Paris Marathon 2014

misterdeeds

anyone know if this is on tv ,would love to watch it ( if I have the channel ) thanks

Slow_Runner

misterdeeds wrote: »

anyone know if this is on tv ,would love to watch it ( if I have the channel ) thanks

Eurosport 2 - 7:30am

bonaparte2

Does this race have live tracking online?

ThePiedPiper

62:09 for halfway. Bekele looking very comfortable, as do the whole big bunch of guys around him. Coverage is pretty good on Eurosport

rom

2:05:02 was a great run.
Paris has some things to learn

confetti to cover the 1st place runnner 100m before the finish.
The amount of people out on course. It ain't the tour de france but the french think it is.

LiamMcC

Paris Marathon 2014 - Race Report
My training for the Paris marathon had been nothing short of disastrous, it started in January with some miserable runs in appalling weather. February started with a pulled calf muscle which had me laid up for 2 weeks. My return to training was marked with the arrival of IT band problems which meant I could not run any further than 7/8km. Reluctantly I faced reality and came to terms with the fact that the Paris marathon would not be happening for me. The annoying thing about my knee injury was that it felt fine when not running but any attempts at long runs resulted in me limping home. Anyway my wife managed to pick up a cheap flight so we headed to Paris to spend the weekend with in laws. Although I had not run in 3 weeks I had decided to toe the line with the price of a metro ticket home in my back pocket and see how far I got. 

I was staying just off the Champs Élysées no more than 200 meters from the start line which made for a very comfortable pre race build up, indeed I was having  coffee and a croissant at the official start time of 8:45. I headed over to the start at 9:10 hoping the starting timer mat was still switched on, but not to worry the Champs élysées was still full of runners waiting to start. Despite my late arrival I had to wait a further 30 mins before I was off and running. If you have not run Paris before be prepared for a lot of hanging around before you get going.

I started just behind the 4hr pacers and planned to keep up for as long as possible. First 10km (54 mins) was relatively comfortable, knee was niggling but tolerable however my left Achilles was acting up and it was damn hot. I had been advised to adopt a run walk strategy from the start so I walked for 1min at the 10 km marker. 4 hr pacers passed me but I was quickly able to get in front of them again, I now had a plan, run 10km walk 1 minute and keep with the 4hr pacers, a sub 4 could be on the cards. However at 20km the reality of my situation struck home, I was half way around a marathon that I had not put in any where enough training for, with a dodgy knee and other bits and pieces were beginning to let it be known were not up for the job. As I walked across the half way mark I evaluated my options. My knee was holding up, I was not sure how I was going to do it but I knew at this point I was going to finish, all I needed was a plan. 4 hrs was gone the target now was to finish the time was irrelevant. So now the plan was to walk through the water stations and what a perfect marathon for such a plan as there were water stations less than every 5 Km,s and few other stations with Lucozade and wine (I kid you not) scattered around. Water stations also had bananas, orange slices, raisins and sugar cubes, you will not go hungry at the Paris marathon. 

The problem with including walking as part of your marathon strategy is that it becomes a very tempting option at any time, so every KM along the Seine included some element of walking. Had I not glanced up at one point I would have ran the whole race with out seeing the Eiffel Tower. 

Into the Bois de Boulogne for the final stretch. I really liked this section, no crowds and silence as everyone fought their own internal battles. My attempt to run all of the last 10km failed but I was running more than walking. The finish line is not visible until the very end as it is obscured by a roundabout, but eventually it did appear. Finish time 04:20. Delighted to get around, especially as I would have accepted getting to the half way mark as I toed the line. Never under estimate the boost you will get from a big event atmosphere.

I had read some reports on boards that were critical of previous Paris marathons, and I only entered because it was so convenient to where I was staying. Have to say I thought it was a fabulous marathon and really well organised, especially if like me you are simply trying to finish and your time is not your biggest concern. There are lots of water stops, you will not get better fed at any marathon and the fact that the course is clearly marked in KM and miles is great for setting lots of mini goals along the way. Great day out, would thoroughly recommend and if there are steps up to the aeroplane this afternoon I could be stuck in France for awhile.

village runner

Where did you stay Liam mc ? Did it before but would like to go back

robinph

LiamMcC wrote: »

I started just behind the 4hr pacers and planned to keep up for as long as possible. First 10km (37 mins) was relatively comfortable

:eek:

That is sub 3 pace the 4hr pacers were doing if those numbers are correct?

LiamMcC

robinph wrote: »

:eek:

That is sub 3 pace the 4hr pacers were doing if those numbers are correct?

Too much wine, report now corrected 10km in 54 mins, big difference

Wubble Wubble

Paris Marathon 2014 - Race Report

Background/Pre Race

41 year old first time marathon runner, with a sporting background comprised primarily of playing Gaelic football, which I still do albeit not at a high level. I have been running since the second half of 2012, with three half marathons completed to date, best of these was a 1:37 in Carlingford in March. With three 18+ LSRs and two 20s on top of the aforementioned HM in the last couple of months, I felt reasonably confident of breaking 4 hours on the day if all went well.

Preparation in the week of the event was far from textbook however. We spent most of it moving house, and then Saturday was an absolute nightmare getting from CDG to the Expo and back across to our hotel, with all our gear! Plus on two occasions I got stuck behind the barriers on the metro/RER with our suitcase, and had to lep over a la James Bond. Looking back I sometimes wonder how I managed to start, let alone finish. Especially as my left quad had been giving me recurring grief since Carlingford.

Got out early Sunday morning, did the essentials in plenty of time, and eventually left with the 4 hour group some 40 minutes after Bekele and Co.

Premier Partie - Cruiser Arriviste

The hardest part of the first half appeared to be keeping out of the heat. Most people seemed to head for any shaded areas as quickly as possible, and I had to take any water that was going. I couldn't see any of the pacers initially, but with little or no effort expended I caught one at the 5 mile mark and breezed on, having passed a huge amount of other runners along the way. One or two longish drags (Rue de Reuilly in Mile 5 springs to mind) but nothing compared to Connemara for example. Trouble was, I began to doubt if I'd paced myself properly. A 1:37 HM time suggested a 3:30-3:45 should be very achievable. But my overall mileage had been fairly low (apart from making all my LSRs) and having trained in cold and wet weather all through the winter, the heat was a bit of a culture shock. Time would most certainly tell the tale! I got through the Semi in 1:54, still feeling like I had plenty left in the tank.

Deuxieme Partie - Mon Dieu!

I caught the lead 4 hour pacer just after we returned to the Bastille roundabout, and from there decided to ease off a small bit. My wife was there to support me just after Notre Dame, and I was still going great guns, as evidenced by the video we watched afterwards. However, the tunnels took more out of me than expected, and coming out of the "Diana Tunnel" I could feel my quad burning again, which set off a whole load of other aches! By the time we reached the water station at the Trocadero I had little left, and after tiptoeing around the debris, the first 4 hour pacer went by me again. I kept going ever more slowly up to around 31 KM when I stopped for the first time, and it felt like someone slammed a knife into my leg. Keeping on my feet got more and more difficult, and I felt quite woozy at the water station just before we crossed Avenue Gordon Bennett. By the time I got to Roland Garros, I was more or less gone. Runners continued to stream past me, and I didn't care about targets any more, purely about finishing. The cobblestones in the park around Mile 23 just felt like added punishment. Just after KM 40 I sat down at the side of the road for several minutes, just to make sure I got to the end. My wife was there again at the 26 mile mark to help me get through the final metres. Going around the roundabout just before the final straight, some French kid got a massive cheer from the crowd as he went eyeballs out for the line. Unfortunately, I was too exhausted and sore to even attempt anything similar, and waddled across the finish in 4:18:52. My split times will show just how much everything had unravelled!

Apres - Je Ne Regrette Rien

My first emotion on crossing was one of relief that I actually made it. The crowd around the course and the fact that there were so many other runners was a help. I don't think I would have finished the Connemarathon had I encountered similar difficulties there. I was happy with the organisation on the day, although the etiquette of some runners left a lot to be desired - a number of people I saw (myself included) were lucky with nearly full water bottles whizzing past their heads. It was a fantastic experience, even though the closing miles were such a struggle. Hopefully with more and better preparation, and less injury concerns, I'll be in good enough shape to go sub 4 in this year's DCM.

Splits -

0-5 km - 27:20
5-10 km - 26:56
10-15 km - 27:12
15-20 km - 26:54

Half - 1:54:34

20-25 km - 28:43
25-30 km - 30:19
30-35 km - 36:53
35-40 km - 37:20
40-42.195 km - 17:15

Total - 4:18:52
Finishing Position - 22525

adrian522

Great report, I'm sure Sub -4 is more than achievable for you in October. What plan are you intending to follow for Dublin or have you decided yet?

Wubble Wubble

Not sure yet. I had intended to run the K-Club race on Saturday, but am skipping it and the Brian Boru 10 miler to give my legs a chance to heal up properly. Next planned race is now the ARC Mini Marathon, which takes place on the May bank holiday. Whatever I do, it will almost certainly involve more mileage than before, which should in theory be easier through the longer warmer days to come.

mick kk

Did in about 5 hours - aim had been 4.30 but the heat got to me.
Great marathon. Very flat. Lots of oranges and bananas along the route.
A great way to see Paris.

It was meant to start at 8.45..I knew there would be some waiting around as people were let off in waves, but I didn't get going till 9.35...time I hadn't bargain on loosing as I had to get to airport straight after which was another marathon in itself.

I stayed near pigalle station on line 2 of metro. It intersects with line 9 which was handy for the expo. Its also 3 stops from Gare du Nord [la chapalle station] which was close to rer line b to and from the airport

I will be doing it again next year.

sydneybound

I let the dust settle a bit before writing this report.

I signed up for the race in the New Year to get myself back on the straight and narrow after a drink filled Christmas. I ran a marathon before on the back of little training last year and knew I would run another one sometime. Training started in the middle of January and consisted of only treadmill running. Ran a half at the start of February, which was my first outdoor run, and completed it in 90 minutes will little training. It was only the end of February/early March with the extra light that I started to run outdoors. Struggled with a 20 mile race in early March due to illness but ran a comfortable 20 miles two weeks before the race. Should have done the long run three weeks out but that clashed with the rugby & Paddy’s and besides the Guinness was flying down. After that weekend I didn’t touch a drop and really looked after my diet. My taper week went well with a seven and couple of five milers. Felt fresh and not sluggish on the way to France.

I got to Paris PM on Saturday and headed straight to the Expo which was very well organised. I had to first hand over my medical certificate which they did examine and stamp which enabled me to pick up my race number which I picked up in a matter of minutes. I stayed in a self catering apartment in a nice part of town which was my 15 minutes or so on the metro to the start line.

Surprisingly I slept the best in ages on the night before the race. Only for my alarm I would have slept in which is very unusual. Woke at 5:30 and had my usual breakfast. Got down to the race 50 minutes before the start time. Took about 20 minutes to walk down to the baggage area and was on the start line 30 minutes before the start. I was in the 3:15 pen and knew, mainly due to inexperience, that I would start quick. My first 5k was 21:35, I felt comfortable but knew I would have to get into a slower steady pace.

To be honest over the first 20km there was not much to talk about. I wasn’t tired and was trying to constantly hold back. Before I knew it I was at mile 8, 10 and 12 and they were all flying by. Got to the halfway mark at 1:34 which I was reasonably happy with, in hindsight I was actually bang on. At about the 30k mark I really started to tire and broke the race into 5k intervals. I passed the Eiffel Tower at about mile 18/19 and I wasn’t bothered to turn my head ever so slightly to have a proper look. You go through a few tunnels with disco music which didn’t affect me but the second tunnel totally ruined my nike gps watch, my pace and average pace time went to 00:00 this was a really big pain later in the race as I lost my bearings on how fast (or slow) I was going.

At around 37/38k I was in major pain with the thoughts going through my head of walking for a bit. Gladly I didn’t stop and carried on throughout. I was running on empty and had nothing in the tank, I couldn’t even inject some pace into my last 2k. Here are my splits:

0 – 5km – 21:35
5 – 10km – 22:39
10 – 15km – 22:40
15 – 20km – 22:33
20 – 25km – 22:51
Half – 1:34
25 – 30km – 23:41
30 – 35km – 24:34
35 – 40km – 25:45
40 – 42.195 – 10:55

When I found out my time of 3:17 I didn’t initially care but after a day I was pretty pissed off. Even now I’m unhappy as I hoped to break 3:15 and was even thinking I might break the 3:10 mark but it wasn’t to be. That said I did break by PB by near 8 minutes.

Afterwards I crawled up in a ball and lay on my bed for hours on end till I fell asleep. I wasn’t even arsed to go for a couple of pints. The next day I got to see the Eiffel Tower and the other sights properly and must say it’s a lovely city. From a marathon point of view I thought it was great, water stops every 5k decent support alone the route apart from when you enter the two parks. All in all I really recommend the race; I thought it was fantastic throughout.

My training left a lot to be desired but I did put in a shift when it was required. I simply ran out of steam at the 30k mark and couldn’t keep up my pace. I only did one proper 20 mile run which I think was my biggest mistake, for my next one, which there certainly will be, I’ll run at least 3 20+ milers. I did think was it about my nutrition, I had four gels in the race at mile 6, 12, 17 and 21.5 but didn’t eat anything like jelly babies or a banana however that’s probably making excuses for myself.

To conclude I did go through agony during the race but there’s something about the marathon distance that is so intriguing. I said to myself during the race that this was my last one but I’m 99% sure I’ll sign up for one mid November, train properly and not drink from the beginning of October till after the race. Hopefully sub 3:10 next time.

iancairns

Hi Sydneybound, felt like I was reading my own thoughts going down through your race report!

I signed up for the Paris Marathon as the time of year suited me and had friends in Paris to stay with also.

I had heard bad things from years past that it wasn’t well supported but god I thought it was a fantastic day and very well run. People were everywhere, there were times around the banks of Seine where it felt like coming up a hill in the Tour De France people were patting you on the back! I had also hoped being earlier in the year that it would be a cooler race as I suffered doing my last marathon which was the Portumna Forest Marathon. (Laps of a forest and was humid day. Awful memories!)

I know the race wasn’t a scorcher and but seemed the warmest weather was during those early hours, i think i sweated loads and heat affected me. I really felt I went out too fast in the first half more than I should have. I think is it JMC on here who did his first sub 3 this year in Paris? What a fantastic achievement and fair play to him. He had said he wasn’t sure if to go for it or not and was thinking of targeting 3:10 instead but when your HM best is 1:21, I’m not surprised at all that he broke 3hrs.

Up to Christmas for the last 3 years I ran maybe once or twice a week (approx 15-20miles) and that was that. No speed work just steady small improvements.

So for the Paris Marathon I wanted to do one marathon and make a proper go of it. I put in 400miles over 3 months, I know that’s not monstrous and maybe still not enough to get round a marathon but I really noticed improvements from the extra miles.

I did a 16 mile a 18 mile, a 19 mile, a 20 miles and a 23 mile run.

So deffo felt i had the Long Runs down, but upon reflection I now think I was running my Long runs far too quick and didn’t have the aerobic base right.

My 20mile was done at 7mins 08 per mile and my 23mile was 7mins 25 per mile with last 5 miles at sub 7 so really felt I was in a good place for the race.

2 weeks before the marathon I ran a 16 mile at sub 7 min pace and had the HR strap on, I average a heart rate of 162 for that and couple of the guys from amphibian king said I should start the race doing maybe 7mins 05 miles for first half and then kick on from mile 14 or so. They were confident based on my prep that I could even kick on for second half.

But that is NOT how it went!

So on the morning of the race I was so nervous and amazed I even slept the night before. You put so much pressure on yourself. I know i do anyway, you just wan to do the best of your ability. Half marathons you just run your socks of and your home, with a marathon its so much more tactics! Anyway the scale of the set up around the start was daunting also. It took forever to get to bag drop and go to the jacks. I had the HRM on all morning and my HR was up at 100 until the race began.

I was at the back of the 3:15 pen and kicked off and started well, took in the sights and really had a great time for first half of marathon. Oh i’ve also fallen in love with running without tunes recently and decided to carry my ipod mini on my arm with the intention of using maybe for the last 10 miles when I felt I needed some techno to kick on. So all going well for first half, was doing 7mins 05/10 per mile with the odd sub 7 when things were going well, the only issue was from the off my heart rate was up at 170bm. My intention was the wear a HRM for race, listen to it and whenever I was up at 170 i would slow down. But my heart was at 170 for the whole race! My previous long runs in phoenix park at same pace were around 160 for 7min miles so why higher on the day?

I put it down to nerves and felt maybe it was good to have that adrenalin on the day. It certainly didn’t feel like I was exerting too much energy early on. Hindsight I must have been way to high into anaerobic cuz as soon as we got past the banks of Seine around mile 18/19 the dark thoughts came in, I went from looking around and focusing on breathing to immediately thinking, oh **** I’ve 7 miles to go and it felt like literally miles away all of sudden! The whole 3 months before the Paris Marathon it was inconceivable to me that I would not break 3:15. Based on my training sub 7mins 24 per mile (sub 3:15) should have been a formality to me. I knew it was not going to be easy for last 6 miles but what happened next I just don’t know??

My HRM had me tipping 180bpm around mile 19, which wasn’t ridiculous and I probably should have been able to get home from there but i stopped, not once but about 5 times over last 6 miles and just walked. 9 min miles coming home and it felt like I was crawling. Not once did my Heart Rate go over 180 over whole race but there I was walking loads. I think I gave up but I just had no energy at the time. Can you hit the wall with a heart rate of 180? Probably a stupid question but I don’t know. My legs felt ok but I had a really tight chest and a stitch I think from there and the whole way home. I had all the dark thoughts like ‘What are you doing here’ ‘What a waste of all your prep and here you are quitting’ ‘Never doing a marathon again’ Embarrassed basically that your mates came over to watch you!

So am I softy, when the going gets tough I just don’t get going, is that just me or was it going out too fast and maybe not having the aerobic fitness pace to maintain those 7 min miles.

Even on the last 2 or so miles when each of the 3:15 pacers past me by I barely moved to kick on. I finished in 3hrs 20mins and 20 secs, I didn’t even look at watch to see that, if I had known I was close to 3:19 I prob would have pushed more. I never even got to put my earphones in to here the tunes! So I bettered my last marathon by 8 mins but I felt I wasted a great opportunity to knock more off it with all the prep I’d done. To break 3:10 I needed to do sub 7mins 15, that was my quiet target.

I suppose the confidence the Amphibian guys gave me sent me out way too fast. I wish i had gone out doing 7:25’s and seeing how I felt with last 10km left to go!

Anyway overall it was a fantastic experience even if I felt zero achievement crossing that finish line.

My learning going forward now will be to improve my aerobic fitness and try and get to a level where I can do sub 7 min miles while keeping heart rate at 150bpm, so 80% of my miles per week will be at 150bpm with 2 5k’s thrown in to improve speed work. Try and get used to sub 6 min miles for the 5ks so 6:45min miles won’t feel like such a big deal to do in marathon.

Well done to all!


Here were my splits

5km 22:24
10km 44:33
15km 1:06:42
20km 1:29:00
Half 1:33:51
30km 02:14:37
35km 02:39:32
42km 03:20:20

Jmcmen

Well Here goes it, My first real race report.
So where do I start, I suppose I will give you a bit of my background.
As a kid I played every sport all day long. In my late teens I focused my attention to Rugby which I enjoyed immensely, especially the physicality of it. I think at the age of 21 I was about 16Stone, and actually found that I couldn't get any bigger. This was an issue as I was a front row player and a light front row player at that. My rugby career was cut short as I did my ACL on my right Knee and had to have 4 operations on it. The pressure on my knee on the front row and it was always an up hill battle so I decided to pack in the Rugby the following year.
After a year of doing nothing during the week bar Coronation St and Eastenders I went back playing GAA at a Junior level. I just loved the whole environment, back training during the weeks, feeling fitter and getting out and about again. Initially the mass bulk that I put on playing rugby through gym work started to drop off and I got myself down to about 14 and a half stone. I played for the following 10 more years at various Junior levels and enjoyed it most of the time.
I always had a thing that I wanted to Run a marathon. So in 2010 I signed up and did Connemara with a good friend who I trained with. On a scorching day in April 4 years ago I fell in love with running marathons and managed to get round in 3hr 36mins. Since then I have ran Connemara in 2011, 2012 in about the same time. I have also ran Rome in 2011, Amsterdam in 2012, Dublin in 2012&2013, Barcelona and Manchester 2013.
My best up until Paris was 3.13 in Dublin 2012. It was just a day of where I had no expectations and felt good. Had not done a whole lot of training and had finished Amsterdam in 3hrs 26min only 8 days previous. That day I decided that I could possible push with good training and look to run Sub3.
I trained well for Barcelona in 2013 but it was not to be as we had a bit of a family tragedy the previous week and I ran with emotion. I went out too fast and struggled home but in a very respectable 3:14. In Dublin last year I just wanted to finish, training was at a very low eb and I had gotten married at the start of September. Went out way too fast and blew up at mile 19, taking 1hr to do last 6miles, crossing in 3:28. That day was the worst I have ever felt crossing the line, the cramps and nausea were horrific and I vowed never to run outside what I had trained for again. But I was satisfied that I could run at a good pace for 18mile and that gave me some heart.
In November I ran a 10km that I had entered months previously and did it in 38:45, my confidence was growing. I then broke my finger at a GAA match and had to had a small op so that was a little set back for my running. Got the pins out on New Years Eve and the following day I was out training.
I trained very well and smart up to Paris logging 440miles in my prep, with 5no 20m+. The most miles I had previously put in was 190m. I was eating well and the weight dropped off from 14Stone even on New Years day to 12st 10lbs 2 days before Paris. Since Christmas I have also included 2no Yoga routines of 25mins into the week, these have helped me progress no end. I ran Carlingford at the start of March and knew Sub 3hrs could be on as I came in 1hr 21mins. I might just do this!!!!
The lead up to the Marathon I felt good. Had a little twinge on my right leg but got a couple of rubs on it and alot of stretching. My Tapering had gone Ok but I felt sluggish, but got some great advise on the Sub 3 thread off Dutchie and I had read the same in the P&F book and I started to relax and believe again. (The sub 3 thread is an excellent tool, got some really good advise and thanks to all again for it). Got to Paris feeling good, Expo on Friday evening nice and sharp as there was no one there and back for food, Slept great on the Friday. A good friend had told me to drink my Carbs between normal meals, So I sipped on Hi5 4:1 and I thought this helped me alot and never felt bloated. Usual tossy turny sleep the night before the race watching the hours tick by. Got up at 6am and had the Coffee and breakfast; Chicken Roll, Coffee, Hi5 4:1, banana. We had stayed close to the start and it was only a 1.5mile run to the start.
3 of us ran down. No nerves, I was excited but I felt good and believed in myself. 15mins before the start I took 2no Gels and water, never done this before but I think it worked very well. Started off in the first Sub3 pen. I sat at the back just taking it nice and easy at the start. Next thing the second Sub3 pacer group was beside me. So I pushed on a wee bit about 100m from my Pacer. This was good as there was loads of room on the road and at the water stations. Plus as I could see the pacer making the turns ahead I could take up a good position on the road to corner. It also give me a good chance to look out for my super supporters of my Wife and Parents who had made the trip over too.
First hr was very warm and I was sweating even more than usual. I was very conscious to get the water in and keep sipping off a bottle. Also knew I had to keep getting the gels into me to have a chance so I had one at 6,9,12,18,21. There was also a stiff breeze in our faces for first 8miles, but nothing like going out the coast road in January!!! At about mile 10 I felt a couple of aches but they went after about 2 miles. Crossed the halfway point in 1:29:34, was hoping to cross in 1:29 flat but was happy and feeling good.
My tactic was to get to 18 in good shape, work hard to 23m and then Dog it out. From 13 to 18 flew by without a worry, nice and steady. I loved the tunnels and the disco music, pure class!!
In this period I started passing loads of people as they started to drop off but I kept it steady. 18m to 23m went far better than expected and I knew I was going to do it. I really enjoyed the last 3mile, smiling and thinking of how lucky I was, how the hard work pays off, how great it was to have my family there and 2 mates who were also running to enjoy it with me, and thankful of all the great advise I had gotten.
However I forgot about the .2m. I took my eye off the ball a bit, the tunnels had dropped the GPS and I was looking around myself taking the foot off the gas a bit and enjoying the occasion. Then I remembered about the .2m at 26m mark so I had to up the pace to make sure I got in just under the 3hrs, but just managed it. Phew
I had never felt as well crossing the line, had kept it steady all day with only 33sec between my slowest and fastest 5km. Got loads of fluid and food into me and then walked back to meet the family. We then met up with my other 2 friends in a bar after we watched them finished and had a great evening.
So all in all, a great experience. The Paris Marathon is a must, could not fault it.
Thanks again to all and well done to all who completed the Paris Marathon, IanC and Co from this board.

02H 59'38''

5 km
00:21:11
10 km
00:42:29
15 km
01:03:48
20 km
01:24:53
21,1 km
01:29:34
25 km
01:45:53
30 km
02:07:23
35 km
02:28:56

capaleen

This was my third Marathon - Dublin 2012 3.34, Cork 2013 3.24

Training
Coming back from a broken foot last summer, I put in 500 hundred miles between January and the end of March. No speed work, easy effort with a smattering of 18 milers and a 20 miler for superstition's sake.

Pre-Race
Up at 5 to get an early flight (maybe too early) Expo was straightforward, no queuing. I picked up the Mio Link optical HRM to replace garmin's "soft" chest strap, which will not be missed. Saw Jarvis Cocker loping through the Bastille, good omens.

Race Day
Up at 5 to eat continental style; Baguette, Nutella, Banana, water, concentrated beetroot snakeoil.
Got the metro, found the 3.15 coral and queued for the facilities - although many were content to slash on their shoes as time went on.

Miles 1-18
7.30 average pace, enjoyed the park. Nice to have the racing line marked, although for the first five miles the thin blue line was a traffic jam of people who went out too fast and were dropping back.

By the tunnels I was running fine but getting overheated - (subsequent video evidence reveals I had turned bright red) Pulled up to a walk at the mile 18 water stop and decided drop the pace.

Miles 19 - 26
Average pace circa 8.40 - the 3.15 pace group rolled past before long. Lots of runners collapsing and getting first aid, lots people blowing up and walking. 3.26 chip time in the end, making for an eleven minute difference in the splits. Hobbled over to the food table where I discovered how difficult raisins are to eat while dehydrated.

Takeaway
I'm happy to be back running half-decently after injury, but there's lots of work to do before Dublin to build stamina for the end stages of races.

I'm not sure I could have done much to stop the overheating - I went in hydrated and drank to thirst (which turned out to be a bottle at every station). Hat? Running in the shade more? Salt? Lower effort from the start?

The Mio link worked well, apart from one small spike at the outset which may have been an overtaking maneuver. Average heart rate 166 at faster pace, dropping to 160 in later slow stages.

sydneybound

One other thing I will say from Paris compared to the other marathon I ran is the much higher numbers of runners walking from miles 20. My last 10k were really slow however I still managed to shoot up the overall standings rather than go backwards. Maybe it was the heat although I didn't find it over bearing.

slingerz

Got an entry into this for 2015. Have also applied for London next year but wont know about that until October like everyone else.

Is Paris a marathon to be recommended?

RAFA B

Anyone got any advice on places to stay please? I see the marathon site is saying the Holiday Inn but when i log on it's saying check pack for 2015 marathon packages at a later date. Is it cheaper to stay in an apartment? Thanks.

Jmcmen

RAFA B wrote: »

Anyone got any advice on places to stay please? I see the marathon site is saying the Holiday Inn but when i log on it's saying check pack for 2015 marathon packages at a later date. Is it cheaper to stay in an apartment? Thanks.

Sorry just seeing this now.
I stayed here when I did Paris in April.
Mercure Paris Royal Madeleine, Great location for the marathon and beautiful area. Was able to jog to the start which is a massive help