This was my first marathon and although I thought it was good shortly after finishing, with the benefit of time I think a number of things were very poor. I've just done Kielder marathon and believe me Steve Cram and his team know how to put on a fantastic marathon and with cheaper entry fees, £40. My main gripe with the Hull marathon was the route - down the back of an industrial estate that ponged of fish, past marshals who were smoking and over cobbles at 22 miles before the awful out and back up the coast to make up the mileage. I hope Hull keeps a marathon going more than anything for all the locals who kindly supported and I'll certainly be back if a combination of the council and running clubs can put one on. Just needs a runners touch and passion to organise.
There is an elevation gain of 584m and loss of 592m. The minimum elevations 176m and maximum is 243m.
The jist I get from speaking to other runners and cyclists and from some of the elevation graphs I have seen is that there are a couple of long steep inclines (near start and at around 10 miles) and just undulation all the way round (short steep inclines/declines) making it difficult to maintain a marathon rhythm..
Can you swim? For me have found 1 or 2 swim sessions a week a great substitute and accompaniment to running. Less injuries, great for upper body and a nice way to end a work day. Other than that just the obvious - entering races to give your running sessions a focus.
The only reason I was running 7 miles at 9 min mile pace was because I was on a training session with my running club..this was also with lots of stops and we were chatting all the way around so may have been slower.
But your advice is really good..when I started I made the mistake of being just time and distance motivated whereas now I more and more try to run at a pace that just feels comfortable.
I will concentrate on good form and technique and less frequency of runs.
Hi there, first time poster. Have been running since June but seem to make good progress for a couple of weeks before picking up an injury. So far have had injury in both ankles, shin splints, runners knee and now a groin strain.
I have good running shoes Nike Span 7 and usually run 4 to 5 times a week covering up to about 20 miles in total per week. I always warm down and stretch after running and have even started taking cod liver oil tablets to prevent potential joint issues.
The latest injury comes after joining my local running club and doing a 7 mile run at a very steady 9 minute mile pace with lots of stops so am increasingly frustrated!
I am 37, average height and weight and would consider myself generally fit. I run 5k at 23 mins and 10k at 48 mins as a guide.
I think my point is - is it common to get a lot of injuries in the first few months of running ie) whilst your body adjusts or am I unlucky?
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Martin Jones 35
