The Pleshey and Essex Half Marathon is a fantastic event and one of Run Tester Nick’s favourites. This year’s event was a little different, in that temperatures hit over 30°C and it became a game of managing your pace in the heat rather than chasing down PBs. Nick was testing the Saucony Endorphin Elite carbon shoes and Coros Pace 3 running watch, here’s how he got on.
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00:00 – Intro
00:01 – Pre-Race
00:57 – Post-Race
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Good morning and welcome to plushie in Essex I'm here for the plushie half Marathon one of the highlights of the Essex racing calendar one of my favorite Races F6 half marathon Champs my club The Ryan Harris uh Road championships Very hot day already you know nudging up The 20s not much cover on the course so It's gonna be a fairly uh it's probably Actually quite conservative race today To try and make sure you finish without Just falling over from the heat but I'm Testing the soccer knee endorphin Elite A shoe I liked a fair bit when we first Reviewed it but it was really expensive A bit harsh not sure if it was really Worthy outlay I think by now hopefully It's starting to crop up into sales so I Thought it'd be worth putting the test Again in a longer race I've done 10K and 5K in it at the end of 10K my feet were A bit beaten up so I'm gonna see Hopefully it doesn't end up really Smashing my feet up a bit too much by The end of this half marathon also Testing the chorus Pace 3 for heart rate And GPS accuracy today that's the main Bits I think I'm already a bit late so I'm gonna go run now That was absolutely horrendous Um unbelievably hot there like just no Idea how to Pace that one out first Three miles pretty brisk but you know Within myself in theory for a uh for a
Half marathon pace but even then I could Tell it was bad so I probably was going Around 5 20 25s then backed off to 5 45 Couldn't even hold that couldn't even Hold sixes by the end so I ended up just Kind of jogging in a 115 or something or Other but I might have might have snuck In the top 10 just because everyone was Struggling out there today winning time Was 111 something and normally it's way Sub 70 at this Marathon but a beautiful Day it's a nice course still I'd like I'm going to come back every year and Try and hope for a better year on the Weather and a better year on Fitness but Not bad all things considered didn't Absolutely bury myself kept heart rate Or right because it's got the got my First Ultra in six days and didn't want To be completely wrecked all week so Yeah decent day out decent day out um Shoes just think the endorphinely not Really my shoe it's just A bit to I don't know it's firm and just the way I snap through over heel Striker just You know it gets a lot of oomph into it But really just a bit of discomfort Under the forefoot like today or she Wasn't that bad because I backed off the Pace so much wasn't that bad but when I Drive really hard on these shoes it is It is tough yeah it's a bit discomfort There but also when I was really backing
Off like I was a couple of a couple Moments I could just feel like I'm Getting bouncier but it's a lot of Vertical bounce not propelling me Forward and as a shuffly runner I drive In quite hard but I really want to keep Turning over I don't really want a big Loping bouncing shoe so much so yeah not My shoe I I think there's certainly a Good shoe and when I'm running really Fast over some like 5K I think it will Suit me a lot better but over a race Like today when I was really struggling Going into survival mode really Shuffling it just doesn't work that well For me so yeah probably why not come Back too soon but glad to get it out Again and give it another guy I think There's a really good shoe in there for The right Runner but it's not my kind of Runner Um elsewhere yeah everything else was Pretty um pretty much as usual like I've Looked at the heart rate in the chorus Later but GPS was fine the mole markers Are never the most precise round here so You run um you write you know the watch Is by the end of bang on like you know I've got 13 12 on exact on both of them So that's the epics Pro and the uh Chorus page three both been multiband Mode country Lane's fairly open pretty Good GPS conditions so they pretty much Nailed it so that's fine could use it to
Pace all right I've looked at the heart Rate later but yeah all in all pretty Pretty rough day out there please to get An okay time out to these are my placing If I have snuck in top 10 I'll be very Happy with that all round you'll see how Orion are done in the team conditions But just a just a lesson out there and Heat management Um it was better today than I have been In the past but still not great it's Just very hard to do it isn't it you Really have got to back off and uh it's Hard to do Okay I've just about stopped sweating From the racing fleshy today now it's Just an evening now it's cool down a Fair bit uh good news I did sneak in the Top 10 managed to get Ninth Place and Orion got a second team so good day out All round actually in terms of uh Overall placings and performances on That front but just a really hard Performance to judge actually looking at It now looking at other runs out there Pretty pleased with the way I managed to Hate didn't actually drop off entirely At the end there which I thought I had But when you look back you know in the Race it feels like you're really just Falling apart but maintaining okay Pace Solid outing you know just uh just Another race in the legs really yeah Come on metal there so I won't tell you
Too much more about the shoes now Because they talk about them really Covering all my thoughts they're in the Post run vid but it is an interesting Shoe this power on HD phone that's also In the uh cheetah Spike which I haven't Haven't managed to use yet but it's Interesting because it's quite different To the PB foam and the second endorphin Pro 3 in general is such a friendly shoe Like an issue that's really approachable Lots of people love feels like you pull It on very comfortable soft this is a Different phone this is a firmer it's Really bouncy but I just I do think you Maybe struggled when the bounciness a Lot of the time because it is a firm Phone you've got to really Drive hard Into it to get a lot out and you do get A lot out but I feel myself oh I think I Get much more out of it at Shore Distances as a result when I'm pushing a Bit harder really going for it um over 5K 10K I think if you're someone who's Faster than me or just got a slightly More maybe slightly more bounding style You put a bit more Force into it you can You'll get the same kind of thing over a Full Marathon or a half marathon but I Found I just didn't get quite as much Out of it today just because of maybe That just not putting as much force into It um because of the way I run a little Discomfort problem I have just because
It is a bit firm under the forefoot for Me but overall yeah it's a good shoe but I think it's slightly less accessible One than a lot of them I think to get The most atmosphere you're going to be Hitting it pretty hard and if you're Just shuffling along Aces it actually Feels okay and by the end it felt okay For me because it was slowing down quite Considerably but I think if you are Going to run hard in it to get the best From it it's a good idea put a lot of Force into that phone and maybe that Wasn't so much the case with power run PB which I think it compresses a bit More and comes back a little more you Can feel the bounce a bit more and get Them a bit or from it at slower Paces This you've got to be right on it Hitting your straps leaning forward Really driving through I think to get The best from it but yes could you like I say it's not potentially my shoe I Don't think I tried actually today I Didn't mention in the postman video was Um OTE super carbs drink mix I've had Sachos with this before it's similar to The Morton in many ways it's like it's 80 grams of carbs per 500 milliliter Serving but I've got a sack of the stuff And that basically then I could mix up a Small bottle because I you know I had a Carbon Before the Race but I wanted to Carry a 250 ml soft flat with me you
Just have something you also have a Drink on the course say the word you Know cups every three miles but you just Wanted to wet your whistle a little bit Given how hot it was and the fact that It is a sachet other stuff it's quite Handy it doesn't mean you can mix up the Right amount for a 250 ml flask and Actually I could make it a little bit Less Carby because I want a slightly Thinner fluid to try and drink during The race and actually in general the OT Start is a bit thinner than the Morton's Um 80 gram carb drink it's also uh got Flavors so it's lemon lime which is nice On a hot day like today got some Electrolytes in there as well which is a Good thing on hot days like today I Think to have that little bit extra Peace of mind you're getting some Electrons in eight and a half marathon Me not necessarily going out there for a Huge amount of time so yeah that was a Good drink to have on the course today I Like that drink I can use it a lot in The uh Ultra I have next week just Because like I say you can mix it a Little bit thinner quite easily using The big sachet and that means you can Make carb drinks that aren't quite as Intense uh as a full 80 gram carb drink In 50 in 500 milliliters just because You don't always want that much Especially for something like the ultra
Where I'm not gonna be going out super High intensity I probably want a drink That's I can have a little bit less Cards because I'm not gonna be burning So many On The Run could be running at a Slower Pace other big thing I was Testing today was watches so I've got The epics Pro here and the chorus paste Three here really they performed Identically across the board and you Know that is obviously a good thing for The chorus page three because it costs Just 220 pounds and the epics Pro 51 Millimeter what I'm wearing there costs Over a thousand pounds so big difference In price big difference in size big Difference in weight and you've got I Got very very much identical GPS tracks Like I said in the post run video it is Quite a good GPS race in terms of you Are out in the countryside some tree Cover over Road not that much would have Liked a bit more tree cover today or a Bit more shade although to be honest It's hot enough the shade didn't do much Either I found and you know I've got a Really clear Trace from both watches Like I said pretty much bang on on the Overall distance Um mile markers are a bit hit and miss At times but that could just be down to Mile marker place which was just a bit Of a hard thing to do on a course like That out in the middle of nowhere so
Full marks and GPS runs out on the heart Rate front so doing a lot of testing With the chorus pastry lately and the Heart rate so far really has been very Very good in like a variety of like runs Like obviously a race today heart rate Went up and stayed up and it tracked That really well exactly in line with The polar strap that was linked to the Um epics Pro there but also I've had it You know been using it in things like Hill runs uh reps a weird like 15 Seconds on 15 seconds off a mile I ran The other day with real you know quick Tips in and out and it's really been Very good so all in all over my testing We actually has been really good the GPS Isn't Flawless but it's really good for A dual band watch Um it's I think better than I've seen From Chorus before certainly I did have Accuracy issues with the Apex 2 Pro and The chorus vertex 2 which both have Multiband pastries be a lot better it's Still not quite as good as the Apex Pro So like battery life I've been using Both of them for all my runs recently But it is very very good and at this Price has put the best GPS out there so That's another big plus point for the Chorus and it was really shown today in The race today really could have placed It very easily using the chorus all the Way in the end I was really running on
Heart rate but actually could use the Pastry for that as well like I did have A photo strap on them you know I'm Always someone who probably will defer To a chest strap for a piece of mine but The accuracy in the pastry has been Really good and about a lot that was a Hot day today which tends to help with Um uh breeding Optical heart rate from The wrist also it's a very small watch Very light watch and that's not only Pleasant to wear but it also means it Sits very closely and snugly against the Skin very easily compared to something Like the epics Pro which obviously is a Big watch a bit heavier if you move Around a bit more I think that helps With the pastries readings they've been Really good for me so another really Good day out for the chorus page three Certainly much better day for the course Page three than for me you know it was Being very accurate I was slowly Collapsing and I'd like to say vaguely Controlled manner I didn't completely Collapse but certainly I didn't feel Like I was that in control for most of That race today it was just My time last year I was fitter last year But at the same time it was four minutes Later I mean it's just how you judge That effort in the heat is really hard To do and I think I did it okay today so Yeah another fun day out it's a
Brilliant event it's also the S6 South American championships it's Now a lovely event out on country lanes Run by a club just really good Grassroots running with a good field of Fast Runners nice course and really well Marshaled everything's really well Looked after and I think it's a really Great race one of my favorites is going To go out there again you know next year And hope that it's uh not quite so hot