4m lakeside marathon recovery run

4m by the lake

Found someone getting changed in the locker room so ran with them. Super easy and at times felt like my muscles in the legs were not attached to my bones.

Blisters were bothering me slightly too.

Was OVERTAKEN several times and did not let it bother me and enjoyed the view over to the water fountain being blown back to Lausanne big time it stretched out longer than it's height and must have soaked anyone out on the marina behind it.

Stunning views again on a clear day over to the mountains with their fresh dusting of snow.

Post race recovery run done!

Garmin

26.2m Virgin London Marathon 2012

Went to the expo on Thursday and it was very efficient. I went in with my son and my old running buddy David Moritz. I was processed and clutching a runner's number and timing chip within 3 minutes. Then we wandered around the show, not that many freebies although an 11 year old boy seems to have the knack of getting something for nothing! I managed to get a replacement Garmin ANT stick for free - thank you Garmin and Paul won a duck in the tombola and Dave won a laptop bag. I am not sure what the point of the rice and beer in the goodie bag was.

Before I knew it, it was race day. The night before was not ideal, as a last minute change to the sleeping arrangements meant moving all my kit to the loft and the alarm in the house firing at 5am, just as it got light, meant total hours sleep the night before the race was around 5. Trip in was fun if odd to be surrounded by Harpenden Aro Runners. Following my departure running fource has disintegrated. Kenny is jetting around Birmingham and Barbados, Dave is in St. Albans and Paul refuses to race anymore. The Aro Sports shop has gone from Harpenden, but thankfully the club is thriving. Training nights well attended and senior men's achievements abound. Well done Aro Running Club! If I am back on a training night I’ll certainly come along.

Speirsy was on the train and I got to meet Lee (again) and Vidy for the first time. Found Dave on the train eventually and then we could get into all the old stories - so Speirsy do you remember vaulting a gate that was not closed......

As I predicted we were far too early. While busy at London Bridge I got on the first train no problem and made my way over to the Blue start. Lovely day and bumped into Speirsy again as they'd taken the wrong train and had to cross Blue to get to Red. By the time I had located the bag truck, the loo and the pen entry point it was 8:00am. 1h and 45m to kill before race start.

Cups of tea and coffee were on offer, so I took a cuppa and sat down in the sun to soak up the atmosphere and think about the race ahead.

Did several trips to the men's urinals (they had female ones too, the mind boggles) each one taking an exponentially longer time to get to the front of the queue than the previous visit.

On the final visit I was next to Spiderman in the line and taking off that kit was a mission. He should have a fly! Boom boom.

Pen position 3: so finally the time got closer to go so I made my way into the start zone. I was in the pen in front of the 3:30 / 8 min mile pacers  - two blokes with beards and the marker. I decided to stick close to them. We shuffled forwards as the time crept closer to 9:45 then I could see the start, one last pit stop at the side and then we were off!

The pacers were boxed in like me in mile 1. Went through in 8:45 and was annoyed that I could not get any faster and could not get closer to the guys with the marker. 

They even pulled away from me in mile 2 and so I was really hoping they were making up time. But they only just got back to 8 min miles and did not really look like they would pick it up. So I decided to try and get back some of the time lost on mile 1 by myself.
Miles 3 and 4 are downhill and ok to do a shade faster.  I was being carried along by the crowd and the people around me in the race and watching the various starts merge. Mile 3 beeped in at 15 seconds over 7 minutes, too fast now! Tried to slow down and mile 4 went by at 7:11 opps. Tried much harder to slow right down and went through mile 5 at 7:36 pace and decided I felt fine and could hold that most of the way.


And I pretty much did until mile 19. Highlights along the way were:

• the Cutty Sark,
• going over tower bridge, I loved that and the couple in front of me got out a camera and took a picture of themselves on the bridge!
• People wearing celebrity masks in the crowd, my favourite was an old dear in a queen of England one
• Running with a banana
• Running next to a guy called Neil, I could pretend they were cheering for me
• Running with a guy in full monk's robes and monk's hair cut
• Seeing two blokes with identical died orange Mohican hair styles meet each other next to me
• Roman legionnaire waving his sword at the crowd
• Overtaking Mario and Luigi
• Being overtaken by a guy in a kilt and a gas mask

Then at mile 19 I felt I had lost the pace a bit and glanced at the Garmin. Pace was 9 minute miles. Was this the wall? Already!  I figured my gel gap calculation was off and I so I took the next one straight away and recovered ok. Was feeling tired now ok at my new 8 min mile pace.

Then at mile 22 the road turned to treacle. Each step was an effort and my legs were burning. Holding the pace at 8 min miles was tough. My body and brain were screaming at me to stop. More and more people were walking or stopping for treatment. I started doing calculations of finish time if I walked. Each time I looked at the watch it said I had travelled 0.01 miles since the last time. I focused on each mile, then each half mile. This was payback time for the two 7 minute miles at the beginning.

Fastest vegetable home was announced on the tanoy as I came in front of Buckingham palace.
Then the sight of the finish, wonderful and to see 3:2x:xx and I went as fast as I could to the line, which was – exactly the same pace! So much for the sprint finish.

Still job done and well under the 3:30 target. At half way I thought I could do it in less than 3:25 but it was too much. The minute at the start and at mile 19 cost me greatly. But I was pleased to have got the time back quickly and I don’t think that was a mistake.

Swim and sauna on Monday, a few niggles and blisters under the toe nails, but all and all no injuries.

What's next? Any suggestions....

Garmin

5m Ferry Road

Last day in Scotland, so decided to go for a quick run out around the Farland Point and then out as far as where the ferry road cuts over. Out was fine 8min miles and then held that up the hill and came whizzing down the last mile to the house in a 7 minute miler.

Next run - VLM!

10.3m Isle of Cumbrae, Millport Classic

A hint of a cold, some very bad weather and a swim instead of a run all contrived to make this a rather extreme taper week with only another week left until the marathon.

So with the sun shining and the most amazing visability imaginable I set of to run round the Isle Of Cumbrae following the road. Flat as a pancake and on the way out of Kames Bay one of the yachts moored in the bay overnight raised the main sail and came out the bay, matching my speed. I added the path to Farland point and then turned in to some light wind as I parted company with the boat. At the end of the path Garmin beeped in the first mile at 7:48. Perfect.

I could hear the birds singing and calling to each other and tried to spot the pairs and then before I knew it mile 2 at 7:52 was done. Mile three to the ferry was 7:26 and I had to really focus to prevent the speed creeping faster than this.

I noticed a few camper vans and tents. One group had a table pilled high with breakfast, right on the sea shore with views up to the snow capped Ben Lomond and the Cobbler. Round the top of the Island the views over to Bute and Arran were dramatically clear and that with the sun shining and light wind made it is feel easy. The sleeping warrior looked like he had a cloak on this morning.

Before I knew it I was round Fintry Bay and Westbourne. Coming into Millport an old lady asked me if I had seen a "wee dug" - I said no. But later I did remember seeing a small dog, but that was at Fintry, over two miles earlier. Opps.

With a mile left to go I could not resist kicking and so let the Cardif Street "hill" pull me down to the main pier where there were three ladies who looked like they might be finishing a jog. I tanked it past them and recognised one of them as the hairdresser as I greeted them good morning.

On the beach infront of the Garrison I got some good encouragement from the kids and my dad who were out and about. Finished in front of the house and pleased to have done the 10.3m in 1h 16m with an ave pace of 7:27 min miles, which is so far inside TRP. I felt so good at that pace I may let myself go a shade faster in the marathon.

Really looking forwards to the big day. Training almost all over now.

6.3m Airport hill...

By lunchtime the forecast bad weather was heading in.

The morning sun had gone and an overcast sky combined with a chill wind to make for a foreboding mood in the air as I waited for satellites.

I felt tired from yesterday's final ski outing of the year to les Diablerets, Villars and Isenau, but mile one was bang on 8 mins and the steep airport hill only went over target pace by 40 seconds.

In the bottom field I notice a guy doing half lap reps and they looked like they were killing him. Saw him twice and each time the effort levels he was expressing through the agony in his face was quite something to behold.

Caught a couple of joggers on the hill and over took a few people which quickly meant TRP was recovered and on the way back up I stayed comfortably inside.

No drama on the downhill section where I was again comfortable just inside 7 min miles.

The bottom field and the two kinks delivered the required 10km plus a bit for luck. 

Was almost disappointed to finish as felt great and light on feet. That could be the taper kicking in already. Great!

Ave 7:40s. Garmin

13m? Eysins Nyon Arnex (34m this week)

Early doors with Jeremy - a buddy from Westlake Nyon who let slip he was going for a 20km this morning - so I gate crashed his run. Only condition was not go too fast, so that was fine. I tried very hard not to look at the Garmin all morning.

When I got up and on the way over the rain was lashing down, doing a good impression of west coast of Scotland weather. I was thinking that it was going to be a pretty wet run, but as I turned of the motorway the rain suddenly stopped and there were light grey clouds above instead of the black ones over Rolle. Result.

Parked up and then a cheery hello when Jeremy appeared and off we went.

He took me on plenty of new trails down into Nyon then out and up through the vines around Eysins and Arnex. Lovey country side and out side of the Nyon section it was all new for me.

Unfortunately I had not powered the Garmin the night before, so it gave up before we had finished. 8.45 minute miles average, although that was pretty much on the climbs where we dropped of the pace a bit. I was pleased to note the seriously low hrt readings after mile two.

The rain that was belting down over Rolle caught up with us - at about half a click out the black clouds were directly over head and the rain hit us hard. Jeremy took us though a field with no path in it, crossing over a river with a farmer's cobbled together bridge, up to a path then under the motorway bridge back to his house. We tanked the couple of hundred to get to shelter as quickly as possible.

Shame the Garmin died on the start of the last loop, but here's what we had.

Garmin

Very nice coffee and banana chez the Burrows, well worth the drive over for the company, the new routes, avoiding the rain and breakfast!

7m Gland, la Ligniere

I decided to try to find the trails behind La Ligniere hospital, which I did. Very nice too, if a shade hilly for a steady pace. Made a nice loop and a mental note to return here sometime to read the bible verses on the wooden panels.

Second decision of the night was not to go down to far towards the lake as I wanted to avoid the big bridge and the climb to it at the end of the run. So I went straight out to the sentier des toblerones and then went right under the railway bridge (nearly ended in the river, as I forgot about the jump down to the tiny path in the tunnel) and popped out on the top side.

Ran back a little more quickly and felt fine, getting the ave back to TRP.

Garmin

6m Bournemouth town centre and two piers

Quick recce to plan my route through town later on followed by two piers.

Ran out the opposite way to last night and turned at Boscome pier and came back on the top of the East Cliff. Highlights were 3 blokes on stand up paddles in the sunrise and a herron perched on the end of a groyne watching the stand up paddle dudes.

Very friendly people here as lots of hiya shouts and an old guy even gave me a big double thumbs up and "great effort" through a big grin!

Garmin

7.7m in with Ultra Carole aka Forrest

I first met Carole at a running event in London in 2009 (link here) where I was amazed to learn that she'd run the entire length of the UK. She also has a habit of doing 3 ultras in 3 days, and has been at it again recently - more of which is described on her blog here:

Forrest's Run

Please read it and give generously!

So it was a great honour to get out with such an incredible ultra running legend and I really appreciated the local knowledge of the chines that we ran up and down, rather than across, which is the mistake I have made on the south cost previously.

We heard a wood pecker, just after I'd been going on about trail running and wildlife spotting long the Aubonne river trail.

Carole got us back to the hotel right on schedule as the light began to fade.

Garmin

Carole's blog of the same run click here.