Valencia Marathon 2022

Itziger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119874131#Comment_119874131

Lads, as ever, too early to call the weather. We do this every marathon 😀. All we need is for it to dip a few degrees. If I see a high of 19, I'm ok. Over 20, not good. Hopefully about 12 or so at the beginning. Direct sun can be a bit of a bummer. Always feels warmer. Fingers crossed.

healy1835

Maybe Itziger or MacPhisto might have an answer to whether they'd take a half marathon time for wave entry purposes? Thinking strongly of entering in '23 and I won't have a recent marathon time ☹️

DeepBlue

I was thinking of changing my wave start recently and you could enter half marathon and even 10k times with a link to the results.

healy1835

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119874583#Comment_119874583

Hopefully they'll accept times from 2021....otherwise my comeback will have to go extremely well, extremely quickly 😛

DeepBlue

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119874592#Comment_119874592

To check which Start Box to assign you to, we check the information provided .

Some of the details are automatically checked by looking up your results in earlier editions of our trials. In other cases, we ask you for further information through a URL or link to an accredited race in which you have chalked up a similar time (previous classification in the 10-kilometre Race, the Half-Marathon, or the Marathon in the previous three years).

^^ That's what they sent me in the email regarding changing wave so I guess you can take it a bit easier in the comeback 😎

AuldManKing

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119874505#Comment_119874505

Do it - I'm also thinking strongly of it.

Trampas

They accepted my marathon time from 2019

sanbenito

I used a 10k time from 2020 for my wave entry this year, then used my longwood 3/4 marathon time a few weeks ago to bump up to a quicker wave

Trampas

What’s the bag drop like? More to leave my phone and few things

Itziger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119885562#Comment_119885562

Bag drop is good. The numbers of runners have jumped a lot and that has had a knock-on effect of course. But once you get to the start with enough time, it shouldn't be a problem. Don't forget the 20 euro note for a beer or two afterwards......... Everyone get their bib number?

echancrure

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119886631#Comment_119886631

Yes got bib number: very impressed with the communication so far!!

DeepBlue

@Itziger Everyone get their bib number?

Got it twice in fact. I think they inadvertently called us half marathoners in the first email. 😄

Trampas

I got my. Nice pink number.

Plan is to start at the back of the wave so even getting caught up at the start it should bring me close to MP. Target be 3:10 so starting at the back of the sub 3:15 wave should be perfect for me. So even if I get a bit caught up I shouldn’t be able to go to fast as I’m not a ducker and waver as wasted energy to make a second

Is it like Dublin where they’ll give you a bag to put your stuff into or do I need a bag to put a number on.

Itziger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119888570#Comment_119888570

@Trampas They'll give you a bag at Expo that you can use. I think the quality is ok. It'll certainly do for a couple of dry tops and a phone kinda thing. Think they give you a sticky number thing to paste on to the space available. Can't quite remember, but you'll be fine. I see from yesterday's email that they now have split the bag drop areas so maybe Google map search the street that corresponds to your pen. You don't want to be battling a wave of 10,000 runners with 15 mins to start time!

Trampas

Thanks. That will do. So use to Dublin hat, gloves, coat, clothes required after it.

I seen to be on the road beside the expo. Av professor Lopez pinero. North lockers area.

DeepBlue

Long shot but I don't suppose anyone has a gpx file for the course? I think last year's course was a two lapper and they seem to do a bit of tweaking to to the course to make it faster.

echancrure

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119895605#Comment_119895605

Yes, last year was special covid. Below is a 2019 Strava trace, which you can export to gpx: it is mostly the same except with another turn in the old town, and towards and away from the port. I don't see how that would affect the profile at all if that's what you are after.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2904611637/overview

Itziger

Lads, lads, last year's course wasn't a two-lapper, it's what we'll be running in two weeks time. I did 2019 but they've tweaked it a tiny bit since then. It's not allowing me to share a 2.38 Boardsie's race from 2021... One Sir Ken Nolan, check him out if you like.

DeepBlue

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119896383#Comment_119896383

Thanks. I'm flying in on the Thursday and have 15 miles easy running remaining on the plan over Thursday to Saturday. I'd like to see how feasible it is to try running those on the latter section of the course.

Itziger

Hmmmm, now I'm a bit confused. Looking at last year's I think there is a small change alright soon after the start. Anyway, the changes are very minor. They've been trying to eliminate as many twists and turns as possible. They're a bit obsessed with making it the fastest course in Europe.

Itziger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119896742#Comment_119896742

Unfortunately not feasible I'm afraid. From km 35 to the finish are very busy streets, with human and motor traffic. Can't see that working for ya. The obvious spot to run in Valencia is on the dry river bed. The other part that you could do a bit on would be the biggish avenue out by the University area. From beach inland and back again. But nothing beats the river really. There is a runners track down there that is bizarrely respected by dog-walkers and cyclists - who happen to have their own paths!!

echancrure

Only two weeks to go, so it's getting late to improve anything...

Training went relatively well this past week, with two added track sessions and some core work, but not perfect: I could not run a 10k flat out on Saturday for a variety of reasons (it was 0c in Carlow at 9 am, the track was still closed at 1 pm and when I tried to do it on the treadmill my head went and I could not sustain the effort: basically I should have gone to park run and run a 5k flat out at least as it would have been something). Yesterday's 17m run was an improvement again with a low HR and slightly increased pace (the problem is I can't get my HR up at the moment, which is why missing that 10k is a shame), even if I wasn't feeling the love.

Apart from 4x1200, this week is straightforward enough. I'll still try to add 2 other track sessions with the club. I have to increase stretching and generally look after my legs.

Weight loss has been a disappointment as always (currently losing 0.2 Kg per week!), but at least it's moving in the right direction. With mileage decreasing, I have to reduce carbs further.

Of course, it is time to start looking at ambitions, and at the moment, it looks like this:

-Bronze sub 3:00 @6:51

-Silver sub 2:50 @6:29

-Gold sub 2:46 @6:19

with training so far indicating a 6:35 pace. So a PB (2:47:27) seems out of reach, and the best I can hope for is a sub 2:50 if things go well. There are a couple of positive factors (flat course, supershoes) but a good few negative ones (warm sunny weather, lack of hard training pace, potential stomach cramps as always).

Anyway, there it is, and the best I can hope for is a small improvement in all areas this week and, of course, no injury. I hope everyone will be on the start line healthy. All the best.

Trampas

I was on a treadmill in a sweatbox on Saturday doing 13km a little faster than race pace and 1% gradient. With an hour warm up and a couple of km cool down.

More just to feel like it be if it’s a warm day.

800m and 5km MP tempo tomorrow and Thursday for me this week.

Hopefully a 3.0x for me. Hoping it’ll be get into a nice tempo and just tick the distance away. Like all marathons it’s all on the day and avoid the kids bringing home a big bug from school

DeepBlue

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119896928#Comment_119896928

Thanks for that. Will save me a few hours faffing about on google streetview trying to figure out what's possible. Turia Gardens does seem the business though. I noticed it on a brief visit the last time I was in Valencia and thought it was a really nice facility - and I wasn't even a runner then! 😄

Lads, lads, last year's course wasn't a two-lapper, it's what we'll be running in two weeks time.

Mea culpa. It was the 2020 event that was a two lapper for the elites only. I came across it looking through strava segments to try and find the route.

Itziger

Still a bit early I know, but indications are that the temperature could be more or less perfect. I've seen a couple put up 16 or 17 as the high for next Sunday. Could change but fingers crossed.

Trampas

Weather looks good. Can’t be expecting single digits but hopefully get a bit in before the sun gets up properly.

corcaigh07

Put myself on the waiting list for this Saturday night and the option to book a bib popped into the inbox the following morning.

If there is a mini boards meetup that evening, happy to join ye!

echancrure

Here we are, the final week before the main event.

As expected, the past week went fine and steadily with no surprises. It was very enjoyable. 59 miles done.

I didn't go out to the extra track session with the club on Monday night as the weather was not that kind, and I felt a bit lazy. But it was supposed to be a rest day anyway, so it was probably wise. On Thursday morning, I was about 10'' too slow per mile for my four 1200m reps as the legs were still tired from the extra club track session the night before: trying to do 2 track sessions back to back is probably not the best (looking forward I'll have to change this and replace one of those with Lactate Threshold session instead as I need more high steady heart rate efforts). I managed several good exercise sessions (plyometrics twice, two very good strides sessions, core, yoga, and a couple of other things). Finally, my weight has come down nicely by about half a kilo, but much more importantly, it has been a very steady decline rather than yoyoing widely as would be my norm. As I have been struggling to find the right weight management habits for years, I am very pleased with this as there is hope that I can train and lose some fat at the same time.

I have a habit of messing up during the last week before a marathon (typically by eating too much) and underperforming on the day (primarily due to stomach cramps from about halfway), so hopefully, my new diet habits will help with that.

This week is all easy stuff, except for Wednesday's dress rehearsal of 7m with the last 2 at marathon pace. I will try to keep the strides, easy yoga sessions and plyometrics work up.

The weather looks good for Sunday (clouds, chances of rain, no wind).

But enough chitchat.

There is no doubt that I am at least 20'' per mile slower (about 9' overall) than when I got my PB of 2:47 3 years ago. But. That was a big underperformance, and I was capable of 2:42 on that day, but going out too fast on the non-flat DCM course and having stomach cramps took care of that. Last week I posted the following goals:

-Bronze sub 3:00 @6:51

-Silver sub 2:50 @6:29

-Gold sub 2:46 @6:19

They are nice round targets, so I won't change them. But I have to take reality into account: I will go out for Silver at a 6:30 pace (in practice, I will aim to be below that, so it could be 6:28 on average). That pace should feel easy until halfway; if it does not, I'll try to hang on and, if necessary, drop to the Bronze goal. But there is also a possibility (flat course, supershoes, good weather, no cramps) that I'll be slightly faster than that and still feel good, in which case an average pace of 6:23 overall and a PB could be in sight. My Gold goal is out of reach this time.

I hope everyone is in good shape. I am number 2354, Green wave.

Take care all.

Itziger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119929889#Comment_119929889

Jaysus, that was last minute!! We haven't finalized details but I'm definitely hoping to hit Tyris on Tap Sunday evening. I have to get out to say hello to the in-laws at some stage but let's say 7 or 7.30 in ToT. They have a good selection of beers, it's unpretentious and they do some food as well. Not exactly gourmet but you can eat well enough there. I might be heading off for dinner elsewhere, don't know yet.

DeepBlue

I presume nobody can search for participants on the valencia marathon app? Or maybe it's just me.

Edit - never mind, it's live now.