For those interested in my own appraisal and use of the format and questions from the last post, here are my answers to the questions.

 

Was my time target realistic considering recent races I’ve done?

  • Yes. With a range of 2:29:59 to 2:33:43, this was sensible based on a 1:11:25 half marathon (8 weeks out) and 1:54:25 20 miler (5 weeks out), even with reduced training.

 

How many miles did I run on average per week?

  • 62 miles per week for the first 4 weeks, but an average of 39 miles per week over the 12 weeks including the taper.

 

Does this mean I may have over trained or under trained?

  • Under trained.

 

Did I taper well/what did I do in my taper?

  • I tapered strength and running volume in the same way that I usually do, reaching around 40% of weekly mileage. Strength training stopped on the normal day despite the race being a day later, factoring in additional physio exercises for my ankle which I also reduced in the final days to 60% of the normal volume.

 

Did I get enough recovery? (sleep, good nutrition, hydration etc.)

  • I rarely have sleep issues and didn’t experience any problems during the taper or last two days. I carb loaded and drank plenty, although was possibly less hydrated than normal during the carb load due to a higher than typical salt intake as we were away from home for two days rather than one. I slightly increased the amount of foam rolling I did in race week compared to normal, despite reduced training volume and having a massage, so I may have relaxed/loosened everything too much.

 

Race plan and execution

Did I start too fast?

  • No, the pace was 9 seconds ahead of target in total over the first 3 miles, but these were largely flat and downhill miles.

 

Did I try to increase pace too early?

  • No, the pace began to drop off very quickly.

 

Was my pacing even/did it relate well to elevation changes?

  • Until mile 4-5 when the legs became a limiting factor, I’d adjusted pace with elevation. After this, I slowed the pace and was able to maintain an average of 5:50-5:55/mile until mile 13. From here, it slowed gradually until mile 23 where it slowed more drastically with 180 degree turns, route congestion and inclines.

 

How much fuel and hydration did I take on? Was this too little, just right or too much?

  • Took on a Torq gel every 20 minutes throughout and never felt energy was low. Started with a 330ml bottle of water which I drank over the first 6 miles, picking up another at 13 miles which I consumed over the next 6 miles. Picked up cups at 6 more stations, but these had approximately 150ml in, with 100ml max being consumed per cup after spillages. This is definitely too little, in part due to poor race organisation which had promised a mixture of cups and bottles. Usually I’d take on 1600-1800ml.

 

Was the weather different to what was expected? If so, how did I adapt to this?

  • It was a warmer and slightly more humid day than we’d had so far this year. I poured an extra cup of water over myself at 4-5 water stations to help with cooling.

 

What were my thoughts on the day, before and during the race?

  • I was stressed beforehand as we’d left a little too late from the hotel, and the queue for the toilets was too long, so I ran back 400m to my hotel to use the bathroom there. During the race I went through various emotions but generally stayed calm and focused on the task at hand. Having several pace targets kept me motivated, and I accepted the reality well at any time as my pace slowed. There were periods of more focus/determination, and I tried to push on at points when my legs felt better or the course was more conducive to faster running. Knowing I was in 6th and closing on the runner in front was a big motivation from mile 18 to mile 21, and holding this place to the finish. Wanting to stop at mile 13 when I saw Gemma, Kevin and Helen was something I was annoyed at myself for, but I realised it quickly and ran faster to get away from them and put it out of my mind. Knowing people would be watching me helped me to keep going and not give up. I’d been listening to a book called Embrace the Suck, and the title stuck with me when I felt disappointed or frustrated during the race. This helped remind me that this was a choice I’d made, and that we run marathons because they’re hard.

 

Did you research the route to know what to expect?

  • Yes, I checked out the elevation of the route and where the drinks stations would be, as well as contacting the organisers for clarification on which stations would have bottles. I hadn’t/couldn’t realistically have anticipated how poor the running surface would be in patches, how small but sharp the undulations would be and their impact on rhythm, or how many twists and turns there would be as they were often too small/sharp to appear on the route map. It was a new route, so conversations with people who’d run Milton Keynes previously only helped so much.

 

How could you train differently? Less, more, or different types of training.

  • Training was limited due to an ankle issue which occurred 8 weeks before the race. I decided to keep training low-risk and focus on 3 key runs per week plus 4 x 60 minute spin sessions, but this likely wasn’t enough to maintain fitness even with increased strength training. It was a balance I’m happy with as it meant I didn’t miss the race, which I may have done if I’d tried to run more in training.

 

How could you taper differently? Longer, shorter, more or less intensity.

  • The taper was appropriate, although due to reduced training volume prior to the taper with cycling using far fewer calories than running, I came into the taper a little heavier than usual so had a period of calorie restriction for weight loss in the final weeks which isn’t ideal. It was a balance of risk and it perhaps paid off in some ways, but was a negative in others.

 

How could your recovery be improved?

  • Sleep was good. I didn’t walk around too much in the days before the race, although my working week had been incredibly busy and quite stressful. I could have managed the amount of foam rolling I did more appropriately and perhaps shouldn’t have done more in the hope it would keep me loose.

 

How can you work on pacing and goal setting?

  • I’m happy with my pacing and goal setting. I went into the race with eyes wide open, knowing the 2:29:59 time may well not happen based on fitness alone, and that if it didn’t pan out, I ran the risk of a much slower time. With the extremely poor course and logistics factored in, I feel I did well to run the time I managed.

 

What changes would you make to your fuel or hydration strategy?

  • Fueling was good, following what I normally do and what science supports as the maximum amount that the body can use in exercise. Hydration could have been better, but changing in this instance would have been difficult. For future races, I could select races that use bottles rather than cups, take more bottles with me to grab from my supporters, or run with a hydration pack. A pack would slow me down in other ways and make me less able to reach time targets, so it’s a balance/risk management topic to be explored.

 

What mental tactics can you employ to help?

  • I’ve listened to and read multiple books on the topics of mental toughness and determination, and feel happy with how this side of the race went. Music helped, although the bone conducting headphones died at mile 23 having had the volume turned up very high to try and boost myself. I started the workbooks from “The Brave Athlete” but haven’t finished these, so could carry on and implement these more.

 

What could you do to prepare for the specific challenges of the route?

  • In the instance of Milton Keynes, the only other thing to do would be to run the route beforehand and adjust time targets accordingly, but this wouldn’t be a realistic expectation. It would be possible to use Google Street View perhaps, to look more closely at the surface, and there’s an argument for doing this, but I’d feel a bit ridiculous at the same time considering that I’m an amateur athlete, not a paid professional runner, and the majority of road marathons aren’t on such poor quality routes as Milton Keynes.

 

I’m going to spend some time this weekend figuring out the next steps for my own training, but the focus is now on the Sportlink Grand Prix series. There won’t be another marathon for me this year as we’re expecting our baby at the end of September.

I’ll be focusing on returning to normal training volume and building more speed, before deciding on which marathons I’ll run in 2024 where I fully expect and back myself to run a sub 2:30 marathon.