Running On A Raisin: October 2015

Monday, 26 October 2015

Leicester Marathon 2015

Week 1 of 2

Mon 12/10: 4.0 miles @ 8:48/mile

Tues 13/10: 4.0 miles @ 8:52/mile

Weds 14/10: 4.0 miles @ 8:41/mile

Weds 14/10: 4.0 miles @ 8:28/mile

Thurs 15/10: 4.0 miles @ 8:41/mile

Thurs 15/10: 4.0 miles @ 8:32/mile

Fri 16/10: 4.0 miles @ 8:28/mile

Sat 17/10: 4.0 miles incl. Sth Manchester parkrun 17:56 (7th) (3.1 miles @ 5:46/mile) [Hannah 18:33 (2nd)]

Sun 18/10: 6.0 miles incl. Green Drive 5 29:08 (5 miles @ 5:50/mile). [Hannah 30:11 (2nd)]

Total Weekly Mileage: 38.00 Miles

Week 2 of 2

Mon 19/10: 4.0 miles @ 8:17/mile

Tues 20/10: 4.0 miles @ 8:52/mile

Weds 21/10: 4.0 miles @ 8:29/mile

Thurs 22/10: 4.0 miles @ 8:38/mile

Fri 23/10: 4.0 miles @ 8:40/mile

Sat 24/10: 4.0 miles incl. Brueton parkrun 20:29 (41st) (3.1 miles @ 6:35/mile) [Hannah 20:29 (2nd)]

Sun 25/10: Leicester Marathon 2:55:11 (11th) (26.21 miles @ 6:42/mile). [Hannah 2:57:51 (1st)]

Total Weekly Mileage: 51.0 Miles

Sun 25th October : Leicester Marathon 2015 - 2:55:11 (11th) [Hannah 2:57:51 (1st)]

Leicester wasn't even on the agenda until last week but in the days after the Yorkshire Marathon on 11th October it appeared that we had both come out of that race reasonably intact.

Therefore, the idea of another quickfire marathon seemed like a good idea, that doesn't mean that it was a good idea ...... but we entered anyway :)

7 days after Yorkshire the Green Drive 5 at Lytham St Annes in Lancashire had provided an opportunity to see just how unscathed the legs were. The resulting 29:08 (recent PB) for me and 30:11 (all time PB) for Hannah was a very positive outcome. It is fair to say that 5 miles is not a very common distance and therefore PBs don't mean a great deal but nonetheless we were very happy with those times as a sign that marathon recovery was going well.

The Race:

Brrrrrrr is about the only way to sum up the pre-race conditions.

It therefore became the first glove wearing race of the season. Thankfully the organisation for this race was pretty slick and it was easy to leave the baggage depositing until the last minute. That was an enormous help as I could feel the teeth clattering when attempting to have a conversation with Helen Hood in the warm up area.

0-10 Miles (1:06:37)

It was a relief to get underway to start getting warmed up.

With a Marathon, Half Marathon and relay event combined into a single start it was more important than ever to switch off in the opening stages and ignore all the inevitable barging and jostling that goes on in these mixed events.

The events split at about 6 miles at which point all the bustle disappeared and wide empty roads became the norm.

My only aim for this race was to look after the calves to see if the shooting pains at Yorkshire were simply a one off due to excessive dehydration. At Yorkshire the problems occurred between 18-20 miles so the aim here was to ease through the race and past 20 miles with everything still working.

The first 10 miles were pretty flat with the odd undulation. The 6:40/mile average pace felt comfortable enough with not a squeak from the calves ....... yet!

10-20 Miles (2:12:57)

By this point of the race things were feeling very pleasant, the sun was out, the course was uncomplicated and the legs were feeling good. There was certainly scope to push the pace along a bit more swiftly but the wariness about what might happen around 18 miles served to keep a lid on things.

At around 12 or 13 miles following a string of generic 'well done, guys' type comments there then followed two successive comments from spectators saying 'well done, 2nd lady' just after I passed.

A quick look over the shoulder confirmed 2nd place lady was a certain Miss Oldroyd a mere 15-20 metres behind looking pretty comfortable.

Because of the events being mixed in the early stages there was no way of knowing what positions anyone was in without this feedback from the spectators.

On we went enjoying the Leicestershire countryside. Approaching 15 miles was the first point at which the leading lady came into view. Hannah was still in close proximity so the race was now on with 1st place being a realistic target.

At 16.5 miles there was one single slight twinge from the right calf. Oh shit, was this going to be a repeat of Yorkshire? As a result of that twinge even more wariness ensued over the next 3 or 4 miles.

But keeping the metaphorical fingers crossed 17 miles, 18 miles, 19 miles and then 20 miles passed by thankfully without incident.

20 Miles - Finish (2:55:11)

It felt good to get to 20 miles still moving smoothly but the thinking at this stage was to give it another mile of caution and then start pushing over the last 5 miles.

By 21 miles everything felt great and it really didn't feel like the 21 mile stage of a marathon, the wariness to this stage was now paying dividends. It wasn't going to be an amazing overall time but you can't beat the feeling of being strong and in control over the last few miles of a marathon.

Even knowing that there was an uphill last mile didn't stop the feeling of wanting to push along the miles leading up to it.

The Finish (2:55:11)

Over the line in what turned out to be an even paced marathon and feeling as good, if not better, in the last 10k as any previous marathon. It was also good for the first time in 3 races to not be watching the 3 hour countdown looming ever closer.

There was some decent progression through the field as a result of the even pacing and being wary in the early stages:

Looking back up the finishing straight it was quickly confirmed that Hannah had gone on to take the lead and build a comfortable margin over the last 10-11 miles.

The Ladies Podium:

1. Hannah Oldroyd 2:57:51

2. Sarah Davis-Foxon 3:05:23

3. Alison Matthews 3:07:23

Looking quite pleased with her morning in Leicester:

From left: Alison Matthews (3rd), Hannah Oldroyd (1st), Sarah Davis-Foxon (2nd) :

The first place for Matthew Lalor was even more impressive considering that it was only his 2nd marathon, the previous one being a 3:30 four years ago:

This is Sean Duffy who narrowly missed his sub 3 target by seconds at Yorkshire two weeks ago as a result of a natural break stop. On this occassion he performed a perfect execution of 'Run Your Number' by clocking 3:03 while wearing number 303!

It was nice of the leaders to wait for us slower runners to arrive but their wait took it's toll ;)

Good friends, Mark and Julie Thompson, who fared a wee bit better than the chap above in waiting for the runners to arrive. As parkrun ambassadors they will be bringing a new parkrun to this very park in the next few weeks:

With a string of 18 consecutive sub 3 marathons since Oct 2013 it must surely now be time for a rest? Then again....................????????????????

Marathon Building Blocks (getting a bit long now but this is the year in a nutshell once all the slow short runs are removed) :

15th Feb: 18.6 miles @ 6:16/mile

22nd Feb: 10.0 miles @ 6:04/mile

28th Feb: 3.1 miles @ 5:48/mile

28th Feb: 3.1 miles @ 5:50/mile

1st March: 13.1 miles @ 6:24/mile

8th March: 26.21 miles @ 6:23/mile

14th March: 3.1 miles @ 5:46/mile

14th March: 3.1 miles @ 5:36/mile

15th March: 20.0 miles @ 6:25/mile

21st March: 3.1 miles @ 5:45/mile

22nd March: 9.65 miles @ 6:18/mile

28th March: 3.1 miles @ 5:45/mile

29th March: 11.2 miles @ 6:08/mile)

4th April: 3.1 miles @ 6:00/mile

12th April: 26.21 miles @ 6:35/mile

18th April: 3.1 miles @ 5:40/mile

19th April: 5.8 miles @ 6:04/mile

26th April: 26.21 miles @ 6:32/mile

4th May: 26.21 miles @ 6:40/mile

6th May: 3.1 miles @ 5:36/mile

10th May: 13.1 miles @ 6:15/mile

13th May: 3.1 miles @ 5:36/mile

16th May: 3.1 miles @ 5:45/mile

17th May: 13.1 miles @ 6:03/mile

20th May: 3.1 miles @ 5:37/mile

23rd May: 3.1 miles @ 5:45/mile

24th May: 1.0 mile @ 5:07/mile

30th May: 26.21 miles @ 6:37/mile

6th Jun: 3.1 miles @ 5:58/mile

7th Jun: 13.1 miles @ 6:05/mile

10th Jun: 10.0 miles @ 6:20/mile

13th Jun: 3.1 miles @ 5:50/mile

14th Jun: 13.1 miles @ 6:02/mile

20th Jun: 3.1 miles @ 5:54/mile

20th Jun: 3.1 miles @ 5:40/mile

21st Jun: 6.21 miles @ 6:31/mile

25th Jun: 10.0 miles @ 5:57/mile

26th Jun: 13.1 miles @ 6:11/mile

27th Jun: 3.1 miles @ 5:57/mile

27th Jun: 6.21 miles @ 6:15/mile

28th Jun: 6.21 miles @ 6:42/mile

1st Jul: 1.0 miles @ 5:11/mile

5th Jul: 26.21 miles @ 6:35/mile

9th Jul: 3.1 miles @ 5:50/mile

11th Jul: 3.1 miles @ 5:54/mile

12th Jul: 3.1 miles @ 5:50/mile

18th Jul: 3.1 miles @ 5:57/mile

18th Jul: 6.21 miles @ 5:43/mile

19th Jul: 13.1 miles @ 6:15/mile

22nd Jul: 2.75 miles @ 5:50/mile

25th/26th Jul: 62.1 miles @ 8:00/mile

1st Aug: 3.1 miles @ 5:54/mile

1st Aug: 3.1 miles @ 6:47/mile

1st Aug: 6.21 miles @ 6:24/mile

2nd Aug: 13.1 miles @ 6:34/mile

6th Aug: 3.1 miles @ 5:49/mile

8th Aug: 3.1 miles @ 5:45/mile

9th Aug: 5.0 miles @ 5:57/mile

15th Aug: 3.1 miles @ 5:40/mile

16th Aug: 10.0 miles @ 6:00/mile

22nd Aug: 3.1 miles @ 5:52/mile

22nd Aug: 10.0 miles @ 6:15/mile

23rd Aug: 6.5 miles @ 6:19/mile

29th Aug: 1.0 miles @ 5:05/mile

30th Aug: 6.21 miles @ 5:58/mile

5th Sept: 48.0 miles @ 7:11/mile

13th Sept: 26.21 miles @ 6:51/mile

19th Sept: 3.1 miles @ 5:46/mile

20th Sept: 13.1 miles @ 6:03/mile

26th Sept: 3.1 miles @ 5:48/mile

26th Sept: 3.1 miles @ 5:59/mile

27th Sept: 6.21 miles @ 5:51/mile

2nd Oct: 3.1 miles @ 5:47/mile

2nd Oct: 10.0 miles @ 6:10/mile

10th Oct: 3.1 miles @ 6:46/mile

11th Oct: 26.21 miles @ 6:51/mile

17th Oct: 3.1 miles @ 5:46/mile

18th Oct: 5.0 miles @ 5:50/mile

25th Oct: 26.21 miles @ 6:42/mile

Recent Marathon Record

2009 April - Blackpool Marathon 3:24:17 (Age 42)

2009 September - Fleetwood Marathon DNF (Age 43)
2010 October - Amsterdam Marathon 3:04:27 (Age 44)
2010 November - Milton Keynes Track Marathon DNF (Age 44)

2011 April - London Marathon 3:18:30 (Age 44)

2012 April - London Marathon 2:57:04 (Age 45)

2012 October - Chester 2:55:36 (Age 46)

2013 April - London Marathon 3:11:29 (Age 46)

2013 June - Cork Marathon 3:06:19 (Age 47)

2013 October - Budapest Marathon 2:58:53 (Age 47)

2013 December - Lancaster Marathon 2:54:17 (Age 47) (1st)

2013 December - Pisa Marathon 2:54:09 (Age 47)

2014 April - Manchester Marathon 2:51:52 (Age 47)

2014 April - London Marathon 2:57:52 (Age 47)

2014 June - Rhyl Marathon 2:58:24 (Age 48)

2014 October - Yorkshire Marathon 2:47:34 (Age 48)

2014 October - Dublin Marathon 2:58:53 (Age 48)

2014 November - Town Moor Marathon 2:54:56 (Age 48) (1st)

2015 March - Wrexham Marathon 2:48:12 (Age 48) (5th)

2015 April - Canberra ACT Marathon 2:52:10 (Age 48) (15th)

2015 April - London Marathon 2:50:55 (Age 48)

2015 May - Belfast City Marathon 2:54:54 (Age 48)

2015 May - Kent Roadrunner Marathon 2:53:34 (Age 49) (4th)

2015 July - Potteries Marathon 2:52:40 (Age 49) (6th)

2015 September - Mary Anderson Colour Marathon 2:59:17 (Age 49) (7th)

2015 October - Yorkshire Marathon 2:59:30 (Age 49)

2015 October - Leicester Marathon 2:55:11 (Age 49) (11th)

Monday, 12 October 2015

Yorkshire Marathon 2015 (Week 12 of 12)

Week 12 (Race Week)

Mon 5/10: 4.0 miles @ 8:37/mile

Tues 6/10: 4.0 miles @ 8:52/mile

Weds 7/10: 4.0 miles @ 8:22/mile

Thurs 8/10: 4.0 miles @ 8:38/mile

Fri 9/10: 4.0 miles @ 8:24/mile

Sat 10/10: 4.0 miles incl. Fountains Abbey parkrun 20:58 (33rd) (3.1 miles @ 6:46/mile) [Hannah 20:58 (2nd)]

Sun 11/10: Yorkshire Marathon 2:59:30 (26.21 miles @ 6:51/mile). [Hannah 2:53:23 (4th)]

Total Weekly Mileage: 50.21 Miles

Saturday 10th October - Fountains Abbey parkrun (20:58) [Hannah 20:58]

The pre-marathon parkrun choice this time was Fountains Abbey in North Yorks.

We were looking for a run to get the blood flowing and to keep things supple but at the same time avoiding pushing too much and causing stiffness the next day. Around 21 minutes seems to fit the bill, so job done on that front.

Most of the run was in the company of the Comrades completing tough cookie, Helen Williams, who is well on her way back to sub 20 fitness.

It was great to see Adam Prentis, the ED at Fountains, still glowing from his first sub 3 marathon performance in Berlin 2 weeks ago.

As is often the case, along with Tom and Helen Williams and Jamie and Debbie Dillasser, we were probably the last to leave the cafe as post run chatter kept chattering!

Sunday 11th October - Yorkshire Marathon 2015 2:59:30 [Hannah 2:53:23 (4th)]

So race day arrived and conditions were looking absolutely perfect as we pulled into York.

Walking out of the car park the first person we bumped into was Steve Chapman (left in the pic below). We were chatting away and then a chap walking behind us carrying a cake joined in the conversation. It was a very familiar sounding voice, as it would be to anyone vaguely connected to Yorkshire, none other than Mr Harry Gration, the evergreen presenter of Look North and a vast array of sporting events.

It wasn't going to be the only instance of being photographed with Mr Gration but more of that later:

Relaxing pre race with race winner Joasia Zakrzewski and comparing optimal fuelling strategies:

After a bit of striding out in the warm up area and the usual pre race banter with the familiar faces lining up ready for the start I was approached by an official who asked the question "Are you Steve?"

Well, there really is only one answer to that question so I gave it, "Yes".

Little did I know that that particular answer meant that I qualified to be classed as a 'famous celebrity' and was ushered along to be lined up with my fellow famous celebs:

Keith Senior - ex Leeds Rhino rugby league player, considered by some to be the greatest player of the Super League era.

Nicola Rees - BBC Look North presenter.

Harry Gration - BBC Look North presenter.

Mr Burton - Star of Educating Yorkshire.

Emily Freeman - UK 200m Champion 2008 & 2009, Beijing Olympics 200m runner.

Steve Darby - Erm, who????? Don't know but he must be quite famous cos he's in this pic:

I don't know who I was supposed to be but as I went back to the starting pen I remember saying to Hannah in a state of bewilderment ...... 'I have no idea what just happened'.

Maybe half the problem was that I was wearing a gold 'VIP' wristband and since I clearly wasn't an elite athlete then I must be a minor celebrity of some sort, right? That might be the case if I had earned the wristband in my own right but I only had it as a '+1' to Hannah.

An amusing start to the day :)

Harry getting into the swing of things in the 10 mile race:

0-10k - 40:26 [Hannah 41:03]

The early part of the race was just a matter of ignoring whats going on around and just settling into a nice relaxed rhythm through the centre of York and then out into the surrounding country lanes.

It is pretty much flat throughout so a time of 40:26 was comfortable and established a good foundation for the rest of the race.

10-20k - 39:45 [Hannah 40:46]

The 2nd 10k was unproblematic consisting of a flowing run through country lanes taking in one or two villages along the way.

In 2014 it was at this stage, approaching halfway, that a sense of 'this is going to be a good one' was starting to emerge and, as it turned out, that was correct that day with a final 2:47:34 PB being the result.

This year it was feeling equally as promising, if not better, than last year so there was no need to push too hard at this stage but just to be patient and let the effort build gradually over the second half.

20-30k - 40:55 [Hannah 40:58]

There is a turnround point at about 14 miles and then there is a long straight 4 mile run to another turnround point at 18 miles. Hannah was looking very smiley at the 14 mile point as I let her know she was in 4th. As she had been given conflicting information about her position up to that point, kniwing she was in 4th probably proved useful.

This section is really enjoyable as you start it in the formative stages of the race and by the time you get to the other end you are firmly focussed on getting ready for the finishing stages.

The picture below was coming up to the end of this section at 18 miles.

Just in front was Tori Green (currently in 2nd), hence the presence of the Channel 4 camera bike, with Simon Newton acting as pacemaker.

Momentum was building nicely and thoughts of pushing on to have a go at the 2:47 PB were seeming very realistic.

However, there was one fly in the ointment. In the mile leading up to this point there had been two instances of a momentary strange feeling in the right calf. It felt like a cold marble shooting down and around the calf, something never experienced before. It had affected one stride and then disappeared each time resulting in no loss of momentum.

As I joined Simon and Tori I mentioned that everything was feeling great apart from something strange in the calf:

(Photo courtesy of Anne Akers)

Just after the turnround point came a defining point which felt like being shot in the right calf which caused a sudden and involuntary coming to a halt.

My first thought was not to trip Tori and affect her race. As can be seen below my demise was probably caught on Ch.4 but hopefully it won't make it into the highlights ;)

This time it felt much more serious and although the shooting pain disappeared as soon as I stopped each attempt to get going again with a slow jog lasted no more than about 20 strides or so.

After 8-10 such attempts I pretty much accepted the inevitable and started to look for a way of getting a lift back to the finish. I kept walking hoping that I would see someone familiar or at least get some help from a marshal.

Every now and again I tried another jog with a bit of a different emphasis on how the foot was striking the ground to see if that would help me get a bit further. Hannah passed as a bit of calf self massaging was taking place at the side of the road. Well, it was worth a try. Then several other familiar faces passed by on both sides of the road as runners were going in both directions at this point.

30-40k - 47:52 [Hannah 41:32]

Martin Hall came by on his way to 1st place V55 just before the 20 mile mark. I was still walking as he passed but thought I'd give it another go to at least shorten the time to the university, walking would take about 90 minutes so any bouts of jogging would shorten that.

With an attempt to strike more with the heel and the outside of the foot a continuous jog of more than 200m was achieved for the first time in 2 miles. Ok, a bit of an improvement then ....... but will it last.

On passing the 20 mile mark a quick glance at the watch showed 2:14 had elapsed. This was surprising as time was being lost hand over fist between 18-20 miles.

So now that a continuous running motion had been reestablished and there was still 46 minutes left to cover the final 10k could a sub 3 still be possible? Might as well give it a go.

It was slow and deliberate but at 22 miles there was still 32 minutes left. Thoughts now were along the lines of just maintaining this pace and mentally having 2 x 1 minute walk breaks held in reserve should the calves start to struggle. The sub 3 was still doable, which was something of a surprise.

There was still 18 minutes left at the 24 mile mark and this was the point where it felt like the odds were on my side. The current rhythm seemed maintainable without aggravating whatever the problem was.

Finish - 2:59:30 [Hannah 2:53:37]

Just after 25 miles and I heard the reassuring and motivational shout from the crowd of 'You've had yer arse whooped today, Darby'. That was Caz Hall, my ex-friend ;)

Half way up the final hill and Mark Hetherington advised that there was 3 minutes of running to go.

I had a gut feeling that the sub 3 was now pretty much in the bag ......... until the finish line clock came into view. It was displaying a time of 3:02:xx. Bearing in mind that wangling a start up with the elites left no chip time adjustment to fall back on, so it came as something of a relief when Martin Yelling announced that the current finishers should still be well within 3 hours.

It turned out that the clock had been started for the wheelchair race and was showing their elapsed time.

Meanwhile, Hannah was sailing along delivering another materclass in pacing - 1st half 1:26:50, 2nd half 1:26:47. Does it get much better than a 3 secs negative split? 4th place overall in 2:53:23 with the podium finishers as follows:

1. Joasia Zakrzewski 2:48:48

2. Rose Nicholson 2:49:45

3. Tori Green 2:50:32

(Pic courtesy of Anne Akers)

How about this for a classic shot as Tony Aimon is captured having a whale of a time just ahead of Kelvin Dickinson's Sub 3 pacing group:

(Pic courtesy of Noel Akers)

The Finish straight where many a story unfolded throughout the day:

The Sue Gregson pre-race hug was unfortunately missed this year .......... but a post race replacement made up for it :)

2015 Marathon Summary

Between us we've had a few ebbs and flows this year on the marathon front but these are nice looking summaries that Hannah dug out with 8 sub 3s each and an average time only 44 secs apart.

It is fair to say that the sub 3 sequence has been living a bit of a charmed life on my part for the last couple of races - but a sub 3 is a sub 3, they all count :)

30 Years Between First and Last Sub-3 Marathons

As mentioned last week there was a special incentive to land a sub 3 this week as it took the time elapsed since the first sub 3 marathon, at Brussels on 30th Sept 1985 (2:52), to 30 years and 14 days.

Is that the last sub 3 or might it be extended a little further? Time will tell.....

The House of Trembling Madness, York

Post marathon celebrations moments before the glass in Hannah's hand shattered and gashed her wrist. Quite nasty but could have been worse!

From left - ex-friend Caz Hall ;) , Kelvin Dickinson (sub 3 pacer extraordinaire), Hannah and Ian Ward, who after looking very unlikely to make the start line completed successfully in 3:35.

Next:

There may be another marathon shortly ..............