More analysis! With only 2 weeks to go till the London Marathon I ran the Human Race Kingston Breakfast run 16 miles. Results can be found here. Main goal of this race was to run within myself, not hurt myself and to try and run at marathon pace. Racing this race would be disastrous for a good result at London. Could I resist the chase?
So the gun went and I tried my best to hold back. With the new super lighweight Asics Gel Hyperspeed 4 running boots on I was feeling great and went through the first mile too fast. Thankfully it really did feel like I was holding back though so I wasn’t too concerned. I gradually eased back down through the field from 8th to 14th over the next 15 miles. I resisted the temptation to go with people as they came past and went through half way in just a shade over 47 mins. I averaged 157 on the heart rate (about Marathon pace), averaged a shade under 6 mins per mile and finished with a time of 1.35.55. A time I wouldn’t be happy with if I was racing but given it was a restrained effort I’m more than happy. Leg’s felt great at the end and the only problem was the soles of my feet. Badly blistered from the new running shoes. So I’ll be wearing my training shoes in the marathon itself. Not worth risking the whole thing for 100grammes (the difference in weight between the racers and the training shoes).
In 2008 I ran this race 3 weeks out from the marathon and only managed a short 1.35 when going flat out. I believe for sure I could have raced close to or under 1.34 (my time from 2006). So happy with the result and very little soreness the day after which is exactly what the Dr ordered. I gained a lot of confidence from this run and am chuffed to be able to run this fast whilst holding back. I’m not going to change my marathon race strategy of going out on 6 mins 10s per mile though. I just want to get to 20 miles ready to run the last 6 miles properly. The marathon is basically a 6 mile race that starts at mile 20. If you can arrive in good shape at that point you stand a chance of achieving your goals. Any other approach is madness. Not to say it’s not possible to PB but doing a massive positive split….but generally it doesn’t work out. See previous marathon results from yours truly.
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