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PARIS MARATHON 2013
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I've never written a 'race report' but here goes!
Flew in with 2 friends on Friday night. All the pre race eating went great, expo was hassle free and the hotel were great to us on the morning of the marathon, allowing us to use their kitchen before it opened to cook our porridge etc.
As for the marathon itself;
This was my third marathon and the first one looking for a specific time - 3:45. I'd done well in training and had ran a race pace 18 mile and felt good. Also did a good few longs runs 18 x 3, 20, 22.
We left it a little late to get to the pacing group and once we did, they opened up the opposite side of the road, so the pacer we were hoping to follow disappeared! No worries, we've all race to catch them. We did catch up at 6 miles and were feeling great. Had to stop for a wee though and lost sight of the pacer again! We again set about catching up very slowly.
We were about two minutes behind shedule at mile 8 as it was so congested and hard to pass people who were clearly in the wrong pacing group.:mad:
The problems began when suddenly, out of nowhere, the pacer from way behind us on the start line passed us out! This happened about mile 11. I stayed ahead of this pacer and was perfectly on target at half way and all the way to 21 miles. I remember thinking at mile 20.5 that I was going to do it. BUT...
the pacer started to slowly creep ahead of me at mile 21 and then out of sight by mile 22! I knew my target was gone, but i was determined to do my very best. I kept running but slowed dramatically over the last 5 miles. I assume this was because I'd ran the first half too slowly and had made up the time over the third quarter. I thought I'd hit a wall before, but this was the Berlin wall! Didnt enjoy the last 5 k as i was very thirsty and really dizzy.
Finished in 3:51 and felt really weak and dizzy after crossing the line. Took me an hour to get my bag and get out of the finihing area.
Overall - I'm delighted wiht my run. Its a PB, and I'm glad that I cant blame the prep, flights, wrong kit on the day - all that was perfect - just didnt have the fitness to maintain race pace all the way. The only thing not perfect was the weather - I found it very hot and didnt get enough water in as I threw half of each bottle over my head.
I'm looking to do another one relatively quickly to get my 3:45 target. Lovely flat race but a bit congested for passing.
Still sore today!0 -
The Davestator wrote: »I've never written a 'race report' but here goes!
Flew in with 2 friends on Friday night. All the pre race eating went great, expo was hassle free and the hotel were great to us on the morning of the marathon, allowing us to use their kitchen before it opened to cook our porridge etc.
As for the marathon itself;
This was my third marathon and the first one looking for a specific time - 3:45. I'd done well in training and had ran a race pace 18 mile and felt good. Also did a good few longs runs 18 x 3, 20, 22.
We left it a little late to get to the pacing group and once we did, they opened up the opposite side of the road, so the pacer we were hoping to follow disappeared! No worries, we've all race to catch them. We did catch up at 6 miles and were feeling great. Had to stop for a wee though and lost sight of the pacer again! We again set about catching up very slowly.
We were about two minutes behind shedule at mile 8 as it was so congested and hard to pass people who were clearly in the wrong pacing group.:mad:
The problems began when suddenly, out of nowhere, the pacer from way behind us on the start line passed us out! This happened about mile 11. I stayed ahead of this pacer and was perfectly on target at half way and all the way to 21 miles. I remember thinking at mile 20.5 that I was going to do it. BUT...
the pacer started to slowly creep ahead of me at mile 21 and then out of sight by mile 22! I knew my target was gone, but i was determined to do my very best. I kept running but slowed dramatically over the last 5 miles. I assume this was because I'd ran the first half too slowly and had made up the time over the third quarter. I thought I'd hit a wall before, but this was the Berlin wall! Didnt enjoy the last 5 k as i was very thirsty and really dizzy.
Finished in 3:51 and felt really weak and dizzy after crossing the line. Took me an hour to get my bag and get out of the finihing area.
Overall - I'm delighted wiht my run. Its a PB, and I'm glad that I cant blame the prep, flights, wrong kit on the day - all that was perfect - just didnt have the fitness to maintain race pace all the way. The only thing not perfect was the weather - I found it very hot and didnt get enough water in as I threw half of each bottle over my head.
I'm looking to do another one relatively quickly to get my 3:45 target. Lovely flat race but a bit congested for passing.
Still sore today!
Great report. Well done on the PB, I had a similar race experience to you and hope to post a report soon. My feet are still sore but the rest of me is mostly ok now.0 -
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Sounds quite like my New York Marathon in 2011. Had the same target and eventual time and overall general experience as yourself!The Davestator wrote: »I've never written a 'race report' but here goes!
Flew in with 2 friends on Friday night. All the pre race eating went great, expo was hassle free and the hotel were great to us on the morning of the marathon, allowing us to use their kitchen before it opened to cook our porridge etc.
As for the marathon itself;
This was my third marathon and the first one looking for a specific time - 3:45. I'd done well in training and had ran a race pace 18 mile and felt good. Also did a good few longs runs 18 x 3, 20, 22.
We left it a little late to get to the pacing group and once we did, they opened up the opposite side of the road, so the pacer we were hoping to follow disappeared! No worries, we've all race to catch them. We did catch up at 6 miles and were feeling great. Had to stop for a wee though and lost sight of the pacer again! We again set about catching up very slowly.
We were about two minutes behind shedule at mile 8 as it was so congested and hard to pass people who were clearly in the wrong pacing group.:mad:
The problems began when suddenly, out of nowhere, the pacer from way behind us on the start line passed us out! This happened about mile 11. I stayed ahead of this pacer and was perfectly on target at half way and all the way to 21 miles. I remember thinking at mile 20.5 that I was going to do it. BUT...
the pacer started to slowly creep ahead of me at mile 21 and then out of sight by mile 22! I knew my target was gone, but i was determined to do my very best. I kept running but slowed dramatically over the last 5 miles. I assume this was because I'd ran the first half too slowly and had made up the time over the third quarter. I thought I'd hit a wall before, but this was the Berlin wall! Didnt enjoy the last 5 k as i was very thirsty and really dizzy.
Finished in 3:51 and felt really weak and dizzy after crossing the line. Took me an hour to get my bag and get out of the finihing area.
Overall - I'm delighted wiht my run. Its a PB, and I'm glad that I cant blame the prep, flights, wrong kit on the day - all that was perfect - just didnt have the fitness to maintain race pace all the way. The only thing not perfect was the weather - I found it very hot and didnt get enough water in as I threw half of each bottle over my head.
I'm looking to do another one relatively quickly to get my 3:45 target. Lovely flat race but a bit congested for passing.
Still sore today!
I reckon based on that you'd knock 3:45 out of the park at Cork (if recovered enough) or Portumna in June. 3:30 for DCM perhaps?0 -
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I posted a race report over on the DCM2012 Graduate Thread. Sorry, it's long.
Great report
I laughed at this part;
The Eifel Tower could go **** itself and so could marathon running for that matter were among the thoughts that crossed my mind at this time
Exactly what I was thinking! Very similiar to my experience. my Garmin lost signal, but corrected itself straight away once i came out of the tunnel, but it was good to have the pace band just to reassure myself that it had corrected itself properly.
You should paste it here for all the Paris peeps.0 -
Arrived on the Friday evening into Beauvais. Had a nice pasta and salmon dinner in my girlfriends flat with some friends who were also running. I abstained from beer which is really not like me. Both myself and my ultra-competitive friend were nursing injured calfs and despite all my big talk, I was quiet skeptical whether I would finish or not. I hadn't ran in a month before the race due to this injury so I was relying on some strength being left in my legs.
I had two physio sessions in the week before the race and these made a massive difference - from limping two weeks before the race to walking normally. I even did a 5k run on Wednesday to test my leg.
Registered on Saturday afternoon - expo was a breeze. I was very worried about there being massive queues but there were none. Went to cinema then to see Cloud Atlas - thankfully in English with french subtitles - nice break from trying to think in French. Great film - really recommend it. Had dinner after, some overpriced pasta and in bed for 11. Plenty of sh*t talk at the meal of how we were going to kick each others asses.
I had originally registered for 3h15 but changed to 3h30 due to my calf. Up at 6 and had some porridge. Arrived at Etolie about 7.15, looking sexy in my compression socks, and the place was pretty empty. Met my friends, delayed about and almost was late for the start.
Start was not eventful, kept at 5 min/k for the 3k testing my leg. Got bored at this pace and sped up. Started running 4m45s k for 3h20 time and was feeling great. Felt great til 25k at which point I started feeling al kinds of awful. Although it didn't feel like it, when I checked my times later I maintained my pace up until 30k. I walked this water station and a little after and started running again. This is where I fell apart. Between 30 and 37 I had terrible times. When walking I discovered how light headed and unsteady on my legs I was. I went to use a portaloo at 33k and was genuinely worried my legs would collapse from under me inside the cubicle - not the nicest place to fall!
I never knew it was possible to feel as bad as I did between kms 30-37. It was awful, the worst I have ever felt. Makes a rotten hangover seem pleasant. At km 37, some friendly locals were giving out coke in Bois de Boulogne. They may have saved my life. The sugar hit and I ran the rest, started feeling halfway decent again. The 195m between the 42km mark and the line was the hardest run I have ever done - stupid fraction of a kilometre. Crossed the line in 3h38m - very very happy to have finished although I'm not sure I had enough energy to feel emotion by this point. Stumbled though the enclosure and exited, thankfully finding my girlfriend and friends very quickly after. My friend with the injured calf dropped out at km 30. My plan had been to go for dinner and a lot of pints - I went to bed. Felt physically ill for 2 hours after the race. The metro journey to my gf's flat was only six stops but was awful.
Got a takeaway that evening and had one beer and watched a movie. This is the most f*cked I have ever been. The climb up three flights of stairs was awful. The next day I didn't leave the flat until 7 when I left for the airport. It was very funny seeing so many people hobbling around the place. Watching people climb the stairs to the plane was hilarious - one women draged herself up. I was much more graceful climbing the steps (my ass). Slept the whole way to Glasgow. Legs are still sore.
All in all, I was just happy to finish, especially with a half decent time. Great experience, although if you want to see Paris, I recommend the open top bus tour and not the marathon.0 -
Elvis_Presley wrote: »Arrived on the Friday evening into Beauvais. Had a nice pasta and salmon dinner in my girlfriends flat with some friends who were also running. I abstained from beer which is really not like me. Both myself and my ultra-competitive friend were nursing injured calfs and despite all my big talk, I was quiet skeptical whether I would finish or not. I hadn't ran in a month before the race due to this injury so I was relying on some strength being left in my legs.
I had two physio sessions in the week before the race and these made a massive difference - from limping two weeks before the race to walking normally. I even did a 5k run on Wednesday to test my leg.
Registered on Saturday afternoon - expo was a breeze. I was very worried about there being massive queues but there were none. Went to cinema then to see Cloud Atlas - thankfully in English with french subtitles - nice break from trying to think in French. Great film - really recommend it. Had dinner after, some overpriced pasta and in bed for 11. Plenty of sh*t talk at the meal of how we were going to kick each others asses.
I had originally registered for 3h15 but changed to 3h30 due to my calf. Up at 6 and had some porridge. Arrived at Etolie about 7.15, looking sexy in my compression socks, and the place was pretty empty. Met my friends, delayed about and almost was late for the start.
Start was not eventful, kept at 5 min/k for the 3k testing my leg. Got bored at this pace and sped up. Started running 4m45s k for 3h20 time and was feeling great. Felt great til 25k at which point I started feeling al kinds of awful. Although it didn't feel like it, when I checked my times later I maintained my pace up until 30k. I walked this water station and a little after and started running again. This is where I fell apart. Between 30 and 37 I had terrible times. When walking I discovered how light headed and unsteady on my legs I was. I went to use a portaloo at 33k and was genuinely worried my legs would collapse from under me inside the cubicle - not the nicest place to fall!
I never knew it was possible to feel as bad as I did between kms 30-37. It was awful, the worst I have ever felt. Makes a rotten hangover seem pleasant. At km 37, some friendly locals were giving out coke in Bois de Boulogne. They may have saved my life. The sugar hit and I ran the rest, started feeling halfway decent again. The 195m between the 42km mark and the line was the hardest run I have ever done - stupid fraction of a kilometre. Crossed the line in 3h38m - very very happy to have finished although I'm not sure I had enough energy to feel emotion by this point. Stumbled though the enclosure and exited, thankfully finding my girlfriend and friends very quickly after. My friend with the injured calf dropped out at km 30. My plan had been to go for dinner and a lot of pints - I went to bed. Felt physically ill for 2 hours after the race. The metro journey to my gf's flat was only six stops but was awful.
Got a takeaway that evening and had one beer and watched a movie. This is the most f*cked I have ever been. The climb up three flights of stairs was awful. The next day I didn't leave the flat until 7 when I left for the airport. It was very funny seeing so many people hobbling around the place. Watching people climb the stairs to the plane was hilarious - one women draged herself up. I was much more graceful climbing the steps (my ass). Slept the whole way to Glasgow. Legs are still sore.
All in all, I was just happy to finish, especially with a half decent time. Great experience, although if you want to see Paris, I recommend the open top bus tour and not the marathon.
well done on sticking with it and getting the race finished, I'm sure it must have been appealing to call it a day.
Do you know what was making you feel sick? Was it pain in your legs or nausea?0 -
Was it like this?Elvis_Presley wrote: »It was very funny seeing so many people hobbling around the place. Watching people climb the stairs to the plane was hilarious - one women draged herself up.
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well done on sticking with it and getting the race finished, I'm sure it must have been appealing to call it a day.
Do you know what was making you feel sick? Was it pain in your legs or nausea?
Cheers. I think it was exhaustion that caused it, very bad nausea. If I ever do a marathon again, I'll be better prepared!0 -
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Hope everyone is recovering OK from the marathon and planning their next races. I think we were lucky the marathon wasn't today though....it was 24 degrees this afternoon!
Just saw some horror stories from Rotterdam marathon earlier today, lots of DNFs. A real pity for those runners after months of prep.0 -
Don't want to start a new thread and just wondered is anyone entering Paris this year?
The reports I've read are generally very good and I'm giving it serious consideration.0 -
Despite me spending the last year saying I wouldn't ever do a marathon again, I' ve entered. I'd be quick with the sign up if you are considering, it fills up early.0
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Elvis_Presley wrote: »Despite me spending the last year saying I wouldn't ever do a marathon again, I' ve entered. I'd be quick with the sign up if you are considering, it fills up early.
I'm in! Registered and am looking forward to it already, butterflys in the stomach excited. Please god I'll stay injury free, please god.
The last drop of alcohol I'll have will be on Paddys weekend which will give me three dry weekends in the build up to the race.
As this is a mass marthon and I'm expecting a few issues with the course due to the large numbers entered I'm not expecting too quick a time. I've entered in the 3:15 group but might drop down depening on how training is going. As this will be my second marthon and probably my last I kind of want to just go out and enjoy it and take in Paris as I've never been there before but I know once proper training is started a competitive streak will kick in hence I've entered the 3:15 group, I've done 3:24 with little training but I was blessed with little or no injuries in the build up apart from a slight calf strain.
I'll leave it to you, a veteran of the Paris marathon, to start a 2014 Paris thread if you like, I'll certainly chip with in a few posts. Still trying to get a few mates to enter but with 13 weeks to go it might be a tall order.0 -
Self and a mate have registered in the last week. Will be out first marathons. Hopefully it goes without a hitch.0
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There is 3 of us going over to do this. Looking forward to it. Will be my 10th marathon. training not going so well so far though. Broke a finger and had to get pins in, was hard to run with them in. Got them out a week ago and now have a chest infection. Managed 13mile run last weekend so hopefully can get back running again this weekend and start a heavy week of training next week.
best of Luck to all.
Keep us posted of your progress0
I need some motivation! 
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