THE RACE OF MY LIFE: Smashing My PB At The Valencia Marathon

[@hollymorrison6107]

Very humbling to have you match my pace at 39k

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Adrenaline eh

[@DrProfX]

I was waiting/ anticipating your 2:15 marathon recap!! Congratulations again!!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you! Hope you enjoyed the video!

[@ConorOD451]

Took me a few days to get round to this - when I saw the video length I knew I had to wait till I had a solid block of free time to enjoy it! Glad I did - fantastically entertaining video that felt like the perfect culmination of the last few months. Congratulations on an absolutely phenomenal race, and a huge congrats to Holly and her brother too! Your channel is some of the best running content on KZbin, can't wait to see what you've got next! Enjoy all the relaxing downtime though, you've earned it.

[@Ryan.Thomson]

I’m so glad you enjoyed the video after saving it! I’ve had so much fun this past few months documenting my running journey and comments like this make it even better. Thanks for the support and I hope you keep enjoying the videos in the future!

[@jimmywu5924]

Congratulations to you and Holly! You two are awesome! Really awesome KZbin channel.

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you very much! She did amazing, I don’t leave bed when I have any kind of sickness and she ran a marathon! haha

[@RunningAllTheTyne]

Absolutely incredible Ryan, congrats on the PB. 2:15 is insane! Great to give everyone an insight into the training to get this time too

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you! I’ve really enjoyed making videos this past few months and will definitely continue to do so!

[@wils462]

This run isn’t just a milestone; it’s a reflection of your spirit, a fiery reminder that greatness lies just outside your comfort zone.So take a moment to revel in your triumph. You deserve every bit of the applause, every cheer, and every moment of pride.

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you so much!

[@itsonandy]

Absolutely incredible mate - that post race grin says it all ❤ Well done to Holly and her bro too. Great running mate, very inspiring!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much! We were all buzzing to get it done!!

[@BoatCraig]

Fantastic run Ryan. Been watching for a month or so and enjoyed every video. Look forward to more, great job!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much! I appreciate the support a lot!

[@JGB87]

Wowww!! It was amazing meeting you at the start area!! Congratulations and I hope you come back again next year!!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

For some reason KZbin held this comment and I’ve only just seen it!! It was great to meet you too, thanks for the chat! Valencia has been the best day of my year for 2 years in a row so hopefully I can come back to make it 3! How did you get on?

[@JGB87]

@@Ryan.Thomson you should ✊🏻!!! It went well up until 35k mark where I had a deep pain in my stomach and couldn’t breathe normally so I slowed down the pace until it went away after 2k suffering!! But even so I improved 2’ my previous pb and came with 2:22:21

[@almccccccc]

Class running pal, well deserved. It’s been great following the build up to Valencia. Hope the channel continues to grow

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much!

[@ChrisDrysdale16]

Incredible result and nice to follow along the journey! Looking forward to the next one!!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much!

[@mikehobbs624]

Fantastic time Ryan. Congratulations on a big pb!!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much!

[@davidbeagley4853]

Excellent running and coverage of your prep, race and post race thoughts - really enjoyed the insight! Thanks

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much! It was a great weekend and I loved documenting it!

[@johhnyrobinson3526]

having watched this channel for a couple months its an absolute goldmine, hope it grows as it should

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you so much. I’ve loved documenting the journey this past few months so I’m glad you’ve been enjoying it and finding value!

[@ianbarnett6027]

Hugh congratulations Ryan. Very well deserved. Great review leading up to the race and enjoyed your past vlogs. Your family was also very much involved in your marathon quest which was lovely to see.

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much! Yeah both parents being runners is definitely a massive blessing. They know how much their support helps

[@davidbarclay7606]

Great video and congratulations on your PB,i cant believe how strong you looked at the end 💪

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much! Yeah it felt good!

[@jamesdennison1536]

Awesome run Ryan. Cracking race video too. Nailed it!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much!

[@TheFODRunner]

Incredible result Ryan! Its been great to follow your journey in this build up and you've definitely got the result you deserved! Excited to see whats next!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much! I appreciate your support over the past few months!

[@TheWu]

Awesome work. Really interesting to see the days leading to the race.

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed!!

[@amjid300]

Congrats Ryan. Amazing performance and glad all that training paid off. Relatively new subscriber and love how modest and down to earth you (and the rest of your family) are which is unusual for someone at your level. Love the cheeky smile too. Keep it up. Inspirational stuff 💪🏽👌🏽

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you very much! I really appreciate the kind words. We all just love running and have done for most of our lives!

[@kenvysmiguel8817]

Outstanding performance i envy you dedication to the sports im glad i found you channel you are transparent in all your training and preparations.

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much! I just absolutely love running and have done for pretty much my whole life. Sharing my journey and experience on KZbin has been a great extension of that

[@seancearnaigh]

New follower, something very special about València- I was there supporting this year, ran it in 2023. Your video did it justice. Excellent.

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much! Holly came to watch me in 2023 and couldn't resist entering for this years edition. I think she regretted her decision in the days leading up to the race but absolutely loved it as much as I expected her to once she was out there

[@petermartin8050]

Well done Ryan and Holly great results

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you!!

[@Benedikt-p2v]

Congrats mate great work and a great Video

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@derekpugh5457]

Those split times are incredible, brilliant, brilliant run ….you should be so proud well done.thank you for taking us along for the ride 👏🏻👏🏻

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you very much! I’ve loved documenting the journey and will continue to do so!

[@iagoferreira-b1v]

Great job, mate. Well done!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you!

[@Stevenc1984]

Really impressive! Took me a while to get round to watching this as I wanted to watch the whole thing with minimal interruption. Looking forward to what comes next!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much! I'm really glad you enjoy the content enough to save it for a good time!

[@Team.L]

This make me cry of happienes and I know your feeling. It was an amazing journey following you through your training for this race! reminds me a lot of my own journey almost 24 years ago when I went from 2.19 to 2.15. when I saw your 3×10K with the competition in the middle of the session, I could see that you were in very good shape, you are actually sub 2.15 shape. your training has been very good, be patient and keep working smart. you will approach sub 2.12 by 2025. now enjoy this amazing moment and take a quiet period and spend time with family and friends. have a good balance before starting a training period again. Remember one thing! You are the best!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you so much, I love and appreciate everything you wrote here. I’m enjoying the downtime after putting so much into this marathon but feeling confident and ready to get back and attack some more PBs soon! Thanks again for the comment. It really does mean a lot

[@samwilson1189]

Congratulations mate good to see the support of the family you and Charlie must be buzzing with that result onto the next 💪

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you! Yeah he was delighted. I think he’s seen a performance like that in me for much longer than I have!

[@samwilson1189]

@ Ofc he has, but the more you believe in yourself the better you will become, on wards and upwards im looking forward to keeping up with your journey mate!

[@Sharkey2005]

Truly amazing run. Well done.

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much!

[@BennyD-y3i]

Well done Ryan, all the hard work paid off. So good 👊

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you!

[@mat-rn88]

Brilliant work Ryan! You deserve it all your hard work and focus paid off Well done 👏

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much!

[@whereweoffDAD]

Congratulations well done. Insane effort 🤯👏

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much!

[@bakesy_SA]

Great video mate!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks a lot mate!

[@ArchibaldBiggam-js7tk]

Brilliant Ryan all that work you put into your build up payed dividends you done your country proud and your family and friends were all proud of you 🙏

[@funthomas-nh8ci]

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💪💪💪

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much! It was a great day!

[@noisyshaun]

Honestly the stress / nerves I felt watching the first half of this, even though I knew the outcome, I have no idea how 1) you manage to remain so calm on the lead up to the race and 2) you managed to not catch Holly's cold! Absolute loved watching this whole journey and can't wait for the next chapter 🇦🇹🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@Ryan.Thomson]

😂😂 I think by the time you get 2-3 days out you have the confidence from knowing that you did everything right and anything that goes wrong is probably because you made a stupid mistake (pacing) or had some terrible luck (caught Hollys cold). At the end of the day if you control what you can control then you’re going to have your good day whether that’s in the next marathon or in 3 marathons time. So no need for any stress or nerves. Just turn up and do what you’ve been doing in training!

[@alangray8952]

Congratulations Ryan, amazing running 🏃🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 been following your journey on KZbin, bet your still buzzing. Looking forward to seeing whats next

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you! Yeah still riding the high of a good performance after such a strong build! But ready to get back to attacking some goals

[@abqp7158]

Fantastic achievement, enjoyed watching your training and delighted with the outcome. Well done 👏 ✔️ 👍

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much!

[@aitorarotzena2550]

Firstly, congrats on ypur race and the massive PB! I was following you in the tracker and you looed really well. Secondly, I'm not watching this video right now. I Have 50mins indoor bike training on Tuesday so this video fits perfect for the ride to be more entertaining. See you then!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you very much! I hope you enjoy the video and it helps with the bike ride!!

[@GordonCampbell-v1q]

Well done Ryan. Loved the post race video. Bet you are still on a high.

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you! Yeah it’s hard to get back to normal after such a high

[@tomassvitorka]

Congrats Ryan, what an inspiration!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much! I hope the marathon recovery has gone well!

[@ljukherrecker]

Congrats, great achievement!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much!

[@derekpatterson-bp5bc]

Well done Ryan - superb run

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you!

[@ryanw903]

amazingly done!!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you!

[@rickblend4330]

Congrats! And keep the videos coming, they are great! I ran 2.26, so next year I'm coming for you (lol🤣).

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much! That’s great running, well done! Keep up the consistency for another year and you might not be laughing! 😂

[@mylesgibbons2377]

Savage result ryan, thrilled for u, it's great when all ur hard training pays off, brilliant ny Holly to, to run that in her first marathon and not be feeling well, she will run a massive pb in her next one, great video 👍

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much! Yeah she’s definitely caught the marathon bug so will be back for a big pb soon!

[@josephgonzalez_]

Brilliant run. You rightly should be very proud of that.

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much!

[@rydo2012]

Brilliant result Ryan, well done! Great video too, really interesting to see the pre race routine of elite runners. 2.15 was what i done earlier this year, but that was a half marathon 😂

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you! That’s still really impressive running! Just keep the consistency and enjoyment in your running and the improvements will keep on coming!

[@timothytrewin]

Absolutely amazing running man! I'm living in Edinburgh (from Australia) and started a wee channel recently as well. Look forward to following your videos 👊

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you! Ahh, love it! There’s a real need for some Scottish based running content on here. I have subscribed

[@timothytrewin]

@@Ryan.Thomson my guy I appreciate it! 🙏 Your content is 🤌 hope the recovery from the marathon has gone well

[@jacobmatthew5298]

Excellent! Really enjoyed following along. I ran the Seattle half marathon last Sunday 9 seconds slower than last year 1.38🤨 but finished down hill with my best 3 k time ever 😊

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you! A 3K PB in half marathon is something I bet very few people have ever done. Congrats and definitely a lot more to come I think!

[@jacobmatthew5298]

@@Ryan.Thomson well it’s a bit embarrassing. I guess I should have gone out a lot quicker! Anyway I’m a fan!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Definitely not embarrassing. Just keep the focus and consistency and you’ll keep making improvements!

[@English.runner.en.Espana]

Outstanding performance!!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you!

[@CharleneLars]

Congratulations. Was very surprised at the selection of Chicken Fried as a pre race tune. Lol

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you! Haha, anything that’s gonna get me dancing is my pre race choice. Chicken fried has been on my playlist for a while and currently the best option for that 😂

[@discostu3847]

Congrats - enjoyed the series!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you!

[@stefankennedy428]

Well done Ryan! Deserved result for the training you put in!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much!

[@NeillyVille]

Hi Ryan, amazing race! Congrats! I ran Valencia too and its a dream, I snag a PB in a modest time of 3:19 😅 Was wondering where you booked your flat as it's really close to the start isnt it!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you! Love to hear it, congratulations!! Yeah it was about 200m from the start. Booked it through booking .com. “Apartmentos Las Ciencias S”

[@AlastairCunningham-g4z]

Canny believe how much you ate before that. Enjoyed watching, well done.

[@Ryan.Thomson]

I was stuffed honestly 😂 although I think being so carb loaded was the only thing that saved me since I wasn’t able to get all my gels down during the race

[@AlastairCunningham-g4z]

@ thought I was watching Beard meets food 😀

[@AlastairCunningham-g4z]

Having said that we were round at Mark’s the other day & I bet you couldn’t take his biscuit tin!

[@Ryan.Thomson]

😂😂 we runners love our food

[@JuliusFawcett]

nice work rkid, from Manchester, England

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks very much!

[@DoggsLife-zk2qx]

Great run well done

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you!

[@mikes5764]

Enjoyed this video and an amazing PB, you were flying!! I also raced there and it also went perfect. Still recovering, one knee feels a bit like like a runner's knee, although it's getting better every day just from resting (I didn't run yet). Do you ever experience knee pain after a marathon or in marathon training? I hope introducing strength training in my routine will fix this.

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you! That’s amazing, really glad to hear it went well for you! Actually knee pain is something I’ve never struggled with personally but it’s important to remember that you’ve put your body through a really tough challenge and sometimes it’s not gonna be happy about it. For me I also find that a break from running brings on more aches and pains, especially when I start back up. Strength training is an absolute must for injury prevention though

[@mikes5764]

Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it! I'm motivated to do the strength stuff to get to the next level. Let's start things up again 💪🏻😄!

[@danforward9438]

Congratulations! I was tracking you and was so pumped to see you'd done it. Watching this video makes me really curious about the what the vibe was in the elite starting area. Was it tense, or were most people relaxed? How did you feel?

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you! I really appreciate the support! I’d say the generally people are pretty relaxed. I didn’t speak to any of the top elites (I think best not to pre race) but I ended up in a box with a few of the Brits, some of which I’d never met, and we just chatted amongst ourselves for about 30mins then went and did our own individual warm up. Personally I don’t think about the race or feel any tension until I’ve finished my jog. Those last 30mins post jog are more about making sure everything is done and I’m mentally ready to hurt. I’ll still chat and have a bit of a laugh with the people I know but there’ll be a little more tension there

[@joshgraham1662]

Unreal brother ❤

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you!

[@olivervarney2032]

well done mate. I get fall foul of cramp similar to you. Im more and more convinced it has nothing to do with salt and more neuromuscuar fatigue. I also suffer from huge lock ups, which can last upto about 60 seconds,.

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Yeah I’m pretty sure it’s always one or the other (or both if you’re unlucky). Strength training is always going to be a good thing regardless!

[@carlosfalcon7417]

Impresionante 🙌🙌

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Gracias!

[@the.distanceproject]

Legend 👊🏻

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Cheers boss 🙌

[@Modomio1]

Nice one,champion..

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you!

[@henryedward1194]

2:11 Sir, I did not come here to be seduced. 😂 Seriously though, appreciate you taking the time to film all this on what was a massive day for you. Amazing performance. Perhaps most impressed at the amount of salt water you drank without complaint.

[@Ryan.Thomson]

😂 it would’ve been worse if I worn short shorts . Haha, I always say that you can get used to anything. Salty water is a great example of that. Also since I’ve only ever drank it the day before hard long efforts it now weirdly signals that it’s go time.

[@walleye204]

Amazing run. Congratulations to you and Holly. Starting to train for my first ever marathon in spring at age 40. Is that just regular table salt you are mixing in with your water?

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you! I used fine sea salt, just because that’s what I always use at home. Good luck with the training, I hope it goes smoothly!

[@johncomrie2303]

Want done Ryan brilliant run you did Scotland proud you should do London he will run quicker .

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thank you! I’m actually chatting with my coach about 2025 plans today so shouldn’t be long before everything is figured out!

[@martenih]

Amazing running. Question: why table salt and not salt tabs?

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Salt tabs have 100mg of sodium per 2 tabs I believe. Comparing this to 1 precision fuel 1500 tab having 750mg I felt like the salt tabs weren’t enough. They also didn’t make a dent on my cramp in London but it was already pretty bad by the time I took them

[@martenih]

@Ryan.Thomson the ones I've got has 250 per tab, and I'm sure you can find some even higher

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Interesting. I will have to look around. Not sure what made me choose the salt sticks brand to begin with honestly

[@jameskillilea1983]

Did you take two Nootropics? It's hard enough trying to sleep that night after one of them. I can't imagine what the brain would be like after two of them.

[@Ryan.Thomson]

I planned to take 2 but couldn’t face the 2nd one with a bad stomach. I took 2 in my 3x10K session though and although I probably didn’t sleep great afterwards, I tend to just do what I feel is best for performance and worry about any consequences after 😂

[@stevenlennie]

Did you bring those little white bags of 'salt' through airport security?! I got the third-degree at Edinburgh airport about my SIS gels flying out to the Lanzarote Half this weekend.

[@Ryan.Thomson]

I actually had a much bigger, less suspicious looking bag of salt which I got through. I had gels for 3 marathon runners and the machine “didn’t like” one of them for some reason and we had to ditch it. Apart from that there was no issues. Hope the half went well!

[@JohnBirtchetSharpe]

3 days I book my place for next years race .. 👊

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Good choice!

[@fav5504]

👍

[@Ryan.Thomson]

Thanks!

[@4plum]

7.51 pace, a jog.... mmmm.... not for many of us mere mortals :-)

[@Ryan.Thomson]

😂 not for me after a long break either

[@funthomas-nh8ci]

😷🧬💉🤒⚰️🪦 🤗

[@Ryan.Thomson]

🫡

[@benito892]

Weird accent. Awesome race. Congrats 🎉

[@Ryan.Thomson]

😂 thank you

[@stuartwalker6786]

Where's my Chokkie Bar for predicting 2:15:27!! 🤣🤣🤣👊🦾🏃💙🤍

[@Ryan.Thomson]

In keeping with the theme of the race, you win some salty water 😂

[@stuartwalker6786]

@@Ryan.Thomson I forfeit said prize!! 🤣🤣🤣👊