Long Hertfordshire - Westmill ride
Long Henley Ride
Long
Surrey hills loop
Long Essex Blue Egg ride
Marathon thoughts
Some notes I wrote for work colleagues in prep for the 2016 Edinburgh Marathon
-
Runners!
I hope
everyone is excited about the weekend. Someone has done their sun-dance and
it’s looking like perfect running weather.
I promised
Matthew some race tips but am sharing with the wider group. These are focused
on the full marathon but these apply pro rata to the half and relay too.
Three
topics below:
- Race strategy
- Pacing the race
- Fuel management
1. Race
strategy – how will you approach the race?
As I was
thinking about what to write I came across this site: https://runnersconnect.net/coach-corner/marathon-race-strategy/
It covers
the points I wanted to raise. I also share the views presented…so, I suggest
you read this! It also has a handy splits calculator…
This is
how I will approach the race:
0 – 10km:
as relaxed as possible, as steady as possible, run just behind the pacers, run
my own race, find my own space, begin eating and drinking early, enjoy the sun
and the sounds and the people spectating
10 – 25km:
find a rhythm, think about running upright and efficiently, be relaxed in the
shoulders, neck and face, keep focused on a steady pace and maintain steady
intake of food and water
25 – 35km:
reflect on the training sessions done to get confidence I’ve done the work,
keep good posture and foot placement, remind myself to enjoy the race, prepare
myself mentally that the ‘hard bit’ is coming, prepare myself physically by
being hydrated / fed and relaxed
35 km + :
begin to push away from the pacer and the edge up the splits (aiming for
consistent negative splitting), think positive (never: “must not stop”, but
always: “this is great, keep going”), begin to visualise the finishing line and
get excited about the finishing time. If I’m in trouble, ease off and look for
rhythm and consistency in order to recompose myself.
2.
What’s your race pace – how fast can I run?
There are
lots of calculators around. I find them to be bullish. As good consultants, I’d
add a buffer of ~5% to the times to be prudent. That being said here is one you
could use that does add an amount to factor in fade. http://www.runnersworld.com/pace-calculators/race-times-predictor
I’d
focus on setting a pace that:
- Feels ‘too comfortable’ and
‘slow at the start’ – it’s a long run and you will get tired later so keep
your powder dry
- Don’t fall into the trap of
flying and dying – there is a lot of excitement and adrenaline floating
around at the start of the race, enjoy it but don’t let it distract you
- You feel that sets a good base
to be able to ‘negative split’ ie your splits at the end of the race are
faster than at the start (not always possible but should be your goal for
a consistent race)
- Aligns to your training. The
calculators help you calibrate expectations
3. Fuel
management – what is your eating and drinking plan?
It’s useful
to remind yourself how much energy you will be using vs what you can store
comfortably. http://www.runnersworld.com/fitness-calculators/calories-burned-calculator
My goal
is to not be hungry or thirsty at the end of the run.
To do that:
- Pre-run: I’ll eat early in the
morning (6ish) to give myself some time to digest and get comfortable with
the food
- During the run: I will aim to
drink a mouthful of water every 5mins and every 15mins have a small bit of
energy bar. In aggregate I should drink ~1L and 800 calories.
This
doesn’t sound like a lot but…
- It does close the gap between
input and output
- It’s not too much to upset my
stomach
- My brain will subconsciously
release more energy with small bites as it thinks it will get more energy
(ie not feel it is getting stressed and hold off energy).
There are other plans
out there. It’s important to have a plan! I’ll tell you my Berlin marathon
experience during the weekend (spoiler: eating too late, getting hypoglycaemia,
collapsing, being unconscious for 20mins and spending a few hours in hospital! I
don’t recommend it)
Two weeks in Iran
Peggy and I had a truly incredible trip to Iran over the European Easter 2018. It cooincided with Nowruz, the Iranian New Year.
Check out our photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/bSVCvC603tXDAWV92
Some thoughts on our trip below...
Theocracy
- Every country has their trade-offs and hypocrisies, Iran is no different
- we've seen plenty of crack users in the street yet open shoes are forbidden in some parts
- modesty is a virtue but at the same time the culture has moved to an #instagramculture. We saw layers of make up, love of fake brands, fake booty pants and nose jobs (men too needed to cover their legs but almost anything goes
- Then there is the usual rich vs poor and corruption
Friendliness
- Overwhlemingly friendly, offering food, rugs, hospitality
- key question: „Iran is good?“
- key phrase: „welcome to Iran“
- only told to „suckmydick“ once by a guy who was pissed about the British and assumed I was a decedent of the British...
- Many people went out of their way in the street to welcome us or help
- A few tried to rip us off but quickly saw their ways
- You can try cleaning up after yourself, but no that‘s done by someone else
Geography
- Deserts vs oases
- Mountains vs plains
- Tehran vs Mesr
- Huge long open highways vs narrow bazaar alleyways
- Incredible mosques and Islamic achitecture vs slum housing
Food
- Fereni was my vice
- Eggplant (hallim bedamjan, mirza gazemi)
- Dizi
- OMG the bread
- Drinks: Sekanjabin (Cucumber drink)
- No alcohol: you don‘t miss the upside of booze only notice the absence of the downside
Daily life
- Spent in parks
- Restaurant always in bigger groups
- up early, up late
- Money is tricky due to inflation adding a zero...sometimes if they couldn‘t speak english they would take money caefully from your hand, give you the change and wave you on
- Anything big in the 90s: volleyball, ceasar salad, mullets,
- Nomadic life
- Thermos, kebab skewers, gas bottle, rugs and blanckies
- Young girl doing her homework early morning
- Stay with family unit throughout the day
- Side if highway, under a tractor / truck etc, in city parks
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