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.
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!
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:
Next:
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)
No comments:
Post a Comment