Florence Marathon 2008

mark_jmc

Hi all,
Myself and 4 friends are signed up for the Florence Marathon at the end of November. Has anybody done this marathon?- The route is nice and flat but i'm looking for any tips/info etc:D
Thanks
Mark

gaf1983

Hi Mark,

I haven't done it before but myself and a friend are entering it. The profile looks friendly enough, a nice downhill stretch at the start.

Here are a couple of reviews on another forum, most of them seem positive:

http://www.marathonguide.com/races/racedetails.cfm?MIDD=1241051127

mark_jmc

Hi Gaf1983,
Thanks for the reply, it looks like ur from limerick also- we've probably seen each other pounding the pavements! Where do you usually run?

gaf1983

For midweek runs, usually do a 5 mile circuit taking in some of the North Circular Road, Clancy Strand, Thomondgate, Brookville Avenue. Sometimes vary it up a bit by heading out the Old Cratloe Road towards Meelick. For the long runs, generally go along the river towards UL, sometimes take in Corbally too - for instance this is the 16 miler myself and my friend have planned for this weekend:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/bb/limerick/400530248196

How about yourself, where do you usually go?

When I was training for the Connemarathon last April I tended to run up Heathmount in Cratloe, but I don't think there is much need to wreck myself with all that hill training for Florence, it seems flat enough.

atyrrell

mark, from dublin and doin the marathon in florence this sunday. had a running partner but he has got injured so am doin it on my lonesome.saw ur post was lookin to see if there were any other irish gon to masybe meet up for a beer after. thanks

mark_jmc

Hi atyrrell,
We'd certainly be up for some beers afterward
there are 5 of us running- what kind of time are you aiming for?
If you want to pm me contact details feel free to do so- we'd never let a fellow irish person down!

atyrrell

mark..........am hoping to break 3 15 am flyin in aerlinguson sat morn to rome then train to florence. Stayin at the hotel alba. My phone number is 087 2438774 txt me maybe saturday to make some arrangements Thanks
Andy

Krusty_Clown

Best of luck with the race guys!

MrJones

Best of luck. Beautiful place to do a marathon!

mark_jmc

Thanks Guys:)

Daithi BC

Best of luck - hope everything goes well.

Let us know how you get on. It's a marathon I've always fancied the look of, but it would be great to get a first hand report of whether it's worthwhile doing or not.

gaf1983

Myself and a friend are heading off to this too, flying to Bologna on Friday, unfortunately flying home on Sunday evening so the post-marathon pints will be limited to what we have on the train and plane home. At least Italy being Italy there should be plenty of pasta options for carbohydrate loading in the build up to it.

I'm actually in two minds about whether to run it. Ran a marathon just under three weeks ago and my right knee more or less gave way after it. The doctor suspects I have chondromalacia patellae - or softening of the kneecap, along with a possible stress fracture in the left foot, basically caused by running in worn-out runners not offering enough support. Going to the physio tomorrow so I'll see what she says.

Since the last marathon I've invested in a new pair of runners and a knee brace. Done a fair bit of short runs and cross training in the past fortnight, no long runs though. I'd say I should be able for it on Sunday, but I obviously don't wanna do myself any permanent damage. I read through the "running a marathon while injured thread" and the experience does seem one people tend to regret. I think I'll run on Sunday but I'm prepared to drop out if the injuries flare up.

atyrrell

I think ur mad to run with injuries like that!U could do long term damage to the patella which would leave you unable to do any more marathons.Good luck but be careful!might see you after the race

gaf1983

atyrrell wrote: »

I think ur mad to run with injuries like that!U could do long term damage to the patella which would leave you unable to do any more marathons.Good luck but be careful!might see you after the race

Started this one, foolish enough to do so I suppose. Dropped out after 10k due to serious knee pain, once the route had made its way back into the city centre near enough our hotel. I suppose in a hidden blessing sort of way I forgot my anti-inflammatory tablets when I travelled on Friday so the pain was more severe - if I had taken them it may have lessened the pain and I might have run further, causing myself serious damage. Was showered and changed in time to see the winner cross the line. Would definitely like to try this one again, seemingly it's a flat enough route. The weather conditions were pretty awful - wind, rain and cold, the worst in 25 years according to one local I spoke to at the starting line. Gonna ease off the running for the foreseeable future and concentrate on overcoming the injury.

Daithi BC

Ouch! Sounds like you did the sensible thing in the end. Hope the recovery is speedy

One of the reasons I was thinking of doing Florence next year was because I thought the weather would be nearly ideal. Sounds like this year was anything but.