For many runners, April was all about training for, and racing the London Marathon.  After all it is the biggest and most well known event in the UK running calendar. Even if you weren’t running yourself, the chances are you would know some-one who was, or watched the event on TV. Congratulations to all our members who ran and completed the course.  In this issue we have a report by GRG member Steve Foster on his experience of the day and the build up to the event.  London wasn’t the only marathon in April, though, and we also have a race report  from  Kate Groundsell on the first ever Brighton Marathon which looks set to become another landmark event. If you logged your time for either London or Brighton and you join in the member leagues then you will find your results at the end of that section.  We also have some information on site developments and a 'slightly technical' explanation on 3D route measurements, which may dispel some myths on the affect of hills on distance.

Louise at GRG
www.GoodRunGuide.co.uk

3D Route Measurements

One of the topics we often get asked about is how much affect hills have on the distance you run. Almost all measurement systems measure routes by looking down from above and plotting our position on a 2D map. In reality of course, we run in a 3D world and it is reasonable to assume that the distance we run is longer when the vertical ascent is taken into account. Well, it is a bit longer, but probably not as much as you think given the typical gradients experienced by runners. Take a look at the following example of a runner running 5 miles up and down a hill from A to B (not to scale!). The total climb is 60m (an average climb of 12m per mile), about the average for a typical route recorded on Good Run Guide.

If we split the hill into two equal triangles, we can calculate the length of the slope (the hypotenuse) of each triangle using Pythagorus’ theoem: a² + b² = c².

The length of the each slope (c) would therefore be √(4023.362 + 602) . So, we get the following results:

Route length measured in 2D = 8046.72m.

Route length measured in 3D = 8047.62m.

A difference of less than 1 metre!

Even with very hilly routes such as those experienced by fell runners, the extra distance travelled from running up and down hills is negligible and well within the normal margins of error of any measurement system.

Of course in practice, hills have a far bigger effect on your time than they do on the distance you run. This is the reason we calculate a “Flat Equivalent Distance” for all routes on Good Run Guide. This is the equivalent distance you could expect to run in the same time on a flat surface and is used to compare your performance for all your runs on a level playing field (forgive the pun!). So, for example, if a 5 mile hilly route has a Flat Equivalent Distance of 5.5 miles, you could expect to take as long to run this route as you would running 5.5 miles on a flat surface.

It's a common myth that hilly routes are much longer than flat routes but in practice it's just gravity that's to blame for slowing us down!

Site News

Our big news last month was the launch of Good Run Guide Mobile, a brand new mini-site designed specifically for use on mobile phones.  It provides access to key features and data from your Training Log as well as our complete database of carefully selected quality running routes around the UK.  Plus, if your phone has a compatible GPS facility, you can also make use of our GPS Stopwatch and GPS Route Viewer.  You can find out more about Good Run Guide Mobile on our main site.  To access Good Run Guide Mobile just enter the folllowing address in your phone's browser:

m.goodrunguide.co.uk

Looking ahead to May, we plan to introduce a brand new tool for importing data from GPS files.  If you have a Garmin GPS, you can already import data directly from the device to your Log Book and Saved Routes.  The new tool will enable people with non-Garmin devices to import similar data that they have exported to GPS files.

We'll also shortly be implementing a new section on the site for Race Routes, combining the race routes being shared by Members with those from our Race Listings.  The new Race Routes section will enable you to compare the hilliness of different races of the same length, so if you're looking for a flat race with good PB potential or looking for a very hilly one for a challenge, this should help you to identify some races to consider. 

As always, if you have any feedback about changes to the site or have a suggestion you would like to put forward, please let us know.

Race Reports and Member Marathon Results

Race Report by Kate Groundsell

Race : Brighton Marathon
Race Date: 18^th April 2010

After loving doing the London Marathon last year on a charity place, I was hoping I’d be a lucky ballot winner this time. It was not to be, however, so I decided to run Brighton’s first marathon instead.

The morning itself started at 3am for me. I had set the alarm for 5am but the excitement got me up early! We set off for Brighton after my usual trusty bowl of porridge.

The race began in Preston Park. As seems compulsory for any race there was the normal hopping on the spot whilst queuing for the loos- even an hour beforehand. There was a warm up by one of the local gyms to get people in the mood, then we all got into our colour coded areas, mine being pink (4.00-4.15 hours). I was hoping to finish faster than this but didn’t want to set out too fast, as last year I seriously hit the wall after 22 miles. There was a nice atmosphere whilst we waited. We were due to set off at 9am but the gun finally went off at 9.15 (due to a car on the course that needed moving), then it took another 5 minutes to get over the starting line. As far as the eye could see there were runners waiting to cross the start line. Over 7600 started the race.

The first mile was slightly undulating and slow but I stayed calm and opted not to waste energy trying to get round people. The course was always twisting and changing direction which I wasn’t looking forward to, but I knew a few people running so spent the time looking out for them. I kept a close eye on my pace using my Garmin FR60 and maintained an average of 9min/miles.

The sun shined down on us for the duration of the race which brought out the crowds. There were very few areas of the course where there were no supporters at all. I knew that around the power station, at about 21 miles, it would be sparse of people and it's also a time where most runners start to struggle. There was even a pretend ‘wall’ to cross through, but it was wasted on me, I didn’t click at all that that was the infamous wall you have to cross at roughly 20+ miles into the race. There were regular drink stations of either water or Powerade and at mile 17 they were handing out Clif shot bloks, little chunks of jelly like energy bites. I guzzled more powerade than I had planned to but it was necessary in the heat. I do feel though, that another couple of shot blok stations would have been beneficial.

The last mile was extremely tough. I could see the West Pier and the Palace Pier, which was shortly before the finish line, but they never seemed to get nearer. The promenade hadn’t been roped off fully for the runners which seemed ok when I was running but I imagine at times the crowds will have made it too narrow.

I finally made it through the finish line on the dot of 3hrs 50, knocking 33 minutes off last year’s London. I was buzzing and had a smile on my face for the next couple of days.

Two and a half weeks on I still have the horrendous blisters due to the sweat and have lost a toenail or two. But that’s all part of the fun. My legs took 3 days for the stiffness to subside and for the mild sunburn to calm down. I can’t wait for next year to run this race again. There were a few glitches that I ‘m sure they’ll sort for next year. We were sent a questionnaire asking about our experiences within a day or two. Its nowhere near the size of London, but the atmosphere was just as brilliant and next week I’ll be booking my place for 2011. I can’t wait!!

The following are the results for GRG league members who also completed the first Brighton Marathon

Race Report by Steve Foster

My first Marathon

Race: The London Marathon
Race Date: 25th April  2010
Age: Old enough to know better

Well it all started about a year ago. A guy at work did the London Marathon and even though I’m at least twice his age I thought ‘I reckon I could do that’ and promptly applied for the London Marathon – a ‘major’. Couldn’t even call it a mid life crisis really – I’m too old for that. Got myself down to the running shop at Bluewater and bought some expensive trainers and overpriced socks. Had never even been on a treadmill before!

Had no idea what I was doing but mapped out a 2k run. Ran 4 times the first week in May 2009. Ran 4 times the second week. Missed a week. Ran once the next week and pulled a muscle. Thought to myself ‘forget the Marathon you’re running nowhere’. Ran 5 times in June. Ran once in July. Ran once in August. My Excel spreadsheet ‘Joglog’ then runs out of breath. ‘

What’s wrong?’ said my wife in response to my ’Oh no!’ on arriving home from work on the 1st October 2009. I could see through the wrapper immediately that I had got place in the ballot. A one in five chance.

I found an old Guardian ‘10k in 6 weeks’. Week 1 – 4 miles. Week 2 – 15 miles. Week 3 – 20 miles. Week 4 – 22 miles. Week 5 GRG entry – 10k 01:00:12 Raining quite heavy and windy. Non stop. Felt good - well pleased!! Bought a book on nutrition - shedding too much weight.

Now what to do? The Guardian ½ Marathon looks too much. Download the Virgin Beginner 24 week training plan. 6 days a week is killing me. Enter the Swanley Christmas capers. Pull a muscle plus chest infection. Don’t run for 2 weeks. First week back pull the other calf. Starting to panic now – running out of time. Friend recommends a book. Condense the 16 week programme to the 14 weeks left.

Start to use the heart rate monitor properly. Give up golf to do my long run on Saturday. Do 12 miles on my 10 mile week. Do 14 miles on my 12 mile week. Ahead of programme. I can do this.Follow the book’s recommendation to tell people that I’m a ‘Marathoner’. How do you say that word without an American accent?

Run home from work. Poster gets put up in Office! Bit of a scare on my last 18 mile run – got to 14 miles and couldn’t put my foot down but could walk OK. Went to physio at Bluewater. Looks fine. Start taper. Long run 9 miles - OK. Long run 8 miles – feel great. Sponsorship up to £2000.

Big day – I’m so up for this. See family at 1 mile. See family at 5 miles. 9 miles – stop to pee; oh no legs won’t work. Get legs going. 14 miles - same pain in my knee as before. Start to walk. Try to run – might see friends near Asda. It hurts. Start to walk. Try to run – family will be at Cabot Square. See my sister – nearly cry. Can’t put my foot down. Ring my wife - no need to rush to the Tower. Plan B I’m walking the last 8 miles. Finish 5 Hours 40 mins – gutted.

4 May 2010 – Apply for VLM 2011 - Sponsorship upto £3500 – wife files for divorce.

Race report by GRG Member Steve Foster.

Results for GRG league members who also completed the London Marathon on April 25th 2010

We aim to publish GRG member results for the most  popular races in future newsletters, so if you would like to be included, and would also be happy to join in the members leagues, then please tick the ‘join in member leagues’ button on the Update My Details page.

Mark Cooper Runs Europe

On May 1st GRG member Mark Cooper set out on his epic attempt to run 50 marathons in 56 days, starting in Amsterdam and finishing in Barcelona.  Mark is raising money for Headway, a charity that provides support for people who have suffered a head injury or some other form of brain injury, such as stroke or brain haemorrhage.  So far all is going well, and Mark has already completed his 7th Marathon. You can follow his very impressive journey at www.runwithmark.com.

back to top