London Marathon - the hot one

I have written before about bloggers who log their build up but then don't bother to write up the marathon. This happens a lot in the blogosphere but I will not be one of them!

So, Saturday was 4 miles recovery and then the journey down to London to collect my number and get to my hotel. You are supposed to avoid too much time on feet the day before the marathon but with all the changing trains and walking to the expo. and then to the hotel I did about 20,000 steps that day. Probably not ideal but then again nothing I am not used to.

I had a good sleep on Saturday and a sensible breakfast (sadly passing on the full English option!) I also took the weather seriously, putting on a white cap and vest and covering myself with factor 50 sunscreen.

Unfortunately the forecast had got even worse at this point. It was now going to be sunny all morning with the temperature rising from 18 to 21. This was a bit of a disaster for any hopes of a fast time.

I decided to pace by heart rate and just see what happened. I have never run a marathon in these conditions before so wasn't sure how it would play out.

All the logistics of getting to the start went smoothly and I was soon in pen number 1, watching the Queen press the start button. Within a couple minutes I was running over the start line.

There were supposed to be 3 hour pacers from the blue start but I never saw them which is probably a good thing as going with them would not have ended well.

The first 3 miles went well enough, with the average pace around 6:55 and the heart rate in the right place. Unfortunately my watch was not doing a good job of measuring the route and kept ticking over to the next mile earlier and earlier, meaning I was actually going slower than it was indicating. I decided just to watch the heart rate and not worry about it.

At every water station I took water and chucked the rest over my head. Where there was Lucozade I took that and where there were gels I used them. All in all I used 5 gels.

The first 12 miles were pretty uneventful. The miles ticked by quickly enough. The watch claimed my average pace was about 6:55. In reality it was probably more like 7:05. My heart rate was nice and low at about 143. I kept on telling myself just to relax and I would smash the last 6 miles.

After about 12 miles I got a bit of a stitch - probably due to the unusual amount of nutrition I was taking on. This were away after a few miles thankfully.

Around this point we turned right onto Tower Bridge. This is an amazing part of the course with the amount of noise made by spectators on the bridge being quite phenomenal. However it is then followed by the anticlimax of some boring miles before you get to 20 miles and can start counting down to the end.

I went through halfway in about 1:34. About this point I realised that a good time was not going to happen today. I felt OK but not great. I could maybe push for a 3:10 but I didn't really see the point. It wasn't a day for records. I decided to just go with the flow of runners around me and just enjoy the race.

So that it what I did for the next 7 miles. I didn't slow to a jog but nor did I push. I just cantered along at a steady effort, taking everything in and still gaining places.

One bonus of my steady pace was that I got to see Kipchoge and Mo Farah coming the other direction before the routes diverged. Hopefully this will be the last time I am slow enough to see the leaders coming in the other direction!

After about 15 miles the route winds through the Isle of Dogs and Canary Wharf for about 5 miles. This part of the course is a bit less well supported than other areas and a bit undulating. However I was going reasonably well and the miles passed quickly enough.

I got to 20 miles in about 2:26. That meant I needed a 49 minute 10K to get a sub 3:15. That seemed like a sensible target so I started checking my watch again to make sure my pace was faster than 8 minutes per mile.

It is incredible how far apart the mile markers seem to be at this stage in a marathon. Thankfully they all came round less than 8 minutes after the previous one so I was on course.

After about 40K a 3:15 pacemaker eased past me and pulled away. I concluded that he must have crossed the start line before me and there was no need to panic. I did try to speed up a bit to stay with the pacemaker but I got some twinges in my calf that signalled cramp could be on the way. No big finish for me then.

Soon enough Big Ben came and went and then the long-awaited 1K to go sign. I could see that I had over 1 minute for every 200 metres so as long as I kept moving I would make it. A few minutes later we turned past the Palace and onto the Mall. I managed to enjoy the last 200 metres with a few fist pumps for the camera.

So that was that. London Marathon 2018 in 3:14:28.

12 months ago I did a marathon in 2:59:45. One year and a lot of training later I did a marathon 15 minutes slower. How do you process that?

I think in Manchester last year everything went perfectly. My legs were having a good day, the conditions were good and obviously the course was flat. I managed to sneak under 3 hours by the skin of my teeth.

In London it was way too hot. I don't run well in the heat as several summer half marathons have proved. My legs felt average rather than amazing. So I am OK with a steady marathon with only a limited fade in the second half. I took 10 minutes off my time from 4 years ago on a much hotter day and enjoyed the event much more.

One PB isn't a great return for a big marathon build up but hopefully I have a good base for the rest of the year and can come back again in 2019 for another attempt at the elusive sub 3.

6 miles with strides

As far as final taper weeks go, this one has been pretty full on with a run every day and a mini workout on Wednesday. I guess it is a question of what you are used to and not allowing your legs to get sluggish.

I certainly haven't given my legs any chance of getting lazy today, with a 6 mile run into work with strides, a cycle home and then a swim session this evening.

The strides felt pretty good although not amazing. I think I am in decent shape though.

The triathlon club swim session was humbling as ever. I am just not a very good swimmer. I was in the intermediate class but in reality I am only just at intermediate level. I normally stick to things I am good at so to see people join the group and improve much quicker than me has been eye-opening. Still, I have improved and I think I need to swim more than twice a week to see some real improvements.

6 miles recovery

Nothing but recovery runs and a few strides now. My calves felt a bit tight today but eventually loosened up and the recovery pace was better than normal. Running at midday was hot! 23 degrees in April! I'm glad it will be a little bit cooler on Sunday.

I have done what I can to prepare for the warm weather now. My outfit is all white or yellow, including a cap. I also have some electrolyte gels to help hydration. There is water every mile at London so at every drink station I will sip some water and tip the rest over my head.

In other news, carbo-loading is quite fun!

Today I fly; on Sunday I fry

This morning was the dress rehearsal. Popular amongst fans of the P&D marathon training plans; some consider it their favourite run of the whole schedule.

The idea is that you dress in your race day kit and see what 2 miles @ marathon pace feels like.

For me that meant putting on short shorts and a vest and leaving the phone behind. I wanted this run to be a confidence boost so I arranged for the wind to be behind me during the fast miles.

So it was 4 miles steady running up to the trail and then let off the brakes. Predictably I got a bit carried away. My HR shot above 150 when it should be around 145 in a marathon. I calmed myself down and loped along at a nice effort. Apple watches do not do lap pace so my heart was in my mouth to some extent when I completed the first tempo mile. Would it be a disappointing time like 6:50 or something better like 6:30? I was very happy to see 6:20 on the watch. However I knew I had put too much effort in and had the wind behind me so this was not a realistic marathon pace.

I tried to keep the HR at a reasonable level for the next mile (averaging about 147) and that came out at 6:40.

I would be ecstatic if I could average 6:40 on Sunday. With colder weather I might have a chance. With the current forecast I would very happily take sub 3:00.

Don't forget suncream

Yikes! The forecast for Sunday has just got worse. It is now predicted to be 23 degrees C by 1 pm. 23 degrees! You can't run a marathon in that!

If that forecast is correct my target will be 3:05.

That's the problem with doing a big training plan for a marathon. You train hard for months, making sacrifices along the way, and then a random injury, illness or bad weather can ruin your chances. Hmm.

Anyway, 6 miles in to work this morning. 8 minute miles coming easy.

7 miles recovery

It's the final countdown. Just 6 more runs before the big one. The main goal is now to keep ticking over and not do anything silly.

As expected the recovery pace was better than normal today and I even did an 8 minute mile! The weather is very pleasant at the moment with no gloves or hat required.

Unfortunately the forecast for London ticked up a degree today but having watched the Boston Marathon I guess I shouldn't complain. 15 to 20 degrees with a light wind will actually feel quite pleasant in the first half but will definitely have an impact in the second. For the elites racing for places it doesn't matter as much as their rivals are equally affected but for those going for a time it is a bit frustrating.

13 miles steady

The taper is in full flow now but the plan still wants 13 miles at a decent pace one week before the marathon. With fresher legs this was not a problem, in fact the main goal was not to get carried away.

The first half was into the wind at an easy effort and the pace was comfortably below 8 minute miles. After the turnaround it was time to up the effort and I was happy to see the pace drop all the way down to 7 minute miles.

Of course I can never stop a run at 13 miles, it has to be 13.11 for a half marathon. This was done in under 1:40 so a nice final long run.

Seven days to go now. It is starting to feel real. 26 miles is an intimidating distance to race so my way of dealing with the pressure is to treat it as just another race as much as possible and not take it too seriously.