Does the perfect race exist? - Brighton Marathon 2013

I hated science at school, mainly because of the teachers and partly because I felt too dumb. So when people get a bit ‘sciency’ about running, it kind of goes over my head (feel free to add your own pun here if you wish).... 

I can just about deal with tempo runs, interval sessions (as long as Mike or Glads are instructing) and steady runs but I wouldn't know a lactate threshold, VO2 max or optimum heart rate if it smacked me in the face. 

But I have decided that maybe there is a formula (could be maths, I suppose) to get your ideal marathon time. Possibly: 

Training + health + race conditions + luck – injury x mental attitude = perfect marathon? 

Training: my training had gone really well until first week of March, slightly smugly I had ticked off all the sessions on my training plan, even in the never-ending snow and ice…until my IT band started complaining. 

Health: No coughs/colds or other ailments since before Christmas and even my son had the decency to be sick over a bank holiday so no runs missed then. 

Race conditions: the Saturday I arrived in Brighton to pouring rain and almost gale force 
winds but they had calmed to a cool, damp morning with a breeze but nowhere near as windy on race day, and the sun made an appearance later as well. 

Luck: hmmm, the choice of toilet queue wasn't my best decision, meaning I started behind the 4:15 pacer, despite wanting or hoping rather optimistically for 3:30 

Mental attitude: patchy! Until my first 20 mile run was feeling confident that I could and would be able to break 3:30 this year. Having a slight injury (or is niggle the correct Strider terminology?) gave me the usual uncertainty and doubts. 

A few days before my mother-in-law said, ‘I don’t think you’ll make it, not with how your legs been, no you won’t get all the way round.’ Now I am allowed to think this but having someone else vocalise it gave me the motivation that I WILL FINISH! 

The race: told myself I would not do the same as last year and start late because of an ill-judged toilet queue but in the words of Britney Spears, ‘Oops I did it again!’(men: you don’t know how lucky you are!!). Maybe I would make up the time? Well I did a little but after 10 miles I knew a PB wasn't going to happen. 

But I wasn't too disappointed. I stopped checking my Garmin, I missed some of the mile markers, I gave my sis a hug when I saw her, I gave lots of small children a high 5 and it was really liberating to enjoy the atmosphere without being bothered by time. 

My hip started to hurt but not unbearably so, at mile 17 .Without the pressure of a PB I didn't mind having to slow down. I passed a man I knew at mile 20 and that spurred me on as I wanted to stay ahead. By mile 22 the pain was worse but I knew it would be more painful to walk so kept running, slowly. (The walk uphill back to Brighton station was almost as bad as the marathon!)  

smiling into the finish

The last 3 miles were full of crowds, cheering, music and general partying which helped and I knew a super-speedy friend was looking out for me. I checked off the beach huts, the West pier, the Grand Hotel, the Palace pier, the big wheel, and finally the finish. I was so chuffed. I remembered to smile as I crossed the line with a miserable looking superman. And it wasn’t even a personal worst!

Conclusion: Before, I said I wasn’t interested in running it if I didn’t think I could get a PB. Now I have changed my mind. Despite the pain, it was a brilliant race. No water bottle, no i-pod, minimal chatting and minimal Garmin checking and it was still just as exciting….but I still haven’t let go of my sub 3:30 dream…maybe I should invest in a she-wee for next year?...Maybe the perfect race doesn’t exist? 

Helen Cartlidge

Jack’s marathons - December 2012 – March 2013

Broadmeadow Christmas Marathon: Stratford on Avon: 8 December 2012: After a fortnight of heavy rain and a week of freezing cold weather the temperature rose slightly for this route description trail marathon, which comprises 3 different loops around the Warwickshire countryside. I was somewhat wary about this marathon as I’d been suffering with a hip injury, but I reasoned that I could drop out at the end of the first loop if I found running too painful. As it was miraculously I didn’t experience any pain right from the start. Even so I ran fairly cautiously, taking my time to enjoy the scenery and being particularly careful around slippery areas. Even though we had glimpses of sun much of the canal was frozen over and I never got that warm. However, it was great to be running pain-free for the first time in 3 weeks. My finish time was 5:13:47. 

Portsmouth Coastal Waterside Trail Marathon: 23 December 2012: This marathon promised water and there was certainly no shortage of that. 894 runners braved flood warnings to run this flat, out and back marathon. The sea was on our right going out and on our left coming back, but the main water problem was that many of the footpaths were waterlogged, muddy and very slippery and I saw numerous spectacular falls as the less wary lost their footing. The beach section of the race was partially shingle and partially a quagmire and it was a tough call to say which provided the easier running surface. In good conditions this would be a very fast course as it is flat and the whole route is well marked and marshaled. Unusually for a trail marathon they also put out mile markers and there is chip timing. I was pleased with my finish time of 4:09:55 and happy that I’d opted to run in trail shoes rather than ordinary trainers. Kathryn Hall also ran and crossed the line in 4:36:42. 

Naples Marathon, Italy: 27 January 2013: Given that most of the first 6 miles of this marathon were along cobbled streets I finally understood why the marathon organisers required so many written indemnities and doctors’ certificates prior to the race start. Those of us who managed to make it past 13k without a broken ankle were able to enjoy an undulating course with some great views of the bay of Naples until we reached about 37k. From then on we had to battle our way through myriad cyclists, dog walkers and family groups along the sea front. Nobody seemed to look where they were going and the race directors made no attempt to cordon off an area for the runners. During that last 5k at least 2 bikes crossed straight in front of me without looking and a woman walked her dog straight in front of me so that I had to stop and then manoeuvre my way past it. Like everyone else who was still running at that stage I spent my time weaving left or right to avoid collisions and hoping that nothing was going to hit me from behind. I can definitely confirm that Neopolitans walk and cycle just as they drive. On the plus side my finish time was 3:53:43 and it was good to escape the snow for a few days. 

Watford Half Marathon: 3 February 2013: Phew! My time of 1:47:04 was faster than for the last 3 times I’ve run this race. 

Genk Marathon, Belgium: 10 February 2013: This is one of my favourite European Marathons and I have now run it 5 times. There is always a large contingent of UK runners there and because most of us are veterans the race director, Micha, refers to us as Dad’s Army. We usually travel to Genk by Eurostar and local train and stay in a hostel right next to the race start. The race comprises 7 x 6k laps. There is one fairly steep hill and a more gradual climb on each lap as well as a long downhill stretch. However, because the route is through very pretty countryside I never find it boring. This year the temperature at the start was around minus seven and for the first 3 laps there were some very slippery areas where the ice had not melted. Given the conditions I was more than happy with my time of 3:52:58. 

Pitsford Water Trail Marathon: 3 March 2013: This is a new 4 lap undulating trail marathon held within the picturesque grounds of Brixworth Country Park, near Northampton. The route around Pitsford Water was well marked and there were ample drink stops. It was very cold for the first and last laps, but we enjoyed some sunshine during the middle 2 laps. Kathryn Hall was the only other Strider there. I finished in 4:12:10 and her time was 4:42:02. 

Milton Keynes Half Marathon: 10 March 2013: It was snowing at the race start and I never really got warm. I had a reasonable run finishing in 1:47:33. It was good to see one of our former Striders Chairmen (Andrew Wasdell) amongst the supporters on the way round. 

Great Barrow Spring Challenge Trail Marathon, Suffolk: 17 March 2013: Heavy rain on the Friday and Saturday had turned much of the course into a quagmire and it took great concentration to avoid taking a tumble. The sections through Ickworth Park and Nowton Park were pretty and snowdrops were everywhere. I ran round with a friend and finished in 5:28:33. 

Run Round the Reservoir Trail Marathons, Northampton: 30 and 31 March 2013: I seem to have a mental block when it comes to back to back marathons and often find that I’ve agreed to run them before my brain kicks into gear. At least there was no serious travel involved between the races, which were both staged on the same course around Brackmills Reservoir in Northampton. The 6 lap route is relatively flat and each lap comprises a mixture of tarmac path and grassy footpaths. Unfortunately there was one stretch of about three quarters of a mile, which was fairly sticky at the beginning of Day 1 and which got progressively muddier and more clammy on the second day. Because the whole route is fairly exposed the strong wind and occasional snow flurries made for cold conditions, but I was quite pleased to finish the first race in 4:10:50 and the second one in 4:34:55. 

Jack Brooks

Training blog - strains & pains, Feb to Mar 2013

“Listen up, kids. I've got something important to tell you..... The training plan and I haven't been getting on too well lately. .....

"I'll admit that a lot of the fault lies with me.... It hasn't been easy.... In the early days, I was definitely much more attentive. Lately, I've missed the odd date. There have been times I've wanted to take things a bit more slowly..... And there's been a real (calf) strain in our relationship. 

“But I'm still learning:

• On long runs, the pain seems to move - it usually starts with a numb left ankle, sometimes a mild stitch a few miles later, and sometimes a dull ache between the shoulder blades after an hour. But never at the same time! Why is that?
• People aren't that interested - I've noticed eyes glazing over even before I've even uttered the words, "would you like to see my training spreadsheet?".....
• If you're worried that you're returning from injury too soon, you probably are - I've had a tight right calf lately, and while I've been straining at the leash to get back to it, more experienced heads than mine have been counselling patience. And quite right too.
• Deep tissue massage is worth every penny - although it doesn't half hurt!

“Training is a constant balancing act between obsession and denial - I've noticed that some other runners are really hard on themselves and are continually pushing themselves to the limits. Is that obsession or overdoing it? At the other end of the scale, it's tempting to convince yourself that you're doing OK when you're actually going through the motions. And then you won't improve much. I find I'm constantly trying to find myself on this obsession–denial spectrum. 

“But most of all, kids, I've learned that this relationship with my training plan is worth the effort, even when the honeymoon is over. Although it's been frosty in the last few days, things are definitely beginning to thaw. And running the Reading Half Marathon last month showed me that we can definitely last the distance.

“It's two months until the Edinburgh Half. I know now that I can do what the training plan tells me until then. Together we are stronger.”

Richard Sved