I am resting. And boy it feels good. Last Saturday I was feeling tired - very tired in fact - so I went back to bed after breakfast then realised I don't have to go out for a run anymore. So I stayed in bed more or less all day. It felt like a weekend somehow! I still go for running now and then, but only for 5 miles - just easy runs.
And I will take a break from this blog , too. I hope this is also well-deserved. Thank you very much for reading, and for your support.
See you soon!
Tuesday, 16 October 2007
Tuesday, 9 October 2007
Loch Ness Marathon
So I completed the Loch Ness Marathon on Sunday, and returned back home safely yesterday (but it was late and I was too tired to post... It is a 9-hour train journey from Inverness to London).
First, I have to start with the weather. When I set off to Inverness on Friday morning, it was the blue sky that greeted me. I had expected it would turn into gray as I head the north, and eventually into the rain. I had seen it many times before. Amazingly, however, the good weather stayed with me all the way up to Inverness. Saturday was a cloudy day, but the good weather returned on the race day. There was even a sun at the start! If I heard him correctly, the MC was saying that it was the first time that they had a good weather in the Loch Ness Marathon (and it will be the last). I am told the weather was totally miserable last year, so I definitely got lucky there. (On the other hand, this may be God's balancing act, as I already had a my share of miserable weather already in Boston this year) So the conditions were excellent for running - dry, chilly and no wind. Actually I did not feel the wind at all until I entered Inverness.
Second, the course. The map in the official site does not indicate but I was told by several sources that this is a hilly course. Then just a few days before the race, I finally saw this definitive elevation profile courtesy of Thomas's blog. As he mentions, it looked remarkably similar to the Boston Marathon, and having run there twice I thought this could be my advantage. At the same time, my heart sank as I know how difficult the Boston course is. So was it like Boston? Yes and no. It was generally similar but with important differences. Most of all, for the first ten miles the Boston course is pretty much all downhill. This enables runners to go fast, obviously, but if you get carried away it will also burn your legs (the mistake I made in my first Boston). Whereas the Loch Ness, there were several and quite tough uphill sandwiched between the downhill. As a result I found it very difficult to get into the constant pace. I was hoping to run the first ten miles in a good time, but it wasn't to be. On a positive note, the seemingly difficult long uphill from the mile to 17 and 19 was nothing compared to the Heartbreak Hill in Boston.
Another important difference was that, although the Boston marathon also starts 26 miles away from the city and a majority of course runs through the countryside, from the mile 20 the number of spectators begins to increase, and you feel that you are close to the city and therefore the finish. In the Loch Ness, even at mile 24 I was running in the middle of nowhere. When I saw the castle, I couldn't believe that I was already back in Inverness, but this joy was over in two minutes! After crossing the bridge, I had to run away from the centre towards the athletic stadium where the goal was waiting for us. This was also a tricky path, because the registration on Saturday and the bus ride to the starting line also originated from the same spot, we all knew exactly where the stadium is. However, we were not allowed to take the short cut, and even though the stadium was in sight we all had to go round what felt like miles to the tired legs. That was hard psychologically, although I appreciate its necessity to cover exactly 26.2 miles.
Finally, it was extremely well-organised (the bus to the start departed on time!) and the spectators were vocal and supportive. In such a small marathon you cannot expect a large number of spectators, but my only disappointment was that there was hardly anyone in this long uphill at the 18th mile. I am sorry about repeating the comparison with Boston, but at the Heartbreak Hill spectators are heaving to encourage and push us over the hill. To be fair in the Loch Ness the hill comes in the middle of vast farmland (it is in a residential area in the Boston course) but for us runners this is a make or break point of the race. I really wish in the future the spectators will flock to this hill to cheer us on. Maybe it needs a snappy name and a good marketing campaign - how about "The Monster's Hill"?
Sunday: Loch Ness Marathon, 3 hours 3 minutes and 35 seconds
First, I have to start with the weather. When I set off to Inverness on Friday morning, it was the blue sky that greeted me. I had expected it would turn into gray as I head the north, and eventually into the rain. I had seen it many times before. Amazingly, however, the good weather stayed with me all the way up to Inverness. Saturday was a cloudy day, but the good weather returned on the race day. There was even a sun at the start! If I heard him correctly, the MC was saying that it was the first time that they had a good weather in the Loch Ness Marathon (and it will be the last). I am told the weather was totally miserable last year, so I definitely got lucky there. (On the other hand, this may be God's balancing act, as I already had a my share of miserable weather already in Boston this year) So the conditions were excellent for running - dry, chilly and no wind. Actually I did not feel the wind at all until I entered Inverness.
Second, the course. The map in the official site does not indicate but I was told by several sources that this is a hilly course. Then just a few days before the race, I finally saw this definitive elevation profile courtesy of Thomas's blog. As he mentions, it looked remarkably similar to the Boston Marathon, and having run there twice I thought this could be my advantage. At the same time, my heart sank as I know how difficult the Boston course is. So was it like Boston? Yes and no. It was generally similar but with important differences. Most of all, for the first ten miles the Boston course is pretty much all downhill. This enables runners to go fast, obviously, but if you get carried away it will also burn your legs (the mistake I made in my first Boston). Whereas the Loch Ness, there were several and quite tough uphill sandwiched between the downhill. As a result I found it very difficult to get into the constant pace. I was hoping to run the first ten miles in a good time, but it wasn't to be. On a positive note, the seemingly difficult long uphill from the mile to 17 and 19 was nothing compared to the Heartbreak Hill in Boston.
Another important difference was that, although the Boston marathon also starts 26 miles away from the city and a majority of course runs through the countryside, from the mile 20 the number of spectators begins to increase, and you feel that you are close to the city and therefore the finish. In the Loch Ness, even at mile 24 I was running in the middle of nowhere. When I saw the castle, I couldn't believe that I was already back in Inverness, but this joy was over in two minutes! After crossing the bridge, I had to run away from the centre towards the athletic stadium where the goal was waiting for us. This was also a tricky path, because the registration on Saturday and the bus ride to the starting line also originated from the same spot, we all knew exactly where the stadium is. However, we were not allowed to take the short cut, and even though the stadium was in sight we all had to go round what felt like miles to the tired legs. That was hard psychologically, although I appreciate its necessity to cover exactly 26.2 miles.
Finally, it was extremely well-organised (the bus to the start departed on time!) and the spectators were vocal and supportive. In such a small marathon you cannot expect a large number of spectators, but my only disappointment was that there was hardly anyone in this long uphill at the 18th mile. I am sorry about repeating the comparison with Boston, but at the Heartbreak Hill spectators are heaving to encourage and push us over the hill. To be fair in the Loch Ness the hill comes in the middle of vast farmland (it is in a residential area in the Boston course) but for us runners this is a make or break point of the race. I really wish in the future the spectators will flock to this hill to cheer us on. Maybe it needs a snappy name and a good marketing campaign - how about "The Monster's Hill"?
Sunday: Loch Ness Marathon, 3 hours 3 minutes and 35 seconds
Thursday, 4 October 2007
Off to Inverness
Thank you for reading this blog, and following my training for the Loch Ness Marathon. Looks like I made it, and all that's left to do is to run 26.2 miles on Sunday morning. I am travelling to Inverness tomorrow, so I will report back the result on my return home on Tuesday.
See you then!
Today: 6 miles
This week: 28 miles
See you then!
Today: 6 miles
This week: 28 miles
Wednesday, 3 October 2007
Rehearsal run
I went to the Victoria Park this morning to do the "rehearsal run". I don't know exactly what that means, but I ran for 3 miles at the pace I want to be on Sunday. So I wasn't pushing myself too hard, and yet the pace turned out to be satisfactory (about 6 minutes 50 seconds per mile). If I could run like that on Sunday, I will be a happy man!
Yesterday: 6 miles
Today: 8 miles
This week: 22 miles
Yesterday: 6 miles
Today: 8 miles
This week: 22 miles
Monday, 1 October 2007
I feel good
I think for 98% of Londoners today was an utterly miserable day - but not for us! Hard-core runners love rainy days. As long as the wind is not too strong (which thankfully wasn't the case today). I am glad to say today I had the best run ever since I had started training for the Loch Ness marathon back in May. Of course I was soaked to the skin, but who care about getting wet!
Today: 8 miles
This week: 8 miles
Today: 8 miles
This week: 8 miles
Saturday, 29 September 2007
Get ready
I did the last of long runs in preparation for the Loch Ness marathon today. I wasn't quite as sharp as last week, but I don't think it matters. There is nothing I can do now, but to rest well and be fresh for the Big Day next Sunday.
Friday: 6 miles
Today: 12 miles
This week: 49 miles
Friday: 6 miles
Today: 12 miles
This week: 49 miles
Thursday, 27 September 2007
Coming together
When I started this blog, I wrote that in preparation for the marathon I am following the book called "Advanced Training" by Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas. This is the third time that I am following their training schedule, but once again I am impressed that this is a very well thought-out plan. I am saying this now, because even at the start of this week I felt so tired that I was not 100% sure if I would recover enough to run the marathon next week. After the diet of easy runs, however, I think I am getting my strength back!
Yesterday: 6 miles
Today: 10 miles
This week: 31 miles
Yesterday: 6 miles
Today: 10 miles
This week: 31 miles
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
