Edinburgh Marathon 31/05/09
As usual runners are encouraged to send in reports. Mary and I were out on the course and took film and photos at 4 miles and 19. From where we were it looked like good conditions but then again we weren't running. Those who ran may have found it on the warm side! Mind you Scott Balfour who is into his sixties ran 2.53 so no excuses please. (How does Scott do this? And can I have some of what he is having?)
Front runners at mile 4
Stuart of Dunbar seconds away from an accident: details here
Warm weather for a costume
Friesian or devil?
The following photos were taken near the dogleg:at 16 miles out / 19 miles back (not in any order)
Bert paced it well doing even halfs.
With so many going past we missed a few
Wonder woman?
Moray (1st Porty home) emailed (and sent these 2 photos) to say...I don't have long to write a race report as I am waiting to board a flight to Ibiza for a week of recovery in the sun.
The Edinburgh Marathon was really tough. I was aiming to finish under 3hours, but in light of the sun and heat I gave up on my time at 35km and focused on not dropping dead for the last 7k.
The crowd were fantastic and the support from wearing my Porty Running Club top really helped me get round. My time was 3hr08min07sec. Not my best, but I'm happy with it.
See you all soon,
Moray
Please send any reports and photos to the email address on the left - please try to keep photos no more than 3 per email if they are full size, thanks and speedy recovery to all who ran.
Results here
Photos at Roadrunpics2 photos in from Lynn (who was marshalling then cycled to the 19 mile mark.)
Lynn emailed, "This is Eileen, it was her first marathon and she was as high as a kite!
Champagne and flowers all round!" Come on Eileen!
Here's a report in from Monica...
Nothing like a bit of sibling rivalry in life. Last year big sis completed her first marathon and I thought "Can't be that bad!" so before I knew it I was signed up for the Edinburgh marathon. I knew my jogs along the prom with my mates on a morning wasn't going to be enough . Being one of the most unmotivated people there is I knew the only thing to keep me on track and make sense of all those training schedules was to join a club. I knew Jill and with a little encouragement I plucked up the courage to come along.
My first night at the club was a real 'baptism of fire'. Remember, remember the 5th of November, all of those in Lynne's group that night certainly will. Having fireworks launched at us on the prom certainly upped the pace. We quite literally ran as if we had a rocket up our a*** !
Six months on and I was in the starting pens listening to a dodgy DJ tell us all what a perfect day it was for a marathon. I don't think it was just me who was thinking "You git!" As for a race plan I didn't really have one. In the lead up to the marathon people asked me what my target was and I'd say under 4 hours. There'd be days in training when I thought it was doable and days when I didn't. The amount of advice before a marathon is overwhelming but 2 bits kept coming back to me.
1. Bert's words of encouragement after every training session. It's all about your own effort (a polite way of saying it doesn't matter you're at the back every week, I can see by the fact you're purple it's not from lack of trying.)
2. "Leave your watch at home, just enjoy"
I didn't leave the watch at home but I rarely looked at it. Once in a while I'd have a glance but it wouldn't really change the way I'd run. Another reason for not paying too much attention was that I forgot to press Start until 1 mile in (doh! ).
I soon realised the part the crowd play in a marathon. At Lochend road I saw my family and parents from my kids' school were manning the water station so it was good to see so many faces while I was still pretty fresh. Along the prom and out to Musselburgh I was mildly obsessed with spotting people I knew.
I was steadily getting the miles in. My 10K time was 00:51:43 and my half 01:53:25. At about 15 miles my legs started to ache - bit early I thought, but hey! Around Gosford House another one of my fears set in - a dodgy tummy. I saw a free portaloo and a few minutes later I was on my way again with a new lease of life that seemed to take me through to about the 21 mile marker. I was dreading the last few miles but I'd always told myself it can't be worse than childbirth. Although childbirth is obviously more painful (I have to say that on behalf of all the women at the club ) the strange wobbly feeling in your legs is pretty hard to deal with mentally. You seem to have no control over your legs, the worry being they are going to fail you before the 26.2 miles are up and there is nothing you can do about it. Thankfully they did hold.
As I came into the racecourse the amazing crowd made the last few yards all the more bearable. I saw 4:04:?? on the clock. I knew it took nearly 5 mins to pass the start line, so I had to wait until Monday to say with pride that I was sub 4 hour ! (03:59:42). So a PB for me by default and I've just noticed a PB on my half too ( I've only ever done 1 half so not much to compare to). I can't do stairs or wear trainers (blisters) at the moment but the sun is shining and I don't care.
Report Monica Flanagan
Here's an email from Andrew - not sure if he meant it as a report but here goes anyway...
3:19 today Peter, but thoroughly enjoyable. My 10th marathon so I'm delighted to have finished reasonably comfortably. Great to have so much support out there from Porty and beyond too.
It was boiling in Gosford House grounds, and warm all the way round. A few breezes here and there. Good to see Karen Young out supporting, I haven't seen her for ages. Janet was at Holyrood too, with her wee baby and Amanda was out too, somewhere in East Lothian!
I have been training for sub 3, trying a schedule that lowers my lactate levels, but in the last month or so have managed to succumb to cramp in a couple of training runs and in the Dunfermline half which stopped me running for a few minutes each time and a 20 mile training run, ended at mile 8!
As a result I knew if I pushed it today I would get cramp again and I could feel the knot in my calf (possibly still strained from Dunfermline) at mile 4. It went away a bit after I took a gel (?) and didn't come back as bad as it was. I expected it to stop me but I was delighted that I managed to run the whole thing.
I knew, even following the schedule, that although it had lowered my lactate level, that I wasn't as fit as I have been, or expected to be. And not getting any race pace stuff in / long run meant I wasn't confident of being able to get round at the pace I had wanted.
But it's all a learning curve and I think if I can get the cramp sorted out, then I could get close. Roll on Inverness!
Next stop; the six jogscotland 5K's in 3 weeks, starting the 16th June. Just enough time to recuperate.Report Andrew Jeske
Photo Jim Buick - thanks Jim.
Sunny Porty - with marathon bottles in foreground
