Platypus' Beginners Guide to Running

I think it also depends on how much you kill yourself and how much you generally sweat. Although for a run of around 3-4 hours i'd likely only use water as i don't think you'd struggle too much. Especially in cooler conditions.
I am unfortunately a sweaty, sweaty man! I ran with my cousin at the start of the year, and she said "ah, you've got granddad's sweat genes".

Unless it's absolutely arctic, I'm usually wiping sweat off my face within the first km.
 
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Thanks everyone!

A couple of running pals (who know what they're doing - one has a 2.42 marathon under his belt!) say they tend to bring salt sachets for taking on sodium, rather than anything more high tech, and it seemed an easy solution to that problem!

I've got hold of some Nipeaze plasters, although the vaseline has got me through my 30k training runs unscathed so I'm half tempted to stick to what I know on that front.

A change of socks and a load of extra food is a great shout. Also really like the bin bag idea. I'm going to wear some old trackies and an old hoodie - you can donate them at the start line - but a bin bag to stay dry is very sensible!

I'll give you an update next week! Curious mixture of excited and nervous!

Good luck for the weekend. I don't have much to add from what's already been said, other than it generally seems like you're in good shape to do well.

Main thing is, do not underestimate the effect of the extra 10km. Especially if this is your first. I was in very similar situation to you, looking for a similar time on my first marathon and at about 20 miles I "hit the wall". From that point on it was just about keeping myself going on what felt like an empty tank.

I don't want to go out much slower with the aim of picking it up at 30km in, and being unable to do so, but equally don't want to get to 30km and die.

Don't put too much pressure on achieving the time you want. Focus on making sure you give yourself the best chance to finish.

Even if you take it really easy for first 30km, it's highly unlikely that you'll finish and think you could have run significantly faster. If seeing a good time is really an objective, then start thinking about running a second and third event, where you can use what you learn this time.
 
Good luck for the weekend. I don't have much to add from what's already been said, other than it generally seems like you're in good shape to do well.

Main thing is, do not underestimate the effect of the extra 10km. Especially if this is your first. I was in very similar situation to you, looking for a similar time on my first marathon and at about 20 miles I "hit the wall". From that point on it was just about keeping myself going on what felt like an empty tank.



Don't put too much pressure on achieving the time you want. Focus on making sure you give yourself the best chance to finish.

Even if you take it really easy for first 30km, it's highly unlikely that you'll finish and think you could have run significantly faster. If seeing a good time is really an objective, then start thinking about running a second and third event, where you can use what you learn this time.
Thanks! Really useful advice, I'll make sure to reign in the first 20k and not go too nuts!
 
I am unfortunately a sweaty, sweaty man! I ran with my cousin at the start of the year, and she said "ah, you've got granddad's sweat genes".

Unless it's absolutely arctic, I'm usually wiping sweat off my face within the first km.

Yeah. Same here. It’s funny first few times I’ve been out here I’ve got back dry, it took weeks before I realised it was just evaporating before my clothes were wet as I noticed it pouring off my cap!
 
I think most have said what's applicable, just go easy drink plenty and rocktape any bits that'll rub. More importantly have fun, and don't do what I do and mash that throttle at the start
Did the beacon beast last Sunday, did very well held second until 31k where I got lost a couple times, thanks to idiots playing with the signs and I was flagging.
Turns out I'm not the fastest on flats, but been told I'm bit of a mountain goat and very hard to get rid of :D
So yeah lots of hill training lately.

 
I think most have said what's applicable, just go easy drink plenty and rocktape any bits that'll rub. More importantly have fun, and don't do what I do and mash that throttle at the start
Did the beacon beast last Sunday, did very well held second until 31k where I got lost a couple times, thanks to idiots playing with the signs and I was flagging.
Turns out I'm not the fastest on flats, but been told I'm bit of a mountain goat and very hard to get rid of :D
So yeah lots of hill training lately.

Crikey, that's a solid run! Well done!
 
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Crikey, that's a solid run! Well done!
Thanks, had a lot of fun doing it shame I didn't place higher then again not shabby for someone who is 49.
They had bagpipes with a beast running at you on the top of the beacon that was a surprise.
 
Anyone with some last minute tips for a first time marathoner? I'm doing London on Sunday! Excited but nervous.

Training has mostly gone well, generally been hitting 55-60km a week, I've got three 30-32k runs in, and smashed my half mara PB by 10 mins (about 1.37) so I'm feeling as confident as it's possible to feel going into it, but it's still going to be 10k longer than I've run in my life.

My particulars questions are:
  • Pacing. I'm aiming for sub 4, and ideally a bit quicker. I know I can sustain 5.15 mins per km for at least 30km. Is that the pace to go out at? I don't want to go out much slower with the aim of picking it up at 30km in, and being unable to do so, but equally don't want to get to 30km and die.
  • Fuelling. I've been using one block of the Cliff Shot Blokz packs per 5km on my long training runs. This seems OK although I end them VERY hungry. I tried taking 2 blocks per 5km and needed the toilet pretty quickly. The back of the packet says you should be taking a whole pack (which is 6 blocks) per hour, which is almost three times what I've been taking so far. I don't want to go too heavy on eating and feel ill/need the loo, but don't want to hit the wall either. My thinking is to take 3 blocks per 10km, and to carry a flapjack in case I get really hungry. What do you reckon?
  • What do people often forget to bring to marathons that they ought to bring? On my list I have:
    • For the run:
      • Fuel - some Cliff Shot Blokz and a flapjack
      • Couple of salt sachets
      • Earphones (I'll put them in my running vest in case I get bored, can't imagine using them though)
      • Vaseline (I'll carry some with me and reapply if need be - my nips take a beating!)
      • Garmin
    • For my bag
      • Change of clothes and shoes
      • Safety pins
      • Probably another flapjack, an orange, etc
      • Toilet paper and hand san
Thanks in advance!


Weather looks OK, slightly wet. Don't let the rain bother you as it doesn't look heavy, so should be more refreshing. Just waiting dor the start you need some old clothes and a bin bag to keep warm.

For your first marathon i would aim for a slight negative split, just as an assurance policy. But only like 2 minutes faster on the second half. And mostly you need to work really hard not to go out fast. 10s a km too fast at the start has a pretty big cost/risk which you wont know until you are 30km in. The race really starts at 27-32km in, so you need ti be feeling relatively comfortable until then. You first few km should be the slowest ideally as you slowly kick in to race pace. I start something like 25s/km slower foe the first km, the 15-20s/slower, 10-15s,. Once i get at my intended pace (about 5km in), after couple of km i look at my heart rate and perceived effort objectively. Now is the time to pull back (about 8km in), or if even push faster if you had a cautious start. Just try 5s/km slower or faster and see what your heart rate is like, perceived effort. You do a little experimenting for 2-3km, but don't deviate far from your plan of you go faster. By now you will be about 12km with your (potentially new) goal pace. For the next 12km or so it is about being efficient, keeping calm, keeping a good form, relax. Once you get through half way about to about km 26 or, things can start to feel harder and if you are not focusing on the watch then the pace slips. You will start getting doubts. It Is important to simply push that little bit harder. Marathons get exponentially difficult and you have just started on the pain curve. At this stage it is purely mental as long as you have been consuming calories and set a good pace. Now you can start to use more mental games and they should be effective at this stage.

However, once you get km 30 things can start to feel really challenging, your legs hurt, exhaustion hits you, your body screams at you to stop. This is where the magic happens. This is where the combination of your training and your mental strength will see you keep fighting. Be prepared, if you have paced close to your limit then at times it is almost unbearable. Your pace can well slow down, this is OK but you have to only a very little each km, maybe 5-7s a.km slower for a few km, then 7-10km, but no more. It is possible if you were overly conservative or have great mental strength you could pick up the pace actually and start to make up time.

Mental games are critical here because by this stage physically you are starting to weaken, so you do have to work much harder just to maintain pace. Your body isn't as efficient, so to maintain pace your heart rate will be higher



Other tips:
put medical tape on your nipples.

Ideally you should try and consume more calories, but if you had difficulties in training then don't change anything

caffeine is a legal performance enhancing drug, and for running comes with many physiological benefits. For example it can aid fat burning, and decreases the sense of pain.

Be very careful of pace groups. In my first marathon they went off crazy fast some slowed down and ran my own race, over took the pacers at 3km and.only a couple of runners were left with them. And yiu don't want to waste energy chatting too much.


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I didn't intend to scare you with mental challenge at the end of the marathon, but i think it is worth warning newbies. You really have to fight, and it can feel like you will never make the finish because it is unbearable - but it is, and yoh will feel amazing if you fight to the end.

Of you ran 1:37 with good even splits, and your long runs didn't involve walking breaks in the last 10k (occasionally this is fine, but there is a difference in running 32km continuous and running it over 5hours with walking), then your sub 4 hours will be a safe target. i think you could do 3:45
 
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I got 3:04:02 at London, not bad given my terrible training (i tripped up in January and smashed my knee and hip, broke a rib, just about recovered then slipped in a shower and broke the rib again...).

I had no idea how to pace this once. My knee injury started playing up after about 15km so i slowed down a tad just in case and then kept even pace to km 35 before starting a little fight.

Crowds were amazing
 
I got it done! 3.51 in the end, so happy in the round! I was hitting consistent 5.15kms until about 21 miles, then it got tougher, and I had to walk/run 40 and 41 as both hamstrings were cramping. Managed to pick it back up for the final km as some friendly guy gave me some salt tablets (I'd run out, which is a lesson for next time!).

Things went about as well as they could, although having been on for a 3.45 for so much of it (and losing a minute to taking a pee) it would have been lovely to get a 3.4x. Next time, I guess!

I doubled my food intake, aside from the couple of times they had drinkable Lucozade around the course and I replaced a food helping with one of those. It seemed to work out really well. Aside from the cramp, which the salt sorted, I wouldn't say that I hit a wall although I was pretty shattered for the last 5k

And the big question - chafing! I put the nip tape on in the morning, and it fell off on the train! So I whacked some massive gobs of vaseline down there and it's fine - no chafing at all!

I'm not sure whether I'd do one again - I enjoy halves, but in truth - and despite the crowd being absolutely incredible - I found it kind of boring. Oddly I think I'd prefer a trail ultra or something, where the goal is just to get there rather than shoot for a time. But I'm overjoyed I did it, both personally and to experience what is an absolutely incredible event. Everything about it - the organisation, the atmosphere, the crowds, the athletes' support for each other, getting to run the same race as the elites - is amazing and I couldn't recommend it more.
 
I got it done! 3.51 in the end, so happy in the round! I was hitting consistent 5.15kms until about 21 miles, then it got tougher, and I had to walk/run 40 and 41 as both hamstrings were cramping. Managed to pick it back up for the final km as some friendly guy gave me some salt tablets (I'd run out, which is a lesson for next time!).

Things went about as well as they could, although having been on for a 3.45 for so much of it (and losing a minute to taking a pee) it would have been lovely to get a 3.4x. Next time, I guess!

I doubled my food intake, aside from the couple of times they had drinkable Lucozade around the course and I replaced a food helping with one of those. It seemed to work out really well. Aside from the cramp, which the salt sorted, I wouldn't say that I hit a wall although I was pretty shattered for the last 5k

And the big question - chafing! I put the nip tape on in the morning, and it fell off on the train! So I whacked some massive gobs of vaseline down there and it's fine - no chafing at all!

I'm not sure whether I'd do one again - I enjoy halves, but in truth - and despite the crowd being absolutely incredible - I found it kind of boring. Oddly I think I'd prefer a trail ultra or something, where the goal is just to get there rather than shoot for a time. But I'm overjoyed I did it, both personally and to experience what is an absolutely incredible event. Everything about it - the organisation, the atmosphere, the crowds, the athletes' support for each other, getting to run the same race as the elites - is amazing and I couldn't recommend it more.


Good job!


I don't find marathon's boring per se, but so many miles you tick off where you don't really feel you are racing, you are just trying to be super efficient and ignore the minor discomfort, then eventually it becomes super hard and the racing begins. And once you have properly ran one, then your only goal is a faster time, which i really enjoyed when i was younger and a beginner, but as i got faster then the margins for success reduced and there was.just more luck in the course, the weather,. how you felt on the day. So 6 months of hard training would come down to it being too hot on race day preventing a PR.

Ultras are just about finishing them, and they are super fun often with stunning scenery.
 
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Good job!


I don't find marathon's boring per se, but so many miles you tick off where you don't really feel you are racing, you are just trying to be super efficient and ignore the minor discomfort, then eventually it becomes super hard and the racing begins. And once you have properly ran one, then your only goal is a faster time, which i really enjoyed when i was younger and a beginner, but as i got faster then the margins for success reduced and there was.just more luck in the course, the weather,. how you felt on the day. So 6 months of hard training would come down to it being too hot on race day preventing a PR.

Ultras are just about finishing them, and they are super fun often with stunning scenery.
Cheers, you too! Incredible time!

Yeah that's my feeling too - I could hammer out another 4 months training, eat better, do more hill sprints, not go for a boozy skiing trip the month before, but as it was it took up so much of my life that I'm not too sure it's worth it

I have a big group of running pals who go do marathons around the world, so if they're doing one in a location that really appeals I may change my mind and do it for the experience, but I'm not sure it's a distance I want to dedicate myself to getting significantly faster over.
 
I got it done! 3.51 in the end, so happy in the round! I was hitting consistent 5.15kms until about 21 miles, then it got tougher, and I had to walk/run 40 and 41 as both hamstrings were cramping. Managed to pick it back up for the final km as some friendly guy gave me some salt tablets (I'd run out, which is a lesson for next time!).

Things went about as well as they could, although having been on for a 3.45 for so much of it (and losing a minute to taking a pee) it would have been lovely to get a 3.4x. Next time, I guess!

I doubled my food intake, aside from the couple of times they had drinkable Lucozade around the course and I replaced a food helping with one of those. It seemed to work out really well. Aside from the cramp, which the salt sorted, I wouldn't say that I hit a wall although I was pretty shattered for the last 5k

And the big question - chafing! I put the nip tape on in the morning, and it fell off on the train! So I whacked some massive gobs of vaseline down there and it's fine - no chafing at all!

I'm not sure whether I'd do one again - I enjoy halves, but in truth - and despite the crowd being absolutely incredible - I found it kind of boring. Oddly I think I'd prefer a trail ultra or something, where the goal is just to get there rather than shoot for a time. But I'm overjoyed I did it, both personally and to experience what is an absolutely incredible event. Everything about it - the organisation, the atmosphere, the crowds, the athletes' support for each other, getting to run the same race as the elites - is amazing and I couldn't recommend it more.
Good effort though. Congrats. Lot of unknowns for your first so seems to have well.

Weirdly I remember little to nothing of my past London experience, other than the start which was away from the masses.
 
@manic111 congrats on a solid performance! Sub 4 hours for a first marathon is good going.

@D.P. I didn't realise you were running London this year. I can still only dream of 3:05, but am generally progressing in the right direction. The only negative is also a broken rib, which is still hurting nearly 4 weeks later. Its at least now not really affecting my breathing, but I'm way down on total mileage this month. How did you find the recovery? I'm conscious not to overdo things, but also hate the idea of not getting out as much as I was before.
 
the recovery with a broken rib is just slow. I found that i could run slow a few days later but anything woth intensity was a no go for 2 months. Biggest problem is it always hurts when trying to sleep, so sleep quality goes down for a long time.

On the flip side it is one of these injuries you can just go by feel, unlike stress fractures or ligament issues where you have to wait it out just bot knowing how well recovered you are
 
Biggest problem is it always hurts when trying to sleep, so sleep quality goes down for a long time.

This certainly resonates. I actually feel mostly OK while running now, but trying to sleep or worse still sit up, is still a real struggle.

No plans to do any higher intensity stuff until the general pain is properly away.

Cheers for the advice as always.
 
It something like 1 in 11 chance if you just enter the ballot and don't do the extra pay thing. I got in on my 3rd or 4th attempt.
 
It something like 1 in 11 chance if you just enter the ballot and don't do the extra pay thing. I got in on my 3rd or 4th attempt.
Yes, it does seem like low odds. I did go with the second ballot option for a better chance as I'm now set on a marathon and would prefer something a little grander than Belfast. They always are messing it up, and don't want to take that chance on my first one, plus in places, the atmosphere isn't great.
 
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