Last of the Summer Wine
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London Calling (Week -9)
Really getting into it now this week - a big session and the longest long run in a long time, so plenty to look forward to. Hoping to feel the strength that I think is beginning to build.
Mon 19 Feb
45 mins easy with 6x20s strides. Creaky enough, the 'easy' was more at recovery pace. Enjoyed the strides.
Tue 20 Feb
60 mins easy - exploring the estates of Maynooth - housing estates this time, as opposed to the usual Carton estate. 😜 I'd like to have left them behind but you run out of footpath fairly quickly in Maynooth and the roads beyond are not very runnable..
Wed 21 Feb
Session: 5 x (2k@4:40, 1k@5:05)
One of the trademark sessions - think I did this one in Killybegs last year. I went out with mindset that it's easier to think of it as a single 15k variable pace run, because I never find the floats to feel much easier than the fast bits so you don't really look forward to them like a slow recovery. Out the coast with what felt like a breeze in my face, feeling pretty good. Waved at some clubmates doing the Weds seafront session - thought, we really should have a track by now, everyone else seems to have cracked this nut. Even though I've been running the coast now for 13 years it still fools me, and once again I turned into a freshening breeze at Sutton, and the second half of the session was quite the challenge. Unfortunately I didn't have the HRM on tonight so not sure exactly how hard I was working, probably a bit too hard, as the pace inevitably dropped. I did manage to dig in though and finish well, but this session reminded me that there is plenty of work to do.
Thu 22 Feb
Rest.
Fri 23 Feb
60 mins easy. Discovered some new territory out past Artane.
Sat 24 Feb
56 mins inc Malahide parkrun @ 24:55.
Joined the Sanctuary Runners for an outing to Malahide. The plan was an easy run, and when G tagged along looking to put in a 25:30 shift, I found myself in pacer mode and helped her lay down a good sub-25 benchmark for some upcoming 5k work. Highly enjoyable and always good to see someone right up close digging in and pulling off an excellent performance. Finished the morning with an extra few kms, putting in the strides that were also on the menu for today.
Sun 25 Feb
195 mins / 34 kms
3 hours easy long run on the menu today. The rain was coming down when I got up but it was nice and dry by the time I got out of the house, laden down with a soft flask and five Precision Fuel gels in my belt. Testing them would be a big part of today's run, one every 30 mins to simulate marathon day consumption levels. Had a decent enough breakfast on board too so I certainly wouldn't be hungry. Headed through town and out via Terenure and Templeogue to Dodder Valley Park and along the river to Firhouse. The gels were going down well - liked the texture and relative lack of taste. Got the turnaround point wrong which led to this run being about 15 mins longer than planned, heading back to town via the Dodder. But for a long LR this felt as good as you'd hope for. Gel no 4 made me a tiny bit queasy, but the final one felt fine, so maybe I was fully acclimatised by the end of this run. Decision made anyway, Precision it is!
Another decent week. Eight to go.
- This week: 93 kms (58 mi) 8h 46m
- This month: 308 (191)
- This year: 552(343)
Post edited by Murph_D on15 -
London Calling (Week -8)
This week there were some slight concerns about a couple of aches and pains. Too early to call them niggles - hopefully can keep them at bay.
Mon 26 Feb
Some easy running scheduled, but I took a rest day with some slight discomfort on outside of left foot, figured it was sensible to back off after a few weeks on the trot of relatively high mileage for me.
Tue 27 Feb
Session: 50 mins a little faster than marathon pace (4:40/km, 7:30/mi) - 88 mins total. The familiar coastal route out to Bayside. Wore one of the VF pairs which pop well on this kind of run. HR was good. My birthday today - the numbers are getting disconcertingly big. Only a year to go before I can be handy mending a fuse. 😜
Wed 28 Feb
44 mins recovery. A real plod, this one.
Thu 29 Feb
34 mins very easy. Supposed to be more but the dinner was nearly ready.
Fri 1 Mar
Rest. There was a session on the cards but the snow/slush put an end to any realistic chance of doing it. Considered doing on the Sat instead but that would have compromised the Sunday LR, so it went in the bin.
February total: 338 kms (210 mi)
Sat 2 Mar
61 mins easy around St. Anne's with M and C. Always a bit of craic, plenty of talk about aul lad medical issues. 😁
Sun 3 Mar
Progressive LR - 6M easy, 6 steady, 6 MP (150 mins total)
Well this was a big one, I remember doing this session last summer with M, and having some gel regurgitation issues. Hip flexor was sore the night before, took a couple of ibuprofen going to bed and woke up feeling much improved.
The mrs had to drive out to Dalkey so I took a lift out and ran the whole of Dublin Bay to Howth - a run I've always wanted to do. A beautiful spring morning and the coast was pretty busy - swimmers, walkers, cyclists, runners, strollers. Hit the marathon pace miles at the Dollymount bridge - I'd been feeling the fatigue coming on and it's funny how changing it up can suddenly fool the body into feeling better. So the final third was the most enjoyable - except having to do an up and down of the Howth pier among masses of yoofs - have the Spanish kids arrived already?
Four Precision Fuel gels taken during the run, one every 30 mins - carried five but opened a regular instead of the caffeinated for the fourth and didn't bother wasting the caff so late in the run. Home via the Dart and a shuffle through Marino and an eventual feed of scrambled eggs.
Another good week in the bag. Must break in the race shoes soon, a pair of alphaflys acquired during the sale season.
Seven weeks to go.
- This week: 72 kms (45 mi) 6h 29m
- This month: 42 (26)
- This year: 624 (388)
Post edited by Murph_D on14 -
London Calling (Week -6)
Fewer aches and pains this week. I haven't been lighting the place up in this block, but it's starting to feel like I'm approaching a corner, if not quite around it yet.
Mon 4 Mar
No running - there was a rest day scheduled for tomorrow but switched it to today, as I was still feeling the Sunday long run.
Tue 5 Mar
55 mins easy on the Royal Canal. Don't remember a lot about it, but I think it felt OK.
Wed 6 Mar
60 mins easy with 8 x 20s strides. On the Clontarf seafront. Strides felt good.
Thu 7 Mar
5 x (3k@ 7:30, 1k@8:10) + WU/CD
Well, after a gentle few days I was looking forward to this, a monster of a session that I've struggled with in the past although I've usually had M for company to drag me through it. Solo this time, and it was blowing a gale as I finally got out, well after dark around 7:45pm after a long day at work. A look at my weather app suggested a lot of it would be side wind, but the Clontarf coast never seems to match the maps, and there was a howling gale in my face for the first two reps, with no chance of hitting the suggested paces. I just tried to forget about that and try to modulate the effort as best I could. I badly wanted to stop, or at least turn around, but knew if I made it to Sutton there would be a bit of relief in rep 3 through some residential roads before turning back and finally getting some tailwind. So I resisted the temptation to cut things short or reroute. Very strong tailwind for rep 4, was trying to minimise ground contact time as I could feel myself being blown forward while in the air. 🤣 More or less hit the numbers for this, and tried to run the final rep without the watch, ending up a bit on the slow side but delighted to have completed the prescribed mileage even if the paces were all over the place. 25k for the evening, not far off 16 miles.
Just remembered, passing a bus stop in Sutton, a fella asked me was I any good at tying laces. I probably would have stopped if I hadn't been mid-session. Unusual request all the same, from a grown adult, but better than being asked for a smoke, which has happened a few times.
Fri 8 Mar
45 mins very slow recovery around the D9 vicinity.
Sat 9 Mar
61 mins easy around St. Anne's with M and D. Good to see D back after a bit of enforced layoff. Broke off near the end to do some strides, 8 x 20s, noticing later it should have been 10. Details, man, details.
Sun 10 Mar
Steady LR - 16 miles @ 8:10
Up to the attic to get the Alphflys I bought last November out of storage. Alphafly 2, not the greatest model according to C over coffee yesterday. Loaded up the bat-belt with 4 Precision gels, and took one before starting. A wet morning so I rubbed on some anti-chafe cream I'd picked up somewhere - can't remember where, possibly Decathlon. The rain was starting to clear as I headed down the road in the direction of Glasnevin, Tolka Valley and the Phoenix Park.
I was on this from the start, delighted with the bounce from the shoes, reining back the pace for a lot of the run, which had a few nice drags so an honest track for a Sunday LR. Gels were going down well - took one of the caffeinated ones for the first time, no issues. Definitely the race day fuel, especially as I've just spent a fair few quid on a big batch to fuel the LRs and sessions for the duration of the schedule. The two and a quarter hours seemed to go by in a flash. A good way to end a tricky enough few days.
Six weeks to go.
- This week: 86 kms (53 mi) 7h 50m
- This month: 128 (79)
- This year: 709 (441)
Post edited by Murph_D on13 -
Your first paragraph sums my own current training up very well.
Regarding the precision fuel, where are you sourcing them from, I've looked into them previously and there was always a steep delivery charge.
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Hey D, good to hear things are improving!
Precision comes direct from the company - as far as I know it's the only way to get them.
https://www.precisionhydration.com/eu/en/
Yep, they are definitely on the expensive side, although when you're accustomed to Maurten prices it seems normal enough. Delivery charge and unit prices can be reduced somewhat with bulk buying.
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London Calling (Week -5)
The race is starting to feel ridiculously close. I'll be in London from the Tuesday of race week for work-related stuff (complete coincidence, I swear!) - so it will be a different kind of away-marathon buildup for sure.
Mon 11 Mar
45 mins easy/recovery plod looping up to Artaine Castle and home via Malahide Road and Marino.
Tue 12 Mar
An hour easy on the seafront, hooking up with M nearby. 10 x 20s strides on the way home.
Wed 13 Mar
85 mins with 60 @ 7:30/mi (4:40/km)
That was the plan anyway, warming up on the campus and heading out the Royal Canal to turn beyond Kilcock. I was tired, the surface is a bit heavy, I was wearing bog standard shoes, there was a bit of wind. Combine all those excuses and I struggled to hit the pace, even after the turn when the expected tailwind failed to materialise. The effort felt about right, although looking at HR later, possibly a bit reluctant to get beyond that 'steady' Lydiard '3/4' zone. I was a bit deflated with the difficulty of this, but the coach cheered me up afterwards, saying nearly all good things. 😁 Slept like a log afterwards, a rare thing.
Thu 14 Mar
Rest day.
Fri 15 Mar
45 mins easy, hooking up with DD in St. Anne's. It was chatty and as a mostly silent runner I struggled to breathe, talk and run at the same time, even at the easy pace. The coach is observant and slowed things down even more.
Sat 16 Mar
Another easy hour, heading up to Albert College where I laid down another 10 x 20s strides. Still feeling quite tired, as I mentioned to P when I bumped into him at a bus stop heading to Landsdowne Road.
Sun 17 Mar
3 hours easy LR (32.5 kms).
Loaded up the belt with gels and a soft flask. A gel before leaving also, and a porridge breakfast. A bit late getting out so had to dodge quite a few people heading into town for the parade as I headed townwards with no particular route in mind. Reaching the Phoenix Park I decided to stay within its confines for a couple of hours, looping around the perimeter then a slightly shorter loop around Chesterfield, Furze, Upper Glen, Acres, Kyber, Wellington roads. At the beginning I noticed I was struggling to hit the usual easy LR pace (5:40ish) but once in the Park things settled and the laps clicked off at the right kind of clip. Not as many runners today as usual, bank holiday taking its toll, although I did wave to a couple of former Cru clubmates. Got through this one well - feeling strong in the second half especially which is the right kind of feeling to be having. Got the route timing spot on, heading back down the NCR and completing the three hours at DCU All Hallows.
All in all a good run - six gels consumed - hoped to get one more in but as it was it felt like I was stuffing them in every few minutes. Definitely way ahead on the gel prep this year, and took delivery of a big batch this week that should last me through to race day. I can't say I love the Precision but they seem to go down the right way (as long as I don't stop - have noticed I can sometimes suddenly feel a bit queasy while waiting at traffic lights for example).
A week of ups and downs but mostly ups. Five to go.
- This week: 86 kms (53 mi) 8h 1m
- This month: 213 (133)
- This year: 795 (494)
Post edited by Murph_D on12 -
London Calling (Week -4)
This week had a race at the end of it, but keeping an eye on the main event.
Mon 18 Mar
45 mins easy/recovery around the local Dublin 9 roads. Went the opposite way to the usual. Shakin' it up.
Tue 19 Mar
60 mins easy with 10x20s strides. Down to Dublin Port hoping to do the strides on the still not open greenway, which I occasionally sneak onto, but the builders were around and blocking my usual access route. No matter, plenty of room on the roadside footpaths, but not nearly as pleasant.
Wed 20 Mar
4 x (2k@4:40, 1k @ 5:05) with warmup/cooldown.
A setback session, much less daunting than the 5x(3k/1k) equivalent.This went well, feeling in control. Buzzing after it. 18k total, over 92 mins.
Thu 21 Mar
8k easy around Maynooth and Carton House in the early afternoon. Never really enjoy these runs for some reason, possibly because I have to go back to work afterwards. Plus it was hard enough anyway after last night's session.
Fri 22 Mar
45 mins easy, hooking up with C for a few miles on the seafront. It was windy and I felt tired. A shite run really, no joy in it, although it was good to see C back in the runners after a bit of a break.
Sat 23 Mar
Rest. Spent the day rearranging furniture and buying a new TV and then learning how to use it. 🙄
Sun 24 Mar
Race: Dunboyne 10k (43:32), 9th M60 (of 27)
The national championships came to Dunboyne this year. I wouldn't be in the medals but it would be good to run well. M picked me up and down we went, plenty of time to walk around, take in the atmosphere and then warm up between the car park and the start line, a mile away.
Lined up on the narrow road and listened to Feidhlim Kelly haranguing everyone for being in the wrong place etc etc. Everyone moved back a few steps and the siren eventually sounded. Pretty congested - my heels were clipped a couple of times in the first half mile, but I stayed on my feet. The idea was to settle into a 4:12-4:15/k type of pace for the first half of the race and try to push on in the second half. I found it hard to settle into a rhythm. The first couple of kms were within a few seconds of that target, I was passing a few familiar faces who'd pushed up towards the front even more audaciously than myself, getting passed myself, comfortable enough though and trying to take it in and feel the pace. Some headwind, but the course was pretty flat, the odd drag. I glanced at the watch at 4k and noticed I was falling a bit off that target pace and not feeling like it was something I could much about at this stage, effort levels seemed high and I'd already had a couple of retchy phases. The halfway point came and I saw 21:45 on the watch, but the course now seemed to have a few pleasant gently drops and mostly tail breeze. Didn't look at the watch from that point to the finish, trying to up the effort levels and race some of the people around me. This seemed mostly successful and I made some progress through the field. DD had encouraged me to try and feel the pain and I had this in mind, telling myself the hurt levels are probably not high enough. Still, I passed plenty and finished well, helped by a good contingent of club brass and supporters on the road before the turn into the track, where I enjoyed the bounce but didn't manage to pass any more runners, losing a place on the closing 100m. The number on the clock at the line was disappointingly high as I crossed the line and had a bit of a lie down on the side of the track before recovering and joining the crowd for some al fresco tea and cakes and sambos.
Couple of miles to cool down.
Didn't rate my performance, a grind but not grinding enough. A disappointing outcome for the huff and puff expended. But nice to be racing again and say hello to a few of the stalwarts, including AMK. Great performance from M to score on the M50 team and looks like getting a medal at last!
Some sort of blowout anyway. Four weeks to go.
- This week: 71 kms (44 mi) 6h 27m
- This month: 284 (177)
- This year: 866 (538)
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London Calling (Week -3)
Been falling a bit behind with the log, things have been a bit busier than usual. But getting the runs in, thankfully (and if I didn't, things would be crazier).
Mon 25 Mar
42 mins recovery, with some strides, around Drumcondra region. Body felt ok after yesterday's race, but a bit lethargic and jaded (if I remember correctly two weeks later).
Tue 26 Mar
45 mins easy. Post lunch tour of Maynooth and Carton House.
Wed 27 Mar
Rest.
Thu 28 Mar
1h 43m inc. 70 @ 4:40/km (7:30 mi). In Donegal for a few days, did this on the Killybegs shore road as it has some street lighting and it was getting late. Nine or ten times up and down the 2km stretch between Supervalu and the Holy Well probably had half the town wondering who's the madman. It's not a totally flat stretch despite being right on the shoreline so keeping the pace required a bit of concentration. 'Challenging but manageable' as I said to the coach afterwards.
Fri 29 Mar
41 mins at recovery pace around picturesque Lough Eske. This felt harder than last night's session.
Sat 30 Mar
46 mins easy in the Lough Eske region again, this time with 10 x 20s strides. A beautiful morning, strides felt good.
Sun 31 Mar
29kms (18 mi) on St. John's Point. The plan had this at 8:10/mi pace, which is just a tad easier than steady state pace for me. The route is quite up and down so there was no point in trying to hit the pace - tried to keep the heart rate around 155-160 instead. Another beautiful morning, and plenty of runners out, unusually. Quite a draining run, glad to have it in the bag. Mar total: 363kms (225 miles)
Three weeks to go…
- This week: 79 kms (49 mi) 7h 14m
- This month: 363 (225)
- This year: 945 (587)
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London Calling (Week -2)
Yikes. April already. This thing is creeping up on me. It's been an odd training block from a motivation point of view, but this week I did feel that it might be coming together at last.
Mon 1 Apr
45 mins recovery up and down Griffith Avenue. Good to stretch after the drive back from Donegal.
Tue 2 Apr
45 mins easy/strides, the latter in Fairview Park, which is looking increasingly good as it emerges from the roadworks that feel like they've been going on forever at this point.
Wed 3 Apr
2 mi WU + 4 x (5k@4:40, 1k E) +2 mi CD.
A monster session. Took this one very seriously beforehand, trying to be as well hydrated and nourished as possible. Hoped the wind wouldn't be too tricky as I warmed up out towards Clontarf, getting going on the first 5k set near the Clontarf baths. The wind was slightly behind and across for this section, which took me as far as Kilbarrack. After the recovery the second set out towards the Baldoyle greenway was more challenging, with a fresh headwind making things tough after the turn at Sutton. The barriers were down at the level crossing and rather than stop, I was able to loop around through a nearby housing estate back to Sutton before retracing my steps on the Baldoyle road, finishing the second set just short of the greenway. Really needed the recovery here, pretty gassed after that headwind. Passed an elderly woman I used to see running regularly in Clontarf, delighted to see she is still going strong. The third 5k set took me back to Sutton, handy enough with a bit of tailwind, but I knew the final set along the Sutton to Raheny wind tunnel would be rough going, and sure enough it was. With a few seconds banked, however, I was able to keep the pace numbers respectable, and I was delighted to finish this one out unscathed. Very encouraging, as good a long session as I've ever done.
Thu 4 Apr
33 mins recovery. Very slow - no need for any heroics today, felt a bit light headed on this one.
Fri 5 Apr
Supposed to be an easy hour but I was still feeling the aftermath of the other night's work, and capped this at 40 mins. The email from London arrived with starting pen assignments. Blue start, wave 3 for me, so should be getting underway about 10:10am on the day, hopefully avoiding the worst of the expected congestion.
Sat 6 Apr
45 mins easy with M and D in St. Anne's. Chatty and fun. Broke off after 25 mins or so do 10 x 20s strides. These again felt better than the easier stuff.
Sun 7 Apr
16 miles @ 8:10
A few days into taper now, believe it or not, so the Sunday LR is actually shorter than the midweek session. The couple of days recovery seemed to do the trick - I plotted out a loop out to the Phoenix Park and Islandbridge and the Liffey towpath, and had no trouble really modulating the pace to average it out to just under what was requested. Very happy with this one too, felt strong and comfortable. Almost certain Laura Muir ran past me in the Phoenix Park, happened too fast for me to organise a high five. 😀
A good week - 92 kms is a lot for me.
Two weeks to go.
- This week: 92 kms (57 mi) 8h 14m
- This month: 92 (57)
- This year: 1,037 (644)
Post edited by Murph_D on8 -
Nice to see you're feeling a bit more motivation, not long to go at all. Consistent training as always D🙂
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That really is a monster session you did on the Weds, think I missed it on Strava. Really nicely done. Hope you're enjoying the taper so far! How have you enjoyed the training for this marathon compared to last year? Have you run London before?
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London Calling (Week -1)
Well, with two weeks to go, it's all about staying out of trouble now.
Mon 8 Apr
30 mins recovery down to Fairview and a lap of the park. Got a nice soaking tonight.
Tue 9 Apr
Same again as last night, at a slightly faster easy pace.
Wed 10 Apr
2 mi WU + 3 mi @8, 2 mi @ 7:40, 2 mi @ 7:25 + 2 mi CD.
A sizeable enough session, and after this the taper would really start to kick in. Another windy afternoon. Started the 3 easy miles out the coast, turning at the wooden bridge, much earlier than I normally would, because it would just be too messy trying to finish the final two miles into the wind. So I ended up back in Fairview Park again for the faster end of this, alternating between headwind and tailwind, but with a bit of protection from the trees. A wave from the runner formerly knows as @killerz in the park, a while since we've crossed paths. Hit the paces, definitely working hard at the end - a decent session.
- This week: 27 kms (17 mi)
- This month: 119 (74)
- This year: 1,064 (661)
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Thanks V. Well, the thick end of the taper didn't feel that different, as usual, and the intensity stays to the end, just in smaller doses, But it will definitely start to kick in from now til Sunday week.
Good question - to be blunt, I have not enjoyed it as much as last year, or the year before. As the coach pointed out, London will be the fourth marathon in just over 18 months, and I'm feeling a bit marathon jaded, to be honest. That said, the training has been solid enough - DD has been keeping a close eye on me, adjusting things here and there, building around the couple of races over the past while. But the base is different to what it normally is for an autumn gig, and things have felt somewhat more 'bitty' than previously. The long recovery from the Berlin/Dublin double didn't help, or the lingering soreness after those races. I've asked everyone not to let me do that again. I was also sick for a while in January, which threw things back just when I was starting to feel some strength. Also, the tune-up races were not spectacular so didn't get the confidence boost from them that I would have liked, although I do realise they were worth doing for putting in some more intensity and they have a significant training effect in themselves.
So I don't enjoy winter/spring training as much as summer/autumn training, I think. The other thing is the gels - I've been stuffing them in on every session and long run over the past couple of months, and they really take a lot of the fun out of running. It’s a necessary evil - I want to train my gut to tolerate more in-race carbs than I've previously used, and the Precision Fuel stuff goes down easily enough - but I just hate the whole fiddly, sugary process.
But don't take all that whining the wrong way - I'm feeling positive!
Thanks for asking.
Post edited by Murph_D on6 -
Week -1 cont.
Thu 11 Apr
Rest.
Fri 12 Apr
45 mins with drills and strides. Hooked up with DD for a few easy miles and some running drills and strides on the causeway. Enjoyed these, although I always feel b*llixed after a few drills.
Sat 13 Apr
32 mins easy on the seafront, coffee afterwards with the lads.
Sun 14 Apr
Final session of the plan. 3 sets of 1.5 miles @ 7:25 with 5 mins rest. Headed out towards Dollymount. Fairly breezy again so I opted to turn and have the shelter of Fairview Park for the third set. Wore the alphaflys - they are not comfortable at all at easy pace, even less so than the vaporflys. But 99% sure it will be the London shoe.
So a week to go, all easy stuff and rest days until Sunday.
- This week: 55 kms (34 mi) 4h 59m
- This month: 147 (91)
- This year: 1,091 (678)
Post edited by Murph_D on8 -
Good luck tomorrow, hope the running gods align and you smash it
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Race week!
Mon 15 Apr
32 mins easy on the seafront with 6x strides. I don't remember much about this other than feeling a nice bounce to the stride as I left the house.
Tue 16 Apr
Up early to travel to London a few days early to attend a conference. Checked in to the smallest hotel room I've ever seen. I'd made a separate reservation for the weekend, and was told on check in that it had been cancelled due to a payment glitch. 😲 After a brief wobble, when no weekend rooms seemed to be available, everything was magically sorted by the efficient manager, and I was reassured that I could upgrade to the bigger room a day earlier than planned, which was a good outcome of the brief drama.
Was good to get my own conference presentation out of the way on day 1, so I can focus on the main event. 😉 A long day though, and I was glad to stretch the legs with a 40-min easy run as darkness fell. Thought I was heading towards Kensington and Hyde Park but ended up in Chelsea. 😳
Wed 17 Apr
Headed over to the expo at lunchtime - not too crowded. Picked up the bib and tee shirt and walked around a little bit. Avoided most of the sales pitches, although I did buy myself a heat pack for the lower back, which I hopefully won't have to use very much. Most of the international marathon tourists don't seem to have arrived yet so the expo was quite relaxed and there was no chaos or overcrowding like Berlin last year. Treated myself to an official jacket and half-zip for the collection.
Thu 18 Apr
40 mins easy. After (another) very poor night's sleep, out at 6 in the right direction this time, through some very elegant streets and around Kensington Gardens. Road closure near some Royal gaff messed up the planned route. Very cold this morning, sorry I didn't bring any long sleeve tops! Some good conference sessions, then I headed over to meet up for the usual pre-race pep talk from coach DD, who coincidentally was also in town on business. A brief review of the training to date, and a green light for another 3:20 attempt.
Fri 19 Apr
Rest. The mrs and the rest of the travelling party and a good few clubmates arrived today. Finished up the work related stuff and had a pleasant lunch and walk to Kensington High Street with A.
Sat 20 Apr
Recipe train trip with A out to the starting area at Blackheath, hooking up with M and A en route. We left the ladies to find a breakfast spot while M and I jogged around Greenwich Park and environs, where the start areas were cordoned off and plenty of activity underway building the infrastructure around the various start lines. A good buzz. Excellent waffles in the cafe beside the train station, then back to relax for the afternoon having made the plans for pre-race pasta dinner meet-up.
And that's it, nothing to do now but run the thing. Feeling good. Some nice messages of support, always appreciated. 🙏Hopefully I can grind out another good one.
- This week: 22 kms (14 mi)
- This month: 169 (105)
- This year: 1,113 (692)
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Well done yesterday D, super running and a great time.
Well done Sir…
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Race report!
3:23:20 official.
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