Run Liverpool Marathon Route Time-Lapse Video

I was just having a look around the Run Liverpool Marathon website and I came across this amazing time-lapse video of the marathon route, looks like a bloody long way! check it out…

RunLiverpool Marathon Course from RunLiverpool on Vimeo.

Marathon Training Peak - 20 Miles

My marathon training has just peaked with a massive 20 mile run which took me 3 hours and 6 minutes and it took part mostly to a backdrop of heavy rain, very heavy rain.

I started the day sat in front of the T.V. at half five in the morning eating peanut butter on toast (I hate peanut butter) and flicking through the channels trying to find that beach volleyball I was watching the week before (strictly for sporting interest you understand). An hour later I was stretching on Penwortham Bridge with my waterproof jacket on having done my slow warm up run.

The first couple of miles were fine and the rain had slowed so I decided to take my jacket off and tie it around my waist as I was getting quite warm. Ten minutes later I was cowering under a tree hastily getting back into my jacket and feeling the cold. The rain grew steadily heavier until it was bouncing off the pavement and my feet were soaked. Soon after the dampness of my feet reached their maximum level my “waterproof” jacket took early retirement and my soaking was complete – with only about 12 miles left to run.

The beauty of early morning running is that you often get what would normally be a busy road all to yourself. I checked around to make sure there were no early morning dog poo collectors and then I raised my gaze up to the heavens and shouted at the clouds:

“Come on!”

“Come on!”

I had decided to meet the weather head on and not let it beat me. I was as wet as I could be and I was as tired as I’d been on a run in a long time but I was still going, it hadn’t stopped me, and it wasn’t going to.

In the last mile before the turn around (I run out and back) I had a couple of quick pains down my left calf. The pain was sharp and quite intense but it came and went in the space of about two seconds. I stopped and stretched out my calves and temporarily pealed my t-shirt and jacket away from my body. This seemed to solve the calf pain which occurred only once more before the end of the run.

The rest of the run slowly past with the rain alternating between heavy and heavier. My hips started to ache and neck and shoulders went through their usual periods of pain before loosening up a bit. Annoyingly I had to stop to tie my shoe laces a couple of times and each time I did a mixture of rain and sweat dripped down the inside of my jacket sleeves and down on to my hands.

I one point I ran past a house that had a full breakfast on the go. The smell of bacon cooking made my stomach turn somersaults and the hunger kicked in. I promised myself that I would have a bacon sandwich before the weekend was out (which I did).

Eventually my Garmin beeped for the twentieth time and I slowed my run to a fast walk. Within seconds I felt the cold and my legs started to stiffen. I stretched, walked, stretched again and walked again until I was home. I pealed of my soaked clothing at the doorway and my wife appeared with a towel and a sympathetic expression. Now for the fun part of the big run, replacing those lost carbs.

This was the furthest I have even run and the worst weather I have ever run in. Although the summer has been really bad I have been quite lucky when on my weekend long runs and this was the first time I had ran in heavy rain, and I’m glad I did. When I start my big 26.2 I can’t choose the weather and should the rain start to pour I know what to expect and I know I will be able to cope. Someone once told me that nothing worth doing is easy, I hope they’re right.

I'm Running a Marathon... I Hope

The problem with running is it can become addictive. The feeling of progression and the achievement of setting yourself a target and training towards and ultimately meeting that target can leave you wanting more. Over the last year or so I've run a couple of 10Ks and a half marathon and soon I will be attempting my first ever full marathon; the Run Liverpool Marathon, the long and winding road race in aid of TheWillow Foundation.

I've been running seriously for about a year and I've been training specifically for the marathon for the last 17 weeks with just a few weeks to go. A few days ago my training peaked in terms of distance and I ran 20 miles, mostly in heavy rain. The peak in my training means a peak in effort and ultimately a peak in fatigue. I regularly have the urge to go to bed immediately after my working day is over.

I recently received my race pack which was quite exciting and has provided me with all the information I need to start planning my race day. The race pack popping through the door gave me a boost and made everything real and reminded me how far I've come in my training and how close the big day is.

The next few weeks will see my distances slowly reduce while my body recovers and rests ready for the big 26.2. This decrease in distance prior to a big run is called a tapering period, and I’m looking forward to it. A reduction in miles, a winding up at the gym and the growing excitement (and nerves) means I might even be able to stay up past nine o’clock!

Run Liverpool Marathon Race Pack

I’ve got my marathon race number – and it’s a corker!

The excitement of receiving your first marathon race pack through the post is… well, about medium. How is excitement measured anyway? Assuming excitement is measured on a scale of one to ten with ten being the most excited I’ve ever been… actually, I’ve probably only ever got to about four, but pretend I’m the excitable type, then a marathon race pack dropping on the door mat is about a 5-ish.

The race pack was easily identifiable as it was marked with the Run Liverpool Marathon logo on the front. I didn’t open it straight away instead deciding to go out for my 6 mile run and let the excitement build. Whilst running I fantasised about what my number could be. Maybe “1234” that would be pretty special. All the 7’s well that would be awesome! I just hoped it wasn’t just a random order of four numbers that didn’t mean anything, how disappointing.

Once in from my run and re-lubricated I opened my Run Liverpool Marathon pack and pulled out my race number, I wasn’t disappointed. “5432”. Brilliant! What a number! I’m tempted to write a “1” on the end, or maybe I’ll find runner “0001” and run along with them constantly on my left hand side.

For those that are interested the race pack contains:

Race Instructions Booklet – Containing race day information, spectator tips, route maps and a brilliant pace chart to help you work out where you might be at any given time dependant on your pace, great for spectators wanting to cheer people on.

A Letter – Containing all sorts of useful information about how to get to and from the event.

Advertising Material – Including flyers for gyms, running magazines and bizarrely a postcard advertisement for the Run Liverpool Marathon, for which I have received the race pack for, and for which entries closed many months ago, strange.

A Super Cool Race Number.

What’s Next

Well, once the race number excitement dies down (which will probably take a couple of days) I’ll consume the race information and start planning my race day. I’m running in the Preston 5k as a warm up event. I've a lot to consider. I only live an hour and a half away from the start line so I could travel down on the morning of the race or originally being from that part of the world I have good friends in the area and could crash over at someone’s house the night before maybe. I also need to choose a pub to down some pints in after the race (only joking).