St Petersburg White Nights Marathon Race Review

On the 3 July 3016 I embarked on my first marathon abroad as I ran the St Petersburg White Nights marathon. The aim of this post is to share my experiences of this race and my experience of running a marathon abroad without turning into the running equivalent of Karl Pilkington's an idiot abroad.

First things first why was I taking part in this race? My visit to St Petersburg was part of a trip to Russia to visit my brother in law and some time running buddy Tom who is currently working in Russia. Several potential dates for the trip had been muted but when Tom suggested the opportunity to run the marathon as part of a trip that sealed things.

The White Nights marathon is so called as it takes place during the White Nights summer period in St Petersburg where as the name suggests the nights are white and light with the night not turning dark until around 11pm with the sun reappearing again at around 2 or 3am. However despite the white nights title the marathon was very much the usual day time affair with the race starting at 9am. 

We arrived in Moscow on the Wednesday with the marathon taking place on the Sunday. Thursday and Friday provided the chance to do plenty of sightseeing in Moscow before we boarded a sleeper train at midnight on Friday night which would take us the several hundred miles overnight north to St Petersburg.

Having a marathon as part of a holiday did take a bit of focus away from the race. I knew I was running on the Sunday and although I kept to my usual pre race schedule of a run on Thursday and a mile or two on Saturday I don't think my mind fully appreciated I wasn't just running on Sunday but running an actual marathon!

My build up to the race had been OK with my main focus being on enjoying this unique opportunity rather than taking the race super seriously. Having ran Halstead marathon at the beginning of May some two months previously I kind of believed that I would carry my fitness over and therefore I didn't focus as much of my training on 'marathon training' as perhaps I should have. Needless to say I felt this during the marathon and struggled with a bit of stamina and definitely felt I was at least one long slow run short of where I would have liked to have been. 

The more immediate build up to the race was probably far from ideal. Travelling naturally tires you out and we had hit the sightseeing pretty hard packing a lot in and racking up plenty of walking miles in the process. Coupled with a few nights of not sleeping that well due to being in a new bed, the nights being so light and rather hot and humid I wasn't in perfect condition but didn't dwell on these things and just tried to focus on running as best I could and enjoying the race experience. 

The actual race

The day of the race was expected to be hot, and I mean hot, 30degrees hot! I knew this race was going to be a warm one and after my bad experience of hot and humid running at Halstead I was somewhat apprehensive of running in the heat. I felt pretty prepared though as the UK had been pretty warm in the few weeks before the race and I had tried to get out to run in the hotter middle part of the day as well this in addition to the the several hours a day walking around sightseeing which I felt had helped acclimatise me somewhat. Nothing can prepare you for running in the heat though! I think the race temperature varied from around 28 degrees up to highs of around 30 degrees and was the hottest race in over ten years! 

My first observations of the differences between this race and UK races were apparent at the start line. Half an hour before the race start and there was already a lot of running going on, people running in circles near the start area and people running up and down adjacent roads. There was a 10K happening as well as the marathon but the amount of pre race warm up running was definitely more than I can ever remember seeing at a UK race.

One thing that remains constant at races everywhere is the pre race queue for the toilets! Our apartment was only a 20 minute walk from the start area but we arrived with the aim of giving us enough time for a toilet stop before taking our places at the start. The queues were enormous though, under estimating demand for toilets seems to be an international problem. Luckily we spied what can only be described as a 'toilet bus' a large bus decked out with toilet cubicles. There was a charge for this 'premium' service and there was only a line of half a dozen people waiting so we handed over our rubels and joined the line. The facilities were not any better than the portaloos but we were happy to not have to endure a lengthy wait.

The time soon came to line up for the race start and Tom and I both managed to squeeze into the cramped starting pen somewhere between the 3.30 and 4.00 pacers as we both felt we had the potential for a 4 hour marathon in us if things went our way. 

I was expecting a prompt and efficient race start but the start was delayed by several minutes and so we waited in the cramped pens with temperatures already hitting 28C.

The race was soon underway and I had planned to take things easy for the first few miles, this decision was taking out of my hands though as the course was so congested with both 10K and marathon runners sharing the route for the first 7K. 

I happily set into a rhythm and tried to take in the sights of St Petersburg and all the beautiful buildings. 

The first noteworthy point came at the 5K water station, there were no signs to say it was approaching and this caused a near stampede as runners swarmed the first set of marshals handing out water. It was the scariest running experience I have ever had, a gentle paced run suddenly turned into a shouting frenzy of runners sprinting to get their hands on some water. I wisely swerved the masses and grabbed some water towards the back of the station. 

The 7K point soon came and the 10K runners departed which made the course far less congested. 

With the heat increasing and the sun blazing runners unsurprisingly headed for the side of the road offering the most shade. This along with the roads being so wide led to the majority of runners often being so far away from the racing line which was marked with a blue dotted line. I generally tried to stick to the racing line where practical and often found myself running 10 or 20m away from any other runner, almost like running in my own race, which I enjoyed! The disparity in runners racing lines must have led to some very long and very short marathons! 

My first problem during the race came at around 17K (at this point I was still going along at around 4 hour pace) when the uncontrollable urge to empty my bowels started to appear. 

I had seen some portaloos for the race earlier so consoled myself with the thought that there would be more along the route shortly. Several hundred metres passed and no toilets, I asked the Marshall at 18K, she didn't seem to understand English and her reply started with a harsh sounding word beginning with a 'N' which I took as a negative answer to there being any nearby toilets. I had to take some walking brakes to help control the urge and this obviously slowed my pace. We passed through some parkland areas and I scanned the area as I ran for any sign of suitable facilities but nothing, at 19K I again asked the marshall, he looked around and shrugged his shoulders, not a good sign. Things were getting desperate, I was confident there would be a toilet at either the 20K drink station or near the 21/22K point where the race crossed past the starting area but could I hang on till then? 

It's OK I managed to make it to 20K where I found relief in a foul smelling portaloo by the side of the course. Now I felt like the race could begin again after a difficult few miles. I cracked open an energy gel and started to assess my objectives which I summarised as follows: 

• The heat was starting to get too much and I knew it would only get worse, finishing in one piece was the real aim now.
• A four hour finish time was off the agenda 
• My gold standard objective was a sub 4.10, but that was dependent on an awesome second half of the race. My silver objective was a 4.15 with my bronze target being to beat my debut marathon time of 4.26. Additionally I tried to motivate myself further by convincing myself I had to finish in under 4.30 in order to have a respectable time.

All these objectives were set without me having any real idea of my actual race pace as I was running completely naked from all timing technology, my only barometer was that I knew that the 4 hour pacer was still behind me, how far though I didn't know!  

I passed the half way mark in 2.05 but knew this was gun time and I wasn't sure how far behind gun time I had started. 

On I pressed through the 20-22K mark which provided a brilliant carnival atmosphere with lots of support as the course passed by the race start area. After that the course went through some quiet back streets and the battle began as the heat intensified.

The next mile or so were difficult until I decided to unleash my trump card by taking on a caffeine energy gel. Once this kicked in I started to find running a bit easier and was moving at a decent pace. 

The course took us back through the more central parts of St Petersburg and with it shaded streets which made things feel easier. At some point after the half way mark the 4 hour pacer had passed me but I still felt I was only 5 to 10 minutes behind 4 hour pace with some faster splits following my caffeine injection. 

The caffeine was starting to wear off as I approached 30K which coincided with leaving the shaded streets and heading out onto a soulless dual carriageway which would eventually bring us back towards the finish. 

I had been warned of this difficult stretch of the race on twitter by @pawsonkeyboard who had previously ran the event. A big thank you for all you advice and support it was really helpful! 

Despite knowing about this challenging stretch of road it didn't make it any easier and the fact that it was accompanied by heading back into the blazing sun was just a double whammy I couldn't cope with. A lot of walking followed before I pulled myself together to adopt a walk/run strategy which comprised of walk to a lamp post run to the next one, walk one lamp post, run two lamp posts, walk one lamp posts, run three lamp posts then trying to keep a 3:1 run/walk lamp post ratio going for as long as possible before an extended walking period and repeating the sequence again. 

The section of 30K to around 38K dragged big time but eventually I was in the final stages. It was during this section that the 4.15 and 4.30 pacers passed me which provided a depressing mental equivalent to a kick in the balls. The race was now all about keeping it together to finish in one piece with the most respectable time I could muster. I think in these kind of situations I have found your body gives you two options, one is to stop and call it a day, two is to keep going at whatever pace you are able to squeeze out of you weary body.

The finish

Luckily I managed to squeeze enough out of my achy tired legs and dehydrated heat affected body to get to the closing mile or two where I was greeted by so many cheering supporters. I obviously didn't understand any of their support or encouragement but they provided the required adrenaline boost to spur me.

I had prepared myself for a final assault on the last two kilometers where I was going to squeeze everything out of my legs to finish as strongly as possible but as I tried to increase my pace a debilitating sensation shot through my back. It didn't feel good so I was reduced to a walk, every time I tried to run faster than a hobble the pain returned so I just did what I could to keep moving until the adrenaline over powered me in the last few hundred metres and I ran through the finish. 

I crossed the finish line with a official time of 4.42.44 coming 1496th of 2311 male finishers. I was pleased I was around 40 minutes faster than Halstead in May but somewhat disappointed it represented my slowest city marathon. However it was a PB for marathons abroad as well as being a PB for me for marathons ran in Russia! You have to find the positive somewhere! 

In summary I feel privileged to have ran the event in a spectacular city in a race that not many runners from Western Europe take part in. There were not too many differences with a UK race and there were no real criticisms with the race organisation although there are places where this could be improved but then there are in most races. 

Overall I was blown away away with the friendliness and support from the Russian people, runners and supporters a like. I don't think I have exchanged high fives with as many spectators during a marathon as I did during this race. There were several occasions during the race where members of the public had gone out of their way to provide water to runners which was happily appreciated by runners. There were also two or three instances during the race where I was struggling where fellow runners gave me a tap on the back, a thumbs up and a smile and/or words of encouragement. In any race it is always great to experience support and camaraderie from other runners but in this instance it felt even more special that people were supporting me even though I was unable understand them. Despite the language barrier the sense of friendship and support for a fellow competitor was clear to see and this is probably the overriding memory I will take away from this experience.

Here's my Russian tourist board bit, I would recommend anyone to visit Moscow and St Petersburg if you get the chance they are amazing vibrant cities. The White Nights marathon I would similarly urge anyone to take part in if you get the opportunity, its a super flat course with strong PB potential if the temperatures stay down and is a great alternative to the usual European circuit. 

So with that challenge done and dusted I am turning my attentions to marathon number 10 in September which will be Bacchus and hopefully a new 10K PB over the summer.  

USN Protein Shakes review

Protein shakes are just for body builders right? You only need them if you are lifting weights or trying to bulk up? 

I'm no nutritional expert but I kind of always thought that protein intake was more important for people into weights and body building than for runners and endurance athletes. 

Then a friend recently pointed out that while lifting weights undoubtedly causes muscle damage that needs a protein fix to repair running surely causes a much higher level of muscle damage when you are running high mileage which surely needs even more attention in the form of a protein fix. 

I'd never really looked at it that way before so recently I have had an added interest in not only getting enough protein into my diet but also getting a good intake after particularly long or intensive runs. 

So when I had the chance to try out some USN protein shakes I jumped at the chance to try out some high quality protein supplements from one of the market leaders. 

I later went onto read that USN were in fact founded by a mountain biking enthusiast as opposed to gym going body builder, alongside their ethos of providing advance sports nutrition to people from all sports with any goals I was even more assured that their products could be for a runner like me. 

The main protein shakes that I sampled were the Diet Whey Isolean which although designed as a meal replacement shake worked pretty well as a post workout drink as it contains over 25g of protein. 

I sampled the vanilla flavour, which would probably be my least favourite flavour of the general options you get of protein shakes. However this flavour of this product was actually delicious and one of the best vanilla flavoured products I have tasted. 

Thick and smooth like a rich vanilla yogurt it tasted great and provided a great recovery drink after a 15 mile run. 

The other product I tried out was Pure GF1 6-Stage Lean Protein which I sampled in the chocolate cream flavour. 

Packing a massive 40g per serving I saved this for after a really long run as I figured my muscles would be glad for the protein overload! I was excited by the sound of the chocolate cream flavour and it didn't despite as it was chocolaty and creamy however there was the horrible artificial after taste you sometime get with these products, but all in all not a bad shake. 

Overall I really enjoyed using the USN products and really felt like I noticed a difference in my recovery when taking these products, part of that might be mental of course but I think that there was definitely a physical benefit. 

I would definitely consider purchasing USN products going forward as I believe their products have an obvious superior taste and benefit. They are more expensive than some other products on the market but that is because they are a quality product and as with most markets the added cost does represent itself through higher quality.

You can find out more about the USN protein shakes range here.

Thank you to USN for providing me with some fitness shakes to try for free in return fro a review. Although these products were received free of charge all opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. 

Spark and Gusto Subscription box review

I don't care who you are, getting a box of goodies in the post is exciting and so if you are a runner and you get a box of running goodies in the post then that is pretty damn exciting!

So when the opportunity arose to review a Spark & Gusto subscription box I grabbed it.

Spark and Gusto are a company that can provide you with a box of fitness themed goodies either as a one of treat or as a regular subscription.

So the way I see it is if you are ever short of an idea for a present for the runner in your life (wife, mum, mother in law, sister in law, sister and various aunties and uncles please take note!) you could them a box with minimal stress and know that they would be chuffed to get a box of running related goodies. Or as a runner yourself if you wanted to keep yourself motivated with your training you could set yourself up a subscription so you keep getting a regular supply of fresh fitness related products to try out.

In case your wondering the name Spark and Gusto comes from the idea that receiving a box of goodies should provide you with a 'spark' for you to give some 'gusto' to some exercise, pretty clever! 

I did receive my subscription box free of charge in return for my review and other similar subscription boxes are available on the market.

I couldn't wait to get hold of my box, unfortunately it came when I was at work and we had to pick it up form the post office sorting office on a Saturday morning when we were actually going away for the weekend. So sat in the passenger seat of our car I excitedly unwrapped my box to enthusiastically discover the following products:

High 5 energy gels - What a great start? My favourite energy gels in my favourite flavours and I had a marathon coming so absolutely perfect!

Life Maxx reaction ball - This strange little object is designed to improve your reactions. I have seen cricketers train with something similar I think, basically you can use it by throwing against a wall and because its so oddly shapen it will bounce back in a completely random way testing your reactions as you try to catch it. AS soon as I saw it I liked the idea of it and I have started using it regularly as a warm up for circuit training or running.  Its pretty easy to devise a quick session, what I have been doing is throwing it against the bathroom door in our hallway and then try to catch it before it bounces through to the lounge. I start off stationary but soon start jogging a few paces backwards after each catch and then running up to my mark before throwing again. To make it competitive I count up to 50 catches and towards the end start taking catches one handed. Great fun and pretty quick way to start working up a sweat!

Ronhill - Stretch Arm Pocket - just what I needed as I was considering investing in a new device to hold my keys and/or a few gels while I run. I tested it out a few times and it was comfortable and did the job of holding two gels nicely, I was so pleased with it I wore it for the Halstead marathon, a definitive recommendation!

Chia Charge banana flapjack - I have been eating a lot of flapjack recently and this is up there with the best! Soft, light, chewy and full of flavour, it kept me full for ages and was a really enjoyable eat. Although it didn't necessary taste of banana I enjoyed it none the less and would definitely consider buying one in the future. 

BetterYou magnesium foot soak - At a recent sports massage the therapist commented as to what good condition my feet are in considering my running mileage so perhaps I am not in desperate need of this. I am going to save it for when my feet start to feel tired and go a bit manky, this is not the kind of thing I would think to buy so a great inclusion in the subscription box.

Sport Beans - Basically sweets that are approved for sport! Brilliant! They sound like a tasty and fun way to keep my carb and sugar levels topped up either before or during exercise.

Tapped Birch Water - A new on on me, a juice in an odd cardboard container. Never heard of the product either which promises to be a antioxidant drink which apparently Finnish people swear by as being a great detox product as it provides you with 25% of your daily requirement of manganese, which is a key antioxidant ingredient for protecting your body against free radical damage. I am very intrigued to try this out...

LoveRaw Cacao & Maca Organic Bar - An artisan bar that is gluten free, dairy free, wheat free and soy free. I have heard of LoveRaw but not tried any of their products so I will be interested to try this bar out as its not the normal kind of thing I would buy. 

High 5 running bottle - This will definitely come in handy for when I want to carry some water with me out on a run. Carrying a normal drinks bottle is never ideal as its not that comfortable to carry but this should be ideal! Previously I have taken my own energy drink in a bottle tucked away in my hydration pack to take out in the later stages of a marathon so this is something I might use this bottle for in the future.

Overall I love the idea of the box and loved the range of products included. The boxes are presented to a high standard with a strong emphasis on their design and presentation so definitely a high end product. With that in mind they are quite pricey so probably a rare treat for me at least.

Thank you very much to Spark and Gusto not only for coming up with a great concept and for delivering it brilliantly, and that's without saying a massive thanks for my free box!

In case your wondering my birthday isn't until January if you wanted to gift me a box, but I happily accept presents all year round! 

Running is a cruel bitch sometimes, or is it...

Last weekend (18th & 19th June) was meant to be another great running weekend. 

The plan was pretty simple, here is what was supposed to happen:

Saturday was my long awaited appointment to smash the 21 minute barrier at Hackney Marshes Parkrun.

Whereas Sunday was going to be all about having a fun time at The London city Mile, similar to the great time I had at the recent Westminster Mile.

Sadly neither of these things happened.

Here is what actually happened on Saturday....

In recent months I along with running buddies Chris and Tony have been working on our speed with the view of pushing towards a sub 20 minute 5K, alas trying to combine this with marathon training has resulted in us all struggling to knock on the door or 21 minutes let alone 20! 

Recently though I have felt like I have managed to successfully combine longer endurance training with my speed work and was feeling confident on dipping below 21 minutes on a speedy course like Hackney Marshes.

In recent weeks I have tested myself on the unforgiving hilly terrain of a course at Harrow Lodge Parkrun (22.51) and put my speed to the test at the super flat fast course of Barking Parkrun (21.17). In addition to this my speed work times have been impressive (even if I say so myself) and much improved from similar sessions earlier in the year. 

Barking Parkrun, surprisingly picturesque and very speedy

Regular speed work sessions have included:

• 1K intervals
• 400m sessions comprising of 400m efforts with 200m recoveries
• Treadmill sessions of 2minute efforts @14km/ph and higher with 1 minute recoveries

With the date of 17 June marked in my diary for several weeks I had really focused on my speed work in the weeks leading up to the date and even did a mini taper of sorts to ensure I was rested and ready to perform at my best. 

However come the day of the race I didn't feel 100% and in truth I hadn't felt great all that week but my running had oddly still felt brilliant so I figured a great time was still on the cards. 

I knew I was in great shape and I felt focused and ready to turn my goal into an achievement. 

It didn't quite happen though, the first two Ks went to plan and I was on a perfect pace to achieve my goal. Somewhere into the third K I realised I had no energy, I felt slightly sick and had the feeling of indigestion this was coupled with the re occurrence of my long standing tightness in my calf, all in all not good racing condition ms to finish the race in. I limped home in 22.40.

Running is a cruel bitch sometimes.

Speed training is hard and I had really invested a lot of time and effort into working on my speed, I felt I had got fast enough to hit my target but this was all dashed by my body letting me down when the time to perform came.

Running is a cruel bitch sometimes.

So here is what happened on Sunday....

Not feeling 100% I knew the city mile wasn't a great idea and also with a marathon in 2 weeks time I knew my efforts were better placed in focusing on a long run. 

So that's what I duly did, instead of one fast mile I did 18 slow ones. I know conventional marathon training advises not to do such a long run only 2 weeks before a marathon but I had had a nightmare of a run the weekend before when I had scheduled my longest long run. An overgrown trail route of shoulder high grass, a path overgrown with stingy nettles and torrential rain meant I was restricted to 14 as opposed to the planned 18 miles. 

Trapped laughing at rain around 12 miles into a long, not ideal

Sunday's run then turned out to be a run that very much reminded me that although running is undoubtedly a cruel bitch at times it is also an enlightening and inspiring force quite unlike anything else. 

Somewhere around mile 10 of my run a fellow runner pulled up alongside me and started to chat. Happy of the company I happily chatted away expecting the exchange to last for a few hundred metres before we went our separate ways. In fact we happily chatted for 4 or 5 miles keenly sharing our running experiences at what I found a more than challenging pace! 

Out hitting the trails, a great way to get away from everything

As if this friendly encounter wasn't enough the gentleman I spent an enjoyable time chatting with was a runner in his mid 60s who's times across all distances more than rivaled mine and in some cases bettered my times! Thank you Mike for sharing your experiences and your joy for running and indeed life, it was a pleasure to chat with you. 

So thank you to running for teaching me not to dwell on my disappointments and to remember that despite the set backs running is undoubtably a positive thing in my life. 

Looking forward to my first marathon abroad

Two weeks today on 3rd July I will be running my first marathon abroad! 

For my ninth marathon I will be running the St Petersburg White Nights marathon in Russia. Any marathon is a challenge in itself but running a marathon abroad presents its own set of unique challenges.  

Too be honest I am not sure exactly what to expect, I know it will be different, but how different I just don't know. I suppose the main things I am considering are:

• Will the language barrier present any difficulties during the race? What if I don't understand instructions or get lost due to misreading signs? 
• How different is the race organisation going to be from what I have come to expect from UK races? Will it be well organised and all run smoothly allowing me to run at my best?
• I am very much a creature of habit and a lover of routine especially when it comes to my running so how will I cope with being away from home, being in a different country, and a different culture? 
• What affect will this have on my running? Who knows...

Why Russia and why St Petersburg I hear you ask as opposed to the usual foreign forays into overseas marathons that UK runners usually make to Paris or Berlin? The reason is that my brother in law and occasional running partner Tom is currently living in Russia and this presented an opportunity of a life time too strong to turn down, so when he suggested how could I not give it a go?!

So what are my main concerns?

• Heat and humidity - Despite the perceptions of Russia being of a cold country in the summer it is likely to be very hot and humid, not ideal running conditions. Just read how I got on running the recent Halstead marathon on the hottest weekend of the year. 
• Holiday festivities - The marathon will fall in the middle of a week long holiday in Russia and while I take any marathon fairly seriously I am not going to give up having fun on holiday. So we will see what affect what I am sure will be an enjoyable holiday will have on my running and if any indulgences into sampling local food and drink (especially the famed Russia vodka!).
• Being out of my routine - As I have mentioned I am a creature of habit and I am concerned that being away from my usual routines will have a negative impact on my running although I am conscious of this being a mental issue to overcome rather than anything physical.

So have you run a marathon away from home or overseas? How did it go? What are your tips?

Even better have you ran a marathon in Russia or have you ran the St Petersburg marathon? It would be really great to hear of your experiences, please get in touch!