurance performance is a passion of mine and I love to experiment with nutritional strategies all the time. I’d been trying out a supplement that is designed for multi-hour endurance events called Perpeptuem, which as well as providing the usual carbs and electrolytes also dribbles in a steady stream of amino acids to minimise muscle breakdown during ultra’s but in a manageable very dilute tasting drink (I chose strawberry flavour).

So my plan was to use up to 3 bottles of SiS ‘Go’ (in the first half of the race), 3 bottles of Perpetuem (for the middle and second half of the race), have plenty of gels at hand (only used 1) and have electrolyte capsules (Endurolytes) every hour. Additionally I also had more basic food stuff such as chocolate and fruit pastilles ( these worked a treat).

Race Day:

Me and my lap counter (thanks Tom) arrived around 9am to find Jenner Park was cold, wet and breezy, actually it was very cold, very wet and very windy! But ever the optimist Mick’s first words were “It’s going to stop raining by 10am I have it on good authority”.

As 10am approached and with everyone gathered a clearly emotional Mick paid tribute to a great champion, George Dayantis, a very sobering moment and one that I was proud to be a part of if only in contributing to the cacophony of applause.

10am arrives, the sky dries up (Mick obviously has powerful connections) as we toe the line and….. BANG! I almost had to make an un-scheduled toilet stop on the first lap to check my pants as an unexpectedly loud starting gun went off right next to us. Crisis averted we settled into the first of many laps and it was clear from the outset that Grant Jeans meant business as he bounded away at the front at what must have been 6 minute-mile pace. Before the end of my 4^th lap he’d lapped me and continued in this vain throughout. It was great to see the front runners chase each other around lap after lap although it was clear unless Grant came a cropper it was going to be tough for his closest rival to keep up with never mind beat.

Personally I had no concerns about what anyone else was doing and only focused on my plan which was to stick at a steady 8.30 mile pace for as long as possible. The first few miles were slightly quicker than I planned at around 8.00 minute mile pace although everything felt fine. My approach to the race was to break it down into 5 mile blocks in my head but not to dwell on the lap numbers in any significant way. I know I can switch my head off when needed and so this was my plan in essence. Distraction works well for me and so I passed the early time away counting steps between marker posts, number of bulbs in the floodlights, number of seats ripped out of the stands etc. Also chatting to the other competitors when the opportunity arose helped. But how Heather was able to talk as much as she did in amongst giggling and laughing and still lap me consistently I just don’t know? About the only time she wasn’t laughing was when she lapped me yet again only this time with blood streaming down her face, neck and legs and her telling me how accident prone she was and that in the process of ripping off her jacket she’d inadvertently sliced her cheek open with a pin!

Everything was going well when I reached half way and I’d managed to stem the loss of laps to some runners by this point but by mile 21 I’d started to notice some aches in my left leg, particularly my hip flexor, hamstring and quad. Prior to the race Mick had warned that some people suffer with the repeated left turning. The aches worsened and the pain grew and I was starting to suffer. My confidence of getting to the marathon marker, never mind the 50km started to waver. However plod on I did at an ever decreasing pace and eventually got past the 26.2 mile marker telling myself only 5 miles to go before I could gracefully withdraw. By this point the wind was really getting up and every lap we had to endure the full force in the back straight which was energy sapping and on a few occasions the gusts almost forced me to a dead stop. However the miles slowly clocked by and I could see everyone else was suffering in their own personal world of pain as one by one athletes called a premature end to their own race. On approaching the 30 mile point my stubborn streak began to kick in and visions of going past 50km came to mind. This was re-enforced by 3 repeating motivating thoughts. Firstly I didn’t want to spend the next days and weeks having to explain to anyone that asked that I pulled out before the end point. Secondly I’d found Mick’s tannoy race updates interesting and informative whilst I ran, however when it came to him saying “sadly ‘x’ number of athletes have pulled out so far and we hope they’re all ok” going onto name them I became determined that my name wasn’t going to be one of them and thirdly I had a vision of Mick’s results page in weeks to come showing the named runners with timings listed for each 5 mile point up to the point they’d stopped and from then on just having empty boxes. I really didn’t want my name against a partly completed result page and decided I hadn’t completed 31 miles only to stop so with these thoughts bouncing around my head I urged myself on to see just how far my legs could go.

Tom was giving me signals that 50km was approaching but by then I was already taking on more food (the fruit pastilles really did the trick at this point), fluid and salts, and the odd pain killer for the final push! Once the decision to continue was made I found those later miles easier although every lap still hurt. By now I, as well as a few others had resorted to walking the back straight into the increasing wind to conserve energy and running the remaining ¾ lap. I’d also started to get some laps back on some of the earlier, quicker runners just ahead of me which was encouraging although any aspirations of improving my position were a distant second to merely getting across the finish line. The support grew louder as the laps ticked over and I was happy to respond to regular requests for a smile from Phil Cook (I really wasn’t grimacing)!

With 5 miles to go I felt stronger and my pace had quickened even though my aches still ached, alot! With a last handful of salt tablets I felt I had enough energy and fluid on board to get to the finish line and so got into my ‘groove’ where I focused only on the bit of track ahead of me and putting one foot in front of another. Very quickly I was in the last 10 laps and was beginning to grin to myself that I wasn’t far from the finish (bear in mind the winner had long finished, showered and departed the venue by this point)! The bell rang, my last lap started and I made a final effort to the line and it was over!

My Timings:

Miles	5 mile timings	Ave pace / 5 miles	Accum times
1-5	40.17	8.03	40.17
6-10	41.47	8.21	1.22.04
11-15	41.34	8.19	2.03.38
16-20	42.45	8.33	2.46.23
21-25	44.14	8.51	3.30.37
26.2			3.42.10
26-30	49.59	10.00	4.20.36
31-35	51.56	10.23	5.12.32
36-40	48.12	9.38	6.00.44

Post Race Reflection:

I hurt like hell for 2 days afterwards but my tea tasted sweeter than I can recall for a long time, maybe because I was drinking it from my ‘Barry 40 Finishers’ mug? I really loved this event and really can’t think of any negatives, other than left sided aches. In fact the elements of this unique event that non-believers hit up on, eg “161 laps of the track, you must be mad!” etc I think are a major positive. It means you can have all the nutrition and fluid you want and never have to carry it, there is no need to stay alert for navigation purposes because if you can figure out the route of the first lap then you’ve got it cracked. You have constant support on tap from friends, who can see at a glance when you’re suffering and up the volume of support instantly. You toe the start line with a bunch of like-minded strangers yet within hours you’re looking out for each other and applauding every runner as they cross the finish line. Oh and I got a suntan!

My personal ‘yard-stick’ of how likely I am to repeat an event is how quickly I become dissatisfied with my performance and start rethinking what needs to change to improve. I’d gotten to that point by the Monday morning. I know I can do better next time so I’ll just have to prove it!

A final big thank you to all that make this event happen year up on year, all the back room volunteers, the poor lap counters who suffer near frostbite of the pinkies and last but definitely not least Mick! Take a bow one and all!

Dave Proud