Here's a short highlights movie from the Frankfurt Marathon I've put together. Includes bits from the official video, me passing 30,35,40km,at the finish and some footage shot by my very able support crew of one, Jason. Also includes a lot of sections with Ian Habgood from Bournemouth AC as we were traded places a couple of times on the way around the course! It starts with some suitability teutonic audio...
Friday 29 November 2013
Frankfurt Marathon 2013 Video Highlights
Here's a short highlights movie from the Frankfurt Marathon I've put together. Includes bits from the official video, me passing 30,35,40km,at the finish and some footage shot by my very able support crew of one, Jason. Also includes a lot of sections with Ian Habgood from Bournemouth AC as we were traded places a couple of times on the way around the course! It starts with some suitability teutonic audio...
Thursday 14 November 2013
Post Frankfurt Marathon Notes & Thoughts
Now the dust has settled from the race in Germany, I've put together a bunch of extra thoughts & notes on the pre/during/post race stages. There's also some more photos (taken by my very talented support crew of one, Jason Rheinberg!)
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| Frankfurt in the autumn |
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| The old part of town |
Pre race nutrition
I switched to a low
carb/high fat diet from Monday before to Thursday evening to bring my weight down abit, and off-set for the low running volume in the last week (144
down to 140.5lb). It was then normal carb intake from Thursday evening through Friday
and then one-day carb load on Saturday. This was based on 10-11g carbohydrate per
kg body weight, so around 650g in total. Carb load food consisted of;
- Banana/porridge & honey/rye toast & jam/OJ for breakfast.
- 750ml of torq energy drink/mule bar mid morning.
- Sweet potato soup/rye toast/1xBeet it Sport for lunch.
- 750ml torq energy drink in the afternoon.
- Chicken/butternut squash/courgette/mushrooms/Green peppers/onion/brown rice for dinner (plus a small glass of champagne, celebrating our friends new baby!).
Race strategy
The
plan was to keep the pace between 5:45 and 5:55 per mile, while
monitoring my heart rate to keep it below marathon HR (165bpm). I'd
estimated that somewhere around 2:32 pace would likely be achievable, so
was aiming for 18:00/5k. As I said in my race report, the pace was
difficult to track in the first 5k due to tall buildings, my heart rate
was averaging a bit too high (~168bpm) and as a result I clocked a 17:38
for the first 5k. From 5k to 25k I ran to heart rate, sticking with a
good sized group and trying not to work too hard into the wind and rain.
From 25k onwards the wind & rain became less of an issue. Going
down wind from 30-35k and with plenty of energy in reserve allowed me to
put the hammer down and put in a 17:30 5k. The negative split was a bit
of an accident really, but having done it I can see the benefit of
controlling the effort in the first half and then pushing on in the
second half. Physiologically it was great reeling in so many people on
the run back into the city centre!
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| A normal sight on a early Sunday morning...in the African rift valley |
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| The Race Leaders |
Race nutrition
I
umm'd and err'd about the gel strategy, at London there is lots of
flexibility with a water station every mile, but at Frankfurt they are more
widely spaced. I don't get an gastric issues with gels, so aim for the
optimal 75g of carbs per hour that the body can digest. In the end I
opted for a gel every 5k up to 35k and then an optional one for around
37.5k. I took all 8 in the end, although I'm not sure the final one (at
around 37/38k) was really worth taking. Only took sips of water to lubricate the gels & wash my mouth out. I was using a combination of GU Roctane (caffeinated) and Clif Shot Razz (non-caffeinated) gels
Gel Plan & Water Stations - splits based on 2h32'
(21/24g of carb per Roctane/Clif gel - aiming for approx 75g/hour (recommended caffeine intake of 3mg/kg body weight = 195mg max recommended limit of 390mg)
- One hour pre start - GEL Clif Double Expresso (24g/100mg)
- Hour 1
- 10mins pre Start - GEL Clif Citrus (24g/25mg)
- 5k (3.1M) - 00:18:00 - GEL Clif Razz (24g/0mg)
- 10k (6.2M) - 00:36:01 - GEL GU Roctane (21g/35mg)
- 12.5k (7.8M) - 00:45:00
- 15k (9.3M) - 00:54:02 - GEL GU Roctane (21g/35mg
- Hour 2
- 17.5k (10.9M) - 01:03:00
- 20k (12.4M) - 01:12:02- GEL Clif Razz (24g/0mg)
- 22.5k (14M) - 01:21:00
- 25k (15.5M) - 01:30:03 - GEL GU Roctane (21g/35mg)
- 27.5k (17M) - 01:39:00
- 30k (18.6M) - 01:48:03 - GEL GU Roctane (21g/35mg)
- 32.5k (20.2M) - 01:57:00
- Hour 3
- 35k (21.75M) - 02:06:04 - GEL GU Roctane (21g/35mg)
- 37.5k (23.3M) - 02:15:00 - GEL Clif Razz (24g/0mg)
- 40k (24.9M) - 02:24:05
Race Recovery
My
legs have been radically different post Frankfurt compared to previous
PB marathons. After the last two London marathons (2012 & 2013), my legs have suffered
from serious muscle fatigue for a good week or more, my legs were also very painful in the last 6-8 miles of both races (lots of damage being done!). This wasn't the case during or after Frankfurt, my legs were pretty much pain free throughout the race and I only had relatively minor delayed onset muscle fatigue (DOMS) for a few days post race. One suggestion I've heard for this is that running a negative split helps, conserving energy in the first half of the race (and limiting muscle damage), which allows you to push harder in the second half. I guess it would maybe be due to the overall duration at a set effort level being lower (one half lower effort than the other instead of 2.5 hrs continuous)? The week straight after the race, I took it easy and only ran twice, but surprised myself on both occasions with how easy and quick my runing was! So now I have been back into typical running for nearly two weeks and things generally feel good, although I think I may find out at the Gosport Half this weekend that my legs still have a bit of the marathon in them!
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| Made the killer mistake of sitting down post race...now how do I get up? |
Training Plan/execution recap & thoughts
Due to a niggling issue with my left shin (which never caused me any running pain) I had regular physio sessions during the training period. The upside of this was that, in the course of investigating the shin, I ended up finding quite a few muscle imbalances/weaknesses which could be worked. So I was doing regular (1-2 times a week) core/stretching sessions and got into the habit of doing dynamic stretches pre-run (my glutes and hip flexors in particular) and stretching post-run too. I also did a couple of running form tune-up sessions with The Running School in Southampton, which nicely served to jog my muscle memory and also helped identify tight/weak muscle groups to work on.
In general the marathon specific training went ok, the preceding 'speed' phase hadn't gone very well, possibly partly due to the hot summer lingering right to the end of August. My half marathon PB attempt at Maidenhead at the start of September was a bit of a flop and I only managed 1:14:43 (30s outside PB from Wokingham in Feb). The first couple of marathon specific sessions (copied from the previous spring training plan from Bournemouth AC) didn't go very well either, the first one was very warm and the second was very windy! The breakthrough came at the New Forest Marathon, which I ran as a target MP +20s training run. Probably did this a little fast as it then took about 10 days to recover from before I was ready for the next hard session. But i feel that the marathon distance in training did me good, so I'll aim to do this again for London 2014, just a little slower, relative to MP, next time. The other key run was the "marathon special block" a Renato Canova (coach to the Kenyan elites) workout. Basically 6M steady followed by 6M marathon effort, twice in a day (and a few more miles to get home in each case!), when that went to plan I was much more confident of being able to hit a decent PB in Germany....
Below is a summary of the key sessions I did in the last 6-7wks before Frankfurt
Marathon Specific Phase Key Sessions & Mileage
- 6 weeks out - Total Mileage = 69
- Thurs AM Specific Extensive Endurance 5M Easy/4x3M@6:14/5:55/6:55/6:15 (1M rec @ 6:47/6:51/6:40) Total 21M@6:35M- hot on the prom even at 7am!
- 5 weeks out - Total Mileage = 81.3
- Tues PM 24'@5:58/M-(3')/18'@5:59/M(3')/12'@6:01/M(3')/6'@5:59/M(2')/3'@5:37/M Total 15.8M @ 6:25/M (windy solo prom run)
- Sun AM Long even continuous paced run - NFR Marathon (tMP +20-30' 6:10-6:20) - 02:41:37 (6:09/M) 1st place overall
- 4 weeks out - Total Mileage = 70.1
- Sun AM 18M @ 6:45/M inc 2x0.5M (6:01/M & 5:54/M)/ 1M (5:36/M)/0.5M (5:34/M) and 4M progressivre (6:44-5:55/M)
- 3 weeks out - Total Mileage =81.5
- Tues PM 30' av.5:53/M(rec 3')/4x5'av.5:39/M(rec 2')/(rec 3')/30' av.6:02/M total 18.3M 6:18/M (windy solo prom run)
- Sun AM 5M Easy/15M MP effort (av 6:00/M)/3M Easy Total 23M @ 6:24/M
- 2 weeks out - Total Mileage =83
- Weds Special MP Block
- AM 6M(6:34/M)/6M(5:48/M)/2.75M(6:40/M)
- PM 6M(6:28/M)/6M(5:47//M)/3.3M(6:45/M)
- Sun AM 3.7M(6:56/M)/MP Rhythm - Solent Half(1:15:34-5:46/M)/1.6M (7:32/M)
- 1 week out (Taper) - Total Mileage = 50
- Tues PM 1.7M / 5x5min(rec3") av 5:16/M / 2M Total 10.2M@6:36/M
- Sat AM 2M inc strides(6:38/M)/Poole Parkrun (16:59 5:27/M)/1.6M(7:22/M) & 21M Bike (av 14.2mph) - by accident, missed the train home!
- Sun PM Medium Pace Progressive Run 12.1M inc 11M progressive (6:45/6:35/6:28/6:33/6:19/6:12/6:05/5:56/5:48/5:53/5:52/7:09) Av6:19/M
Friday 1 November 2013
Frankfurt Marathon 2013 Race Report
The whole race weekend was quite an experience, as we drove from the UK to friends in Brussels for Thursday night, where my wife, Milly and son, Cameron stayed for the weekend and I drove on down to Frankfurt with an old uni house-mate (road trip!). The autobahn proved to be quite an entertaining experience. Although it was busy and lots of roadworks/variable speed limits limited the amount of car top speed testing that could be done (record was 206kph and still accelerating, not bad for a Honda!). The friends we were staying with in Darmstadt near Frankfurt where expecting a baby fairly imminently, low and behold we got a text message on Thursday to say labour had started and the baby ended up arriving later that day! This changed the plans slightly and we ended up getting a hotel room for Saturday, but we got the added bonus of meeting the new-born and helping out with running errands/do shopping etc...
... We had an early dinner at our friends flat and then got back to the hotel to sort out race kit and get an early night.
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| Market Day in Darmstadt |
Race day dawned with clear skies but fairly windy. The temperature was mild and forecast to rise up to 18/19C, but this didn’t turn out to be a problem as it clouded over (and rained) just after the start. Getting to the start from Darmstadt turned out to be a painless 20min drive to the main parking for the Messe exhibition centre and then a 5min shuttle bus ride to the start itself.
I had plenty of time to sort my gear out go for a jog/dynamic stretch in the small park adjacent to the start line and managed to meet a fellow runner that I've been swapping training notes with. We had a good chat before the start while waiting in the pen ready to go..
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| The final section of the course into the Festehalle (left of shot) |
0-5km – (17:38)
I got a reasonable position in the pen about 4-5 rows back from the front, but it didn’t really matter as there was a sizable gap to the elites in front and we weren’t brought forward before the gun, so I crossed the line around 20secs after the start. My plan was to aim for 18 mins per 5k which would put me on for a 2:32. The first 1km was a bit hectic as I had to navigate a fair number of slower runners. The combination of that and the tall buildings playing havoc with the Garmin meant judging the pace was difficult. I was keeping an eye on my average heart rate (HR) which was coming out a bit high (168 vs marathon HR of 165bpm), but it does have a tendency to spike at the start of a run. Probably a bit of a fast start, but I don’t think it limited me later on in the race too much.
5-10km – (18:30)
As things started to settle down I had a choice between two groups to go with, both with female elite runners and pacers. As my HR was still a bit high (av 166) I opted for the second group, which turned out to be the Brit ladies Emily Wicks and Hayley Haining, as I figured the group in front was on more like 2:30 pace (leading German ladies). As I tried to rein in my HR (and keeping in a group) the pace dropped, but I wasn’t worried as I wanted to keep things under control given the fast first 5k and the prospect of a strongish headwind for 13 or so km from 14k onwards.
10-15km – (18:24) & 15-20km – (18:30)
By 15k my average HR for the last 5k was down to 165 and I was ticking along nicely in the middle of my target pace band of 5:45-5:55/M. At this point I wasn’t pressurizing myself to push the pace down, I always felt that 2:31 would be a big ask and the conditions were far from ideal for an optimal run. So I kept in the group and kept tabs on my HR. At 20k my average HR had dropped to 164. We got pretty wet along this stretch and the wind was strong enough to take a bit off the pace.
20-25km – (18:05)
With hindsight my conservative approach in the first half started to pay off from halfway onwards. The average HR for 20-25km was still 164, but now I was back to sub 5:50 pace. At some point in this section me and a couple of other guys drifted off the front of the group we were in as the pace increased. I went through halfway in 77:02. Around 22k a familiar yellow and blue strip vest of Bournemouth AC pulled up alongside, worn by Ian Habgood. I was a little surprised as Ian has a sub 2:30 PB, but he’d arrived late at the start and had had to work through a lot of course traffic to get up into clear space. I let him carry on as I didn’t fancy my chances of being able to maintain his sort of pace. Unfortunately he took the two guys running with me with him! So I was left to run solo, although I managed to keep them in sight…
25-30km – (18:06)
Things continued to pick up as we finally made the turn at the far end of the course and started to head back towards the city centre. I was maintaining the pace but my HR was now down to around 163bpm. Realizing I was probably running a bit under MP effort now, I started to push on.
30-35km – (17:35)
This was definitely the best section of the race; with 20M bagged I was really motoring and passed a lot of people. Looking back I probably went too fast (averaging sub HM PB pace!) a bit too soon. My lap HR average spiked up to 167bpm, so I think it would have been better to put in progressively faster 5k’s between 30-35 and 35-40. Also the wind was now working to our advantage with the whole 5k, straight, flat and dead downwind!
35-40km – (18:03)
As we returned to the city centre with swirling winds and lots of corners my pace dropped back down to the original target level. It was starting to get tough by this point and my HR was still up at 167 despite the drop in pace. I was into head down and get on with it mode! Caught up with Ian from BAC and we swapped positions a couple of times in the final few km. unlike all my previous marathons, I hadn’t got any pain in my legs this time (at VLM this year it was my quads that nearly ceased up), but my general fatigue levels were very high by now. Physiologically it was very hard work too, being unfamiliar with the course, the multiple twists/turns and the blustery winds which made some sections easier and others much harder! We hung on, along with another Brit in a light blue Bideford AC vest.
40-42.2km – (8:06)
The last 2.2k was not pleasant. Ian pulled in front and helped drag me along, but the look on my face from the photos at that point says it all! We ran into the wind for the final km along a street which acted like a wind tunnel. Then as we made the final turn by the Messeturm tower to the Festehalle finish, we got hit smack in the face by gusts of wind which felt like it almost stopped you dead! I was very relieved to get inside into the finish straight and down the red carpet to the line for 2:32:57 and a 3 minute PB!
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| Finish Straight gurning! |
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| Post Race Refeeshment |
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