I was lucky enough to be able to run the Brighton Marathon today : I did this in memory of my father-in-law (full story here). I;ve not run a marathon since London in (I think) 1992 : the ADT era, when the finish was on Lambeth Bridge, not the Mall, and we all ran in plus-fours. Joking about the last bit. I ran about 3:30 on that day in 1992, at the age of 29, and with a lot more single-sport dedication to running. Now I am 50, I was thinking it would be interesting to see how I could run a single event marathon.
Brighton is a young (4 runnings) but big race : 9000 competitors. The route starts from Preston Park, does a shimmy or two around the town centre, then sends you first east, then west along the sea front. Finish is just past the pier.
Conditions were good : the overnight rain cleared up, there as a bit of light white cloud to keep the sun away, and some breeze but not a wind. I had a few 20 mile/3 hour runs in my recent training past, but two weeks ago picked up a kink in my right soleus that only some rest and a bit of gait analysis is likely to cure. But that wasn't a good enough reason not to race ; just one to be cautious about expectations. So my race strategy was to nurse this right leg injury carefully round the course at about 4:15 pace. In fact, that was the pace of the pacemaker group I ran with for the first 7 miles. But I found that I kept edging ahead, not suffering much, at at less that 140 HR I gave it some beans from 30KM onwards, coming home in a stormin' 3:58. Last 12KM at 53 min for 10 K pace.
If you are thinking of a spring marathon, give Brighton some thought. The race has a great atmosphere : well supported by a fantastic crowd, and great camaraderie among the runners. The feed and water stations were just right - good placement and the right stuff at the right time. And it's not hilly, so PBs should be in reach.
Brighton is a young (4 runnings) but big race : 9000 competitors. The route starts from Preston Park, does a shimmy or two around the town centre, then sends you first east, then west along the sea front. Finish is just past the pier.
Conditions were good : the overnight rain cleared up, there as a bit of light white cloud to keep the sun away, and some breeze but not a wind. I had a few 20 mile/3 hour runs in my recent training past, but two weeks ago picked up a kink in my right soleus that only some rest and a bit of gait analysis is likely to cure. But that wasn't a good enough reason not to race ; just one to be cautious about expectations. So my race strategy was to nurse this right leg injury carefully round the course at about 4:15 pace. In fact, that was the pace of the pacemaker group I ran with for the first 7 miles. But I found that I kept edging ahead, not suffering much, at at less that 140 HR I gave it some beans from 30KM onwards, coming home in a stormin' 3:58. Last 12KM at 53 min for 10 K pace.
If you are thinking of a spring marathon, give Brighton some thought. The race has a great atmosphere : well supported by a fantastic crowd, and great camaraderie among the runners. The feed and water stations were just right - good placement and the right stuff at the right time. And it's not hilly, so PBs should be in reach.
Comments
Hats off fella!