Looking at walks and water breaks by a runner who never walks and rarely takes fluids during a race and you still broke 3:34. I know you sounded disappointed but I really do not see the justification. Once you had two marathons within two weeks of each other, one was going to be a PB effort which you accomplished at Newport and the other a enjoyable sojourn over the distance (enjoyable may be an exaggeration), I think you accomplished your objectives. You mentioned London in another video and I am glad you also succeeded in achieving that goal. You are an incredible runner who has adapted well to the problems that were placed in your way and who has accomplished a great deal so far this year. Consider this one "done and dusted" to use your phrase after last year's Stratford Marathon. Rest and get back at it. You have more PBs to accomplish. Proud to follow you and your channel.
Thanks again Donald. The 2 marathons are definitely done and dusted and put away in the vaults of RUclips for me to look back on forever. I think if I’d have set out with a goal of 3:30 at MK I’d have had a very comfortable race but I had the nagging thought of an age group qualification. Too little sleep, not enough to drink or enough fuel, on top of the previous marathon were never a good combination. I also did a 20 min shake out run the day before, been to work, drove from home to the hotel, walked for over an hour on the evening to pick up race numbers and watch the 10k, plus a walk of over a mile in the morning from the hotel to the start. That alone was enough to make my race a disaster waiting to happen. But I wouldn’t change my start line intentions, I’d only do that in hindsight. I have a mini break from the harder runs but I’m no good a resting for long 🙂
It's a good thing that Newport marathon went so well, so you can laugh at this one! Kudos for completing it despite the struggles! I must admit that although I'm sorry it didn't go your way, your commentary was quite entertaining, especially when you said "I can't be bothered" 😂
Thanks Chloe. There were a lot of emotions throughout that race and although it wasn’t much fun towards the end, as soon as I crossed that line it was a mixture of a big sense of relief it was over and also the humour that I’d made such a mess of it 😂
Congrats on the awesome effort, and still a smokin' time. And if we ran PBs each race, that would make them less special, right? I loved when you said that you knew you should take a gel but were too tired to get it out of your pocket. Oh, how well I know that feeling! Great video!
Thanks. Lots of races can go ok, some don’t go to plan at all but that just makes those very rare perfect races all the more precious to treasure. I like how others have said in the comments too, about how the effort of refilling a tired body is almost too much trouble to bother. I didn’t even have the 2nd caffeine gel, now that would have definitely picked me up. It was in my back pocket but that might have well of been the moon 😂
Thanks. It’s only that I recorded it that I can see how much I didn’t enjoy the 2nd half. Normally when I cross the line, I forget everything that I didn’t like 😁
Dawn was telling me how well her disappointing race at Manchester, where she had to pull out, was one of their highest viewed videos. Seems like everyone is happy to watch the disasters 😂 Once I’d crossed the line and for a good few days after I couldn’t help but laugh to myself at how ridiculous it had all gone 🤦🏻♀️
One week is much much harder to negotiate recovery and re-starting again. Well done for completing both! I have managed a 2 week gap once before but I was much kinder to myself with the race goals. Still ended up with a pb on the 2nd race and on a much hillier route. Hopefully I won’t be in the same situation again of 2 so close. In fact 1 is more than enough each year 😊
Whatever went wrong on the day, I'm quite impressed that you even tried to run back to back marathons Rachel! You are definitely in my class of crazy! 😂 Amazing time considering everything that was working against you! You are such an inspiration! I'm heading out for my first post marathon run today! Really looking forward to seeing you tomorrow! Keep pushing!
Thanks Paul! Hope your first run back went well? More importantly we’re all awaiting the news tomorrow 😁 As for crazy, I think the track marathon has to be somewhere near the top…which I why I think this kind of challenge sounds right up my street! Looking forward to joining your livestream tomorrow 🤩
Still a super impressive time Rachel. I know you would be disappointed especially coming off of a great PR the last one you ran. I've had that same feeling so many times over the years (I've been racing since 2004). I've done the back to back marathon before (with about 3 - 4 weeks before each event)and the second one was always a train wreck. I am still super impressed with your effort but do take the recovery process seriously. The marathon is super taxing event and you may feel better but there is a lot of wear and tear that goes on with it. You did a great job filming it though and your time is still impressive.
Thanks Eddie. I think the recovery had gone as well as I could have hoped but I know they’d still have been plenty more rest that was needed to get me back to full strength. Straight after Newport I knew that even if my legs could physically cope, I was more doubting my minds ability to hold a pace for so long, so close to having only just previously put it through it’s paces so to speak. If only the marathon had been 20 miles, I think I could have made it that far…just 😁
It’s only later in the race we realise our mistakes from the first half. Then it’s too late 😁 Hope it wasn’t too difficult in those last miles. Brighton is one I’d like to run sometime.
Watching this as I’ve just signed up to the MK marathon having had to pull out of the Brighton Marathon the morning of the race due to coming down with tonsillitis. You still did amazing to finish as I didn’t even make the start line for Brighton 😭
Hi Lisa, hope you’ve started to feel better. I’ve had plenty of bouts of tonsillitis in the past. It’s not nice at all. I think Milton Keynes this year is back with the start and finish at the MK stadium so should be a flatter finish. Best of luck for running your marathon 😊
Thanks Alan 😁 yes, it’s exactly that, respect the distance! It’s a long way. Sat in a car for 26 miles, you realise just how far it is. Glad I’ve put you off trying the same race plan 😉
Supporting on that hill at the finish. I respect everyone that ran up that at the end of a marathon. Still a great time despite everything. We'll done 👌
Thanks Stu. It was a pretty big hill to stick at the end, although the downhill at the start felt longer. I still don’t think they can beat the stadium finish at mk dons though, it was a shame it moved.
Thanks for being so honest in this video, I always appreciate people sharing the races that didn’t go so well. You looked pretty fed up at the point you were walking so kudos for pushing on rather than binning it. And that’s still 20 minutes quicker than I’ve finished a marathon!
Thanks Nick. I was pretty fed up of running towards the end. I did consider cutting the run short and just doing the half or even stopping at the turn point and walking back to the finish but I wanted the medal and T-shirt 😁 Even if my run was going bad, I still wanted to cross the line having completed the marathon. Luckily I have no more marathons booked!
Huge kudos for not giving up Rachel! You showed great grit and determination. Still a really solid performance considering you crushed Newport 2 weeks before. So much faster than I have ever run! Keep up the great work. Look forward to seeing what you have lined up for the rest of the year! 😎🤘
Thanks Ben. I knew I was being greedy but I’m always up for a challenge. If the age group qualifier hadn’t been there I’d have probably had a really nice day out 😂 I’m just pleased I managed to get to the end, I really really wanted to drop out but the medal was calling out my name 😁
Excellent reflection! You gave it a shot, and you didn't give up, even with finishing in a time well outside your best. It was still a decent time given how you felt! It was lovely to meet you too and hope to see you at some other event in the near future... Well done to Jay and Andy too!
Thanks both. Running tactics are a big gamble and playing it safe can get us good results but also taking an outside shot can sometimes work too. The odds were massively stacked against me but I thrive on a challenge, so I decided to take it. Luckily I could afford to mess this one up 😁 Andy slowed quite a bit after I saw him but still got a pb (3:16) and unfortunately Jay had a disappointing race too because of an old injury playing up. Yes, I’m sure we’ll get to meet up again, I don’t think we’re ready to stop racing just yet 😊
Your 'bad day out' time is a dream for me. I'm running the Crete Marathon tomorrow - 7th May and I'd love to go sub 4 hours. And at least for this one, i can throw it all down and go as hard as I possibly can. Normally for my local marathon (which used to be the Wellington marathon) I would have a 63km ultra marathon 2 weeks afterwards. So I'd have to be a bit careful. But tomorrow we'll see just how fast a wee man can go. I know how that feels when you've got nothing left in the tank and you need food, but you just can't be bothered - been there a few times. But at least you picked yourself up and carried on and got a finish. Some days it works, some days it doesn't. Next time might just be magic.... ;-)
Good luck with Crete tomorrow. I’d love to go abroad one day to race. There have been a few training blocks in the lead up to spring marathons that I’ve tackled an ultra as part of the training. Not sure how much help it was to me but I’ve been lucky to get a marathon pb almost every year. It’s just fun to try out different ways to see what works and what doesn’t. I think I may have already had my magic this year, but I wouldn’t say no to some other good results before the year is out 😁 Enjoy your race!
@@racheld1844 Thanks for that. If you're looking for a lovely place to run for your first overseas race, Crete is a pretty good option. I moved here last year and I'm loving it so far. ;-)
Good honest account. First of all can I say, well done Rachel. Despite your disappointment, 3:33 is still a cracking time. It's a strange one. You said preparation since Newport had got really well and you ran a very strong ParkRun, yet seconds after starting the race, you said I must be stupid. Sounded like you were already beaten before you started. Mental side of running is vital so in hindsight were you mentally tuned in? I did MK Marathon myself. Thought they did a brilliant job BUT the water situations although plentiful, were a complete joke. It's physically impossible to drink water from a tiny paper cup, whilst maintaining pace. It might be ok for slower runners but for those chasing qualification times or PB's, it's a major disadvantage. Only way to drink is by stopping, which then ruins momentum. They should've had at least ONE water station with bottles on each lap. There's no question, you should've refuelled with gels but I think you'd accepted it wasn't your day by that point. I actually asked them for a 2nd gel on both laps as I knew consuming water would be difficult throughout the race. Thanks again, Rachel. Not the day you wanted but still a solid run and lots of lessons learnt. Ps. That hill at the finish was naughty. I had to dig so deep to stop myself from walking.
Thanks Colin. Nice to hear that you ran at MK as well. I think the water situation played just as an important part in the demise of my run. I knew that drinks were going to be handed out in cups but I'd miss read that the sports drinks were also in cups. I thought that even with less than ideal water intake, I could top up with an energy drink in a bottle and carry it with me for as long as I needed. By the time the damage was done I had no choice but to walk the water stops just to get enough to drink. My body is so used to associating walking with finishing, that every time I stopped I didn't want to get going again. As for the comments at the start. I knew that attempting a fast race so close to the previous one would almost likely end in a disappointing race. Even with the odds stacked against me, it was that I'd rather have given it a go than not to try at all, even if there was just a 5% chance I wanted to take that gamble because I wanted to challenge myself that there could have been a glimmer of hope I could of pulled it off. Factors before the race like lack of fluids leading to to the run (I was drinking plenty of electrolytes but not as much as I should), also the day before I'd run a 20 min shakeout run, worked a short shift at work, travelled to the hotel, walked about 2.5 miles to collect my number and watch the 10k and only got a few hours sleep. Not really ideal. I guess I just treated it more of a game than the serious marathon. I was stupid for thinking I could pull it off but not stupid for just wanting to see what would happen. Now I know! 😁
@@racheld1844 Sometimes, you just have to gamble. We all had to gamble when stepping up distance or aiming a PB. I know you said, you’re pleased MK wasn’t your no.1 target race. If it had been your target race, then I’m sure the result would’ve been different. Still so many positives from the day so focus on those. Best of luck with future challenges.
We sure do, I’ve been running almost the same amount of time but was quite happy to throw a whole race away with probably the worst game plan I’ve ever thought up 🤦🏻♀️
Weldone Rachelle! Don't worry that it turned out like it did. It happens. I like it how you still stayed so positive and concluded great lessons out of it. We are all only human and if the body needs it's nutritions it gets stubborn and doesn't work fast, only self preservation mechanism. I know you had to stop and struggled in this one but I really enjoyed your story. Very humbling. You are still a superstar in my eyes.
Thanks Olga, it’s funny how you say about bodies slowing down when under fuelled, which is what I expected had happened to me. The classic hitting the wall. But when I looked at my heart rate data I assumed I’d see a spike towards the end of the continuous run section but it was actually still a flat line. In the past when I’ve been depleted I’ve seen a heart rate increase but not this time. All I can think of is that maybe I knew it was coming and stopped to walk before it started to rise. Either way, my engine had no energy to burn so slowing everything down was the only way to carry on. It worked, just, and luckily I still make it to the end 😊
I ran my first marathon the day before this and was nearly 21 minutes slower,and i am classing it as a great effort 😂.Although to be fair i didn't stick to the plan going off far to quick then having walking breaks after 19.5 miles as right leg had virtually given up!. I have taken 5 days off running but will probably do a short one on day 6 tomorrow but doing another marathon next weekend at any pace is completely unthinkable. Fair play to you on that.
Thanks Ollie. Well done on completing your first marathon. Hope the last part of your race hasn’t put you off giving a marathon another go? I think the only way I had the confidence to complete the distance for a 2nd time so soon was because of the high mileage during training. For the last 6 peak weeks every run had been 20 miles or above, and along with the other miles from the week, meant I was churning out constant high volume. But even though the training mileage had been there, I wasn’t prepared enough to run them both at a fast pace so close together 😁
Still wearing the lucky Vaporfly :) Well done on the run, but just shows how tough the marathon is on our bodies. I'm still a bit wrecked after Newport, it has taken 2 weeks just to get the legs turning again. I've got Giants Head Marathon in 7 weeks so happily taking it easy for a little bit before then.
I blacked out the ‘digital’ figures on the heel of the vpf to give me my Newport finish time. Thought that would be all the luck I needed to make me fly again but obviously not 😂 You’ll need some strong legs by the sounds of it for your next marathon. 7 weeks to go seems like a good amount of time to be ready. Hope your training goes well Gary 😁
Well done Rachel. After you smashed it in Newport, you were probably lacking a bit of motivation for MK. Trying to drink out of those paper cups while running is virtually impossible. I get most of it in my eyes 😁😁😁
Thanks Darren. How was London? I enjoyed having my feet up on a rare Sunday off, watching everyone’s dots move along the course. So close to that 3 hour mark but hope you’re still really pleased. Yeah, cups and fast running aren’t a good mix at all!
@@racheld1844 London was brilliant. The atmosphere was unbelievable, I've never experienced anything like it. The only negative was the gps was out on my watch, which was probably due to the amount of people using the GPS. By the end, my watch was showing that I'd ran 27.3 miles and around Canary Wharf I was doing 4 minute miles 😂😂😂😂😂😂. Back in training now, Redditch HM in 6 weeks.
@@Dmasson14 - I do enjoy the pick ups on smaller races where the crowds gather or where there is music. It must be like that all the way round at London. I’m still hoping for next year to be my first London I’m just scared of the logistics. I was worried about the park and ride at Newport! How will I cope with tube rides 🤦🏻♀️ But it’s a long way off yet. I’m having a go at some if not all the Worcestershire summer league races and I’m probably running Leamington Half at the end of June 🤞
Winter/spring on the roads, summer/autumn on the trails. I’m looking forward to heading off-road, times and paces are irrelevant which will be a welcome change 😁
Rachel, you are an amazing runner! Even though you felt so uncomfortable and it felt like you were gruelling your way to the end. You had an amazing time!
Thanks Gill, I almost feel a bit guilty moaning I had a bad race with a time that I know is still pretty fast. I think it was just that I shouldn’t have made all those silly mistakes 🤦🏻♀️ Hope your running is going well?
Well done Rachel for attempting a second marathon just two weeks after your PB marathon in Newport. I would have probably ended with a DNF had I been in your shoes. Kudos to you for running another marathon with so little recovery time. Your training has gone well so I fully expect you will set some PB's over the shorter distances. Looking forward to you getting a sub 20 parkrun. I love your videos and your positive attitude.
Hi Geoff, thanks so much. In the back of my mind a dnf would have be the nicer option at the time but I knew I’d regret it after. I’ve been in some pretty tiring situations when I’ve ran in some ultra marathons so I knew it was more than possible to finish, it just wasn’t that much fun at the time. Definitely hoping for that sub 20 5km. Every year after the spring marathon I’ve been at my fittest but I find I don’t hold it for long so time is short to hit that small window of opportunity 🤞
Thanks Steve. I think if I’d kept training the way I was I’d have burnt out by mk. It was so nice to taper earlier than I thought and yep, it all paid off. I can’t/ won’t look back and see anything other than positives and successes on this year so far 😁 How’s your training been going?
Great run and effort for a 2nd marathon in 2 weeks. We all learn the hard way from our mistakes and errors, so hopefully it taught you a lot even though it was tough! Keep running!!!!
Hi Andrew, thanks. I get the same feeling of being too tired for gels at the end of a long training run. However, I’m normally 2 or 3 miles from home, not 10 😂
Well done Rachel on not quitting! As we know, a marathon is unforgiving. Rest up and enjoy the recovery! Be sure to enter for GFA London next year, but don’t race a marathon beforehand as part of your training 😉
I just bit off far too much on this one 🤦🏻♀️ I’d like to say I was resting but that would be a lie 😁 Training for Leamington half next month. It’s a new race for me but I remember you’ve done well running there. Also I’m taking part in the Worcestershire midweek series. Not sure if you know them but 4 local races over the summer on a weekday evening. Should be fun 🤩
@@racheld1844 not heard of the worcestershire series, bit i do have the Pitchcroft 10k in July if thats part of it? You should have London champ place with your epic 3:11 at Newport
@@PoetWithPace if you head to the Halesowen Athletics Club website, all the races are listed there. Hagley on Tuesday is the first, Arrow Valley in June, Droitwich in July and Clent in August. I’m looking forward to them 😁
@@racheld1844 sadly entry has now closed and all website says is "same format as previous years" which means nothing to me as i have never done it. LOL
@@PoetWithPace - a lot of people will enter on the night of each race. The bookings are just for online entry that they close about a week before. It’s Hagley tonight at 7:30. Got a shift at work to do first then I’ll be heading over. Least it’s not raining 😁
Hi Rachel. I think you did well just to turn up at the start line, having already achieved the marathon PB at Newport. You really have done what you set out to achieve and I loved the way you dealt with the disappointment of a 'disastrous' race. It wasn't really a disaster was it? 3hours 33 is still a pretty decent time considering what you had taken out of yourself training for and running the Newport marathon. You are still an inspiration to many of us with the individual and dedicated way you approach running. Take a little time to recover.
Thanks Peter. I’m more pleased than ever from what I achieved 2 weeks ago that no matter what had happened at MK I could never come away disappointed. I think the time was still pretty quick, it was just the mess I’d created on the way round that wasn’t what I was expecting. I do have a bit of rest coming up but I do also have my first of 4 summer races on 16th. It’s trail and short so more fun than pb setting 😁
First marathons are always the biggest unknown, after that, they just become unknown but a little less 😂 Completing any marathon in any time is a massive achievement.
@@racheld1844 thanks for your comment. I'm just 3 years into this and none of this has been easy but it has really had a positive transforming effet on my life 🙏.
"I can't be bothered to take a gel" what a quote Rachel. You should get that on a tee shirt 😂 A brilliant video. You may not think so but thanks for putting it out. I love watching when things don't go to plan just as much as when they do. The shoes probably didn't help towards the end as they like going at a lick and not as comfortable when not doing so. It doesn't really matter as you say. You got your PB. You know what didn't work here and you still came away smiling ❤👍🏃
I often get the ‘I can be bothered to refuel’ in the last few miles of training but I switch off and just finish the run. My arms and legs go into autopilot and making them move in anything other than a run pattern see like too much effort. That’s only sustainable for a few miles, but not really quarter of a marathon…but I was too tired to bother to change the outcome as I knew my race was already doomed 😁
Your race sounds very similar to mine except I hadn’t done Newport! I felt very hot and dehydrated and walked at the water stops, totally missed the sports drinks and then walk run from 24 miles 😫 well done for finishing!
Well done too! I still hadn’t even decided to run in just a vest when I was at the start. Luckily I changed out of my tshirt otherwise I’d have been even hotter. I swear I’d read that the sports drinks were in bottles on the website 🤔 I’ve not checked since but that’s what I thought. If I’d have had that drink on the first lap I would have carried it for a good while to make sure I was drinking enough. But I can’t blame that one thing, it was lots that I should have been better at sorting. Hope your recovering well 😁
Well done anyway! Glad you've managed to take the positives and laugh about it. My first 3 marathons were a bit like that, and the first was much worse! 🤣
Thanks Paul. My first marathon all those years ago went exactly to the plan, but the next 2 went horribly wrong. I learnt my biggest lessons back then but I’m proof that even now, I can still make the same silly errors. I guess that’s part of the fun of running 😁
Appreciate the km conversions! Two marathons in two weeks is a wild goal, can definitely relate to that lack of desire to refuel. Get that up on the hills from time to time where getting some calories in just feels like an insurmountable effort. Good on you for grinding through it!
I know if I saw a video with just km’s I’d be pretty stuck as to what the pace would be 😁 It’s crazy that we can have the energy to run and at the same time not have the power to open a zip, pull out some calories and eat it to make us actually feel like we can carry on. I call it zombie mode.
Well done for getting it done Rachel. I'm sure that if this had remained your main race, and you hadn't already achieved your goal Newport, all the nerves, adrenaline and absolute paranoia to get the pacing a fueling exactly right would have seen you get a similar result to what you did at Newport.
Hi Paul, I completely agree. I knew in the build up to MK I’d need to push hard again to get a good run but I also knew that the likelihood of that was pretty slim. I definitely didn’t get the same kind of nerves that I’d had a Newport but it was also nice to line up feeling relaxed and not wanting to run in the opposite direction 😁
Still a great time in reality. It is amazing how running a successful marathon is so often about race strategy. I’ve learn masses on my first 2 marathons. Great video. Thanks 😊
I almost can’t believe I was the same person from race 1 and race 2. Race 1 I did everything that I was meant to do, race 2 I did almost everything I shouldn’t have. I shall be doing my best to follow the first marathon’s strategy when I race again 😁
It took me till I was 34 to pluck up the courage to run my first marathon and I’d been running on and off since I was about 17. It just didn’t seem as accessible as it is now, but once I’d run that very first one, I knew I could do it again and other bigger challenges too. That’s not to say they’ve all gone well, just like this one. Even now I can still get it very wrong 😆
Looking at walks and water breaks by a runner who never walks and rarely takes fluids during a race and you still broke 3:34. I know you sounded disappointed but I really do not see the justification. Once you had two marathons within two weeks of each other, one was going to be a PB effort which you accomplished at Newport and the other a enjoyable sojourn over the distance (enjoyable may be an exaggeration), I think you accomplished your objectives. You mentioned London in another video and I am glad you also succeeded in achieving that goal. You are an incredible runner who has adapted well to the problems that were placed in your way and who has accomplished a great deal so far this year. Consider this one "done and dusted" to use your phrase after last year's Stratford Marathon. Rest and get back at it. You have more PBs to accomplish. Proud to follow you and your channel.
Thanks again Donald. The 2 marathons are definitely done and dusted and put away in the vaults of RUclips for me to look back on forever. I think if I’d have set out with a goal of 3:30 at MK I’d have had a very comfortable race but I had the nagging thought of an age group qualification. Too little sleep, not enough to drink or enough fuel, on top of the previous marathon were never a good combination. I also did a 20 min shake out run the day before, been to work, drove from home to the hotel, walked for over an hour on the evening to pick up race numbers and watch the 10k, plus a walk of over a mile in the morning from the hotel to the start. That alone was enough to make my race a disaster waiting to happen. But I wouldn’t change my start line intentions, I’d only do that in hindsight. I have a mini break from the harder runs but I’m no good a resting for long 🙂
It's a good thing that Newport marathon went so well, so you can laugh at this one! Kudos for completing it despite the struggles! I must admit that although I'm sorry it didn't go your way, your commentary was quite entertaining, especially when you said "I can't be bothered" 😂
Thanks Chloe. There were a lot of emotions throughout that race and although it wasn’t much fun towards the end, as soon as I crossed that line it was a mixture of a big sense of relief it was over and also the humour that I’d made such a mess of it 😂
Incredible shares newest friend 🦋🔥🕊️🌻🫶🦋🔥🕊️🌻🫶
Hi Mandy, thanks so much 😁
Congrats on the awesome effort, and still a smokin' time. And if we ran PBs each race, that would make them less special, right? I loved when you said that you knew you should take a gel but were too tired to get it out of your pocket. Oh, how well I know that feeling! Great video!
Thanks. Lots of races can go ok, some don’t go to plan at all but that just makes those very rare perfect races all the more precious to treasure. I like how others have said in the comments too, about how the effort of refilling a tired body is almost too much trouble to bother. I didn’t even have the 2nd caffeine gel, now that would have definitely picked me up. It was in my back pocket but that might have well of been the moon 😂
Wish my car crash race was a 3:33 😂😂😂 3:45 my PB. 😂😂😂
A great effort after doing another marathon, and still a great video. Well done!
Thanks Daisy 😁
I thought you did brilliantly… well done. Still a decent time even if not what you wanted.
Thanks. It’s only that I recorded it that I can see how much I didn’t enjoy the 2nd half. Normally when I cross the line, I forget everything that I didn’t like 😁
At least you could have a chuckle about it afterwards. I'm sure you've leaned plenty from the experience as well. Plus it made a great video 🙂👍🏻🏃♂️
Dawn was telling me how well her disappointing race at Manchester, where she had to pull out, was one of their highest viewed videos. Seems like everyone is happy to watch the disasters 😂
Once I’d crossed the line and for a good few days after I couldn’t help but laugh to myself at how ridiculous it had all gone 🤦🏻♀️
Well done for battling through. Had similar experience with Manchester & Ldn marathons back to back weeks. Not by design just circumstances.
One week is much much harder to negotiate recovery and re-starting again. Well done for completing both! I have managed a 2 week gap once before but I was much kinder to myself with the race goals. Still ended up with a pb on the 2nd race and on a much hillier route. Hopefully I won’t be in the same situation again of 2 so close. In fact 1 is more than enough each year 😊
Whatever went wrong on the day, I'm quite impressed that you even tried to run back to back marathons Rachel! You are definitely in my class of crazy! 😂 Amazing time considering everything that was working against you! You are such an inspiration! I'm heading out for my first post marathon run today! Really looking forward to seeing you tomorrow! Keep pushing!
Thanks Paul! Hope your first run back went well? More importantly we’re all awaiting the news tomorrow 😁
As for crazy, I think the track marathon has to be somewhere near the top…which I why I think this kind of challenge sounds right up my street!
Looking forward to joining your livestream tomorrow 🤩
@@racheld1844 I'd love to see you run a track marathon. I'll definitely be doing it again for benchmarking my fitness.
Still a super impressive time Rachel. I know you would be disappointed especially coming off of a great PR the last one you ran. I've had that same feeling so many times over the years (I've been racing since 2004). I've done the back to back marathon before (with about 3 - 4 weeks before each event)and the second one was always a train wreck. I am still super impressed with your effort but do take the recovery process seriously. The marathon is super taxing event and you may feel better but there is a lot of wear and tear that goes on with it. You did a great job filming it though and your time is still impressive.
Thanks Eddie. I think the recovery had gone as well as I could have hoped but I know they’d still have been plenty more rest that was needed to get me back to full strength. Straight after Newport I knew that even if my legs could physically cope, I was more doubting my minds ability to hold a pace for so long, so close to having only just previously put it through it’s paces so to speak. If only the marathon had been 20 miles, I think I could have made it that far…just 😁
Your race went exactly as mine did in Brighton only i hadn't run a marathon 2 weeks before !😂 ...What a great time on fatigued legs.
It’s only later in the race we realise our mistakes from the first half. Then it’s too late 😁 Hope it wasn’t too difficult in those last miles. Brighton is one I’d like to run sometime.
Watching this as I’ve just signed up to the MK marathon having had to pull out of the Brighton Marathon the morning of the race due to coming down with tonsillitis. You still did amazing to finish as I didn’t even make the start line for Brighton 😭
Hi Lisa, hope you’ve started to feel better. I’ve had plenty of bouts of tonsillitis in the past. It’s not nice at all. I think Milton Keynes this year is back with the start and finish at the MK stadium so should be a flatter finish. Best of luck for running your marathon 😊
You still did really well ....u will smash the next one..great video
Thanks Ian. Think the next marathon will be saved for next year now 😁
Haha. They say respect the distance. I think that's what you forgot and it punished you for it. Good try and a test i now know not to do myself.
Thanks Alan 😁 yes, it’s exactly that, respect the distance! It’s a long way. Sat in a car for 26 miles, you realise just how far it is. Glad I’ve put you off trying the same race plan 😉
Supporting on that hill at the finish. I respect everyone that ran up that at the end of a marathon. Still a great time despite everything. We'll done 👌
Thanks Stu. It was a pretty big hill to stick at the end, although the downhill at the start felt longer. I still don’t think they can beat the stadium finish at mk dons though, it was a shame it moved.
Wow, amazing job at just finishing and at a time some of us dream of! Now get some rest.
Thanks Ryan. I’ll try my best to rest but in reality that’s not one of my strong points 🤦🏻♀️
Thanks for being so honest in this video, I always appreciate people sharing the races that didn’t go so well. You looked pretty fed up at the point you were walking so kudos for pushing on rather than binning it. And that’s still 20 minutes quicker than I’ve finished a marathon!
Thanks Nick. I was pretty fed up of running towards the end. I did consider cutting the run short and just doing the half or even stopping at the turn point and walking back to the finish but I wanted the medal and T-shirt 😁 Even if my run was going bad, I still wanted to cross the line having completed the marathon. Luckily I have no more marathons booked!
Huge kudos for not giving up Rachel! You showed great grit and determination. Still a really solid performance considering you crushed Newport 2 weeks before. So much faster than I have ever run! Keep up the great work. Look forward to seeing what you have lined up for the rest of the year! 😎🤘
Thanks Ben. I knew I was being greedy but I’m always up for a challenge. If the age group qualifier hadn’t been there I’d have probably had a really nice day out 😂 I’m just pleased I managed to get to the end, I really really wanted to drop out but the medal was calling out my name 😁
That women slow clapping at the point u started to walk xD
I’m not sure it was for me 😁 probably been clapping for several hours and was getting sore hands 🙌
Excellent reflection! You gave it a shot, and you didn't give up, even with finishing in a time well outside your best. It was still a decent time given how you felt!
It was lovely to meet you too and hope to see you at some other event in the near future...
Well done to Jay and Andy too!
Thanks both. Running tactics are a big gamble and playing it safe can get us good results but also taking an outside shot can sometimes work too. The odds were massively stacked against me but I thrive on a challenge, so I decided to take it. Luckily I could afford to mess this one up 😁
Andy slowed quite a bit after I saw him but still got a pb (3:16) and unfortunately Jay had a disappointing race too because of an old injury playing up.
Yes, I’m sure we’ll get to meet up again, I don’t think we’re ready to stop racing just yet 😊
Your 'bad day out' time is a dream for me. I'm running the Crete Marathon tomorrow - 7th May and I'd love to go sub 4 hours.
And at least for this one, i can throw it all down and go as hard as I possibly can. Normally for my local marathon (which used to be the Wellington marathon) I would have a 63km ultra marathon 2 weeks afterwards. So I'd have to be a bit careful. But tomorrow we'll see just how fast a wee man can go.
I know how that feels when you've got nothing left in the tank and you need food, but you just can't be bothered - been there a few times.
But at least you picked yourself up and carried on and got a finish.
Some days it works, some days it doesn't. Next time might just be magic.... ;-)
Good luck with Crete tomorrow. I’d love to go abroad one day to race. There have been a few training blocks in the lead up to spring marathons that I’ve tackled an ultra as part of the training. Not sure how much help it was to me but I’ve been lucky to get a marathon pb almost every year. It’s just fun to try out different ways to see what works and what doesn’t.
I think I may have already had my magic this year, but I wouldn’t say no to some other good results before the year is out 😁
Enjoy your race!
@@racheld1844 Thanks for that. If you're looking for a lovely place to run for your first overseas race, Crete is a pretty good option.
I moved here last year and I'm loving it so far. ;-)
Good honest account.
First of all can I say, well done Rachel. Despite your disappointment, 3:33 is still a cracking time.
It's a strange one. You said preparation since Newport had got really well and you ran a very strong ParkRun, yet seconds after starting the race, you said I must be stupid. Sounded like you were already beaten before you started. Mental side of running is vital so in hindsight were you mentally tuned in?
I did MK Marathon myself. Thought they did a brilliant job BUT the water situations although plentiful, were a complete joke. It's physically impossible to drink water from a tiny paper cup, whilst maintaining pace. It might be ok for slower runners but for those chasing qualification times or PB's, it's a major disadvantage. Only way to drink is by stopping, which then ruins momentum. They should've had at least ONE water station with bottles on each lap.
There's no question, you should've refuelled with gels but I think you'd accepted it wasn't your day by that point. I actually asked them for a 2nd gel on both laps as I knew consuming water would be difficult throughout the race.
Thanks again, Rachel. Not the day you wanted but still a solid run and lots of lessons learnt.
Ps. That hill at the finish was naughty. I had to dig so deep to stop myself from walking.
Thanks Colin. Nice to hear that you ran at MK as well. I think the water situation played just as an important part in the demise of my run. I knew that drinks were going to be handed out in cups but I'd miss read that the sports drinks were also in cups. I thought that even with less than ideal water intake, I could top up with an energy drink in a bottle and carry it with me for as long as I needed. By the time the damage was done I had no choice but to walk the water stops just to get enough to drink. My body is so used to associating walking with finishing, that every time I stopped I didn't want to get going again.
As for the comments at the start. I knew that attempting a fast race so close to the previous one would almost likely end in a disappointing race. Even with the odds stacked against me, it was that I'd rather have given it a go than not to try at all, even if there was just a 5% chance I wanted to take that gamble because I wanted to challenge myself that there could have been a glimmer of hope I could of pulled it off. Factors before the race like lack of fluids leading to to the run (I was drinking plenty of electrolytes but not as much as I should), also the day before I'd run a 20 min shakeout run, worked a short shift at work, travelled to the hotel, walked about 2.5 miles to collect my number and watch the 10k and only got a few hours sleep. Not really ideal. I guess I just treated it more of a game than the serious marathon. I was stupid for thinking I could pull it off but not stupid for just wanting to see what would happen. Now I know! 😁
@@racheld1844 Sometimes, you just have to gamble. We all had to gamble when stepping up distance or aiming a PB.
I know you said, you’re pleased MK wasn’t your no.1 target race. If it had been your target race, then I’m sure the result would’ve been different.
Still so many positives from the day so focus on those. Best of luck with future challenges.
We live and learn even after 30 years of running in my case!🤠
We sure do, I’ve been running almost the same amount of time but was quite happy to throw a whole race away with probably the worst game plan I’ve ever thought up 🤦🏻♀️
Weldone Rachelle! Don't worry that it turned out like it did. It happens. I like it how you still stayed so positive and concluded great lessons out of it. We are all only human and if the body needs it's nutritions it gets stubborn and doesn't work fast, only self preservation mechanism. I know you had to stop and struggled in this one but I really enjoyed your story. Very humbling. You are still a superstar in my eyes.
Thanks Olga, it’s funny how you say about bodies slowing down when under fuelled, which is what I expected had happened to me. The classic hitting the wall. But when I looked at my heart rate data I assumed I’d see a spike towards the end of the continuous run section but it was actually still a flat line. In the past when I’ve been depleted I’ve seen a heart rate increase but not this time. All I can think of is that maybe I knew it was coming and stopped to walk before it started to rise. Either way, my engine had no energy to burn so slowing everything down was the only way to carry on. It worked, just, and luckily I still make it to the end 😊
I ran my first marathon the day before this and was nearly 21 minutes slower,and i am classing it as a great effort 😂.Although to be fair i didn't stick to the plan going off far to quick then having walking breaks after 19.5 miles as right leg had virtually given up!. I have taken 5 days off running but will probably do a short one on day 6 tomorrow but doing another marathon next weekend at any pace is completely unthinkable. Fair play to you on that.
Thanks Ollie. Well done on completing your first marathon. Hope the last part of your race hasn’t put you off giving a marathon another go? I think the only way I had the confidence to complete the distance for a 2nd time so soon was because of the high mileage during training. For the last 6 peak weeks every run had been 20 miles or above, and along with the other miles from the week, meant I was churning out constant high volume. But even though the training mileage had been there, I wasn’t prepared enough to run them both at a fast pace so close together 😁
@@racheld1844 no i will be back to do another some time.
Bad luck Rach but still a great time!
Thanks Tom. If only I’d set off at 3:30 pace I’d have saved myself a lot of uncomfortable miles at the end 🙂
Still wearing the lucky Vaporfly :) Well done on the run, but just shows how tough the marathon is on our bodies. I'm still a bit wrecked after Newport, it has taken 2 weeks just to get the legs turning again. I've got Giants Head Marathon in 7 weeks so happily taking it easy for a little bit before then.
I blacked out the ‘digital’ figures on the heel of the vpf to give me my Newport finish time. Thought that would be all the luck I needed to make me fly again but obviously not 😂
You’ll need some strong legs by the sounds of it for your next marathon. 7 weeks to go seems like a good amount of time to be ready. Hope your training goes well Gary 😁
well done Rachel 👌👌👌
Thanks Roy. This one wasn’t as successful as the previous one but I still had a good time 😊
Well done Rachel. After you smashed it in Newport, you were probably lacking a bit of motivation for MK.
Trying to drink out of those paper cups while running is virtually impossible. I get most of it in my eyes 😁😁😁
Thanks Darren. How was London? I enjoyed having my feet up on a rare Sunday off, watching everyone’s dots move along the course. So close to that 3 hour mark but hope you’re still really pleased.
Yeah, cups and fast running aren’t a good mix at all!
@@racheld1844 London was brilliant. The atmosphere was unbelievable, I've never experienced anything like it. The only negative was the gps was out on my watch, which was probably due to the amount of people using the GPS. By the end, my watch was showing that I'd ran 27.3 miles and around Canary Wharf I was doing 4 minute miles 😂😂😂😂😂😂.
Back in training now, Redditch HM in 6 weeks.
@@Dmasson14 - I do enjoy the pick ups on smaller races where the crowds gather or where there is music. It must be like that all the way round at London. I’m still hoping for next year to be my first London I’m just scared of the logistics. I was worried about the park and ride at Newport! How will I cope with tube rides 🤦🏻♀️ But it’s a long way off yet.
I’m having a go at some if not all the Worcestershire summer league races and I’m probably running Leamington Half at the end of June 🤞
Well done, onwards and upwards.
Thanks so much 😁
Doing a marathon is still a great achievement, nearly a 1000 subs
One to go yaaaas!!
I’m not so sure what was more fun, running at Newport or watching my subscriber count go over 1k 😁
It's all good Rachel.
Thank you 🙂
Trail running awaits you Rachel.... come over to the fun side of running! ;)
Winter/spring on the roads, summer/autumn on the trails. I’m looking forward to heading off-road, times and paces are irrelevant which will be a welcome change 😁
@@racheld1844 now ya talking! And yes....that's very sensible! Wading through muddy fields in the winter is no fun!!
@@trailrunningphil I time it well 😁
Rachel, you are an amazing runner! Even though you felt so uncomfortable and it felt like you were gruelling your way to the end. You had an amazing time!
Thanks Gill, I almost feel a bit guilty moaning I had a bad race with a time that I know is still pretty fast. I think it was just that I shouldn’t have made all those silly mistakes 🤦🏻♀️
Hope your running is going well?
Well done Rachel for attempting a second marathon just two weeks after your PB marathon in Newport. I would have probably ended with a DNF had I been in your shoes. Kudos to you for running another marathon with so little recovery time. Your training has gone well so I fully expect you will set some PB's over the shorter distances. Looking forward to you getting a sub 20 parkrun. I love your videos and your positive attitude.
Hi Geoff, thanks so much. In the back of my mind a dnf would have be the nicer option at the time but I knew I’d regret it after. I’ve been in some pretty tiring situations when I’ve ran in some ultra marathons so I knew it was more than possible to finish, it just wasn’t that much fun at the time.
Definitely hoping for that sub 20 5km. Every year after the spring marathon I’ve been at my fittest but I find I don’t hold it for long so time is short to hit that small window of opportunity 🤞
you made a goods call going to Newport when you knew you were ready to race and look what happened there! overall this block has been a huge success.
Thanks Steve. I think if I’d kept training the way I was I’d have burnt out by mk. It was so nice to taper earlier than I thought and yep, it all paid off. I can’t/ won’t look back and see anything other than positives and successes on this year so far 😁
How’s your training been going?
@@racheld1844 Yeah. I got a GFA at London. Not a great time but what an experience. Trying to get the sub 20 5k before i train for the next marathon.
@@stevierunner - well done at London Steve, the atmosphere is always something I hear that people enjoy the most. Wonder who will be sub 20 first 😁
More kudos .....👍👍
Thanks Brian 😁
Great run and effort for a 2nd marathon in 2 weeks.
We all learn the hard way from our mistakes and errors, so hopefully it taught you a lot even though it was tough!
Keep running!!!!
Hi Andrew, thanks. I get the same feeling of being too tired for gels at the end of a long training run. However, I’m normally 2 or 3 miles from home, not 10 😂
Well done Rachel on not quitting! As we know, a marathon is unforgiving. Rest up and enjoy the recovery! Be sure to enter for GFA London next year, but don’t race a marathon beforehand as part of your training 😉
I just bit off far too much on this one 🤦🏻♀️ I’d like to say I was resting but that would be a lie 😁 Training for Leamington half next month. It’s a new race for me but I remember you’ve done well running there. Also I’m taking part in the Worcestershire midweek series. Not sure if you know them but 4 local races over the summer on a weekday evening. Should be fun 🤩
@@racheld1844 not heard of the worcestershire series, bit i do have the Pitchcroft 10k in July if thats part of it? You should have London champ place with your epic 3:11 at Newport
@@PoetWithPace if you head to the Halesowen Athletics Club website, all the races are listed there. Hagley on Tuesday is the first, Arrow Valley in June, Droitwich in July and Clent in August. I’m looking forward to them 😁
@@racheld1844 sadly entry has now closed and all website says is "same format as previous years" which means nothing to me as i have never done it. LOL
@@PoetWithPace - a lot of people will enter on the night of each race. The bookings are just for online entry that they close about a week before. It’s Hagley tonight at 7:30. Got a shift at work to do first then I’ll be heading over. Least it’s not raining 😁
Hi Rachel. I think you did well just to turn up at the start line, having already achieved the marathon PB at Newport. You really have done what you set out to achieve and I loved the way you dealt with the disappointment of a 'disastrous' race. It wasn't really a disaster was it? 3hours 33 is still a pretty decent time considering what you had taken out of yourself training for and running the Newport marathon. You are still an inspiration to many of us with the individual and dedicated way you approach running. Take a little time to recover.
Thanks Peter. I’m more pleased than ever from what I achieved 2 weeks ago that no matter what had happened at MK I could never come away disappointed. I think the time was still pretty quick, it was just the mess I’d created on the way round that wasn’t what I was expecting. I do have a bit of rest coming up but I do also have my first of 4 summer races on 16th. It’s trail and short so more fun than pb setting 😁
You’ve already smashed your pb . Consider MK a victory lap .
Really well done on getting the job done .
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Hopefully it’s the biggest victory lap I’ll ever have to do 😁
I'm impressed, my first marathon took me 5 hours to complete😅.
First marathons are always the biggest unknown, after that, they just become unknown but a little less 😂
Completing any marathon in any time is a massive achievement.
@@racheld1844 thanks for your comment. I'm just 3 years into this and none of this has been easy but it has really had a positive transforming effet on my life 🙏.
@@50Something - I couldn’t think of anything else I’d rather do to get out of the house and away with my thoughts 💭
@@racheld1844 exactly, especially with what's happening in the world right now!
"I can't be bothered to take a gel" what a quote Rachel. You should get that on a tee shirt 😂
A brilliant video. You may not think so but thanks for putting it out. I love watching when things don't go to plan just as much as when they do.
The shoes probably didn't help towards the end as they like going at a lick and not as comfortable when not doing so.
It doesn't really matter as you say. You got your PB. You know what didn't work here and you still came away smiling ❤👍🏃
I often get the ‘I can be bothered to refuel’ in the last few miles of training but I switch off and just finish the run. My arms and legs go into autopilot and making them move in anything other than a run pattern see like too much effort. That’s only sustainable for a few miles, but not really quarter of a marathon…but I was too tired to bother to change the outcome as I knew my race was already doomed 😁
Your race sounds very similar to mine except I hadn’t done Newport! I felt very hot and dehydrated and walked at the water stops, totally missed the sports drinks and then walk run from 24 miles 😫 well done for finishing!
Well done too! I still hadn’t even decided to run in just a vest when I was at the start. Luckily I changed out of my tshirt otherwise I’d have been even hotter. I swear I’d read that the sports drinks were in bottles on the website 🤔 I’ve not checked since but that’s what I thought. If I’d have had that drink on the first lap I would have carried it for a good while to make sure I was drinking enough. But I can’t blame that one thing, it was lots that I should have been better at sorting. Hope your recovering well 😁
Well done anyway! Glad you've managed to take the positives and laugh about it. My first 3 marathons were a bit like that, and the first was much worse! 🤣
Thanks Paul. My first marathon all those years ago went exactly to the plan, but the next 2 went horribly wrong. I learnt my biggest lessons back then but I’m proof that even now, I can still make the same silly errors. I guess that’s part of the fun of running 😁
Appreciate the km conversions! Two marathons in two weeks is a wild goal, can definitely relate to that lack of desire to refuel. Get that up on the hills from time to time where getting some calories in just feels like an insurmountable effort. Good on you for grinding through it!
I know if I saw a video with just km’s I’d be pretty stuck as to what the pace would be 😁
It’s crazy that we can have the energy to run and at the same time not have the power to open a zip, pull out some calories and eat it to make us actually feel like we can carry on. I call it zombie mode.
Well done for getting it done Rachel. I'm sure that if this had remained your main race, and you hadn't already achieved your goal Newport, all the nerves, adrenaline and absolute paranoia to get the pacing a fueling exactly right would have seen you get a similar result to what you did at Newport.
Hi Paul, I completely agree. I knew in the build up to MK I’d need to push hard again to get a good run but I also knew that the likelihood of that was pretty slim. I definitely didn’t get the same kind of nerves that I’d had a Newport but it was also nice to line up feeling relaxed and not wanting to run in the opposite direction 😁
Still a great time in reality. It is amazing how running a successful marathon is so often about race strategy. I’ve learn masses on my first 2 marathons. Great video. Thanks 😊
I almost can’t believe I was the same person from race 1 and race 2. Race 1 I did everything that I was meant to do, race 2 I did almost everything I shouldn’t have. I shall be doing my best to follow the first marathon’s strategy when I race again 😁
I have only done 3 half marathons so far, so this marathon is still very inspiring to me. Your determination shines through. Well done 👏
It took me till I was 34 to pluck up the courage to run my first marathon and I’d been running on and off since I was about 17. It just didn’t seem as accessible as it is now, but once I’d run that very first one, I knew I could do it again and other bigger challenges too. That’s not to say they’ve all gone well, just like this one. Even now I can still get it very wrong 😆
Great running and time Rach even though not fully to plan. Awesome
Thanks Mark. The self pity soon vanished once I knew I didn’t have to run anymore 😁
Still an incredible run would love that sort of time.
Thanks Penny. A few years back that would have been a pb for me 🙂
@@racheld1844 still an amazing time even though you felt it went wrong
@@pennyrusbridge5725 - what have you got coming up next?
Races that don't go to plan are underrated - you learn so much from them!
I learnt this lesson a long time ago 😂 but I just got re-reminded 🤦🏻♀️