26.2 London

On Sunday 24th April I ran the London Marathon for a challenge, for charity and for the spectacle. It took me 02:55:08 to complete the 42.2km course. Over 39,000 people started the race. And each and every one will have their own story to tell. Here’s my perspective…

On one day in April the streets of London are transformed into the world’s greatest stadium – the noise emanating from this arena is unimaginable and unforgettable. I read that finishers often feel ‘shell shocked’ after crossing the finishing line. I thought this was just another exaggerated line to fuel the clickbait headline ‘top 10 things you didn’t know about the London Marathon’. I can’t quite describe how loud it was out there on the course. I only knew a handful of spectators and yet the cheers and encouragement followed each and everyone one of us all the way around the course.

Training

The training through winter was pitiful. My motivation was off and it showed, with less than 18km/week of running in November and December. In January I made a plan, and the shift in mileage was insane. For comparison, so far in 2016 I’ve averaged 52km/week. I don’t think it was one thing in particular that led to consistently running 200km+ per month; something I’ve only previously achieved twice before (Feb 2013 and Jan 2015). Consistency at work, having a plan, eating well, sleeping well, stretching and being a smidge nervous of the ominous London Marathon all combined to produce the results. Looking back, the only thing I would change for next year is joining a running club; speed sessions just aren’t as productive on your own.

The 2016 London Marathon plan. Yellow weeks were lost due to illness.

I had previously ‘poo-hooed’ this event as ‘just another marathon’, probably a hassle too… Well, it’s true that there was a lot more planning required than for the Manchester Marathon. And the sheer number of spectators and competitors did make things a little bit more stressful, but overall it wasn’t so bad – I’d go as far as to say I enjoyed the event.

1 day to go

We arrived in London on Saturday morning. The train down was mad busy which didn’t help with nerves. Of course, I came prepared, wielding a detailed plan of how the day should go. This was my strategy for coping with nerves and removing as many unknowns as possible from the event so that I could relax and enjoy things (sort of). I believe it worked.

I’m not sure how I feel about the Expo at the EXCEL. In some ways it felt like part of the build up and in others it was just a load of tat, plastered with advertising and staff trying to push their products on you. When I got past this though there were a few good features. The ‘motivational talk’ area was pretty interesting and definitely worthwhile for newbies. Whilst I was sitting listening to this Mum let me know she was queuing to see Paula Radcliffe – I was mortified… “leave the poor woman alone” I thought. She’s a superstar and has got way better things to do with her time. Yeah I’m a dick… a minute later I was stood in the queue with Mum and I’m so glad I did. The fact that Paula’s world record hasn’t even nearly been touched is a testament to her dominance in the sport and I only hope that it serves as an inspiration for the next generation of British athletes to strive towards.

Quick pic with Paula Radcliffe. Wow!

The rest of the day went smoothly. We took a walk round Greenwich up to Cutty Sark, recce’d where would be a good spot to spectate on Sunday and then headed for some pasta before calling it a day. The hotel was great, they even rolled out the red carpet
for us (hehe).

Based on past experience I knew I wasn’t great at sleeping before a marathon, but this time really took the biscuit. The air conditioning units directly outside our window were obscenely loud and completely to blame for my 3am wake up call. I read for a bit, listened to podcasts and dozed ’til 6 and then gave up on getting any more kip. It was time to see what my legs could do.

Race Day

The morning of the race continued to be a bit rubbish as I forced down some rather liquidy porridge rather than the stodgy consistency I’m used to and prefer. With food in me, I took back control and I was back on plan with my supporters ready and raring to go too.

There’s only so much you can prepare for the unknown, but I think I got it just right. My nips and anywhere else prone to chaffing received a generous smothering of sudocrem and I was calm as we left the hotel around 8:30 to arrive at the start at 9.

Everything about the event was bigger and bolder than anything I had experienced before. There were people everywhere, the queues for the loo were ridiculous – in some ways it would have been interesting to experience the mass start and ‘runners villages’ of either the Red or Blue start. I have no complaints though, I was in the GFA warm up zone and had plenty of room and time to psyche myself out without worrying about anything else.

09:15 – 45 mins to go

Join the toilet queue. Final drink. Banana skin disposed.

09:40 – 20 mins to go

Finally go to the loo. Tracksuit off, last lube of the nips with some vaseline, quick swig of water and then it was time to drop off my bag and warm up.

09:50 – 10 mins to go

Runners called to the start. I keep running around trying to get the legs ready. Start trying to get GPS signal on watch.

09:55 – 5 mins to go

I finally get signal on watch and warm up is over. I ditch my throw away jumper and join the queue for the start.

09:59 – 1 min to go

I dump the space blanket and check my watch for a final time. All set.

10:00 – Go!

The boom of the start gun and… no movement around me.

10:01

We start to jog and get into stride just before the line. We’re off! Wooo. Now it’s time to channel the past 3 months plus of training into the next 3 hours or so.

As the race merged around 3 miles in, the sheer volume of runners suddenly became apparent. We spanned 4 lanes of road and there was barely enough room to not run into the person in front. Over the next couple of miles we started to disperse slightly as everyone found their pace and settle into a rhythm; I passed Bob the ‘crab’ – if he kept up that speed he was on for a great time.

The next milestone was Cutty Sark, where I received a huge roar from the crowd as I lifted my arms in the air. Beth and Libs did a cracking job getting a prime spot at the front and I spotted them straight away. It gave me such a buzz and I had to consciously slow down round the corner to stay on pace. Unfortunately this was the first and last time I spotted my family. They did see me once more near Canary Wharf but it was so loud and I was so in the zone that I was oblivious to their cheering.

Cutty Sark – a big cheer from Beth and Libs.

Tower Bridge was the next unforgettable moment. Each side was packed with spectators – again, two runners just in front rallied the crowd by raising their hands in the air. The eruption of noise was insane and such a boost.

I was through half way in 01:27:06. 24 seconds up on schedule. All fine. Just got to do that again… eek!

Canary Wharf was the next section which left me feeling a bit shell shocked on exiting. By this point we were a lot more spread out, rounding bends in single file which was good as there were a few tight turns.

With 3okm behind me, my legs started to twitch. And over the next few miles it only got worse with my quads tightening up, finally turning into a burning ache. I was definitely nearing my limit, teetering on the edge of going too far too soon, but I was still 20 seconds up on schedule. I needed to keep pushing. My speed did dip over the last 10km, but I was doing well and still passing other slowing runners.

Running along the final 5km of the course, there wasn’t a single spot where it wasn’t at least 3 deep with screaming spectators. It was unbelievable how many people were out. By this point runners were definitely outnumbered by those on the side. As we turned on to Birdcage Walk I thought it was around 500m left, just up the road I spy the 1km to go banner. WHAT??? That’s not fair. I see nothing other than the 3metres of road in front of me. I blindly get funneled from one side of the road to the other as we go around the spectator passing points. My legs are burning everywhere now.

400m to go. And I found that last tiny little bit. Sprinting in ludicrously slow motion round the final bend on to the mall and the finish is in sight. I looked down at my watch. Sheeeet, I’m so close, so close… And. I just, just missed it. 02:55:08, a mere 8 seconds outside of my target time. I’ll take that. I was a complete wreck.

London Marathon 2016 – Splits

 

My legs had just managed 42.2km and all of a sudden they couldn’t quite compute how to move one more step. The walk down the rest of the mall was painfully slow. I was shuffling at best, weaving my way past lorry after lorry on my way to bag collection. I toyed with the idea of sitting down, but knew that I’d struggle to ever get back up again. This is by far the worst bit. All the emotions, pain and suffering become overwhelming. Several helpers and other runners check to see if you’re ok. Yeah… sort of… As I continue to sway. I somehow make it to the final truck in the line where my bag awaits.

I grab hold of the lorry and gradually lower my body to the ground, kicking out a couple of cramps on the way. I spend the next 10 minutes rolling around trying to get my legs in to my tracksuit without my legs going into spasm. I devoured all the food in the goody bag and swiftly gulped down plenty of fluids. I eventually found the reserves to pluck myself off the floor and wander over to Horse Guards Parade (not a pub) to meet my family.

I was surprised to see Olly and Rachel waiting for me – completely unexpected. I was so happy to see some familiar faces and just did a lot of hugging, laughing and smiling. Later the rest of the crew arrived after what sounded like a bit of an adventure exploring some routes waaay off the beaten track. It was all worth it. I did it. We did it. And I realised I couldn’t have asked to share this moment with more incredible people (missed you Sammy).

 

At the end I finished just outside the top 5% of men in 1266th place behind 1228 men and 38 women. I can safely say: I will be back. If not next year then at some point in the foreseeable future. Maybe Paris, Berlin or somewhere else next? We’ll see. Right now, a week on, my legs are still a long way off being back to normal. Walking is fine but running has a way to go. I’m just savouring this moment for a bit and then it’s on to the next goal.

 

What’s Up?

The weekend just gone (6th March), I took the decision to not race in the ‘Great Northern’ Half Marathon. It was a tough call as it represented a key milestone in my Marathon campaign. With a mere 10km of racing under my belt this year (2x5k), I’m getting a bit worried about holding race pace. I’d recce’d the course and was confident I could post a sub 1:25 time (not a course suitable for a PB even if I had the legs).

The reason I bailed? Tactical. And to be honest, it was the only decision that was right considering my condition. The last 2 weeks have been pretty much a write off. I’ve had various symptoms of illness which concluded in a ‘tickly cough’ leaving me incapable of heavy breathing and made everything just a pain in the arse including a regular day job. The cold air was particularly unhelpful.

I built back into things with a few days in a row on the turbo. Very low HR, in a warm humid room mostly breathing through my nose. It would have been dull as anything but luckily I had the Track World Champs to motivate me and keep me entertained. The first ride was a mere 15mins before my cough started. Next day was 40mins. and on Saturday I managed just over an hour. I felt I was about ready for a run. With a buff over my mouth to control the air temperature I survived with minimal coughing fits and today was my first cough free run/ride/day in over 2 weeks! I hate being ill. Especially when it’s something as pathetic as a ‘cough’ – ultimately I’m not sure there was much else I could have done. I’m putting everything behind me now and if anything I’m more excited to get back into the swing of things again.

6 weeks to go.

(Photo post first run back with buff)

Let the Tapering Commence

15 weeks later, having fallen off the training plan completely, and failing at keeping up with the weekly blog posts, it’s now less than a week until the Manchester marathon. This week is my ‘taper week’; this is the time before a race when you wind down the intensity and volume of training. I feel the term is mostly symbolic in my case, due to the distinct lack of structure to my training over the last 6 weeks.

Enjoying the sun on a seaside ride in Mallorca

It’s been an up and down month or so, but last week proved to be my best week for a while. Funnily enough this happened to be whilst I was on holiday in Mallorca. I’m a fan a good weather conditions, and the sun was plentiful. Amongst a few bike rides I slotted in a flat tempo 10k, and a lung busting 6.5k at 5% up the hill/mountain near the apartment. I did feel a bit mean passing a handful of the slower cyclists, although equally it’s a hell of a boost as it felt pretty fast.

Puerto Pollensa hill run.

All that being said, I’m still struggling to focus my mind and body on what I want to achieve. In the coming week, what I eat and how I sleep will be crucial in the final outcome of the race. I’ve caught myself experiencing a hint of excitement and trepidation, which is good news. On Sunday I was glued to Eurosport and Twitter, avidly following Paris-Roubaix and in the process I stumbled across a fellow competitor also aiming for sub-3hrs (albeit he has significantly more hope of achieving this goal than I do based on the serious training mileage and speed he’s achieved to date… we’ll see). Simon’s blog is a stunning example of what I’d like to achieve on here. It helps to see someone else walk through the thought process on topics such as ‘how to tackle pacing’ and the logic behind it. Is my target time achievable? We’ll see.

Simon’s blog pointed me towards Pace Your Race, which allows you to put in a target time and out pops the splits you need to achieve your goal. I could even specify that I wanted to run negative splits (a slower first half than second). Apparently we can pick these up to wear as a wrist band on the day. I’ll probably still scribble them on my arm (not under where my watch sits this time). It’s a nice feature for those who, unlike me, don’t possess the nerdy enthusiasm to calculate the splits manually.

The pace bands almost seem to over simplify a frankly mammoth task. Run at the speed you do a normal 10k, but as a twist, do it 4 times without stopping! I’m going to keep with me both the ambitious 3hr target and a more realistic aim of 3hrs 10, which I will be equally very happy with. Anything that beats my PB (3:18:09) will be a good run. Planning and preparation will give me the best chance of success. My 5k PB came on a day where I paced the race perfectly, after the most thorough warm-up I’ve done before a race (the warm-up took longer than the race itself… I’m under no illusions that if this occurs on Sunday, I’ve gone barking mad!)

Race number, check.
Bristol vest, check.
Oodles of enthusiasm… sort of check?
5 days to go!

Now the reality is really dawning on me, it’s time to boost my confidence a bit. So far in 2015, I’ve achieved a new 10k PB (36:51) followed swiftly by smashing the Bath half marathon and recording another PB (1:21:04). Now it’s time for the big one. 3hrs 18mins 9secs is the time to beat, set on the same course in 2013. In that edition of the race, I kept an even 4:50min/km pace until halfway, then around 4:40 to km 28, before I opened up a bit and went sub 4:30 on a km or two. I paid for this in the final 4k, dropping back to the 4:50 pace. With this in mind, 4:15 seems unfathomably fast.

Come Sunday lunchtime, all the training (or lack thereof), the ups and downs (emotional and physical), and the plentiful racing miles, will be mere memories. Bring on the weekend!

Manchester Marathon 2015, I’m ready!

Manchester Marathon Route 2015

Delicately Held Together by Compression Top, Shorts and Socks.

It’s been 13 days since I was knocked off my bike. The minor physical injuries from the incident are now all but gone or negligible.

Training has been iffy at best this week. I’ve salvaged it with a few longer runs in the last few days rather than the planned sessions, which I’ll undoubtably pay for at a later date. Kinks and twinges are currently being held together by my new compression socks, base-layer and shorts. When daubed in the full ‘compression-attire’ I look like a bit of a tool, but so far it seems to help with the 20km+ runs. I think (know) I need to include a full stretching/roller session in my weekly plan… It’s just so darn dull!

3 Runs this week:
Total Distance: 68.1km
Total Time: 5hrs 6mins

The physical impact of the crash may not be affecting me currently, however the mental impact is indescribably clingy. All I want to do is to just forget about it, move on and get back on the bike. I’ve tried, but every couple of days I’ll relive the crash all over again or see a cyclist nearly get squished as I’m walking home. I suppose there are a couple of other things currently holding me back that mean it’s difficult to let it all go:

I’m still without my bike. The insurance company seem to be cooperating, if a bit slowly; even so, I wish it would hurry along a bit quicker so that all the worries that I have of any complications occurring and of not being reimbursed for the bike damage can be put out of my mind.

I’d been subconsciously avoiding riding my town bike. Partly because it’s a rusty pile of junk, but mainly because I had no confidence to ride it. It seems that I was right to have concerns. On Friday I had the choice of a 1 hour walk vs a 15 minute ride. It seemed silly not to cycle, so I bit the bullet and did just that. I’m a sensible cyclist however there were still two incidents on the 30 minute route trip that rattled me. The first involved an unnecessary near pass just before a red light (which we both then stopped at). The other involved a car that swerved into the cycle lane and then stopped immediately forcing me to quickly dismount onto the curb to avoid being squished. Obviously this is quite unlucky, but it hardly fills me with confidence…

The negative vibes that may be portrayed by my blog are probably down to the fact that it feels good to have a rant about the world. So I’ll finish with my positive, good news story 🙂

293 runners start the Ashton Court parkrun on a chilly Saturday morning.

A Splash of Positivity

Briefly taking the lead at parkrun.

Yesterday I ran really well in the Ashton Court park run finishing 2nd. (Note this is not technically a race, but it is socially acceptable to treat it as one and many runners do so). I paced it pretty well on the hill and slowly pulled back the top 5 runners passing them all. At 1km to the finish I had the lead. Something I’m very very unfamiliar with. With 300m to go some guy zooms out of nowhere and leaves me for dead. I lost 8 seconds in those last metres. I’m still really happy that I could run 18:09 on a difficult course having had such poor training of late. Maybe next time I’ll get lucky and secure that Number 1 spot.

This week I’m going to keep this phrase in mind:

“You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction” – George Lorimer

Photo credit: Rich Kenington – 7th February 2015 (Flickr) .

Supercharge Strava for Free!

I’m an avid Strava user however I won’t buy Strava Premium. Why? Because there are already loads of analysis tools out there that integrate with Strava and offer loads of geeky tools and pretty graphs to play with. I can’t think of any analysis that Strava premium might be able to offer me that I can’t already do for free. This is a list of 5 tools (+1 extra) that I use to better visualise the data recorded and stored by Strava.

Firstly, I’ll note that I’m very much aware that behind (almost) every website is a business that is out there to make money, and Strava is no exception. All large websites have bills to pay; servers, staff and hosting events all cost money, so I see why they need people to subscribe to premium. In fact, I thank all those who do pay for the service because in doing so you make it possible for me to use Strava for free!What I’m not ok with, is Strava forcing premium upon users e.g. ‘try-me for 30 days’, or ‘Joe just got premium, join him now.’ There’s even a little icon next to your notifications that is always there to tempt you! I’m not 100% sure what extra perks you get with Strava Premium. What I do know is that you should be made aware of these 6 tools and how they can enhance your analysis before you commit to purchasing premium.

This is not a comprehensive list, it is just the tools that I use and have come across through various means (word of mouth, blogs, twitter etc…). You could interpret it as a little payback to the community, where I’ve gather what I think is good and now I’m sharing it with you. I hope there’s something here that you’ve never heard of before and it improves your sporting analysis experience.

Activity Playback (Strava Labs)

Strava Activity Playback

This is a really cool little tool which I use every so often when I pass someone I know, or indeed someone I don’t and I’m interested in the route they rode. You simply pop in your Strava ride url and it shows your route overlaid with all the other Strava riders who rode routes which either crossed your path or came close. Will Barr gave me the link to this one; here’s a sample ride of me and him passing close to each other so you can see what I mean. I sometimes have a play around with this when there’s loads of groups going in different directions on a club ride. It can be a bit mesmerising to watch. You’ve been warned!

Strava Multiple Ride Mapper

Multiple Ride Mapper

This is another fascinating one. You’ve probably seen a general heatmap before, but have you seen one comprising of just your rides/runs? Using the ‘low detail’ option plots much quicker and gives you a good overview of where you’ve ridden before (best for people with 200+ activities to map). Or if you really can’t deal with losing the detail, pick ‘high detail’ and you’ll get all your routes as they would appear on Strava, but now they’re all overlaid on one map with appropriate ‘heat’ for the routes most travelled upon.

Global Heatmap (Strava Labs)

Strava Labs Heatmap

So you’ve mapped where you’ve been with the multiple ride mapper, but what about if you just want to see what the most popular routes are? This global heatmap gives you a great overview. I find it comes in handy when plotting new routes and I’m unsure whether a road will be suitable for a road bike. Just have a quick check on the heatmap to see what sort of frequency it’s been ride to give you an idea of whether it’s worth adding to the route. If no one else has ridden it before, i.e. there’s no heat, it’s probably best to steer clear.

Annual Summary (loads of data!)

JPO – Running Annual Summary

The big numbers! There are two options for viewing a summary of all your activities displayed in all manner of tables and graphs. My faithful tool of choice for the last year or so has been jpo’s annual summary. This has enough detail with plenty of graphs and tables to pour over for hours; right up my street. Veloviewer delivers a slightly more in-your-face ‘US style’ (albeit UK based) summary with more stuff to play around with. Unfortunately this is limited to 25 activities, beyond which you can pay to go Pro… Boo! This is all about the free stuff! Still, it might be worth a check if you want to analyse a really good month or something like that. That being said, I’d still go with jonathanokeefe‘s annual summary.

JPO – Cycling Annual Summary

Veloviewer userpage

Segment Details

Another Strava tool from jpo that I hadn’t used until I decided to write this is the Segment Details tool. If the other tools were a bit nerdy, this is the pinnacle of ‘Strava Nerd’. It allows you to analyse the podium of segments, see all the efforts ever made and loads more. I imagine this could get quite demoralising over time. *This is pretty much my only KOM and I’d forgotten about the little Strava scrap to secure that top spot 😉

Plot a Route

Finally, this isn’t a Strava app, but it’s a cool surprisingly helpful tool to get you out of the habit of doing the same old routes over and over. Sometimes it’s difficult to be creative, Plotaroute helps you out by using the ‘Make me a route’ option. You can select a distance and either go in a loop or from point A to B, and it will plot around 10 options for you to try. Have a flick through and ride/run whatever route takes your fancy. The advanced option also allows you to select your preferred terrain e.g. hills or ‘flat as possible’ (quite handy around Bristol).

The plotaroute ‘Make Me A Route’ Option

Marathon Training Starts Here!

I’ve entered the Manchester Marathon 2015! I’d been toying with the idea of a marathon, specifically this one, since September 2014 (when the price was £5 cheaper I might add…). Now I’ve finally entered, I’ve formulated my training plan and will discuss this whilst touching on the highs and lows I anticipate over the next few months.

The theme of this post will probably come across as terribly cliché. It’s a new year and I’ve got some goals/resolutions that I’m currently very enthusiastic about, but how long will it last? 2 weeks? 4? I can’t predict the future, however I can certainly set myself up for the best possible chance of success. Without further a do, here’s my 15 week training plan to give my goals some direction leading up to the Manchester Marathon in April.

The purpose of making this blog/plan public rather than keeping it personal, is my attempt to reduce the potential drop off in motivation that goes hand in hand with New Years resolutions. The more people who know what I’m aiming for and how I plan to go about achieving it, the more people I have to answer to if I don’t accomplish my goals, or start to slack off on the training.

So if you do happen to notice a lack of commitment to the cause, don’t stay silent. Give me a heckle, a nudge, a suggestive wink… whatever you can to get me out the door and back on track; it will be much appreciated. Yes, I’m talking to you 🙂

The Training Plan

The fundamental structure of my training plan is based on 4 week blocks of training. I struggle to remember where I first heard about this, but since I’ve employed this method, I’ve managed to mostly avoid injury and it’s definitely helped to keep me motivated. It’s quite simple really. You train hard for 3 weeks and then throttle back a bit on the 4th.

Week 4 (as labelled on my plan) is not a zero hours week by any means, it’s simply a reduction in hours and intensity generally with an extra rest day thrown in there; if I feel myself itching to go, this rest day can be substituted for a low impact, low heart rate training day. The benefits of this regime are illustrated in this over-simplistic graphic (I have a soft spot for graphs… apologies for the lack of axis titles).

The blue line represents a standard ‘go hard’ training plan. There is an initial perceived benefit, however in the long run the fatigue of previous weeks (and imminent injuries) cause a fall off in progress as time goes on.

Alternatively, the red line shows the method I’ll be working to, 4 week training blocks. Progress (or some other measure of performance/intensity) increasing in the 3 hard weeks followed by a drop off every 4th. In the long run, this is a more sustainable option and progress surpasses the ‘go hard’ option in a few months.

For someone as injury prone as myself, the 4-week blocks gives my body some much needed rest every so often and allows me to shift any niggles I might have accumulated.

Other than my personal experience, the early 2015 plan was inspired by a Marathon Training Plan posted by Athletics Weekly (31st Dec 2014) just the day before I set out my plan. Unusually for an athletics magazine, this training plan was actually aimed at club runners targeting 3hrs-3hrs 30 in a Spring marathon rather than the typical beginner/intermediate level. It is, to all intents and purposes, tailor-made for me (rather spooky in fact).

The area I’m least confident on when it comes to training is my pacing. It’s really easy just to go for a run. It is surprisingly difficult to go for a meaningful run. Ok, fast runs are pretty simple… Go hard, lots of heavy breathing, copious sweating, keep going, just a little bit further, and stop. There we go. Well all in all that’s not particularly meaningful either. The truly tough runs are: slow and long, or intervals.

Getting the pacing right on long slow runs (i.e. holding back) is something I’ve definitely not mastered. Likewise, finding the drive to punish the body through several sets and reps of intervals is almost equally mentally sapping as it is physically. Both of these problems are overcome by training partners… don’t all jump at once. But seriously, the benefits when training with others are numerous. For starters, if you plan a run on your own and then bail, who cares? If you plan a run with a mate and bail… well you better have a darn good excuse to palm it off this time. And maybe next time that same mate won’t be quite so willing to accept your invitation for a run.

To wrap up a rather rambling post, here’s a pic of me about halfway into the Manchester Marathon back in 2013 (3:18:09). The whole way round there were loads of people cheering and shouting ‘come on Tom’… Much to my amazement, there wasn’t anyone running directly behind me who was also called Tom. I’d simply failed to notice my name was printed on the number I was wearing, and loads of people just gave me a cheer as I passed because they could. To everyone who cheered, I thank you. I’m a runner who truly feeds off that buzz and excitement. If it hadn’t been for the pace makers I would have shot off like a rocket from all the adrenaline surging through me.

So with that in mind, next time you see someone suffering in a race, do give them a cheer. It really does help!

Let me know if you’ve got any suggestions about training techniques or things I should switch up 🙂

I’ve added a bit more technical (boring) stuff about my pacing and explanation of the training plan in full for anyone who is intrigued about the actual plan…