u/Supersmashinggreat1

Looking for any input on a second hand estate. We've been driving the old one until it's gone and it's almost at that stage! Have a budget of about 20k. The Octavia and Superb are the top 2 candidates as we could get something 4, 5, 6 years old which will have taken the depreciation hit but not be too old as would intend to keep it for 10 years if possible.

It's mostly city driving and want the estate for the kids, bikes and dogs, so it'd have to be petrol. Herself would like it not to look like a middle aged car so would like to get the best trim possible, sportline if there was one. Have looked at the volvos which are really nice but you could be looking at an extra 10k for one of a similar age and mileage.

Are the Octavia and Superb my best options?

Went into Boston thinking I was in around sub-3 shape, probably a bit over but close on a good day and a fair course. Training had been solid overall, but looking back now probably a bit light on volume – averaged ~55–65km/week, only hit 70km a couple of times. Did a lot of hill-based work and marathon pace efforts on rolling terrain, but maybe sacrificed a bit of overall depth for that.

Race morning didn’t go to plan. My gear drop was on the last table on the last bus and I just hadn’t factored that in, and having walked across from the other side of Boston common I’d quite a bit more walking than I expected. As a result, I missed an earlier bus, ended up standing around Boston Common for close to an hour and then queued again to get on the bus. Bit rushed after that – gear drop was further away than expected, had to change into race shoes on the bus, rushed to the start, quick toilet stop, and just made Wave 3 Corral 1 with a couple of minutes to spare. No real chance to settle or reset. I should have made the decision to plonk myself down and take a deep breath but I didn’t and I think I burnt some matches here. Overall I’ve spent 2.15 out of the 3 hours before the race on my feat..

From the start, things felt okay but not totally easy. That was probably the first warning sign. I wasn’t overcooking it, but it never had that “this is very comfortable” feeling you want early in a marathon.

First half in 1:29:50. Controlled, but by around 10 miles I was already managing rather than cruising, I know at that stage that sub 3 was not on and I was trying to ease out and manage the effort from then on to get me in with a pb. I let the pace sit around the 4:2x/km range which is where I was settling for low Z3 and focused on keeping things in check, especially with the Newton hills ahead.

The course is harder than I expected. Not just the hills – it’s the constant rolling, the early downhill loading, and the lack of rhythm. You never really get into a groove.

Around 30km I could feel things starting to go. Not a blow-up, more like I just couldn’t keep applying effort continuously. HR was still in a reasonable place, it never went above Z3 or very low Z4, legs weren’t completely gone, but I just couldn’t sustain it.

At ~32km I took a ~90 second walk before Heartbreak Hill. From there it became a run–walk to the finish. I could still run 4:20–4:30/km when moving, but only for short stretches before needing to reset again. Probably 8–10 short walk breaks in total, I took advantage of every aid station to get water at the first person and walk to the end of it and go again.

There was definitely a mental dip as well. Once sub-3 went, and then the PB started slipping, I didn’t fully re-engage. With about 5k to go I was still roughly on for ~3:05, but didn’t have the energy or the head to fight for it. The field is also just so deep, I’ve negative split my last 2 marathons and the physiological boost of that is amazing, it’s not so fun in reverse.

Finished in 3:09:52.

Training context:

• ~834km total over ~17 weeks
• ~70 hours running
• Averaged just over 4 hours/week
• Only 2 weeks above 70km
• 2 weeks fully lost due to a back issue in January

In hindsight, that’s probably the biggest takeaway, the volume just wasn’t there to sustain it late in the race and I had sacrificed by volume with the hill work. The legs actually were fine during and afterwards. It actually felt a bit like my first marathon again – ran out of juice rather than blowing up.

Final thoughts

Despite the tough race, I absolutely loved Boston.

The city really embraces the marathon. The support all weekend and on race day was incredible – crowds the whole way, loads of encouragement, and even small things like people offering drinks, food, and just constant “well done” and “congrats” everywhere you went.

It felt like a proper event, not just a race. You were made to feel like a super star

Didn’t get the result I wanted, but still very glad I did it.

Next up: a 10k over the summer, then back to Dublin for another crack at sub-3 – this time with a bit more mileage behind me.

 

Overall Goals:

• First Boston - Yes
• ~10 minutes inside BQ  - Yes
• Managed a tough day without completely falling apart – Yes
• Sub 3 – No
• PB – No
• Amazing experience - Yes