Marathon number 47 was Bibra Lakes, a small event a  hundred kilometres outside Perth, around a lake funnily enough.  It was a small out and back and then six laps of the lake on a footpath and just about totally flat, bar the puddles ! Conditions ranged from perfect to horrendous depending on the rain, albeit there was little or no wind to talk off so overall no complaints.

The worst rain was probably right on the start time and as you can see below it was pretty heavy when we set off. Luckily my mate Rob lent me his rain jacket for the initial out and back loop which was enough to take the torrential rain out of the equation. Unfortunately we got hit with a worse squall later in the event and Rob and his jacket were nowhere to be seen, although by this time I was in race mode and the rain wasn’t an issue.

This would be my second marathon since 2019 and my first since Melbourne 2022 which didn’t end well, mainly down to little or no marathon training. The goal initially was to run as close to sub 3 at Bibra in preparation for my A-race later in the year in Perth.  Training had been going so well thought I reassessed and gave myself a chance of a sub3 at Bibra. With hindsight this was a mistake. My training had been going well but I was probably a few months short of what I needed, no worries, sometimes you have to roll the dice albeit with marathons the end result is normally predictable.

A two week taper had made my legs feel heavy and maybe watching my favourite footy team the night before wasn’t ideal preparation, although they did win.  In my defence I still got at least seven hours sleep so I don’t think this was an issue. I lined up at the start with no niggles and feeling pretty good which is the best you can hope for truth be told. As I said earlier my training had been going well but I was missing one of the most important runs and this was to become pretty obvious very quickly once the race started.

Holding marathon pace became an issue early in the game and this was due to no medium long runs at marathon pace in my training leading up to the event. I had the short threshold runs covered (my Thursday morning Yelo runs) and the longer weekend runs (although probably too faster a pace?) , and good weekly distance with elevation but no 20-25k midweek runs at marathon pace .  With the legs feeling heavy at the start my heart rate was way too high early on and keeping my seat on the sub3 bus was becoming a problem.  I had the same feeling at Melbourne in 2022 where I hung on for ten kilometres and was then unceremoniously ejected out the back and stumbled home in 3hours 17minutes. I was determined to go further at Bibra and set the target at halfway minimum before the bus driver punched my ticket.

Eventually I managed around 26 kilometres before the bus really started to leave me, with 16 kilometres to go I was still on track for a sub3 but knew I would start to lose time kilometre by kilometre moving forward, it was now about limiting the damage. I found I could hold a 4:2x pace and set my  new goal race finishing time at under three hours and five minutes. That’s a thing with marathons you have more than enough time for plan A, B and even C , most important thing is just keep moving forward, stay in the game,  eventually you will finish.

I lost contact with the 3 hour bus on lap four so dropped down a few gears and started to run to feel , fast enough that it was an effort, I was racing , but not too fast that I couldn’t maintain the pace.  My splits for the six laps were pretty consistent , with 25  minutes for the first three and then 26  minutes for the last three. ( splits 25.34/25.46/25.55/26.24/26.57/26.46) A few guys came off the bus and I went past them but no one chased me down and I eventually finished 25th from a field of just over 130 runners. In the end I finished in 3:04:37, not the sub3 I wanted but probably what I deserved.

One of the best things on the day was the support, these smaller ‘grass roots‘ events are so good as you know the organisers, the supporters, the volunteers and your mates come along to race or support you. It’s such a social event, you’re surrounded by like minded people all working towards one goal, getting you to the finish line as quick as possible.   Also,  being a six lap course , you’re always only a few kilometres from your mates and there’s aid stations every few kilometres manned by volunteers who also cheer you on your way.

I have been training with Ben Tay, who was driving the sub3 bus. Ben is an accomplished marathon runner capable of running close to two hours thirty minutes so a sib3 was a training run for him. The bus would be on time.  My two training buddies Andy and Ben also joined me and the three of them would all run sub three, albeit cutting it very , very close.  It was great to run with the guys to halfway and I would hope to join them for longer at Perth in October.

Rob must have felt sorry for me as afterwards he treated me to French Toast at a local bistro. Best recovery food ever. Thanks Rob.

What have I learned from Bibra ? Running sub3 is definitely on the radar tHis year. I loved the marathon distance and was able to finish strong with consistent splits, I just need the splits to be consistently quicker. To do this I need to be more relaxed at marathon pace and the only way to do that is run at marathon pace more often. Training for marathons isn’t rocket science. To sum up , you need one threshold run a week, one long run at a slow pace, some elevation, a median long run at marathon pace ( the run I was missing) , race often and as much distance as you can handle without getting injured.  Add in consistency and there you have , a marathon plan summed up in a paragraph. There really is no need for any coaching or plans as long as you are disciplined and week in, week out hit your targets, simples.

For Bibra I had put in the distance and time as you can see from my Strava extract below ( you are on Strava right ? http://www.strava.com )  I had put in a good block of training and consistently turned up all year, as well as racing four ultra marathons.  What I had missed was smaller races at faster than marathon pace.  I hadn’t got my marathon pace legs until later in the training block so had avoided half marathon and 10k races, this was a mistake. Racing fine tunes your preparation and gives you an idea of where you are and what time to expect in the marathon. I’m a big believer in the ‘your half marathon time , doubled,  plus ten minutes‘ as a really accurate indicator for your marathon time.  For a sub3 attempt you should be able to run a 1:25 half, or close. Of course this is not set in stone and all runners are different but as an indicator I find this works as well as most.

Right I’m itching to get the trainers back on and get out there to start training for my next marathon. There is the small matter of a backyard ultra to finish first, it would be silly to just concentrate on marathons right, far too easy.  Just under four weeks before Birdy’s backyard Ultra ( https://birdysbackyardultra.com.au/ ) , my fourth attempt at this beast of a last man standing event. In previous years I have managed 24 hours, 28 hours and 36 hours, an upward trend which is unusual with my racing these days ? It would be nice to break 48 hours but it will be more about hanging out with good friends, similar to Bibra but for days not hours.

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Big shout out to fisiocrem , this product is just incredible for tired and aching legs. I use it daily and have noticed a vast improvement in recovery.

Bix hydration is just ace, a product brought to life by Vlad Ixel a professional ultra runner who knows a thing or two about hydration. ( https://www.bixvitamins.com/ )  The best thing about Bix is it tastes good with many different flavours and you never get sick of drinking it, this is a big plus as Maurten and Tailwind (both great products)  can be difficult to digest later in the event.  From the website :-

As an Australian elite multiple trail running champion, with wins in over 40 ultra-marathon races across Asia, recovery from training and races has always been my top priority. 

In searching for a solid recovery and hydration supplement, I recognized that critical vitamins and minerals – both in diversity and quantity – were missing from almost all supplements on the market. I had the feeling that in an effort to maximize their bottom-lines, companies in the hydration space, failed to deliver a product that could meaningfully assist athlete performance. 

In order to address this, I began the development of a hydration product. After two and a half years of development alongside a leading German sports scientist, BIX Recovery, an advanced, high-quality recovery drink was born. 

BIX boosts 12 active ingredients scientifically balanced to replace lost electrolytes and assist in immune function. It’s designed with quality vitamins and minerals, in quantities that work! 

BIX is a recovery solution for everyone, that will get you to the top of your game!

What can I say about HumanTecar,  ( https://athleticus.com.au/ ) it looks great, smells great and is awesome for recovery or even pre-run/workout. Read about the science behind it first and then try the products. The compression bandages are just magical after a long event. Put these on and the next day you are recovered, I have used them on a number of occasions and they never fail to astound me albeit the family poke fun at me as I look like a ‘mummy and smell funny’ !

Fractel ( https://fractel.com.au/ ) have your performance headgear covered. I love the colours and the functionality of these hats, I guarantee there is one model you’ll fall in love with.

Shokz headphones, let you keep in touch with the world around while losing yourself in quality tunes or podcasts. ( https://shokz.com.au/ )

T8 running apparel is the best you can get, second to none. Designed for the ultra humid Hong Kong conditions the owners live in.  It is light and does away with any chaffing worries. T8 is the name given to the highest typhoon warning in Honk Kong,  storms and typhoons with gusts exceeding 180kph, which explains the branding. ( https://t8.run/)

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