Cobbles & Red Wine - Sarah’s Paris Marathon Plan: Sub 3:35

Evening Angela!

Yes you’re right – running has to be simple. You don’t want to have to stop to find your route! Apparently you can load routes into the Garmins (like a basic satnav!) but I haven’t tried that function yet! Have you tried it? Is it worth doing?

Evening Steve Marathon Coach!

Yes … the 3 plates of chilli probably wasn’t my brightest idea before a long run …  Oh forgot to mention ..! I’ve got a big bottle of the protein powder you suggested might be an idea due to low carbs. I’ve been having a milkshake after long runs and hard sessions.

Evening Sarah!

Hope you have a wonderful holiday and good luck for the Barcelona half marathon!! I want to see lots of pics on your thread!!

You don’t eat for 3 hours before a run?? How are you not always starving?! You’ve got to practise that!! It’s really handy! (Especially when there are All You Can Eat nights on at the local …

This is the link to the torch I bought: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321057513276?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

It’s absolutely fantastic and is so bright. 1600 lum apparently. I’ve used it for about 2.5 hours on different runs and the batteries have been great. (It comes with rechargeable batteries and a charger too). It did take about 3 weeks to arrive though.

Evening Andy!

Yes I’ve had my pack for a little while now but can’t remember the number off the top of my head. I love getting race packs … the best kind of post!!

What’s the problem with the travel? Are you taking the train? I imagine it’s a bit of a pain to get to on public transport but it’s pretty easy by car as there are enormous car parks.

Evening Malcs!

Fab to hear from you! Yes Dorney Lakes and carb loading today. I have the most uncomfortable stomach EVER right now. Feel like I’ve swallowed a pillow!! It has been great to eat such different things but not something I’d be able to comfortably do every day!!

Evening AW!

Yes Dorney tomorrow! I’m looking forward to it … but am a bundle of nerves right now!! I’m looking to do about the same as my previous PB, maybe a little bit under. So looking at about 1:39 – 1:37 if I get the pacing right!

Evening MCS!

Sounds like your training is going really, really well!! How did you find the 17 miler? That’s a fab time for the 10k especially into the wind and on a muddy trail! Bet it was fun though!

Hope your long run goes well this weekend too!

Pre-Race Food Diary

Suggested by Ruth:

Breakfast: Porridge with 3 sugars and glass of fruit juice.

Snack: Milkshake or smoothie or jelly sweets

Lunch: Rice salad with tuna and glass of fruit juice

Snack: 4 large rice cakes with banana and honey topping or fruit salad and yoghurt or jellybabies and glass of fruit juice.

Dinner: Sweet potato and usual foods. Sorbet for dessert.

Before bed: Bowl of porridge

Actual:

I stuck to Ruth’s suggestions as closely as possible as I want to get the most benefit from her knowledge that I can. I hit a couple of hiccups - which is why we trial these things before the big day – and worked around these as best as I could.

Breakfast: Porridge with 3 sugars and glass of apple juice and coffee.

Snack: Jelly sweets (Pick’n’Mix!! Woo hoo!) and glass of apple juice and a coffee and a glass of orange squash.

Lunch: Jacket potato with tuna and a side salad. (First hiccup. I was out all day today and so chose the closest thing I could find on the menu to Ruth’s suggestion substituting the rice for a potato. I thought this highlighted a potential problem / solution though … I wouldn’t be able to cook for myself the day before the marathon as I’d be staying at a hotel so rice might be difficult although a jacket potato be easily available on a café menu). Drink – a pint of tap water.

Snack: 4 large rice cakes with honey and nutella on top. Glass of apple juice pint of water cup of coffee.

Dinner: Goats cheese, beetroot and cashew salad with a portion of potato wedges. 2nd hiccup. Again I was away from home for this meal as I was staying at a hotel near the half-marathon start. There wasn’t any salmon or fish on the menu as the only place I could find to eat was a pizza place. However the salad was great and there was actually quite a lot to it. There wasn’t any sweet potato available so I had potato wedges)

Drink: Bottle of lime and cranberry juice and a pint of tap water. Cup of decaff coffee. Couldn’t manage any dessert but only real alternative to sorbet on pub menu was ice cream.

Before bed: A bowl of porridge just isn’t going to happen … there is no way I can shovel any more food in today.

I feel as though I've eaten a pillow and am a bit uncomfortable, but I'll see how I'm feeling tomorrow and the big test will be how the race goes!

Good luck. - suggest ease into it gently and build up speed during run - ie you could do first mile nearer 8:00 than 7:30.

I don't always think a slower than normal start is best but tomorrow you don't need a flat out run from the off or to find out how fast you can run - that can possibly wait until Silverstone. In a marathon, control is essential and it will be good practice to run slower than capable amongst a group of runners.

If you find it hard to pace yourself at Dorney, then you will find it much harder to go at the right pace in Paris when you are rested, tapered and full of adrenalin, and hopefully with well over a month of extra hard training under the belt.

Going slower will also mean you will be passing people throughout which again will be good practice as that will also be happening in Paris!

If you can ease through the first three miles in the half in say 7:55, 7:50, 7:45, then effectively you will just have a fast 10 to do and that should also mean it will take less out of you for the week ahead than if you blast through the first three miles in say 7:15, 7:20, 7:25 which you are capable of and the best thing tomorrow is to ease close to or just within your personal best and then follow that with some good training in the following weeks.

RRR - very well controlled. Should set you up nicely and looking fwd to the details later!

excellent. well done on your 1:35:42 PB!

Nice running RRR. Congrats on the PB, and good work following the pacing guidelines!!!

Fantastic time once again! Inspirational My one and only half marathon time was 1:57.07.. maybe some day I'll have a 1:3-something

Evening Mike Sheridan!

Thank you very much! I was very impressed … never knew I could behave myself that well!