The spotlight falls on Nikki Gibson (Scottish Sports Exercise Physiologist/Marathon Runner) who shares her experiences of running the marathon distances. Some excellent anecdotal advice on training, planning A,B,C during your run, not burning out and training plans. We wish Nikki the best of luck come the 6th Marathon.
Marathons completed?
5… with my 6th at the end of October.
PB Marathon time?
3:01:49
Favourite marathon and why?
Tough one! Probably New York. It is a very exciting marathon… it’s MASSIVE in terms of participation, the crowd support along the way was like nothing I have ever experienced.. there wasn’t a moment of silence. There were so many people out supporting, and there were bands (of every genre!) at each mile. The course was exciting and a great way to see all of the districts of New York. I was also running with a friend for “fun” and not really chasing a time.. so I could relax and enjoy it without the pressure off.
But Paris will always be special because it was my first one ! It also has great support along the route.
Worst marathon memory and why?
London Marathon 2016. After running 3:01 in October 2015, I’d put a lot of pressure on myself to run Sub 3 at London. The pressure I felt on the day ruined it for me (I was very stressed/nervous in the few weeks beforehand!) and it meant I didn’t enjoy any of the wonderful things about the London marathon in the end. Once in a lifetime experiences, like getting an ‘Elite’ start and being in a special tent before the start were lost on me!
I had also got my training wrong. I’d gone miles heavy (top week of 100+miles, and averaged 96 miles/week over four months) and not done nearly enough speed. In the end, it turned out to be a 10 mile tempo run at Marathon Pace, and then a slow, painful final 16 miles (which is a long way!) with lots of stops and tears. I stopped at 10 miles where I spotted my family and told them I felt empty and I just didn’t have it in me that day.
I’d pictured myself running down the Mall seeing “2:59” on the clock so many times, that to run down it at “3:21” (which I know I should still be proud of, but it wasn’t what I came for) was heartbreaking. I nearly didn’t take a medal at the end.
However, I learnt a lot from it. And now, in hindsight, I’m proud of myself for not dropping out and still finishing the race. We can laugh about it now!
Marathon plan 80:20, Pfitz, Hal Higdon or other?
I’ve dipped in and out of the Pfitz before. I think it’s got some really good concepts in it (periodization of training, some faster sessions, the lactate sessions) but I’m not good at 100% committing to a plan, which I think you really have to do in order to judge its effectiveness.
I know a lot of other people who have had success with Pfitz though. I’m not coached week to week (sometimes day to day!) so I don’t have to worry about the bigger picture or stress out about what I am/am not doing!
Hydration & Nutrition snack of choice on long runs?
Up to 16/17 miles – nothing
Over that, I like SIS gels (without caffeine)
I’ve experimented with a lot of gels.. the flavors & consistency of Torq gels is without a doubt the best. The taste amazing (like pudding!) and I actually look forward to taking them. However, towards the end of a marathon I just find they don’t sit that well on my stomach. I’ve also experimented with High 5 gels, however, I just find I don’t get any real boost from them.
My strategy during a marathon now is SIS gels at 5, 10, 15 and 20 miles.. with one spare in my back pocket for 23 miles.. just in case I feel I need it, and my stomach can handle it.
Shoes – minimal or maximal
Depends!
Easy recovery or long runs: not maximal, but more ‘cushioned’. At the moment I am running in Saucony Iso Triumph 2.
Track Sessions/XC: Spikes
5k/10k: Racing flats
Half/Full Marathon – not a racing flat, but something lighter than my recovery day shoe (at the moment I like Saucony Kinevaras)
Terrain – trail, track or tarmac?
Depends on my mood. I love trial running on long, slow, easy relaxing runs where you can just taking in the scenery and get head space. But I also like the feeling of flying (relatively speaking..) around a track on 400m reps.
I do a lot of my training on tarmac because of I live in the city center, and at the moment I race a lot on tarmac!
A bit of everything is probably the best way to go
Top tip for #project345 ?
Can I have three?!
- Enjoy it!! At the end of the day, it’s only running. Soak up the atmosphere on the day, smile, be positive… it might be the only time you do this. Find a mantra that works for you, something like, ‘You can do it’ to repeat to yourself when it gets tough!
- Have an A, B and C goal.. that way all of your eggs aren’t in one basket. E.g. A will be sub 3:45, B might be sub 4 and C is just finishing the race.
- Don’t start “focused” training too early. If you’re training for a Spring marathon, you really want to start your training block in January. You need to be ready to hit the ground running (literally..) in January, so try and use this time to focus on building up a little bank of training. You probably want to be able to run 10-12 miles as a long run by January. But don’t get in the marathon zone yet!! You’ll burn out psychologically and physically. Four months (e.g. January-April) is a LONG time for marathon training, and by March/April you will be completely fed up of it. If you start too soon, you’ll be fed up of it even earlier!!
A massive thank you to Nikki, some real perils of wisdom in there and I loved reading this, especially the part about not burning out in the months leading up to the marathon start of training. Excellent advice. Wow, really enjoyed reading this some excellent pieces of advice!!!
Run Long and Prosper
James
SPEAR:Run