Brighton Marathon 2012

Karen - MK might be good, but I try to find somewhere for a family weekend away, my treat to the wife and children for putting up with my training. Your ultra will be fine, just take it steady and keep fuelled, and walk the uphill bits.

Hi Guys, A picture of me at the end ( surprisingly "ok") ......hope to see you next year. ( you will know what I look like )

C&I Dad - i am already looking at next year and thinking of doing Paris again, or Rome or Barcelona. Last year i did Paris and it cost me £80!!!
Got the Eurotunnel with Tesco Clubcard Vouchers, used the missus car which she gets fuel through work and stayed in a dirt cheap Ibis on the outskirts of Paris - shame it was sooo hot on race day - so i think it owes me one as it cannot possibly be that hot again.

My legs are really sore, particularly my torn calf but going to physio tonight and hoping to run again on Thursday. When i did the Paris London double last year i was quicker in the second so this time with two week break it should be no problem. Aiming for sub 3:30 for me, hoping that the smaller numbers will give me a clear run at a PB if the legs are fine.

andyc209 - I am not sure what I am going for at MK, whether to try and get the sub 4hr I stuffed up at Brighton or just take it easy and go for around 4.30, I hope the torn calf sorts itself out.

WOW we did it!!!!! nd from the posts I've read so far there are some tremendous times out there.

It was so lovely to meet a few of you at the travellodge on Saturday and I'm so glad everyone finished so well,
Charlotte - what an amazing time I'm in awe.
Karen - beating a PB by over an hour unbelievable you'll smash the ultra,
Rondo - A 1st marathon and sub 4 (you'll be back)
Juggler - The support you've offer not just to me but to everyone has been fantastic great time for you as well,
Toby3 - What can I say, as far as I'm concerned you have your sub 4 remember the garmin doesn't record the time that your stopped shame the race chip doesn't do the same.
Yvonne - Well done I checked out your race piccy and thought you looked great!
Lomster- I haven't found your result yet but I hear you had a yellow wig and met quite a few of the forum guys along the way i hope it went well.
Stig - I didn't get to meet you but am forever greatful for contacting me re my calf injury last week I followed your advise to the letter and although nervous about wrecking my chances I made it round!

For those I haven't mentioned well done the training itself is the longest marathon and to finally achieve the distance is tremendous.

As for me - well this was my first and I found the training hard (time wise) with a non running OH and 2 kids. I hadnt run for 10 days prior to Sunday due to a very painful calf injury so I was nervous especially as every footstep was painful for the first 8 miles.
However I trained for a sub 4.30 and was delighted to achieve 4.21.
The organisation was excellend and the crowds couldn't have been better. Felt pretty exhasusted at the 21 mile mark but carried on with a 7;1 R/W approach and it worked.

I did expect to get a burst of euphoria and energy at about 24 miles but it just didn't happen so i grabbed ny 10 yearold daughter at 25 and she ran with me to the 800m to go mark (at the side so we didn;t get in anyones way!)

My only comment would be the location of the finish line, i didn't see/feel any of the crowds at the finish line it might have been better placed by the pier entrance where the crowds were the deepest but I'm sure there are good reasons for the actual location.

Walking a little like Bambi today and have 3 toenails hanging off but toenails are highly over rated anyway I find!

Would love to come back next year but I feel I have to give my family a year off the marathon so I'll probably go for 2014.

Thankyou so much everyone for your advise support and general understanding, you've made the whole experience a fantastic one and it wouldn't have been the same without you all. I'll try to keep up with the posts over the coming days but where ever you running shoes take you - I wish you all good luck

BTW - turned the corner at 23miles and was given a shout out from Zoe Ball, embarrasingly I responded like a star struck teenager but it gave me a much needed boost, as did all the rest of the crowds.

Thank you to the people of Brighton and all the race organisers it was an excellent experience I will never forget!

Looking back at my time I got a half marathon PB too - 1:33:43

My previous half marathon best was 1:40 but that was only in training.

I think that's my next race, anyone know any good HM's in the south over the next few months?

i would love to just turn up and take it easy at MK but you know how when the adrenaline gets going you just go for it.... God Bless Kino Tape though - used it for the first time on my calf this marathon and it does work - not taking it off between now and MK

Andyc209 - Excuse my ignorance, but what is Kino tape? What does it do??

Sarah - great to hear from you and glad you had a good run. Do next years ! it's a whole year away, plenty of time to give to the family  my mrs has even decided to give it a go after seeing what is was like the other day. Go on you know you want to and plenty of people you know already on the 2013 thread.

Heisenberg - Seaford half 3rd June is nice, mostly off road. Maybe not one for smashing PB's but very scenic.

Hi everyone,

I've not posted in here before but have been reading lots in the run up (and aftermath!) on the race on Sunday. 

OH & I ran Brighton for the second time on Sunday.  Last year we crossed the line together in 5:16:29 and we were both hoping to smash this time this year... but it didn't turn out that way!

 I still managed a PB at 5:15:20 but OH struggled from Mile 16 and we parted ways at Mile 18.  He continued to finish in 5:37:38 which I think he was pretty disappointed with.  It's our own fault - we were pretty lax with our training this year, which I feel both a bit ashamed about and regretful.  After an 8 min loo stop and having slowed my pace right down from Mile 13 to 18 to stay with OH, I reckon I could have done a sub-5h time yesterday.

With more training, it could have been a walk in the park. 

I was gushing after the marathon last year (my first) but not so much this year... yesterday I swore I'd give the marathon distance a bit of a break but the more I think about the potential for a sub 5hr time, the more I want it!!  Might look into marathons closer to home (we live about 15 miles south of Birmingham).  It's the Shakespeare Marathon in Stratford at the end of the month so may go and spectate that one (armed with as many cut up oranges as I can carry! The woman around Mile 24 who gave me an orange segment just about made my day) and check it out as a potential race.

Thank you all - runners, spectators and volunteers who made the marathon so special.  Brighton will have a special placed reserved in my heart always.  And who knows... maybe I'll enter the ballot and let fate decide whether I should return next year!  (And also... secretly hoping I win one of the 20 prize draw entries into the Chester marathon I entered at the Expo!).

Stig - Seaford sounds good. I'd like to try a bit more off-road running.

its that Rock tape or kinesio tape (me and the physio i go to just call it Kino tape). Seemed to work really well considering it was the first race i had run in it. On wednesday i could not do four miles - was in pain all the way and had been struggling for weeks with a torn calf, despite taking 2-3 days off to try and let it heal. Then after that run i got some tape put on and but did not run as i believe it helps the healing. At the expo i went to the stand for Rock Tape and they suggested a slightly different configuration around my calf so they changed the tape i had on. Sunday morning as soon as i had set off i noticed considerably less pain, which stayed the same till about mile 16 - i had not held back either and passed half way in 1:34 - then around mile 23 i felt a really bad pain and spasm in the calf (the first real problem) so backed off for the last three miles - still got a 3:20 so really happy considering. Thought it would be really bad over these two days but kept the tape on and its healed quicker than the usual sore thighs.

Some may say in the three days rest leading up to the race it may have healed but i had taken three day breaks in training which had not worked so maybe this stuff really does work - its certainly been an interesting test and i would deffo try it again.

Heisenberg - its a good route with some interesting hills takes in the cuckmere valley as well

Afternoon all

well still here in Brighton weather this morning was terrible rain lash down the sea was really rough glad we ran Sunday fortunately  it blew over so went for a walk we started at the 26 mile mark an ended up at the turn around point on the road to hell my goodness it seemed along way

Must say we weren’t looking forward to walking back but as we had stopped in the cafe the lady behind the counter told us how to get out at that end of the road by going over 2 lock gates and we caught the bus back (note to self remember that for Brighton 2013)

will have to wait until Friday when i get paid before me or the  wife can use are Exbo codes to enter

Toby if your down a little longer you should try heading east to beachy head and there is also devils dyke just outside of Brighton

Hi STIG were till friday as we turned this week into our holiday week

Good video  here covering warm up, start, finish....

Hey Everyone,

Some unbelievable times posted on Sunday, I've enjoyed reading them all!  Stig - nice meeting you, although wasn't in the best of circumstances for either of us!  still, we made it to the end in just about one piece!

Spen/Toby - apologies I didn't make the meet on sunday morning at the baggage trucks.  I got delayed getting to the park as I followed a group of people I assumed knew the way, but they didn't so didn't get to the park til around 8.40ish. 

I started a little too fast in my haste to try and catch the sub 4 hour pacers.  Realised my mistake about 3 miles in and slowed down a bit and decided to rein them in a bit more slowly.  Finally caught them by mile 10 (would have been slightly sooner but for a toilet stop at mile 6 (can't believe it given how many times I went before the race!!!).

Ran with the pacer til just after mile 16, when I had cramp in my right calf.  At that point, once I got going again I kind of chucked it a bit mentally, which was really silly, but hey ho.  Got it going again, but at mile 20, my left hamstring really tightened and began cramping.  The last 6 miles were a mix of hobbling and running slowly, finally crossing the line in 4:13:14.  As said before, a pb of 23 mins, but I can't help feeling a little disappointed by how i let the cramping affect me mentally. 

Still, I have Belfast marathon in 3 weeks, and Edinburgh 3 weeks after that.  I'm thinking for Belfast, I'm going to relax and not worry too much about a sub 4.  Think I'll head off at 9.30/mile pace for the first 16, then ramp it up a bit if i can.  that should see me get another pb, but unlikely a sub 4.  then for edinburgh, i'll see how i feel again, but with that being "the fastest marathon in the uk" I fancy having a go at it. 

Despite having these marathons coming up, i am still suffering from the blues a bit today - I really loved Brighton, loved the marathon route, and I have really really enjoyed chatting with you all on here, and sharing stories etc.  Your advice, encouragement and inspiration really got me through the training and marathon this year, and for that I thank you all - this has been a fantastic thread.  Thank you all!

I'm probably going to give 2013 a miss marathon wise, and devote some time to my lovely wife and family who've supported me this year through all the training.  But I'm definitely going to be back for 2014  - i can't speak highly enough of this marathon and its organisation so if anyone from the Brighton Marathon organisation team is reading this a MASSIVE thank you!

I'll probably dip into the 2013 thread to read jealously about how well you are all doing!

 Cheers!

Lindsay good to read your race report. Make sure your back for 2014 and say hello on the 2013 thread