Latest news with #BarcelonaMarathon
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Neil Featherby: The power of pacing ahead of Wymondham 20
'Pace makes for the perfect race' which I constantly hammer home to any athlete or distance runner I have ever advised. Mark Armstrong demonstrated this in last weekend's Barcelona Marathon and no, I don't advise Mark, but he has most certainly learnt over the years just how important it is to know exactly where you are at with your fitness and ability once you toe the start line of a marathon. So before I go any further, it really is a big well done to him and I am sure he will continue to improve for the foreseeable future. In 1989, I won the very first Wymondham 20-mile road race which of course takes place this coming weekend. I am sure many will be using this as a tester prior to an April marathon. However, and at the same time, if this is the case it is so important not to run yourself into the ground whereby it can then affect training during those final few weeks leading up to marathon day. Going back to that very first Wymondham 20, which I won in a time of 1:49:35, and is still a race record to this day albeit being equalled during the 1990s by Anthony Pooley from Bury St Edmunds Pacers, I have a feeling that a new name will be added as the race record holder after this Sunday's race. When I stood on the start line just outside of Wymondham College with a few hundred others, it was one of those days when I was just not as motivated as I should have been. It had had been raining quite hard prior to the start with several big puddles out on the wet roads but I liked running in the rain so it wasn't that. For whatever reason I just didn't feel fired up as you should be for a race. I had finished third in the Malta marathon just a few weeks before which may have had something to do with it and I had spent what had been Christmas and the first few weeks of January staying in hospital with my young son Greg after he had broken his femur on Christmas Eve. Maybe this and the effort of the Malta marathon had just come to a head and I was mentally stale. It was also a two-lap course, so heading out for the second time around was just a case of keep on running and then when I got to the 19 mile marker I looked at my watch and saw that unless I gave it my all during the last mile I wasn't going to go under 1 hour 50 mins. It was a bit like a kick up the back side for which I ran that last mile in five minutes flat which was faster than any of the previous 19. It also proved just how much our minds dictate towards our feelings when it comes to having the drive or not having it. Callum Bowen Jones, who I coach, will be running in this Sunday's race and for the first time over the 20 mile distance. Up to now he has not raced beyond a half marathon. I also have a couple of other guys running it for which it will also be a first time for one of them. I am forever winding Callum up telling him that he's not as good as I was and needless to say I am only joking, but if all goes to plan he for one should break what has been a race record which has stood for far too long. For all those running and racing this weekend, I hope you have a good one. Oh and stay motivated!
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mark Armstrong: Fighting doubt and finding strength at the Barcelona Marathon
'Don't let this slip...' It was kilometre 39 at the Barcelona Marathon. All those miles banked in the depths of winter. All those strength sessions undertaken to keep me on the road. All that mobility and foam rolling when I'd rather just watch the football. It had come down to 3K… just under two miles. My tired mind worked out that I had about 14 minutes of running left. I'd felt calm and in control the whole way round the Catalan capital… but this moment was going to come. It always does. Don't panic, I tell myself. I keep carrying out mini self-assessments… do I need any more fuel? Do I need more water? 'C'mon Mark… you can tough this out for 14 minutes...' I had been lapping my watch every 5K with the intention of keeping them between 22:30 and 23:00. However, I knew by the eighth 5K block that I had slowed. 'Don't even think about lapping that watch, Mark.' I didn't need that information. I could feel that I had slowed slightly, and I didn't need my Garmin to confirm it, like that mate who points out a spot on your face. I knew I was still on for under 3:15 but it could be close. I glanced at my forearm where I had written the word 'CALM'. I had run well by my standards up to this point, but I needed to keep my head - it wasn't over yet. I tried to get on the heels of as many runners as I could that seemed to be making progress. When the 41K marker came I dared to look at my watch… was this still on? 3:09 - yes - we're on! Suddenly I felt liberated from the tension that had been building during the latter stages. One kilometre to go and I had just under six minutes to do it. I was getting to enjoy one of those rare moments when you sit in the fact you're going to achieve the goal you set out for several months ago. All those runs when you really question why you're doing this. All that self-doubt, something I have perennially struggled with, particularly when it comes to running and beyond if I'm completely honest. But I know I can overcome it. I've had setbacks during my running journey, and of course, there will be more. That's the nature of it. But moments like the last kilometre in Barcelona are why I've kept the faith in myself. Why I keep coming back for more during the good, the bad and the ugly of this sport. This is why I do it - to convince myself that I can do hard things and gather evidence that I'm capable of more than I think. From left - Jon Shooter, Martin Reynolds, Adam Baker and Mark Armstrong celebrate finishing the Barcelona Marathon (Image: Jon Shooter) As I stepped on the blue carpet along the home straight, I quickened the pace, undoubtedly buoyed by the crowd sucking towards the finish line. 3:13:45 – more than six minutes quicker than I ran in Berlin six months ago. Another building block in place to hopefully one day in the future run a sub three-hour marathon. That feeling of liberation I had experienced in the last kilometre almost immediately gave way to the kind of deep, satisfying ache in my legs as I collected my medal. What made the whole experience even better were the three friends I travelled with – Adam Baker, Jon Shooter, and Martin Reynolds – also had great runs. Each of them inspirational in their own way - reminding me that, as much as running is an individual battle, it's also about the people who push you, celebrate with you, and share in every step of the journey… including the crucial post-race rehydration strategy we executed flawlessly in an Irish bar afterward.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Island man with heart condition and MS to run London Marathon
An Isle of Wight man is set to run the London Marathon to raise funds for Blind Veterans UK. Osman Cole, 29, who works for the charity, will take on the challenge on April 27. Mr Cole said: "I'd been at the charity for almost a year when I decided to take on this challenge. "In my role, I often hear the powerful stories of grit and determination from our blind veterans, which inspired me to do something for them." Mr Cole was diagnosed with a heart condition and multiple sclerosis last year, which initially left him unable to walk for more than two minutes. However, he has since built up his strength and fitness. He said: "I want to show people that you can overcome the symptoms, and I wasn't about to let it beat me." Mr Cole has already completed the Southampton Half Marathon and the Barcelona Marathon this year and plans to take on the Great North Run. He hopes to raise £2,000 for Blind Veterans UK. To support Mr Cole, visit his fundraising page at Blind Veterans UK supports thousands of blind veterans across the country.
