Manchester Marathon 2013

As a slower runner myself I always go in the correct estimated time pen and it works fine for me. Do slower runners often go too far forward? I love my i pod and would not train without it. I obeyed the no using an i pod at GMM last year or you will have to leave the race rule and wished I hadn't. The long lonely country lanes after the Dun, or was it before would have seemed less bleak if I had some music. Since then I have used my i pod but only ever have one ear piece in so I can chat to other runners, hear the marshalls etc! My moan is fuel stations, never gels left for me are there not enough provided or do runners take more than one?! I now take my own and it isn't a problem. Also after GMM no space blankets left at the end either! Did love having the medal actually put over my head though.

I've entered again. I think it's going to be great. They know they messed up with the baggage last time, & were fast to say sorry, & tried their best to put it right. Had the weather been dry, then the baggage cockup wouldn't have been so bad....

Lily.....I'm a slower runner....5:18 PB....But I like a faster start than other people with that time.....So if I'm on good form I'll probably go with the 4:30 people, as I like a half way time of around 2:20.....So I guess start with the people that represent your first half speed!

Pyjama girl, sounds the perfect place to start, had not thought of it that way! My GMM time was 5:17:56 so we must have finished at a similar time! I am not running Manc this year but the Marathon of the North in Sunderland instead for a change. Then York in Oct.

Oh I had a shocker at Manc last year! I was 1 hour 20 outside my PB without walking any!!  York sounds like it will be good. I'd have done that if it didn't clash with Amsterdam. Is Sunderland on the same day as Manc??

Ah, yes...Sunderland same day....grrrr!!

Pyjama Girl wrote (see)

Oh I had a shocker at Manc last year! I was 1 hour 20 outside my PB without walking any!!  York sounds like it will be good. I'd have done that if it didn't clash with Amsterdam. Is Sunderland on the same day as Manc??

To be fair PG, the conditions last year for Manchester were atrocious and probably didn't help times. I'm struggling a bit in training for Manchester at the moment, still can't shift this cough I've had since Christmas and am getting out running but probably running times that are a minute per mile slower than I was running in the build up to Christmas.

Hopefully things will pick up and I am getting the runs in distance-wise

does anyone know what the deal is with aid/water stations at the manc marathon for 2013? The website here mentions Cliff shots and Iconiq water pouches but it's not clear whether they are just promoting/advertising them or if they will be available throughout the race. Anyone know for sure? What happened last year? I'm tempted to do my long training runs with just water and my own nutrition (jelly babies or cliff blocks or something), that way i can just use the water on the day. There's always water, right?

Water pouches and cliff stuff will be used during race. They are in process of finalising which isotnic drink will be used and that will be announced later. 

It was a bit damp wasn't it Robin!  People looked so fed up. They were running in space blankets, & the sweep bus seemed very busy picking people up that had simply had enough. But the rain was forecast, so I simply wore the right clothes, & wasn't too cold.....

I think we all feel slow right now. 

Ginger, they had some great plastic water pouches last year, so sounds like they'll be back. 

Perhaps this has already been posted, but for those who might not have seen it, here's the 2013 route...

http://www.mapmytri.com/routes/view/111929753

Could maybe use this to marshall your supporters around the route.

Looks like it's a slight uphill final 2km, but the gain is only about 2 or 3 metres, so not too punishing.

My training is rubbish as well, got a half this weekend that I haven't trained for and still have a low level chest infection.... Work keeps getting in the way of me doing proper training....

Went out for an hour in the snow last night. I'm not sure if the value of this is enough to balance the risk of injury, but it makes me feel like a hard-core runner, which has to be worthwhile.

I'm hoping the York Brass Monkey HM isn't called off this weekend as I've used tapering for it as an excuse for under-training all week.

I'll have to keep an eye out for Clif Shots to find out if they're at all palatable. I find their chewy bars very hard work when I'm out cycling. 

i've just bought some "clif shot bloks". one pack contains 6 "bloks". the recommended "dosage" on the packet is between 3 and 6 bloks per hour of exercise, but i think that might be a bit on the high side for me, so i'm going to experiment on this weekend's 15mi run.

the whole packet (6 bloks) contains 48g carbs, 0.14g sodium and 1/2 shot caffeine (no specific mg measurment for that). Seems a bit low on sodium for the price of £2.25 a packet. Much cheaper to make up your own drink solution, with some dioraltye and orange cordial, and sip that along with water provided on the course, but i'll try these out anyway, see how they fare.

The shot blocks get into your system and work quicker than drinks do.

samoff wrote (see)

Went out for an hour in the snow last night. I'm not sure if the value of this is enough to balance the risk of injury, but it makes me feel like a hard-core runner, which has to be worthwhile.

I'm hoping the York Brass Monkey HM isn't called off this weekend as I've used tapering for it as an excuse for under-training all week.

I'll have to keep an eye out for Clif Shots to find out if they're at all palatable. I find their chewy bars very hard work when I'm out cycling. 

Likewise, going out in the snow in shorts is my claim to be hard core (that and the fact that my son said I looked like Max Wall with my running tights on)

I was recommended the SIS GO Energy Sachets as they require less water but I've been experimenting with the kids sweets on my longer runs with no negative effects

I want to use something I can carry myself, so I know if works and also that I'm not having to hope that the refuelling stations still have stuff left when I get there!

rockinrocky_robin wrote (see)

my son said I looked like Max Wall with my running tights on)

blimey, how old are you if you have a son who knows who Max Wall is?

"blimey, how old are you if you have a son who knows who Max Wall is?"

(it's what we're all thinking)

I use SIS Go sachets and like them. I can't deal with anything that needs chewing - I've tried jelly babies and some little cola flavoured jellies but I can't do them at all.

If the Clif shots are good, though, it would be nice ti have the option of not carrying gels. It'd be a big decision, though. I think I might find it quite stressful knowing I might run out of fuel if the station let me down.

Agent Ginger, I found all apart from the first fuel station had run out before I got there. I would always take my own now and any handed out would be a bonus.The water pouches were a little tricky to open and I often split the water but hardly noticed for all the rain! I carry dextrose tablets.