{"id":5304,"date":"2018-03-23T21:05:16","date_gmt":"2018-03-23T19:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.knottinbotswana.com\/?p=5304"},"modified":"2021-04-25T16:51:14","modified_gmt":"2021-04-25T14:51:14","slug":"soweto-marathon-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.knottinbotswana.com\/index.php\/2018\/03\/soweto-marathon-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Soweto Marathon 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s 10 months since my last post (so much for the “I will write more” resolution), and the theme is the same: I ran another marathon (with another one coming up in just over a month).  Yes, I’m the subject of the joke that goes “How do you know whether somebody has run a marathon?” answered by “They’ll tell you about it.”  However, if one person reads the post and thinks “I’ll try that” then it’s worth it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
60% of Knott In Botswana on a balcony.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thanks to convenient school mid-term holiday Gwyneth was able to join us this time.<\/p>\n

The Preparation<\/h3>\n

Fresh from my relative success at the Diacore Gaborone Marathon<\/a> I decided to follow a similar training plan mixing up rowing, running, and cycle commuting.<\/p>\n

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Training record for the months leading up Soweto Marathon 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Both events happened early in the month (May and November, respectively), so the main training load can be seen in the preceding three months.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Diacore<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n all in km<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nRun<\/td>\nRide<\/td>\nRow<\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Feb-17<\/td>\n160<\/td>\n113<\/td>\n108<\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mar-17<\/td>\n102<\/td>\n110<\/td>\n149<\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Apr-17<\/td>\n187<\/td>\n118<\/td>\n54<\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 Total<\/strong><\/td>\n449<\/strong><\/td>\n341<\/strong><\/td>\n311<\/strong><\/td>\n1101<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Soweto<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nRun<\/td>\nRide<\/td>\nRow<\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Aug-17<\/td>\n199<\/td>\n117<\/td>\n119<\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sep-17<\/td>\n145<\/td>\n153<\/td>\n141<\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oct-17<\/td>\n115<\/td>\n217<\/td>\n94<\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 Total<\/strong><\/td>\n459<\/strong><\/td>\n487<\/strong><\/td>\n354<\/strong><\/td>\n1300<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

I managed to put in an extra 200km of effort: only 10km running, but 140km cycling and 40km rowing.  The difference in rowing is just because of when I completed the rowing plan: for Diacore I started about one week earlier.  Cycling I just managed to put in more commuting distance.  Due to a change in work I missed out most evening bus runs in October, and also got hammered two weeks before the event with an attack of shingles.<\/p>\n

The Event<\/h3>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Race gear for Soweto Marathon 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The run itself was good. Lots of hills, which I like, and lots of people to chase down when churning a steady pace up and down hill.  Provision of refreshments was a significant step up from Diacore with well stocked refreshment tables.<\/p>\n

My refreshment strategy was a cup of coke and water sachet at pretty much every table: coke for the sugar rush, and water to alternately wash it down or spray over myself for cooling.<\/p>\n