As the 14km milestone comes into sight marking the first third of the marathon, I know I won't be able to follow this pace for the rest of the race. I therefore decide to slow down a little bit as I watch the pink 3:20 balloons leaving me behind. Clearly, with my usual lack of training I aimed too high, but I feel glad I slowed down sooner than later and avoided a bigger crash. I still hope to be able to follow the 3:30 pacers later and manage a decent time.
Alas, the 20km mark is approaching and the green 3:30 balloons are already just behind me. I will have to let them go too. I know I'm not going to make a good time, so I try to enjoy the famous Valpolicella vineyard scenery instead. It's mostly gently downhill, but a few short and steeper ascents break the rhythm.
The weather is becoming increasingly hot (25°C), and I start to realise that I might be dehydrated and leading to hypoglycaemia. Drinking at the 20km water station puts me back on track, but given the quantity served, I need to take 4 cups to quench my thirst. The rest of the race will be a succession of feel-good phases and tough times.
Soon enough, we're entering Verona and start meandering and double-backing for the last 16km, passing next to the finish line at 32km. The purple 3:45 balloons must have passed me at some point, but I have little recollection of that time. Some roads are totally deserted, and it seems to last forever. After passing by a thin and cold crowd, I finally enter the majestic Verona Arena where I finish in 3:52:47, 704th out of about 1800 finishers. And first French! Yeah!
Great scenery overall, but very poor support from the crowd. I don't understand why people would come and see but not cheer. I think I would prefer seeing no one.
Ultra Romeo
Events
Races and other ultra-related eventsWednesday, March 7 2012
Cambridge Boundary Run 2012: rain, rain, and rain
By Julien on Wednesday, March 7 2012, 10:14
On Sunday, I travelled to Cambridge for my second participation in the Cambridge Boundary Run.
The race presents a variety of underfoot conditions, from road, to gravel, to grass, ... to mud. Indeed, the weather was not with us this time. Since the forecast was rainy for the entire day, I decided to wear a long sleeve T-shirt and a running jacket. The race started with a light but steady rain, which would have been manageable in T-shirt. Thus my jacket was a bit on the way: too hot when closed, and catching the wind when opened. After about 16km I already started to feel a bit weak and wondered how I would manage the remaining 26km... This combined with seeing the half-marathon runners starting to push for their finish was a bit demoralising.
But things also change for the better during a race! The rain built up to pour heavily during the second half, and with a bit of wind, I was very happy to have this jacket to keep me warm. Did this boost my spirit? Who knows... The increasing number of muddy sections was making things a bit difficult when your quads are already tight. Nevertheless, I started to feel much better at around 28km, and slowly increased pace, to finish feeling strong. One of this strange case of finding your energy battling the elements...
With 1:58 and 2:04 splits for a total time of 4:02, it's a very different race than in 2010 when I might have been a bit faster overall (3:56), but started faster to struggle on the finish (splits: 1:53 and 2:03). A bit odd to finish a relatively flat marathon in over 4 hours, but without any running for the last 2 weeks, it's probably understandable.
It was generally better organised than 2 years ago. In particular the markings were much improved. The advantage with chalk markings is that they go away with the rain. The disadvantage with chalk markings is that they go away with the rain... I still think that 4 solid food stops is a bit light for a full marathon, but I actually managed well with eating only the equivalent of 2 Mars bars during the entire run. For £8 T-shirt included, ie. a tenth of most big marathons, this race is still a bargain! Well done on the Cambridge Uni runners for organising that and standing hours in the rain pouring glasses of water.
Ultra rainy marathon
The race presents a variety of underfoot conditions, from road, to gravel, to grass, ... to mud. Indeed, the weather was not with us this time. Since the forecast was rainy for the entire day, I decided to wear a long sleeve T-shirt and a running jacket. The race started with a light but steady rain, which would have been manageable in T-shirt. Thus my jacket was a bit on the way: too hot when closed, and catching the wind when opened. After about 16km I already started to feel a bit weak and wondered how I would manage the remaining 26km... This combined with seeing the half-marathon runners starting to push for their finish was a bit demoralising.
But things also change for the better during a race! The rain built up to pour heavily during the second half, and with a bit of wind, I was very happy to have this jacket to keep me warm. Did this boost my spirit? Who knows... The increasing number of muddy sections was making things a bit difficult when your quads are already tight. Nevertheless, I started to feel much better at around 28km, and slowly increased pace, to finish feeling strong. One of this strange case of finding your energy battling the elements...
With 1:58 and 2:04 splits for a total time of 4:02, it's a very different race than in 2010 when I might have been a bit faster overall (3:56), but started faster to struggle on the finish (splits: 1:53 and 2:03). A bit odd to finish a relatively flat marathon in over 4 hours, but without any running for the last 2 weeks, it's probably understandable.
It was generally better organised than 2 years ago. In particular the markings were much improved. The advantage with chalk markings is that they go away with the rain. The disadvantage with chalk markings is that they go away with the rain... I still think that 4 solid food stops is a bit light for a full marathon, but I actually managed well with eating only the equivalent of 2 Mars bars during the entire run. For £8 T-shirt included, ie. a tenth of most big marathons, this race is still a bargain! Well done on the Cambridge Uni runners for organising that and standing hours in the rain pouring glasses of water.
Ultra rainy marathon
Tuesday, November 22 2011
Athens Marathon 2011
By Julien on Tuesday, November 22 2011, 09:56
Have I heard someone saying "in Athens [...] the heat can play a role" when running the marathon? Yes, I am looking towards you, at 161° South South East...
Well it looks like we went on a bad year: 10°C, Beaufort 7 wind (50-60km/h - "Whole trees in motion. Effort needed to walk against the wind."), and a bit of drizzle for good measure. So was the forecast Dan, Marco, and I bleakly looked at on Saturday evening as we prepared our running equipment... Our only hope was that the wind direction looked liked it could be in our backs.
The calm after the storm
After a short night and after Marco had sorted his priorities right (ie. hair style before timing chip), we left to take the stream of coaches going to Marathon. And indeed when it left us nearby the Marathon's stadium, it was cold, drizzling, and very windy. I guess that's the logical consequence for a race to choose one of its main sponsors called "WIND"... So we had to wait for the start for over an hour, sheltering as we could, before getting changed at the last minute and used the plastic bags distributed by the organisation as a last protection.
Just before the start we were told that "it is never cold in Greece, because even if the weather is cold, the Greeks are warm at heart". And it was to be true. People were very supportive in the streets, despite the poor conditions. I picked up a branch of olive tree (which Athena gave the people of Athens) handed by a supporter and carried it till the finish line.
Against all common sense for whoever runs or cycles, the wind was indeed behind us during the first half of the marathon, making it easier (the only time not being short has been an advantage for me), and not too cold. After 10km of flat surface, we started 20km of gentle ascent. I was fine until half way (in 1:40:30), but things started to get a bit complicated after that. My quads got tighter and tighter, and my pace dropped. I just couldn't produce the power. Even during the final 10km of descent, I didn't manage to pick up much speed, by then focusing primarily on not getting cramps.
Click to enlarge
The final kilometre is pretty magical, though. First the Acropolis pointing out above the city, and then it's the entry in the Panathinaiko stadium (used for the first modern Olympic Games). Much bigger and whiter than I had imagined. I didn't bother to push for sub 3:30, and just enjoyed the moment with my olive branch in the middle of this entirely stone-built stadium. I had just run on the footsteps of the literally legendary Pheidippides... 2501 years late.
It's probably the best organised marathon I've run so far, with a lot of attention to details. In particular enough portable toilets at the start and at the end, wind/rain protection at the start and at the end, good goodie bag, audio tape with final instructions in the bus, ...
And as if the "marathon full package" was not enough, we were hosted, fed, and drove around by local friend George, catering for every need. And turning the experience into a "marathon full package delux". That is to say we ate a lot! So big thank you George!
Ultra marathon roots
Well it looks like we went on a bad year: 10°C, Beaufort 7 wind (50-60km/h - "Whole trees in motion. Effort needed to walk against the wind."), and a bit of drizzle for good measure. So was the forecast Dan, Marco, and I bleakly looked at on Saturday evening as we prepared our running equipment... Our only hope was that the wind direction looked liked it could be in our backs.
The calm after the storm
After a short night and after Marco had sorted his priorities right (ie. hair style before timing chip), we left to take the stream of coaches going to Marathon. And indeed when it left us nearby the Marathon's stadium, it was cold, drizzling, and very windy. I guess that's the logical consequence for a race to choose one of its main sponsors called "WIND"... So we had to wait for the start for over an hour, sheltering as we could, before getting changed at the last minute and used the plastic bags distributed by the organisation as a last protection.
Just before the start we were told that "it is never cold in Greece, because even if the weather is cold, the Greeks are warm at heart". And it was to be true. People were very supportive in the streets, despite the poor conditions. I picked up a branch of olive tree (which Athena gave the people of Athens) handed by a supporter and carried it till the finish line.
Against all common sense for whoever runs or cycles, the wind was indeed behind us during the first half of the marathon, making it easier (the only time not being short has been an advantage for me), and not too cold. After 10km of flat surface, we started 20km of gentle ascent. I was fine until half way (in 1:40:30), but things started to get a bit complicated after that. My quads got tighter and tighter, and my pace dropped. I just couldn't produce the power. Even during the final 10km of descent, I didn't manage to pick up much speed, by then focusing primarily on not getting cramps.
Click to enlarge
The final kilometre is pretty magical, though. First the Acropolis pointing out above the city, and then it's the entry in the Panathinaiko stadium (used for the first modern Olympic Games). Much bigger and whiter than I had imagined. I didn't bother to push for sub 3:30, and just enjoyed the moment with my olive branch in the middle of this entirely stone-built stadium. I had just run on the footsteps of the literally legendary Pheidippides... 2501 years late.
It's probably the best organised marathon I've run so far, with a lot of attention to details. In particular enough portable toilets at the start and at the end, wind/rain protection at the start and at the end, good goodie bag, audio tape with final instructions in the bus, ...
And as if the "marathon full package" was not enough, we were hosted, fed, and drove around by local friend George, catering for every need. And turning the experience into a "marathon full package delux". That is to say we ate a lot! So big thank you George!
Ultra marathon roots
Thursday, June 9 2011
100-miler on the Thames
By Julien on Thursday, June 9 2011, 16:43
Just discovered this new race for next year: Thames Path 100. Already 60 runners registered.
Ultra new Thames race
Ultra new Thames race
Sunday, February 27 2011
Hyde Park Relays 2011
By Julien on Sunday, February 27 2011, 23:01
In a hope to maintain some of the running "tradition" in my group despite having left Imperial College last week, I attempted to motivate a few colleagues to run the Hyde Park Relays (teams of 6) on Saturday and/or the Cambridge Boundary Run (marathon and half) on Sunday. With an amazing 14 people acknowledging to run 5.16km for the Relays a month ago, I optimistically decided to pre-register 2 teams.
Alas, runners dropped out little by little as time passed, and on Friday only 8 runners had finally confirmed to come. I gave up on the Boundary Run.
On the day, I registered teams "Legend" and (wait for it...) "Dairy". Whilst Dairy was a proper 6-runner team, Legend only featured Alessio and I, relaying each other 3 times alternatively.
In a final bad luck strike, a last-minute defection meant someone had also to run twice in Dairy...
The race went on relatively well given my lack of training, and I managed to run my laps in 20:42, 21:04, and 22:17, with Alessio running in similar times. The last lap was a bit tricky, especially in the (slightly) uphill sections. It was an odd feeling to run fast for 20 minutes and then cool down, feeling my legs seizing up for 20 minutes before running again, starting with jelly legs :) And again! Anyhow, we finished 45th/95 overall, and 4th/38 internal team. Not bad.
After a lot of tergiversation between a few of us, Dan decided to run the extra lap for Dairy. Well done!
Full results.Ultra short (of runners)
Thursday, November 18 2010
Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes 2010
By Julien on Thursday, November 18 2010, 11:09
Last Sunday I was back in Nice for my 4th marathon of the year (after Cambridge, Three Forts, and Copenhagen) and 7th race overall (Hyde Park Relays, Hardmoors 55, and PTL). Definitely a big year, and looking back the Thames attempt was clearly one too many.
The original plan was to follow a 4:45/km pace in order to finish around 3 hours 20 minutes. After a late arrival and delayed start due to a cancelled train, I started the race at target pace for a few kilometres. I was soon to accelerate for some obscure reason, and although I knew I would pay for that later, I carried on taking 5 seconds per kilometre on my plan. I passed the half-marathon just over 1h38 (4:40/km pace), 2 minutes ahead of schedule. I managed to stabilise my pace until about 30km (4:46/km pace), with my legs becoming stiffer, hoping not to get cramps too early. And as expected, I struggled on the last last 10km not to loose too much time (4:59/km pace), before finishing in 3:21:41 (chip time), my new PB (4:40 faster).
A very different race than last year for me. I don't think I could have done much better given my minimal 3-week training plan. Maybe 1 minute, had I started slightly slower. This is a pretty good end of the season, and with a bit of training I might even get closer to 3h15 one day!
Ultra end of the season.
The original plan was to follow a 4:45/km pace in order to finish around 3 hours 20 minutes. After a late arrival and delayed start due to a cancelled train, I started the race at target pace for a few kilometres. I was soon to accelerate for some obscure reason, and although I knew I would pay for that later, I carried on taking 5 seconds per kilometre on my plan. I passed the half-marathon just over 1h38 (4:40/km pace), 2 minutes ahead of schedule. I managed to stabilise my pace until about 30km (4:46/km pace), with my legs becoming stiffer, hoping not to get cramps too early. And as expected, I struggled on the last last 10km not to loose too much time (4:59/km pace), before finishing in 3:21:41 (chip time), my new PB (4:40 faster).
A very different race than last year for me. I don't think I could have done much better given my minimal 3-week training plan. Maybe 1 minute, had I started slightly slower. This is a pretty good end of the season, and with a bit of training I might even get closer to 3h15 one day!
Ultra end of the season.
Tuesday, May 25 2010
Copenhagen Marathon
By Julien on Tuesday, May 25 2010, 19:28
Last Sunday I ran the Copenhagen Marathon with Valentina. We managed to get there despite Eyjafjallajökull and the BA strikes. The weather was rather nice, sunny at first but not too hot, then cloudy and windy for the last hour. This was already my 3rd marathon this year, and the 10th overall.
At the beginning of the race, a barefoot runner overtook us, who happened to be none else than Barefoot Ted. Regular readers of this blog have already heard about him, as the atypical character was introduced in Born to Run. The race was generally well organised, although I could have had a bit more food at the water stations. The route was meandering quite a lot (the centre of Copenhagen is not so big), with loops and double-backs. It was rather easy to shortcut and we saw a few runners taking this opportunity.
We followed the 4:15 pacemaker until about 25km. We then slowly drifted back until 35km when Valentina woke up and pushed until the finish line of her first marathon in 4:24:33. Congratulations!
As for Copenhagen itself, it's a nice and chilled out city, but its main attraction, the Little Mermaid, was not there! She is currently on tour in Shangai for the World Expo...
Ultra easy going
PS: the Vienna Marathon will offer 50% off on 2011 registrations to international runners who couldn't travel because of Eyjafjallajökull.
At the beginning of the race, a barefoot runner overtook us, who happened to be none else than Barefoot Ted. Regular readers of this blog have already heard about him, as the atypical character was introduced in Born to Run. The race was generally well organised, although I could have had a bit more food at the water stations. The route was meandering quite a lot (the centre of Copenhagen is not so big), with loops and double-backs. It was rather easy to shortcut and we saw a few runners taking this opportunity.
We followed the 4:15 pacemaker until about 25km. We then slowly drifted back until 35km when Valentina woke up and pushed until the finish line of her first marathon in 4:24:33. Congratulations!
As for Copenhagen itself, it's a nice and chilled out city, but its main attraction, the Little Mermaid, was not there! She is currently on tour in Shangai for the World Expo...
Ultra easy going
PS: the Vienna Marathon will offer 50% off on 2011 registrations to international runners who couldn't travel because of Eyjafjallajökull.
Monday, May 3 2010
Three Forts Marathon 2010
By Julien on Monday, May 3 2010, 16:39
Updated 04/05/2010
On Sunday, I ran the Three Forts Marathon for the third time (previously in 2007 and 2009).
This time I ran with Leo, my PTL team-mate from "The Chameleons" in 2009 and "Two Chameleons" in 2010. The least I can say is that the weather was not really with us: steady drizzle and occasional heavy showers seasoned with decent wind in the last hour. I'm happy I took my waterproof running jacket. Adverse weather is also part of the training. Nevertheless, for the first time I managed to run it without any trouble, although at a slower pace. Even my Salomon trail shoes didn't give me any trouble this time! I finished in 4:14:04, ranking 33rd out of 162 on the finish line.
Whereas in 2009 this was my first event of the year, this is already my second marathon and fourth event overall (Hyde Park Relays, Cambridge Boundary Run, Hardmoors 55).
Ultra weather training
On Sunday, I ran the Three Forts Marathon for the third time (previously in 2007 and 2009).
This time I ran with Leo, my PTL team-mate from "The Chameleons" in 2009 and "Two Chameleons" in 2010. The least I can say is that the weather was not really with us: steady drizzle and occasional heavy showers seasoned with decent wind in the last hour. I'm happy I took my waterproof running jacket. Adverse weather is also part of the training. Nevertheless, for the first time I managed to run it without any trouble, although at a slower pace. Even my Salomon trail shoes didn't give me any trouble this time! I finished in 4:14:04, ranking 33rd out of 162 on the finish line.
Whereas in 2009 this was my first event of the year, this is already my second marathon and fourth event overall (Hyde Park Relays, Cambridge Boundary Run, Hardmoors 55).
Ultra weather training
Friday, March 12 2010
Cambridge Boundary Run 2010
By Julien on Friday, March 12 2010, 11:27
Last Sunday, I ran the Cambridge Boundary Run, a marathon in the countryside around Cambridge. A half-marathon option was available, run at the same time but stopping half-way and draining 3/4 of the 400 runners. This option was chosen by 8 mates from Imperial, including the crazy friend who "pushed" me out of plane a few weeks ago :) .
The weather was gorgeous, blue sky and sun all the way, but the ground was nevertheless muddy, especially in the shaded areas. The route offers a variety of sceneries and surfaces, as it follows roads, dirt tracks, and narrow single tracks. The section along the river Cam was particularly beautiful. A lovely day out!
The day before the race, I drank a tablespoon of olive oil - a ritual successfully introduced at Le Cannet the evening before the Nice-Cannes marathon. However, it didn't have the same effect this time. As the Hardmoors 55 were coming only two weeks later, I had planned to take it easy during the marathon (with a 3:45 to 4:00 schedule). According to the official results, I finished in 03:56:11, 37th out of 108 finishers (winner's time: 03:04:12). My splits are roughly 01:53:00 and 02:03:00. So I'm OK with my time despite the significant decrease in pace, but I'm a bit worried because I had a tough time. At this pace I should be feeling easy. The first half was all right but not amazing. During the second half, I felt a lack of power and a general feeling of discomfort in the joins. Only the mental side held it all together. That makes me wonder a little bit on my current fitness level and my participation at the Hardmoors 55.
The marathon was generally well organised, with two course maps provided (a pocket-size one and a A3-size one that I took with me as the street names were readable), a decent marking on the ground and 5 water+food stations. All of that plus T-shirt for £7 is a bargain! Towards the end though, I took the wrong direction once and a group of runners in my back followed the correct route, leaving me slightly behind. A bit later, in the last kilometre, as they were hesitating ahead, they took the decision to turn left intuitively, despite my suggestion that the map seemed to say otherwise. They obviously didn't believe me, as I had got a bit lost 5 minutes earlier :) . I decided to follow my opinion rather than the "crowd", and was proved right very quickly. I'm not sure what happened to them, they might still be running :) . Glad I took the bigger map.
The blister I got a week before the event due to using new shoes for the first time on a long run seemed healed, so I decided to run with the same shoes (XA Pro 3D Ultra) on the marathon. Big mistake! After only a few kilometres I could feel the blister tickling despite the preventive Compeed (I know, I always says wearing Compeed preventively is for sissies...). And it only went increasingly worse all the way. I guess the pain forced me to supinate excessively, pushing the feet sideways in the shoes. I finished the marathon with a nice 7x5cm blister under the arch, ie. just a bit smaller than a credit card. No Compeeds are large enough for that!
Ultra cheap marathon
The weather was gorgeous, blue sky and sun all the way, but the ground was nevertheless muddy, especially in the shaded areas. The route offers a variety of sceneries and surfaces, as it follows roads, dirt tracks, and narrow single tracks. The section along the river Cam was particularly beautiful. A lovely day out!
The day before the race, I drank a tablespoon of olive oil - a ritual successfully introduced at Le Cannet the evening before the Nice-Cannes marathon. However, it didn't have the same effect this time. As the Hardmoors 55 were coming only two weeks later, I had planned to take it easy during the marathon (with a 3:45 to 4:00 schedule). According to the official results, I finished in 03:56:11, 37th out of 108 finishers (winner's time: 03:04:12). My splits are roughly 01:53:00 and 02:03:00. So I'm OK with my time despite the significant decrease in pace, but I'm a bit worried because I had a tough time. At this pace I should be feeling easy. The first half was all right but not amazing. During the second half, I felt a lack of power and a general feeling of discomfort in the joins. Only the mental side held it all together. That makes me wonder a little bit on my current fitness level and my participation at the Hardmoors 55.
The marathon was generally well organised, with two course maps provided (a pocket-size one and a A3-size one that I took with me as the street names were readable), a decent marking on the ground and 5 water+food stations. All of that plus T-shirt for £7 is a bargain! Towards the end though, I took the wrong direction once and a group of runners in my back followed the correct route, leaving me slightly behind. A bit later, in the last kilometre, as they were hesitating ahead, they took the decision to turn left intuitively, despite my suggestion that the map seemed to say otherwise. They obviously didn't believe me, as I had got a bit lost 5 minutes earlier :) . I decided to follow my opinion rather than the "crowd", and was proved right very quickly. I'm not sure what happened to them, they might still be running :) . Glad I took the bigger map.
The blister I got a week before the event due to using new shoes for the first time on a long run seemed healed, so I decided to run with the same shoes (XA Pro 3D Ultra) on the marathon. Big mistake! After only a few kilometres I could feel the blister tickling despite the preventive Compeed (I know, I always says wearing Compeed preventively is for sissies...). And it only went increasingly worse all the way. I guess the pain forced me to supinate excessively, pushing the feet sideways in the shoes. I finished the marathon with a nice 7x5cm blister under the arch, ie. just a bit smaller than a credit card. No Compeeds are large enough for that!
Ultra cheap marathon
Monday, February 22 2010
Hyde Park Relays 2010
By Julien on Monday, February 22 2010, 15:27
The week-end before last I ran the first leg of the Hyde Park Relays, as part of the team "Baton Tossers". I managed a 19.25 time on the 5.164km loop. This is not too bad given my current general lack of serious training, especially at high speed/short distance. This is the shortest race I've run since my first ever race more than 10 years ago. Using the Riegel prediction formula, that would give me a marathon time of ... 2:59:58! I guess I can keep training.
Not so ultra.
PS: quite a few people, like here, say that the formula means that the "speed declines by around 6% when the distance doubles". I cannot really agree with that. Consider Riegel's formula t2=t1*(d2/d1)^1.06, and assuming d2=2*d1, then t2=t1*2^1.06. The speed v2=d2/t2=(2*d1)/(t1*2^1.06)=v1*2^-0.06=~v1*0.96. That is a reduction of speed of 4%, not 6%. Am I missing something here?
Not so ultra.
PS: quite a few people, like here, say that the formula means that the "speed declines by around 6% when the distance doubles". I cannot really agree with that. Consider Riegel's formula t2=t1*(d2/d1)^1.06, and assuming d2=2*d1, then t2=t1*2^1.06. The speed v2=d2/t2=(2*d1)/(t1*2^1.06)=v1*2^-0.06=~v1*0.96. That is a reduction of speed of 4%, not 6%. Am I missing something here?
Wednesday, November 11 2009
Marathon des Alpes Maritimes 2009
By Julien on Wednesday, November 11 2009, 19:40
As you might know, I spent last week-end in Antibes, behaving as what some would call a "marathourist". That is mixing marathon running and tourism (I bet you didn't guess). I've done that in the past, but this year I reached a whole new level, with an average of one training session per week in the last two months before the race!
In order to load properly on carbohydrates, we had a massive lunch at "La Voglia" on Saturday. I can't remember having seen such an insane amount of food in a single course in a restaurant before. The seafood pasta plates had the size of canteen trays (about 10cm deep). The desserts were served in what would normally be considered as salad bowls. But all good quality. Nice! The same evening I carried on with my marathourist philosophy as I drank a Leffe beer kindly offered by Mathieu's flatmate Aurélie. This brewage was specifically selected to top up vitamin B levels and other minerals considered as fundamental for long-distance running... Thank you for that! And for the pasta. And for the chicken. And the rice pudding. They might have helped too.
The start was given on the iconic "Promenade des Anglais" in Nice at 8am on Sunday. Considering that 10,000 runners were about to run a marathon, the amount of spectators was ridiculously small, and the start was fairly quiet. We'll blame it on the "bad" weather and the early time of the day for a Sunday. Thanks to the generous width of the Prom', the start was rather fluid for such a popular race.
If the sky was depressively grey during most of the race, at least the temperature was set at a relatively low 12°C, an ideal temperature for running. I felt just about OK for the first half of the race, keeping the 3 hours 30 pacemaker in sight. Simply enjoying the seafront view. Getting used to run on concrete again :)
Things changed dramatically at Antibes (21km). For the first time in the race, there was a decent atmosphere, with spectators shouting and clapping. The views on the Alps woke me up. The lovely winding narrow streets of Antibes old town centre were delightful. But most importantly, there were a few gentle ascents to break the otherwise deceptively flat course :) . I started to feel playful and caught up with the pacemaker in the ascents. But I eventually and wisely decided to keep it easy until the 32km mark, as we were still early in the race. Everything could still happen.
I felt good at the 32km milestone, so I left the pacemaker behind, hoping to push for a 4'30"/km pace on the last 10km, which would give me a finish time of 3 hours 25. I gave everything in these last 10km, but didn't managed to keep that pace all the way. I felt really good and focused on my race during that time, with the kilometre marks falling one after another. Retrospectively, I think I could have started to push 2 kilometres earlier and manage 3 hours 25. Oh well!
Although there were a lot of people in Cannes, and we had to run in a narrow corridor in the supporters crowd, it was dead silent! There's no other way to say it, the atmosphere was just rubbish. Basically, everyone was there to encourage the one runner they knew, and only him/her. The speaker had a hard time, constantly asking people to get their hands out of their pockets, with very little effect. As compared to similar sized Dublin Marathon (set in much colder conditions last year), the atmosphere was that of a funeral. I eventually finished in 3:26:21, my new PB!
After completing the marathon in front of the famous "Palais des Festivals" steps, I had to queue half-an-hour in an ever growing crowd to collect my drop bag. Some people were cold, hungry and weak and didn't appreciate too much this episode. It was clearly poorly organised, but I didn't care at all at that point. I had just made a PB, with an awesome negative split, great feeling... and with a very minimal training!
After a quick swim in the Med' to chill out and get cleaner, we had an (expensive) Guiness to rebuild the minerals lost during the race :) . What's up for next year?
Ultra quick marathon, not ultra marathon
In order to load properly on carbohydrates, we had a massive lunch at "La Voglia" on Saturday. I can't remember having seen such an insane amount of food in a single course in a restaurant before. The seafood pasta plates had the size of canteen trays (about 10cm deep). The desserts were served in what would normally be considered as salad bowls. But all good quality. Nice! The same evening I carried on with my marathourist philosophy as I drank a Leffe beer kindly offered by Mathieu's flatmate Aurélie. This brewage was specifically selected to top up vitamin B levels and other minerals considered as fundamental for long-distance running... Thank you for that! And for the pasta. And for the chicken. And the rice pudding. They might have helped too.
The start was given on the iconic "Promenade des Anglais" in Nice at 8am on Sunday. Considering that 10,000 runners were about to run a marathon, the amount of spectators was ridiculously small, and the start was fairly quiet. We'll blame it on the "bad" weather and the early time of the day for a Sunday. Thanks to the generous width of the Prom', the start was rather fluid for such a popular race.
If the sky was depressively grey during most of the race, at least the temperature was set at a relatively low 12°C, an ideal temperature for running. I felt just about OK for the first half of the race, keeping the 3 hours 30 pacemaker in sight. Simply enjoying the seafront view. Getting used to run on concrete again :)
Things changed dramatically at Antibes (21km). For the first time in the race, there was a decent atmosphere, with spectators shouting and clapping. The views on the Alps woke me up. The lovely winding narrow streets of Antibes old town centre were delightful. But most importantly, there were a few gentle ascents to break the otherwise deceptively flat course :) . I started to feel playful and caught up with the pacemaker in the ascents. But I eventually and wisely decided to keep it easy until the 32km mark, as we were still early in the race. Everything could still happen.
I felt good at the 32km milestone, so I left the pacemaker behind, hoping to push for a 4'30"/km pace on the last 10km, which would give me a finish time of 3 hours 25. I gave everything in these last 10km, but didn't managed to keep that pace all the way. I felt really good and focused on my race during that time, with the kilometre marks falling one after another. Retrospectively, I think I could have started to push 2 kilometres earlier and manage 3 hours 25. Oh well!
Although there were a lot of people in Cannes, and we had to run in a narrow corridor in the supporters crowd, it was dead silent! There's no other way to say it, the atmosphere was just rubbish. Basically, everyone was there to encourage the one runner they knew, and only him/her. The speaker had a hard time, constantly asking people to get their hands out of their pockets, with very little effect. As compared to similar sized Dublin Marathon (set in much colder conditions last year), the atmosphere was that of a funeral. I eventually finished in 3:26:21, my new PB!
After completing the marathon in front of the famous "Palais des Festivals" steps, I had to queue half-an-hour in an ever growing crowd to collect my drop bag. Some people were cold, hungry and weak and didn't appreciate too much this episode. It was clearly poorly organised, but I didn't care at all at that point. I had just made a PB, with an awesome negative split, great feeling... and with a very minimal training!
After a quick swim in the Med' to chill out and get cleaner, we had an (expensive) Guiness to rebuild the minerals lost during the race :) . What's up for next year?
Ultra quick marathon, not ultra marathon
Monday, May 4 2009
Three Forts Marathon 2009
By Julien on Monday, May 4 2009, 18:09
Updated 06/05/2009
On Sunday I went to run the Three Forts Marathon for the second time. Featuring a distance of 27 miles and about 1000m of ascent run over non-technical off-road paths, this race is intermediate between a marathon and a trail. The original plan was to run with my fellow Chameleons Sven and Leo, but Leo injured his back a day earlier, so we were only two of us.
I ran the first half up to Devil's Dyke with Sven, but given my nearly-inexistent training due to my PhD thesis writing-up, I let him go ahead at that point. Everything went well until the second ascent from the Adur River that left me with a bad hypoglycemia. I reacted a bit too late, thinking I could reach the next water station before things would be too bad. I eventually decided to let a Honey Stinger melt under my tongue and once again, it saved my day.
Unfortunately, once my blood sugar level was back to normal, I started to have cramps in the quadriceps, especially downhill. The end was quite hard in these conditions, and I had to stretch and take short walks quite often. I finished in just 3:59:43, ranking 29th out of 149 finishers, which is not too bad in the end (I did 3:56:35, 31st, in 2007 with a much better training).
Once arrived, I was surprised that Sven wasn't around. Indeed, he had got lost following a group of five. Surprisingly, the marshal posted at the path junction saw them going the wrong way and didn't say anything. Sven reckoned he lost about 10 minutes there.
Overall, it was a good day out on a friendly race. The weather was windy and sunny (I got mildly sunburned...).
It's also nice to see that I can run a (hilly) marathon even with a very poor training. Although obviously this was far from optimal.
Ultra restart of the season
On Sunday I went to run the Three Forts Marathon for the second time. Featuring a distance of 27 miles and about 1000m of ascent run over non-technical off-road paths, this race is intermediate between a marathon and a trail. The original plan was to run with my fellow Chameleons Sven and Leo, but Leo injured his back a day earlier, so we were only two of us.
I ran the first half up to Devil's Dyke with Sven, but given my nearly-inexistent training due to my PhD thesis writing-up, I let him go ahead at that point. Everything went well until the second ascent from the Adur River that left me with a bad hypoglycemia. I reacted a bit too late, thinking I could reach the next water station before things would be too bad. I eventually decided to let a Honey Stinger melt under my tongue and once again, it saved my day.
Unfortunately, once my blood sugar level was back to normal, I started to have cramps in the quadriceps, especially downhill. The end was quite hard in these conditions, and I had to stretch and take short walks quite often. I finished in just 3:59:43, ranking 29th out of 149 finishers, which is not too bad in the end (I did 3:56:35, 31st, in 2007 with a much better training).
Once arrived, I was surprised that Sven wasn't around. Indeed, he had got lost following a group of five. Surprisingly, the marshal posted at the path junction saw them going the wrong way and didn't say anything. Sven reckoned he lost about 10 minutes there.
Overall, it was a good day out on a friendly race. The weather was windy and sunny (I got mildly sunburned...).
It's also nice to see that I can run a (hilly) marathon even with a very poor training. Although obviously this was far from optimal.
Ultra restart of the season
Monday, February 2 2009
Watford Half-Marathon 2009
By Julien on Monday, February 2 2009, 11:52
A couple of us went to run the Watford Half-Marathon yesterday. The weather was quite chilly, especially in the areas exposed to the wind. A couple of snow flakes on the finish line. The route was pretty good, slightly undulating, much more in the countryside than what I expected.
I've not trained much after the winter break so I didn't know what to expect from the race. I took the first half rather easily (49'30) and it felt quite good. So I decided to push a bit the second half, I felt like flying and it took me only 45'40. Total: 1:35:10 with a very negative split, ranking 367/1958 finishers. Not too bad for what is my longest run since October. The negative split also means I could have run at least 2 minutes faster, and maybe even gone for a PB. Oh, well...
The race would have been much more fun with today's weather: there is about 10cm of snow in central London. They don't seem to be able to deal with snow here, as none of the pavements are salted and even fairly important roads haven't been treated yet. Can't wait to get my fell running shoes on and go for a decent run in the snow tomorrow!
Ultra start of the season.
I've not trained much after the winter break so I didn't know what to expect from the race. I took the first half rather easily (49'30) and it felt quite good. So I decided to push a bit the second half, I felt like flying and it took me only 45'40. Total: 1:35:10 with a very negative split, ranking 367/1958 finishers. Not too bad for what is my longest run since October. The negative split also means I could have run at least 2 minutes faster, and maybe even gone for a PB. Oh, well...
The race would have been much more fun with today's weather: there is about 10cm of snow in central London. They don't seem to be able to deal with snow here, as none of the pavements are salted and even fairly important roads haven't been treated yet. Can't wait to get my fell running shoes on and go for a decent run in the snow tomorrow!
Ultra start of the season.
Thursday, October 30 2008
Dublin marathon 2008
By Julien on Thursday, October 30 2008, 18:28
Last Monday, I took part in the 29th Dublin Marathon along with Team Sláinte.
The weather was one of our main concern as strong wind, rain and low temperature featured in Dublin a couple of days earlier (and later). But luckily, the weather on the day was alright: a bit windy (30km/h) and not very warm (around 5°C, maybe less) but actually sunny. We had decided to walk to the marathon start line at the last minute so we wouldn't have to wait there for too long. Unfortunately we mis-estimated the time to get there, ended up running from the hostel to the start line and forced to make a detour due to road closure. When the start was given, we weren't in the runners pack yet! So we just carried on running after this extra 1.7 miles warming up.
The late start also prevented us to run at our target speed from the start as we were stuck in the runners traffic jam. Surprisingly, that didn't bother me too much and I realised no later than the second mile that I wasn't to perform amazingly. So I decided to take it easy.
The section in Phoenix Park was lovely and I just enjoyed the scenery. Having my name printed on the running vest was quite a good move. Loads of people on the side were shouting "Go on Julien!". This boosted me a lot. At first I tried to say thank you systematically, then simply gave thumbs up and eventually started not to respond any more. The locals were quite involved in this big running party: from children asking for high fives to people giving away sweets and bananas (one of my favourite running food).
Click to enlarge
I passed the half-marathon mark in 1h44 and realised then that I was to finish in about 3h30. I thought I could still be under if I kept that pace because of the forced slow start. But I started to get cramps in my left quad and then in my right calf at about 32km (20 miles). That slowed me down a little bit and I missed the 3h30 mark by 3 minutes.
I eventually finished 1610th out of about 11,000. That's only one minute faster than my Belfast Marathon that was extended by more than a kilometer due to a bomb scare and during which I vomited twice. Not the best performance, but an enjoyable end of season run! I guess I haven't trained at all for speed this year.
(compensated chip times)
All members of Team Sláinte passed the finish line. Great achievement given that Andy and Rachel were injured and Dan, Dave and Pete were first-timers. Congratulations!
Many thanks to our 116 generous donators so far that allow us to reach and beat our £3000 fundraising target. That will make a difference in cancer research. It's not too late to contribute.
Ultra end of season.
The weather was one of our main concern as strong wind, rain and low temperature featured in Dublin a couple of days earlier (and later). But luckily, the weather on the day was alright: a bit windy (30km/h) and not very warm (around 5°C, maybe less) but actually sunny. We had decided to walk to the marathon start line at the last minute so we wouldn't have to wait there for too long. Unfortunately we mis-estimated the time to get there, ended up running from the hostel to the start line and forced to make a detour due to road closure. When the start was given, we weren't in the runners pack yet! So we just carried on running after this extra 1.7 miles warming up.
The late start also prevented us to run at our target speed from the start as we were stuck in the runners traffic jam. Surprisingly, that didn't bother me too much and I realised no later than the second mile that I wasn't to perform amazingly. So I decided to take it easy.
The section in Phoenix Park was lovely and I just enjoyed the scenery. Having my name printed on the running vest was quite a good move. Loads of people on the side were shouting "Go on Julien!". This boosted me a lot. At first I tried to say thank you systematically, then simply gave thumbs up and eventually started not to respond any more. The locals were quite involved in this big running party: from children asking for high fives to people giving away sweets and bananas (one of my favourite running food).
Click to enlarge
I passed the half-marathon mark in 1h44 and realised then that I was to finish in about 3h30. I thought I could still be under if I kept that pace because of the forced slow start. But I started to get cramps in my left quad and then in my right calf at about 32km (20 miles). That slowed me down a little bit and I missed the 3h30 mark by 3 minutes.
I eventually finished 1610th out of about 11,000. That's only one minute faster than my Belfast Marathon that was extended by more than a kilometer due to a bomb scare and during which I vomited twice. Not the best performance, but an enjoyable end of season run! I guess I haven't trained at all for speed this year.
| Distance | Time | Speed |
| (km) | (km/h) | |
| 10 | 00:51:09 | 11.7 |
| 21.1 | 01:44:47 | 12.4 |
| 30 | 02:28:08 | 12.3 |
| 42.2 | 03:32:53 | 11.3 |
All members of Team Sláinte passed the finish line. Great achievement given that Andy and Rachel were injured and Dan, Dave and Pete were first-timers. Congratulations!
Many thanks to our 116 generous donators so far that allow us to reach and beat our £3000 fundraising target. That will make a difference in cancer research. It's not too late to contribute.
Ultra end of season.
Tuesday, August 19 2008
Ufdance Runners Quest Half Marathon 2008
By Julien on Tuesday, August 19 2008, 15:25
On Sunday, I ran the Ufdance half-marathon in Hackney marshes. Needless to say that I did a PB (personal best), as this was my first half-marathon :) I ran the 6 laps in 1:32, ranking 29th out of 242 finishers.
Everything went on globally well, I pushed it the whole way to try to get as close as possible to 1:30. I just had a mild hypoglycemia at the beginning of the fifth lap (15km), that I killed with a Honey Stinger under the tongue. I'll come back later on these gels on this blog. Without that incident I might have been able to shave off another minute.
The race organisation was very good, friendly and cheerful. I particularly appreciated the "full meal" goodie bag at the finish line (bread, cheese, fruits, sweets, ...).
Ultra not so long race.
Everything went on globally well, I pushed it the whole way to try to get as close as possible to 1:30. I just had a mild hypoglycemia at the beginning of the fifth lap (15km), that I killed with a Honey Stinger under the tongue. I'll come back later on these gels on this blog. Without that incident I might have been able to shave off another minute.
| Lap 1 | 14:43 |
| Lap 2 | 15:02 |
| Lap 3 | 15:02 |
| Lap 4 | 15:08 |
| Lap 5 | 15:56 |
| Lap 6 | 15:05 |
| Finish | 01:00 |
| Overall | 1:31:56 |
The race organisation was very good, friendly and cheerful. I particularly appreciated the "full meal" goodie bag at the finish line (bread, cheese, fruits, sweets, ...).
Ultra not so long race.
Tuesday, May 8 2007
Three Forts Marathon 2007
By Julien on Tuesday, May 8 2007, 12:03
Updated at 19:33
On Sunday, I ran the Three Forts Marathon, which is a 27miles (43.5km) cross-country race in the South Downs hills, near Worthing. It's actually slightly longer than a marathon, and relatively tough due to the ascents over each of the forts (about 1050m in total). My main concern before the race was whether I could run uphill or not.
The weather was perfect for running: very cloudy, so not too warm, but slightly windy. The first ascent (Cissbury Ring) went smoothly, so did the descent to the Adur River. 50 of us took the wrong way at some point in this descent and had to go back a bit :) I managed to run the second ascent to Devil's Dyke as well. The route then goes back down to the river and up again to Chanctonbury Ring. This ascent was a bit harder for me, but I managed to run it anyway at a slower pace. Just as I thought I could run it all the way long, two last sneaky ascents on the way down to Worthing stopped me, and I had to walk 3 times for about a minute. The final 3 miles went very fast and easy, downhill but not too much, allowing to take the maximal advantage from the slope. I finished in 3:56:35, ranking 31st out of 189 finishers. This is quite good for me given the ascent (winner finishing in 3:07:03).
On the way down from Devil's Dyke.
Overall, this was a good event with friendly marshals, nice route and views. No major problems on the physical side, but my thighs could be a bit stronger in the ascents. Last but not least, it was very nice to meet Mike, who's going to finish the UTMB this year. Happy to put a smiling face on an e-mail address :)
Ultra friendly race.
On Sunday, I ran the Three Forts Marathon, which is a 27miles (43.5km) cross-country race in the South Downs hills, near Worthing. It's actually slightly longer than a marathon, and relatively tough due to the ascents over each of the forts (about 1050m in total). My main concern before the race was whether I could run uphill or not.
The weather was perfect for running: very cloudy, so not too warm, but slightly windy. The first ascent (Cissbury Ring) went smoothly, so did the descent to the Adur River. 50 of us took the wrong way at some point in this descent and had to go back a bit :) I managed to run the second ascent to Devil's Dyke as well. The route then goes back down to the river and up again to Chanctonbury Ring. This ascent was a bit harder for me, but I managed to run it anyway at a slower pace. Just as I thought I could run it all the way long, two last sneaky ascents on the way down to Worthing stopped me, and I had to walk 3 times for about a minute. The final 3 miles went very fast and easy, downhill but not too much, allowing to take the maximal advantage from the slope. I finished in 3:56:35, ranking 31st out of 189 finishers. This is quite good for me given the ascent (winner finishing in 3:07:03).
On the way down from Devil's Dyke.
Overall, this was a good event with friendly marshals, nice route and views. No major problems on the physical side, but my thighs could be a bit stronger in the ascents. Last but not least, it was very nice to meet Mike, who's going to finish the UTMB this year. Happy to put a smiling face on an e-mail address :)
Ultra friendly race.