It’s been a big few months for marathons over at The Run Testers, with four of the team taking on some of the biggest marathons in the world. Kieran headed up to Manchester for a big PB attempt while Tom nipped over to Boston before joining Mike and Nick for London Marathon.
In this video (also the podcast) the team chat through their training, racing and the kit they used for each event.
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00:00 – Intro
01:15 – Marathon Training
11:15 – Race Day
30:04 – Kit Testing
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Hey Tommy from the r testers in this Video we are going to doing a Roundup of Our spring marathons uh myself Nick Kieran and Mike have all done a marathon Uh in the spring this year in 2024 so We're going to be uh talking a little Bit more about the training that we did For those marathons the courses Themselves and the kit that we tested During those marathons now this video is Also a podcast so if you're planning on Listening to the podcast version of this Don't watch this video all right hope You enjoy it let's dive in and do the Chat All right guys how's it Going very good good good end of end of A long Marathon season for us all we all Did marathons we all did I think that's This is the first time we've all done Marathons at the same time isn't it five Marathons in seven days I think between Us yeah exactly yeah although I did do Another Marathon about a month a month And a half ago so quite quite a lot for Me won't talk about the times Yet that so so we've all done marathons We've all done videos of marathons so Manchester Boston and London um but in This uh special uh episode of podcast We're going to be talking to each other About all of the all of the marathons The training we've done the actual race Days and talking a bit about the kit
That we tested out for each of the Marathons let's let's start off and um Let's talk about the training we did in The leadup so Kieran you did the first Marathon um you did you did Manchester And um we won't talk about the time just Yet but we're we're going to hide the Times we've done about five videos well If anyone's listening to this uh or Watching this and doesn't know our times That would be an extra treat for them Amazing yeah keep watching for the Reveal yeah big reveal uh so Manchester You you did quite a bit of training for Didn't you Kieran I did did quite a lot Actually what I did was I was sort of Testing the Cooper running app and I Used that to train mainly for a half Marathon up to the Lamark half which was A week before and then so that was Basically how I was doing my kind of Faster stuff I was doing the sessions That were on that app to see if it could Get me uh into kind of I guess sort of Faster pce I've got quite a good base of Endurance and then near of the time in Order to get man Marathon ready I went Out and sort of did three marathons in My training buildup which is not really Recommended or probably sensible but I Realized I hadn't done any of that kind Of that proper sort of long mileage so I Got three of those in just before the Race and it um yeah with I did some of
Those kind of slow but with some sort of Marathon pace sections in Testing shoes as well which videos on The channel and it seemed to sort of pay Off it kind of worked it was a sort of Bit of a ramshackle Affair really and uh But somehow by hooker by crook I pieced It together and it it worked out so how Did you find structured training for a Marathon it's been a long time have you Ever done you did it once didn't you Where you followed a really strict plan I have done I mean the interesting thing This is the this would be the third Without revealing the actual time Because I would to give it wait of this Be the third time I've run a sub three And I seem to have done them every five Years sort of since I started running so Every five years I go and do it but it's A very different a lot of what I do Before this was just sort of out you Know running long and just from Jo it's Been the first time I've gone back and Had to be on the watch and looking at Paces and thinking about sessions and it Is a very different mentality I found it Took quite a long time to get my head Back Into into that because I just don't Think you sort of run as free maybe You're sort of it's bit more Concentration it can feel a little bit More like a like you're doing work like
I guess is the difference but actually I I enjoyed the process and you know tried To just take each each run at a time Tried to sort of hit some Target Paces Tried not to get too downhearted when I've missed them often but yeah it is a Very different different process and I Guess you know get a bit longer in the Tooth I've reached a point where maybe Now i' sort of just run for adventure Rather than for time so it was a bit of Getting back into that took a little bit Of a mindset Change GNA do it again Yeah I think I will I mean it was yeah I Think it has given me a bit of a taste For for running fast you want Tom's time He wants Tom's Time although yeah maybe save it for the For the Autumn now yes all right uh so Nick you I mean you you're always Training anyway but you did train Particularly hard for this one didn't You yeah highest mileage ever um loved It I think I one the best training block I've done I really enjoyed it SP fact it Was a really windy and unpleasant winter Here in London I got up probably added On average probably about 20 miles a Week I was doing kind of 115 125k weeks And it went really well like everything Was going swimmingly up until the Easter Holidays um when um things got a bit Trickier with fitting stuff in around
The kids and that but for the most part Trained really well very consistent and Yeah enjoyed it and that's I mean I Really love structured training I always Have I've got a coach sets the sessions It's great fun good variety just couple Of probably early on were going hard so Even as I was building up the mileage There wasn't a lot of just pure easy Running in each week it was really you Up in the mileage lots of progression Runs everything was finishing at a Decent pace and then in the second half It was kind of one or two key sessions Long run and then a lot of easy running Around it but I really enjoyed it and You know I've always known you know Everyone knows that adding more miles to Your general running will make you a Better Runner but you got to do it in The right way and I haven't done it Before and I was amazed actually at how Much it benefit in the middle of that I Was running like my fastest Park runs Ever and stuff like that when without Doing any kind of 5K specific work so Hoping for maybe down the line when I Get back into the marathon mindset Towards the end of the year for Valencia I'll probably hopefully look at uping The mileage even more and just seeing What the benefits bring but I add it Yeah had a great training block I have To say it really couldn't have gone more
Smoothly I think this also the first Training block i' visited physio fairly Regularly just almost for check-ins I do Think it's you know actually is worth it They really made quite a big difference Just to have that kind of peace of mind And checking in on anything and didn't Really have any injury is issues or Anything like that so just proba you Know getting to the point where you're Spending bit money or getting a bit of Support from coaches physios it does Make a pretty massive difference all Right yeah and was was it just the Mileage that you were there any changes To the actual sessions or was it just a Similar sessions but longer Harder Faster like I remember doing a couple of Sessions towards the end I did the Hardest one probably was 10 times one Mile down the track I remember doing That very early in the morning so I had To get back look off the kids and also They were throwing grass onto the track A different annoyance but I remember Doing that exact session before Berlin Around my previous PB and the sessions Were and the paces for the miles were Just a lot faster this time and hitting That was like a big kind of okay you've Come a long way in since since Berlin Because last year I didn't really do Anything too serious because I had my Second kid last year it was quite a
Relaxed year didn't really go hard at Any marathons and or I did basically Want to do the like K's talking about That kind of structure training takes a Lot out of you take you take some mental Focus as well I didn't want to do that Last year with the kids so back into it This year was great fun um but yeah an Interesting challenge good Mike what About you yeah so I um basically I used An app as well so it's one called run With how which actually you introduced Me to Tom and uh I was planning to use It last year didn't really couldn't Really complete the plan that I had uh So I decided to give it another go and I'm going to do I am going to do a video On this kind of digging a bit deeper in My experience of using r with how um and Unlike the first time I used it I Dropped down to kind of an intermediate Plan so it's slightly different from the Advanced plan that I was following for The last marathon that I did um and just Really seeing how how how it worked and You know I didn't I didn't really talk Too much about what I was targeting I Think really for me I wanted to be Realistic uh about what I thought I Could do and also not have any issues or Any aggravate anything I think a bit Like what Nick said I think I paid a bit More time in terms of like you know Visit I went to the physio before I did
A half marathon back in earlier in the Year and just focused a bit more on that And and following this plan um as best As I could knowing that it would get me Get me around get me around a good time And hopefully get me around kind of my Target time that I had for London which Wasn't a PB time but a time that you Know I knew that I was capable of Without having any issues in the race as Well yes I remember you running past me Looking comfortable I remember seeing Tom and then Mike and wondering what the Position is they'd finish uh on the Other side of the road I saw them and Both look very happy at that point Tom I Have to say check in on Tom I was only Happy because I had something to do Which was looking at you that distracted Me from from how do you train for doing Two marathons in six days we I didn't Train for doing two marathons I train For doing one Marathon um the uh so well Actually my training this year on paper Was pretty much the same as what I'd Done previously for Berlin um but in Reality I don't think I I was never that F focused on the time for Boston so I Don't think I probably put as much Effort into the pacing stuff as I did um For Berlin I was very focused on that And I didn't miss Paces also didn't miss Any runs whereas this time this is the First time I've probably trained over
Winter for a marathon and I did find it Really hard to to fit it in and do the Right uh do sort the right pacing and Stuff like that um in Brighton in in the Cold and the wet so windy very windy Brighton very windy it's very difficult To see what pace to hit the Paces that You should be hitting for the session Because it's windy and you don't know if You're hitting the right pace um and Yeah on paper I probably I was I I Should have been all right on but when I Came to the race I had trained for it But I just don't think I'd put as much Effort in mentally and physically as I Had done um for for Berlin so um not a Bad training block but um well we'll Find out how I did in the next bought a Whole load of gear though didn't you so Not come away empty-handed uh well talk About the gear I've um I bought in Boston cuz I'm now bankrupt so Tom Exclusively wears Boston related Clothing at this Point I've got Boston pants on at the Moment so yeah all right well uh let's Uh let's dive into the actual races then Let's do It right so three different marathons That we've uh that we all did over over The same one week period um and all very Different um so let's start off with uh Kieran you did Manchester marathon is is That the only time you've done
Manchester first time yeah first time up There yeah yeah and I don't think Nick You haven't Nick and mik you haven't Done no I'm very eager to hear about Manchester course i' considered I've Considered it before is that but I I get The feeling it's not the the world's Flattest Marathon has Claimed then K what what did you what Was what was Manchester Marathon like What did you what did you was it what You expected um I mean I yeah that a lot Of people have told me beforehand not That it wasn't going to be the world's Flat Marathon so I knew there was some Lpy bits coming I didn't really bother To look at the sort of course profile Too much I was just going to run what Was in front of me I i' sort of like to Not get my head too much into worrying About what might be coming it's a really Well organized Marathon there's a good Volume of people I think 32,000 Runners Did it it goes off in waves it's very Easy you start at the uh Lancashire Cricket ground Old Trafford near man United ground the other Old Trafford Which is across but it's a very good Setup the bag drop was nice and easy all Of that kind of morning stuff that you Do to get to the race it's close into The city it's it's all very convenient Very easy there was less sort of stress Than many other City marathons on on
That front and then you kind of Wander From the bagd drop it must be about like A kilometer up to the start line it all Went off in waves and then it gets very Narrow I mean one of the things there's A few things that I you know I love the Support in Manchester it's not quite London levels there's many things to Like about the race there are a couple Of things that I found a little tricky I Was running the whole thing on field and Not looking at my watches but Immediately in the beginning it Narrows Quite a lot and you find in order to Sort of get round people you're having To shift up and down through the gears To try and get in a position where you Can at least be running you know to to Be near your kind of Target intensity And there's ballards and sometimes You're being swept through kind of what Are the cycle Lanes so you know the Cycle Lanes now have those kind of um Fixed in tall poles ballards sometimes We're sort of shepher into that kind of Stuff and I think it took took probably I maybe about kind of three or four Miles before that cleared and you Actually got into free running and could Get into a bit of a rhythm so that was a Bit tricky it was quite windy on the day It was a really weird mix of headwinds But also at times it got really quite Warm so it was a bit of a mixed bag when
It came to the weather and then there's Two things that I think really sort of Jump out of the race course here which You thinking about going for a PB at 16 Mil and at 20 mil there are two hills And they're not they don't go on for Very long They are quite steep but you you've Mainly been flat before that along kind Of jeel carriageways and stuff and then When you hit those they are you know They basically ask a question at the Time when you probably lead it least you Know I as I came around one corner I was It an aid station I went for the last Bottle on the Aid Station to try and get The water to avoid the crowds and the Guy who was there didn't put his hand Out and I missed it and I was dying at That point at first and then I turned The corner and then there was the one Big altringham climb and it nearly made Me sort of Step Off the course and go Home but you just got to kind of dig in And focus yeah so it's not flat I think It's going to be it's challenging at Places if you want to have that freedom To run all out from the gun and if You're further back that will affect how Much of a PB course it is there are big Out and back Stretches um annoyingly we didn't really Get the wind at our back on the way back Round through but overall it's you know
I think it's it's well organized good Good water stations lots of you know Once you get free there's lots of room To move and I think if people I think This year it's going to come on the same Weekend as London so I people may be Weighing up whether or not to go for Manchester or for London as an event I Think it's a really good uh race to run I really enjoyed it and I think if You've not done it and you're looking For something different then you can go And run fast on there I'm not going to Tell you how fast I ran though Tom Because we're saving we're not saying at All next week well' uh we've all seen The photos of you uh running the course Kier so it quite clear that you were Trying quite hard at certain points what What time did you get so I ended up Doing a 254 40 which is like a 3 minute PB and I I ran the entire thing on fi so Not looking at watches at all and I just But I you know at times I I definitely Found I was kind of struggling a little More than I wanted to maybe sort of 10 Miles in I had a period where it was Difficult and then for the last six Miles I was hanging on for dear life to Be honest so there's lots of photos of Grimacing and burning and and all sorts Then with 800 M to go I got a bit cocky And I thought I'm done I pushed for 200 M then I was nearly sick and I nearly I
Nearly became that sideways wobbly Runner Over so then I yeah the last bit I'm Sort of shuffling over the line but yeah Yeah happy with the time and uh and Actually the pacing was fairly even I Didn't manage negative splits this time Running on field but it wasn't too far Off and yeah I think I left it all out There so yeah I'm really happy oh Congratulations Well let's uh let's save um London for The last cuz three of us did it I'll I'll bang on about my failure in Boston First what's the opposite of a negative Split Tom if you look at my pacing chart it's Just a straight it's like a diagonal Line basically it's an incredible first 10K I have to say I just it must be must It is downhill to start right you Weren't just going nuts it is downhill To the start but I did feel pretty good At anyway so I think so Boston obviously It's you know one of the most sought After marathons in the world it's you've Got to qualify to get in so that's I Think a lot of people do do it and they Put a lot of effort into getting in and Then when they get to it they sort of Enjoy it a little bit more I spoke to Quite a few people who said oh I'm not Going for a fast time I'm just gonna Enjoy it now I've got in um but uh the
Uh so Boston is if I know kieren you're The only one who's done Boston here yeah Um you it's quite a tricky Marathon to Sort of plan around you've got to get That bus out all the way it's like 45 Minute bus to get to the start line um So it's all a bit unexpected like you Sort of don't know where you're going if You've never been there before and the Start the start area I wasn't a big fan Of because you sort of get off this bus And then it's just loads of Runners just In a area with some tents and some water And you're there for like two hours um Which I'm not a big fan of because you Just you hav't got anything to do there Like there's not even any food or Anything there um but it was starting to Get really hot um at the start of the Race I think got up to like 22 degrees Or something like that but there was Absolutely no clouds so it was pretty Much you know beaten down on the whole Time but the first uh yeah the first Five I think the first 10K is almost all Sort of downhill um and you really Notice it you get very excited at the Start it's way way more noticeable than London um and you really just pick up The pace quite heavily on that but I did Feel fine I was actually holding back a Little bit on that I wasn't like but B Bombing it as fast as I could but I got To 10K and I just felt awful like just
Just start head started hurting and Stuff and I just Thought by about 15K I just thought There's no point I'm not going to I'm Not going to try and push this because Even if I had have pushed it with Everything I don't think I would have Got a PB or anything so it would have Been a little bit of a horrible Experience trying to force it to the end But when you um uh the Boston course is It's it's really undulating it's like Constant there's probably like they're Not massive Hills but it's every every At any point you can see a hill at some Point in the in in in front of you um And many be a little one but you really Start to notice that over time and it Really starts grating on you um Especially in that heat and uh Heartbreak Hill I didn't actually notice Until halfway and somebody said to me oh You're on Heartbreak Hill and I didn't Realize because I just I was in such a State by that point that they all felt Like that long broken mate don't worry About it it is quite Heartbreak Hill It's not like I reckon if on a good day If you if you're feeling good and you Maintain your pace I think it would be Okay even you're having a bad day I Think you do notice it because it is is Bit it's just long it's not like really Steve it's a horrible one to track
Boston we're looking at the tracker Tracking you going like is you're all Right I said visions of you being Horribly injured but refusing to stop Because you bought so much Boston stash And you're like I've got to got to wear This so me like and and then the split Comes up and you're going really slowly That that must have been a hill because In the next split you're not quite as Slow it's like oh what is going on is he Is he is his Cal hanging off no I was Justly wrecked by by about halfway I was Just yeah I just didn't have anything I Was walking bits towards the end and so It was not a successful one ended up With a I think like I think it was like 324 or something so not a massively bad One for me that's sort of still faster Than a lot of my marathons few years ago But uh it's a really tough one it's a Really interesting marathon though it's Um because you know if you run Manchester or London or anything you're Basically running around the city so It's like you run under Marathon you're Running in London this this isn't in Boston it's like little towns and Villages on on on the way into Boston so All the crowds there are all these Little towns it's quite nice like quite Nice Community vibe to it but it's Definitely uh the only Marathon I've run Like it is uh Venice which it takes
Starts 20 miles away from Venice um but yeah it's uh yeah it's It's a tough course um and I think a lot Of people struggled with it but how was Um the how are the is it the Welsley College Scream Zone or something is that Was that good I didn't even notice It the crowds AR it's not like London The crowds aren't the same as London They do lie in the streets but they're Not it's not like dense with People and you can sort of get off at Points and sort of there's no one there You can walk along a little bit um until You get into Boston but you're not in Boston for that long so um yeah yeah but Is is nice um but uh and the Finish is Really um some of the Finish is nice the Actual Finish Line is quite seems quite Small in comparison to things like London it's um uh with an anticlimax but Um yeah enjoyed it uh won't be doing it Again I don't think Because cuz I spent so much money on all Of the Boston kit yeah yeah we spent About three days snowmobiling in Iceland Before yeah yeah I did I did bit Snowmobiling the week before the Marathon which I think is normal Training good taper yeah classic I saw Yeah perz name CH doing that yeah They're all they're all snow buing their Way into London all the all the ladies There was so many people there it was uh
All Runners uh so yeah that's that was My experience of Boston um so let's talk About London but I think Mike this is The first time you've done London isn't It so it' be nice your view of London From a from a an inexperienced London Runner oh my God it was terrible wasn't It it's not very good no you know what It's B it's doing having this talk about It now a few a few more days afterwards I think it's really kind of helped me Kind of digest the race itself and I Think the the difficult thing I I've was Gonna I thought I would find with London Is that you know fortunate I've done a Lot of races in London that take in a Lot of the route So it was more for me about you know you Know would that atmosphere really kind Of D you know be and it absolutely was I Mean you don't know until you're in it And you're on that course just how good And how well supported I mean I've done That's that's my third major now and I Can't say that I felt that kind of Atmosphere and it's almost deafening at Times on that course but the fact is It's all the way round the route and you Just I've just not had that on a Samaritan I think if you're you know if You're looking at the majors and you're You're looking at and you're wondering Where you're going to get that best you Know great support I mean absolutely
That is absolutely what you get at London and it was it was incredible Incredible to be part of it um as I said The route was probably less something I Was really kind of concerned about more About kind of being part and being part Of that amount of people Al it was the Biggest participants for London and I Think for me that may be one of the Things I found with the race was it did Get a little bit congested I don't know If you guys would have found or had the Same experience in different parts of Different waves what have you but I did Find in place and I think just naturally Because of the way the course is and it Narrows a little bit at times it did Feel a little bit busy but it it Thankfully wasn't in in too many places But I do think that's maybe they may Have to look at that but generally yeah I was really happy with the race I mean I kind of didn't tell you guys what I Was kind of targeting I knew I probably Wasn't going to be PB in this course but Ultimately my target was to to get Through it and not have any issues like I have kind of at latter stages of Marathons run good times but I you know I've had issues and I was pretty happy I Kind of went out kind of harder in the First half knew I could probably go a Little bit harder than the second half But I was just I played it a little bit
More cautious and I enjoyed it and I Just enjoyed the crowds and I could Still run nice and feel like I was Running a good time and I knew you know Very much early in the race that I was Kind of f in the right place to do the Kind of time that I wanted to and maybe Go a little bit quicker than kind of Anticipated well so yeah I you know the When people talk about the crowds and This the atmosphere I absolutely get it I I totally get it and I totally get why People talk about it and while I don't Absolutely love just because I've done The route a few times in in in different Races I think it's a it's a pretty flat One in general there are a couple of Little niggly Hills that people won't Absolutely love but I think when you When you think about the locations it Takes in and if you've never been to London or run around London or run in The UK I mean it takes in so much of London and the good parts and you get The good parts people coming out and Support and they're coming from all over The country to come and support you and Yeah it's it's definitely as I said Talking about and thinking about a few Days away from the actual race it Definitely made me appreciate it a lot More in terms of you know being part of It and being part of this one this year I tell I tell you what if uh I I had an
Absolute horrible not not because of the Event but because of I was absolutely Wrecked from from Boston I felt fine for The for the week but obviously I my legs Weren't properly recovered but um I I Was my my plan was to just run like a Sub four um but in my head I was Thinking I'll just run a sub four take It easy just relax just jog around Smiling I was in so much pain just Trying to get that sub for done um and When the Crowds at London are incredible If you are if you if you you know you Need support and maybe you it's not Marathon you've done a lot when you're In at so much pain and you know you Can't keep going having a thousand People shout you keep going you can do This it does not help you at all and but Most marathons I've done there's always Areas of respite so you can sort of go If if you're struggling just you know go And walk along the side of the road There's nowhere you can go you say have To walk in the people shouting faces as As you're just hobbling along or in the Middle where there's just just get away From him but either way it's um it's a Tough it's a tough one if you're Struggling and you know that you can't Actually do any Better how do you find it Nick do you Think it was a did you notice the I I Think I definitely did feel that the
There was very busy this time um but I I Know they I mean some waves so assume That that wouldn't be a massive have an Massive impact on it but definitely Busier in my end as well um I would say I was surprised I was running with a Friend uh beforehand like we arranged we Run together a guy who was also coached By my coach and we were just in a big Group I barely really saw him that much We were in the same group mostly but I Was expecting it is you know it's very Busy at the start London any kind of Pace I thought after 5K you get a little Bit strung out and it got a little bit Strung out but no I was in big groups For ages which was really ni nice and Then strung out a little bit second half You kind of start if you're feeling good I was feeling good second half you start To climb the ladder of Runners is how I Think of it you know see a running you Slowly pick them off you pick the next One off kind of that's how you get Through second half of the race but even Then I was people running with people The whole way and yeah I think it was Busier full stop like it never felt Congested really uh for me um but it you Definitely felt busier I would say okay I should probably probably say here cuz We've done the videos on on these races Now and um few people have commented who Who maybe new to running or the marathon
Running who've been asking how to get Into these races um and we've been Bigging up bigging up London yes London Is really really hard to get into so yes If you're listening to this and you're Thinking oh I might give that a go it's Very very hard to get some people never Get into it through the ballot there is A ballot that happens every year uh I Think it was almost 600,000 people Entered for this year and eventually They and the ballots random if you keep Entering you don't get any better odds So you're just as unlikely get I think They are increasing them out the field Next year they're going for a record Next year aren they so that might be More of a chance but you are your odds Are still yeah I think what they Probably give 25,000 ballot places Max Even including dropouts yeah and yes it Is it is half a million I mean some of Those people applying in that numbers Are the uh going applying for the Overseas ballot which is different but Even so you are your odds are low of Getting in so yeah sorry if listening to This and you desperately want to do it And it's very hard to get into you have Got the charity option as well which Means you have to raise money for Charity but I think it's quite a lot now It's two grand yeah us two grand or you Can do good for which is how I got in
Which is um if you run a time for a Marathon in the year previous that fits Within the um uh the the sort of rules Of uh within the different age groups You can get in through that that's Basically like Boston equivalence almost Just one of way you can actually clubs Running clubs get allocated tickets and They have smaller ballots so yeah yeah It means joining a club and the way they Give them up might be different but Sometimes I know Runners who are members Of smaller clubs where not many people Actually want to run they they often I Can tell you about get in but those Clubs it's the club places are I think They have been smaller than they have Been my club gets a lot of places Because we run one of the elite drinks Tables um but I do think and normally Our club allocates them on who's been Doing the most for the club who's been Marshalling races turning up for races Turning out to do volunteering and I Think a lot of clubs do that as well but I don't think there actually I was Surprised actually that I think our club Places were slightly less than in the Past but yeah yeah same for my club There it's a smaller it's definitely a Smaller number seen a few kind of my Club members kind of out kind of helping Out on the course and stuff so yeah I do Think that is one of the other ways but
It's definitely I think the PO pool of Of of opportunities to do it through Club running is definitely gots a bit Smaller yeah um yeah I'm Boston you have To qualify um that's the only way you Can get into it unless you do charity as Well um okay well that's uh almost all Successful marathons all around apart From me um let's uh let's dive into into The kit that we tested during the the Marathons right so Kieran from Manchester Marathon what did you wear What did you what were you testing you You know the whole outfit or just want The Shoes do the shoes and anything really Really important that stands out if There is anything ah so I I basically I Mean the shoes I wore the aex Met speed Sky Paris and they did everything that I Needed them to do on the day I mean That's kind of the biggest compliment I Can them they were they were absolutely Bang on you know they I had a you know I Doubt with the shoes if you you know if Things go wrong and you end up kind of Hanging out your ass at the end of the Race whether or not they're protective Enough in the back I wasn't quite Hanging out but I was you know I was Struggling a bit and they still did a Good job even in those last six miles When I maybe wasn't moving quite as well Or in As Good form but for for 20 they
Were really nicely controlled lots of e Lots sorry lots of energy lots of Pop From them really good sort of overall Sort of Disappearing comfort as well so Sometimes I find with some of the carbon Races after you know two and a half Hours on feet or whatever you can start To notice those kind of tight uppers or You know the those minimal heel collars And all those kind of things they just Don't quite feel comfortable when you Want to get to the end you want to first Thing you want to do is is take them off And actually these shoes they none of That even by the end of it I wasn't in a Hurry sort of walking around after to Get them off so the Comfort on the foot I think was a real standout and a bit of Surprise because I thought they might Not sort of hold out for that I thought They could run fast I wasn't really sure I'd be entirely comfortable for that Long but yeah they they were awesome I Mean they they they did exactly what I Needed them to do on the day and they've Become one of my favorite shoes week Later I ran a 5K in them and did a did a 5k PB as well so I've now done almost You know lots of different sort of races And PB in them a couple of times so yeah I think they are they're closer to me to Me like than they are closer for me to Like a um Nike Vapor Fly 2 or something Which is that sort bit more minimal bit
More direct which I really Like cool okay any any other top picks From from the kit you tested you have to Go to depth about it what else did I I Mean I I ran and tested a couple of Watches which we've got reviews coming Up I can't remember we've actually put Them out there yet um great X2 Pro Versus the Vantage V3 I had on I also Had the Garmin 4 and a 965 and another watch as well three Watches to cover up it's a lot of fabric Here I had four I had four watches Yeah yeah none of them you're looking at Yeah no none of I was looking at the Other I also I also wore the um Sennheiser momentum sport heart rate Tracking headphones again and you just To see and yeah they didn't they Flatlined I think at at 145 about mile after about six or seven Minutes they just flatlined so on straa That's gone up and everyone was coming Back to me and saying look at look at How even your heart rate is cuz every Mile was 145 and that was the one spent Like three weeks explaining to people That that is not True but I wish it was but yeah so again The heart rate on that didn't quite work The audio did a good job in the wind but Okay all right Mike what did you go for Yes so she's what shoes wise I had the New Balance SC Elite V4 now for
Disclosure I my place for London was Through New Balance but didn't ask me to Run in the shoes I decided that's what I Was going to use and actually I think Going for something like the SC Elite V4 Works for me in terms of how I wanted to Run that race and it's as I said in kind Of our video it's probably not the the Shoe that I think has been my favorite In terms of those Marathon kind of super Shoes that we've tested but I feel in Terms of what I wanted to do in this Race I wanted something that was going To still feel fast still but ultimately Feel that I was going to feel Comfortable feel stable um and that's Ultimately what I got from the shoe um I You know some of the issues that I think We talked about in our review kind of in Terms of the kind of heill lockdown Things like those things that may were Concerned for me didn't really you know You know a lot of my MTH and training Was in this shoe and those issues Weren't replicated those earlier issues Weren't really replicated in my in the Marathon and the marathon training as Well and it just felt comfortable the The feeling of running in that shoe Didn't change throughout that race uh I Had no issues even you know when I Started to maybe Tire a little bit I Didn't feel like I kind of mentioned This it was you know if I think if I
Went for a more aggressive shoe I think Maybe I might have encountered some more Problems with those with with the shoe And running and trying to maintain what I was trying to do but in terms of Running the time that I did um it felt Like it felt like the ideal one it still Feels fast it still feels like a fast Shoe to run in it's just a different Type of these kind of racing shoes that We've tested this year and yeah I you Know for me it felt like the right pick I mean I I definitely would have looked At some other shoes but for me in terms Of what I want to do in that race it it Really served me really well and I was Really happy in terms of you know how it Performed on the on the Day um yeah it you look pretty content And as you shouted at me when you ran Past so uh yeah that was quite late on In the race anything else that you want To mention yeah there's a lot of other Stuff but I just a couple of things I Did want to kind of definitely mention So I was through training and probably Like the beginning of the year I've Become a little bit of a convert to and I blame Nick well not really blame I Think I kind of thank Nick is we used Half tights for the first time I raced I've been racing in half tights I've Been storing kind of my stuff I used the For the first time I used the prec fuel
Hydration kind of gel pouch and I just Use that I didn't use any gels I just Used that for the race um and it was Great and in terms of having storage and Not really having an issue in terms of Kind of rumaging around in kind of a Belt and stuff like that it worked Really well I used the kind of jangy um Half tights I found this I've been Playing around with these those and the Kind of sey ones and I found the stor Has worked a bit better for me on the Jan ones so those were very good and That was kind of a good find for me in My training uh the other thing I wanted To talk about isoi because it was London Because I wanted to soak up a bit of the Crowd here the atmosphere I used open Ear headphones so I used the Bose Ultra Open earbuds which I got sent kind of Just a few days before the marathon and I was going to use something else I was Going to use the sunto Sonic but I chose To use these and it proved to be a bit Of a mistake because one of the airbuds Didn't pair when I got on the start line I'd already put my bag away and then I Think I don't know probably quarter of The way into the race and I'd grabbed a Bottle of water and I've knocked one of The buds out and I lost about two Minutes trying to find the airbud on the Floor and then thankfully one of the Spectators spotted it um and I was
Basically listening through one ear um One of the earbuds basically and ended Up you know wasn't the best experience Of those I had some other bits and Pieces which I I'm going to talk about In kind of future videos but those are Things that kind of really stood out for Me and you know in different ways but um Well worth seeing how they performed Kind of you know MTH well then Nick what What did you use I used the M Speed Sky Paris I had great buildup with that shoe Did some of the best training sessions Of my life ran probably the best half Marathon I've ever run in it uh in that Shoe and then yeah on the day it was Perfect it's just it's just the really Nice combo it's very lightweight but it Is really bouncy so cruising through the First kind of 30 35k felt very in Control hitting the paces I was looking At and then at the end when I was Struggling it's so lightweight I have a Very high Cadence run it helps you know Turn the feet over to have a lightweight Shoe on that and I think big difference I noticed with the Met speed Sky Plus And some other shoes even when I am Running quite you know really quite Shuffling towards the end and getting Quite low impact and just not really Having that that you know loping style You need to kind of really engage the pl In some shoes I fine with the Met speed
Sky Paris just even that shuffling gate Engages the plate I thought I was still Getting the kind of feel of propulsion From the shoe and was holding a pretty Decent pace at the end even as I was Starting to struggle ran a nice negative Split yeah could have thought they're They're brilliant shoes I do think they Are the outstanding shoe on the market Really all around at the moment we Haven't tried the edge people will ask About the edge we haven't tried the edge We're trying to try the Edge and then I a couple watch I've just Actually filmed it I'm going to edit That video soon I did a big long term I Was trying to basically wear the Gin Epics Pro and the Apple watch Ultra 2 For the entirety of marathon training in The race itself and then use them on the Day I had the Apple watch's pceo set up Was remarkably accurate on distance the Apple watch actually I think to the Point where maybe it corrects it if you Set a Pacer I don't know and then the Guy when I was basically taking manual Splits every 2K and using that to not Get carried away running quite even Splits and then picking up towards the End so i' got a big video on those two Watches coming over what I've noticed Over the last four months what's annoyed Me what hasn't annoyed me um but yeah They very very good on the day actually
Well I wish I'd used the meted sky Paris By the sounds of it I went I went for The Nike Al fly 3 for Boston but um it I Like it but it's just I just don't think It works for me I it definitely wasn't The reason that I did I did badly at Boston but I definitely don't feel like It felt nice for the first 10K or so but I just I just don't feel I'm getting Enough boun and propulsion that I get From the alpha fly one um and I Definitely didn't feel like it was Helping a lot in the later stages and I've felt that in a half marathon before I do think it's a nice a nice shoe it's Just not quite right for me um so sorry Make a difference on the Hills no no Nothing nothing could have made a Difference on the Hills I could have been wearing rocket Shoes and I think I still would have Struggled on those Hills um so I use the Alpha 53s for for Boston um but yeah Yeah I think I can see how it would work For I know you're a big fan of it Nick I See how work view for me I just don't Think it's quite right but um you far Off your 10K PB in the first 10K to be Fa no I mean I think I think I think I Can do the this I actually think the Long distance is probably the one that Is really it's really noticeable one I've raced in it before at short Distance and found it absolutely fine
And got close to my PB um but for London I went a bit mad and I did the I used The sly Triumph 22 because I thought I'm Going to use a nice easy shoe because I'm going to do a nice easy run um and I Really struggled in that shoe uh just Because I'm not used to using Uh a shoe like that for that that sort Of distance um Hefty shoe as well it's Quite Hefty um and I think it I think I Would have been okay with maybe the try Of 21 I think it is a little bit of a Different ride to the 22 I know you guys Haven't tested yet you've got it but I've running it yeah running it short Runs um yeah it does feel quite Different yeah yeah I can't quite put a Finger I said in the video that I did That I'm not going to review it based on That that Marathon cuz my legs are in TS Anyway so it's going to be a pretty bad A poor chance to do review so I'm going To do another running it when I uh this Week and then do then we'll do a video On it um but yeah definitely uh it's It's it's strange to run a marathon in Uh a shoe like that when you're not used To doing it because you get into later Stages and you can really feel that There's a big shoe on your feet Basically um so yeah I didn't really Test anything else I just in full s it As usual um so yeah well uh that doers For the for the spring Marathon season
Um well done all on on the times and uh And are we all getting some much needed Rest now yeah yeah recovery week nice Recovery week probably do some short Stuff over the summer autumn not for me I've got to go and get ready for doing Big hills in the comrades I've got a 35 Kmet climb to prepare for in May it Knows it it's first week of June I think So I've got about 45 days or something Is that right I don't even know what Date is I've basically got 40 days to Get ready for a 50 miles starting with a 35k Hill so I have to find Hills so no Rest all right well we'll uh we'll do I'm sure we'll cover that very very soon Right guys catch you later see you bye That's it from us on this video of our Spring marathons thanks a lot for Watching don't forget to like subscribe Click the little bell and if you go into The caption below you can find a link to The podcast version of this video if you Wanted to either listen to it again or You haven't listened to the whole thing And you for some reason got to the end Of the video and you're hearing me talk About this right catch you next time
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