Paul Smith
Short Notice! The Edinburgh Marathon on 6 weeks warning
Fundraising for British Heart Foundation
Story
Post run report
May 26th: My legs feel pretty good for a man who did a marathon just four days ago. The reasons are as follows. Everything started well. The seven-hour through-the-night coach trip up from Milton Keynes to Edinburgh on the morning of the run went smoothly enough, and I was on the start line with an hour to spare, looking up at an unpromising sky. Weather reports had said a cool 13 degrees (good - maybe even a bit too cold as I was in my shortest shorts - more of which later...) but winds building up as the day went on. These would become a problem later.
As the horn sounded I surged forward with 10,000ish other runners, high-fiving a Giant Panda on my way to the line; as you do. I crossed the start line at a trot and set my stopwatch running. Within yards the jelly babies I'd brought with me jumped out of my running belt so I did the rest of the race with the bag in my hand, marking each successful half-mile by eating one. I started with 52. I ended with 17. Not a good sign...
The sun came out as we left the city-centre, which wasn't as much of a down-hill as I'd been expecting. I'd aimed to do the first 18 miles in three hours, at 6 mph; 10-minute miles and for the first few miles I was able to stick to it pretty closely. Within 20 seconds per mile, in fact, which was pleasing as I'd never run more than 6 miles out-doors before and the treadmill at the gym pretty much takes care of my pace for itself ;)
I reached 13.1 miles (21.1Km) feeling very fresh after just 2h 08m; a personal best for a half-marathon and my first outdoors, obviously! I've only done four on the treadmill and never beaten 2h10m before. So, on course to finish in 4h16 (my target was 4h30) I kept the pace up the best I could. At some points of the course, especially around water stations, things had to slow down because of the crush of other runners, but I persevered. Speaking of water, I was handed a bottle which I couldn't open, leaving me another 5 miles to run without a drink; not ideal. I was glad of the breeze that'd blown up, helping to keep me cool as the sun was out now, and was pretty keen too.
At 16 miles, some time before I expected it, I hit 'the wall'. It happened shortly before another drinks station just as the road began to rise again. With a swear word I trotted to a walk, checking my watch. 2h38. Two minutes ahead of my target pace, and a speed which would have got me to the finish in 4h20. I don't think being 'a bit' quicker than planned was the issue. The issue was the lack of preparation time thanks to running at - as the name suggests - short notice. I'd only managed one long run in training- 30Km. Doing that, I'd got 'lead legs' at 27.2Km (finished in 3h13) but hoped to go longer with the atmosphere and urgency of the race. Alas, it was not to be. I stuck with it though, mixing walking with jogging and ticking miles off hoping my legs would recover enough to start running again.
Joining Superman for a while I reached the far end of the course, where it switches back on itself and heads back along the coast towards the city. There were still plenty of people coming the other way as I crossed the 30Km timing mat at 3h19. With an average pace to that point that would have got me to the end in 4h40, and knowing 4h30 no longer on the cards, I changed my plans to 5h and for a while, I was able to keep a jog/walk pace up which would have got me to the end within that time. I was determined but the breeze had turned to a stiff breeze and as I used street signs and mile markers as something to always run to when I could see them, it was getting harder to keep the pace up. In several places the course, now just above sea level, is very exposed and we were running into a strong headwind. Several times I passed (sometimes weeping) people who'd had enough. Limping, broken... I wasn't going to join them. Blinking wind-blown dust from my eyes time and time again (I wish I'd have worn my sun glasses) and skipping over the empty water bottles which were rattling down the street towards us, I kept going.
I saw a petite woman blown off her feet as I scuttled sideways in a sudden gust. Traffic barriers were falling over. But the crowds were growing thicker again as the coast road passed through more built-up areas and they were marvelous, cheering and urging us on. If I'd have painted the cross of St Andrew on my face, I may even have got a piggyback... But that would have been cheating. Around 22 miles in it became clear I was walking a lot more than I was running in what, afterwards, I learned was a 24 mph headwind, and I wasn't going to hit 5 hours without a big surge. I tried. I tried again. I kept trying to drive forward every time someone overtook me, which was happening pretty often at this point, even as I walked past slower-moving walkers.
It was only when a woman shouted at me, "It's almost over, it's just around the corner!" that I found capacity in my legs again. I began to trot and even though it was painful, I kept it up. The corner opened up. I saw the 26 mile marker (I'd missed some along the way) and stepped up to a stronger jog, knowing my first marathon was almost over. As the finish line hoved into view I thought 'sod it' (or words to that affect) and began a full-on run, chasing down an Australian woman who'd overtaken me a couple of minutes before, and everyone between me and her. I had a target now. It wasn't a time (5 hours had come and gone) and it wasn't the next mile; it was the bobbing back of an Ozzie. A cheer went up as, with a 300-yard stare, I began my final all-or-nothing assault on the course. As I crossed the line a female steward stepped out in front of me without looking and I had to stop rapidly to avoid taking her off her feet. But I'd made it. I was a marathon finisher. Just quite a slow one. My watch said about the same as my official time; 5 hours, 10 minutes, 19 seconds. Not what I'd hoped or trained for and had it not been for the headwind, I do think I'd have made it back in less than 5. Still, everyone loves a heroic failure more than a winner, don't they? And this does give me a target for my next one. Yes, I did say to myself "That's my curiosity cured" as I sat down on a garden wall at the finish to wonder why the grandstand was completely empty (the organisers have come in for a lot of criticism for several aspects of this year's Edinburgh Marathon) but I know I can do better than 5h10...
The rest of the day is a bit of a blur. With a slow time I was in better shape than many but long queues for our medals, a longish walk to the festival site and a very long walk to more queues for a coach home were all annoying. I did get a (very cold) shower though, and a leg massage from the lovely British Heart Foundation people, along with a chocolate frog and a banana. A little walk in the city, geocaching, followed by a pizza and another long coach ride home saw me get in at 6am. I slept well.
Huge thanks again to everyone who'd supported the British Heart Foundation's work through me, as well as the good people of Edinburgh and beyond who volunteered, cheered and made the UK's second biggest marathon an enjoyable one.
You can see my times here: Race Results | Edinburgh Marathon http://www.edinburgh-marathon.com/?past-results - I was number 11566.
The shortest shorts? The most painful thing is the mild sunburn I got on the tops of my thighs from running outdoors in them for the first time. I also got a fetching white stripe around my head from my sweatband. I picked up a small blister on my toe, which I didn't even notice until the following day, and I was a little stiff for a couple of days, but I've recovered very quickly, really. A small consolation for my disappointing time, but 26 miles non-stop on foot is still something I can be proud of. Thank you for making it much more than a pointless exercise in ego; The BHF will do good things with your money, while I'll use the experience to spur me on for my next challenge... Stay tuned for that!
Paul
May 20th update: It's all getting a bit real now, as I pack my bag with running kit, make sure I have my race number and start checking Edinburgh weather reports. I've done a couple of 4 mile runs this week and cycled a bit to keep things moving, but last week's 36Km run turned into a 10Km run. In fact, it took me 4 days to total 36Km, and 5 days to total a full marathon; a bit of a worry. I hope 'on the big day' - just a couple of days away now! - my adrenalin will see me through. Along with jelly babies and sheer bloody-minded determination for the last hour. I'll be running blind a bit, having never gone further than 30Km (18.6 miles) non-stop...
A huge Thank You! to everyone who's got me to 57% of my £350 target so far. It makes a huge difference to me - and you're making a huge difference to the good work that The British Heart Foundation do too. It's appreciated with every fibre of my being and hopefully, with a finish under my belt, I'll be able to coax some more money into my virtual charity bucket :)
I'm almost more worried about the 8 hour coach trip each way on the day than I am about the run, but at short notice, it was my best option for getting to Edinburgh from my home in Bucks, as well as giving me somewhere to sleep. I'm off to the gym shortly for a row and walk - maybe a very gentle 2Km run - and to continue carb-loading with a bowl of chips on Saturday morning. There was a little piece about me doing that in last week's Bucks Herald actually.
May 3rd update: With less than three weeks to go, I've done two long training runs. Previously, I'd done two half-marathons (13.1miles/21.1Km) on a treadmill last year, but neither had been non-stop and neither had been under 2h20m; too slow for my 4h30m full marathon target pace. So, on April 27th I did my first non-stop half marathon as a test run to gauge my fitness. Again on a treadmill, I hit the distance in 2h10m24s, zapped 2200cal and my heart hit 172bpm thanks to a fast finish. Rather better than my 10m per mile target pace.
But! On May the 2nd I attempted a 18.6mile/30Km run 'in full kit', which turned into 27.2k run and a 2.8k walk when my legs got very heavy and painful. But it was still non-stop, and I finished in 3h13m36s, burning 3003cal with my heart hitting 162bpm at most. By my maths, that's a Marathon in 4h32m19s; not far off the pace I need to be doing, even with the walk at the end!
However, if 30Km (or 27.2Km) is my wall, that leaves a *very* long walk at the end, come race day. My next challenge is to run 22.3mile/36Km next week; my last long training trot to give everything a chance to recover before the 22nd. My question at the moment is should I do my training rate (9.7kph; better than 10min miles) or the pace I actually need to maintain to reach the finish line in 4h30m; 9.4kph? It's these sorts of things that aren't keeping me awake at night. It's the massive pain in my hip muscles.
Original text: Thanks for taking the time to visit my Edinburgh Marathon JustGiving page. Having already paid £30 to take part, I'm committed to make up any shortfall if I fail to raise £350 for The British Heart Foundation... <worried face>
Running in the memory of my late father, Mike Smith. 1940-2005.
On May the 22nd 2011 I'll be running my first Marathon - the UK's fastest - in Edinburgh. The 2011 Edinburgh Marathon has attracted 30,000 runners and I'm hoping to raise £350+ for The British Heart Foundation by completing it. To keep it interesting, I plan to finish in under 4.5 hours; a little under 6mph for the 26 mile, 385yd/42.2Km race - I'd adore it if you were to sponsor me :)
Looking online, I see the average finishing time for 2010's race was 4h30m04s, making my target sound fairly realistic: http://www.marathonguide.com/results/browse.cfm?MIDD=1911100523
Why Short Notice? Because there was a mix-up which meant for a few hours I thought I was doing the London Marathon- but couldn't. I was suggested the Edinburgh Marathon as a replacement and couldn't resist the challenge! 40 days isn't long to get ready for a marathon but I'm in good shape and plan to carefully prepare for the race. I'll be updating this page with training info. For example, since the running machines at the gym are set to Km, I know I need to do an average of 9.4Kph or 1Km every 6m22s for 270mins...
Why The British Heart Foundation? My father died of a heart attack in 2005 after a series of heart problems, at the too-young age of 64. His own father died of a heart attack in his 50s so there's a family link. Thus, for totally selfish reasons, I now support the wonderful work of the BHF!
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.
My past challenges have included:
March 3rd 2011: Vertical Rush up Tower 42's 590ft for Shelter. Finished in 6m58.7s! http://www.justgiving.com/verticalrushing
June 19th 2010: The Itex Round Island Walk on Jersey. 48.1miles/77.3Km run/jog/walk/hobble for the British Heart Foundation in 15h45m http://www.justgiving.com/SimplyPaul
March 21st 2010: Running 6 miles around RAF Halton near Wendover, Bucks, for Sport Relief, in 45m57s. http://www.mysportrelief.com/simplypaul
June 30th-July 1st 2009: Climbing the classic Three Peaks Challenge mountains of Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike & Snowdon in 23h39m, on an hours sleep! http://www.justgiving.com/socialclimber
I also did the London to Brighton bike ride way back in 2002 for The British Heart Foundation. When I was fresh-faced :)