Wokingham Half with a GoPro!! And what happened at the Seville Marathon...

[@HappyPotter24]

Had to pause it to say this Ben - I think it’s inspiring to see you listen to your body. Most people are not running marathons with so many eyes on them. If they PB or DNF no one knows or really cares. It must be an incredible amount of pressure, so I think it’s inspiring to see you drop out and take care of yourself physically and mentally, and be able to stay consistent and happy in your running. I mean, that’s what it’s all about, right? Also, yes, Sarah’s PB bells 😂

[@BenParkes]

Thank you Clancy 🤗 .. loved Sarah's edit with her PB too, very proud of her!

[@severiner7168]

It's one of the most inspiring things to do, to know when to stop when it might affect training for your A goal. It's hard and it's great to show that people like you, who is such a role model for many can do it. Also Sarah's horns...

[@dowsey]

I ran Wokingham Half this weekend, it was my first half marathon! I’m very proud of myself, 2:11:11 chip time. I rep’d the #gettingitdone matte black cap 🧢 didn’t realise you were there Ben, appreciate the videos!

[@gavinthomas4639]

Remember that it's not just you that has learnt something from this event, but also tens of thousands of others who will watch this. Right decision for every possible reason and even more respect for your totally honest assessment of your fitness. Well done on Wokingham. I was out with my York Knavesmire Harriers today at the awesome Snake Lane 10 miler in Pocklington and got a PB!

[@lizzyg4817]

Well done on your run at snake lane, I was absolutely gutted not to be able to run today. Wore my lovely hoody all day from last year to cheer me up!

[@laurainthehaute918]

Well said and congrats on the PB!

[@gavinthomas4639]

@@lizzyg4817 the hoodie is awesome isn't it - we got USB chargeable headtorches this year - top bling!

[@lizzyg4817]

@@gavinthomas4639 the headtorches look great. Well done on your PB, hopefully a great season ahead. You doing summer league?

[@runfreeultra]

Always makes my brain melt seeing Sarah editing the video I’m watching 🫠Well done both of you, keep up the great work!

[@ZIPTRAVELS]

Great work guys, you’ve inspired me to begin running last year. I started from not being able to run to running my max distance of 16km. Your video production quality is fantastic. Keep the great work Sarah and Ben

[@dustinwessells1716]

Thank you for all the content! Just seriously running again after a long hiatus and now training for the nyc half marathon. I have been using your half marathon plan the last 3 months and my 5k went from 27:30 to 23:40 today for a new PR!

[@BenParkes]

Congratulations Dustin! That's a huge PR. Lots of hard work right there. Keep it up!

[@dustinwessells1716]

@@BenParkes i owe a lot of it to a great plan and information through the channel. Thanks again!

[@John_Wood_]

Would have been nice to coast home and finish the race...

[@JackD87]

Thanks again for another great video. You seem in awesome shape, clipping along for the Half. Sensible decision to step off during the marathon and actually good to see… I think we can all learn from that decision making. Sorry to hear about your mental health struggles, I’m not sure if you’ve ever spoken further about that on the channel but you’re not on your own there, for sure. Running pretty much saved me during lockdown.

[@laurainthehaute918]

Lovely comment and so true. Most everyone in this community is kind and either has a story themselves or loves someone with a story ❤Let’s keep running. 😊

[@BenParkes]

Hope you're in a better place now Jack. 🤗 Appreciate your kind words, thank you.

[@jimmiestuart8904]

Love the honesty as always! Nice reminder that not every run/race is going to be your best and that’s ok. Thanks Ben

[@fiftysteps]

Sara PB bells just made my day 🤣

[@RunTall]

Love your energy. Very inspiring. I enjoyed being able to experience it with you. Looked like so much fun. Stepping off a marathon race so far into it in order to stay healthy working toward bigger goals was also inspiring. I’m a big fan of playing the long game. Well done Ben.

[@finbarcoyle6691]

Since October I've been using your videos as motivation, education and inspiration for my first marathon in Madrid in April. Well done to Sarah on getting a HM PB. Thanks for all the great content!

[@outerheaven8797]

I admire the spirit that comes across when you're running. Keep it up!!

[@zaphod2]

Congrats on a 1:16 half. I know it's not your PB, but it's still pretty impressive, especially for a training run while recording a video. All the best for your upcoming efforts.

[@ianc.4601]

True. Trick imo is not too choose a dnf but have them forced in you. Was this one forced?

[@jimfrazier1073]

You are a great inspiration and a teacher. Showing us running is for the long term, listening to what the body is telling you and be brave enough to act. Looking forward to your upcoming races, etc. Congrats Sarah on the new PB🥳🥳

[@philipsmyth8186]

Agree with what others have said here... I watch the channel as you're a human doing incredible things and I think it's great to see content that shows the harder more challenging aspects of what we do, not just the successes. I appreciate that puts you in a somewhat vulnerable position at times but we all support you. Want to thank you for including me in your video at 5.27 (I'm in the orange vest). Ran marathon pace that day in preparation for Brighton and felt ok...

[@amrunning1301]

I hate only seeing the victories, it’s refreshing seeing a popular KZbinr/influencer showing the not so great moments for all of us that experience this. Thank you

[@brittanykopke6133]

Sometimes the most difficult thing is to do what’s best for your A goal. You let the ego go and we’re disciplined. That is inspiring

[@paysonnichols8941]

Holding a go-pro, talking to your audience and racing at 5:51 pace is INSANE. Well done Ben!! Looking forward to seeing what you can throw down at London. I’ll be at Boston this Spring can’t wait.

[@RequiemForABuckeye]

Yeah that absolutely blows my mind. He's speaking complete sentences at my current pb for one mile

[@chrisshaw2810]

I did Wokingham half last year - 1h40 - my fastest hm so far. Today I ran the North Downs Ridge 50k, and it snowed at one point! I am running the Brighton and London marathons for Mind - my first road marathons, and for a cause I - and I am sure you - understand the value of. I really enjoy your channel, even though you are so fast in theory I shouldn't relate to it - but I do. Thank you for what you do.

[@sun.2801]

Congrats to Sarah! She is so fast! And kudos to you, Ben, for recognizing your goal and knowing what you needed to do for it.

[@ian757]

A very good day for both of you. Special congrats to Sarah! I’ll let you know how I get on in Cambridge next week. I’m going out at 1:35 pace but I’ll be happy with 1:37. I’m not getting on great with my Endorphin Pro 3s and I’m tempted to stick to my Speed 1s that feel more comfortable and which I know I can still do interval speed in. Congrats again and I be cheering you both on in London.

[@CNCTurboStep]

I searched for you in the Seville results an eventually found that you DNF‘d. I thought you might have injured yourself, so it‘s a relief to hear it was just good judgement! Congrats to Sara on a great run.

[@ianfraser747]

Wise choice, it`s sometimes hard to do the correct thing and often takes more courage than carrying on. I raced the National XC Champs in Chester last wknd with a back injury, managed to finish, no where near what I was aiming for and in the process made my injury worse and all for nothing. Great work and keep inspiring!

[@alfdickinson1971]

Always inspirational-amazing to think what is actually possible when watching your content/stats on strava.

[@gusmontano]

Love the footage, the honesty and the insight. Great content as always, Ben! Looking forward to your London Marathon!

[@jordans1712]

Thank you for the honest assessment! I appreciate your view on running and how to nail down the effort in relationship to your marathon running and training as well as what is too much. Your knowledge is appreciated!

[@gary_runs]

Great Video Ben, Still always amazes me how you run so fast and talk effortlessly! Wokingham half, you just rocked up in a t-shirt surrounded by fast runners in Singlets and left them all behind you whilst talking to the go-pro! Keep up the great work Ben & Sarah 🙌🏼

[@neilloffhagen4670]

Congrats to Sarah on her PB at Wokingham. I ran Wokingham too yesterday, and also got a PB, 10 minutes faster than my previous HM. Though my finish time of 2:37 was far slower than Sarah and yourself, but always good to improve.

[@donbracci2199]

Thanks for the transparency. It helps to see your thought process on training goals and training leading up to big events. Great video. 👍

[@laurenscoene]

Hi Ben, we ran together for a couple k’s in Seville when you catched up with my group. Had to let you go eventually so I’m surprised you stepped out because you were looking really strong! Thanks for putting me in the video at 10:39 😉 Best of luck in London!

[@johnnylineham59]

Sounds like a smart move pulling the pin on the race. Honestly I think it's much smarter/wiser/braver to do that especially when you know you'll have to tell all of us! It's a much better lesson to all of us about making wise choices for your health and long term goals vs just smashing yourself over and over. Love the transparency, super appreciate this. I'm training for the Christchurch Marathon (New Zealand) at the moment, but I've had a few injuries over the last 18 months, everything seems to finally be coming together, but this training block for me is all about the smart choices and listening to my body. It should always be priority but somehow the message is often skipped.

[@peterrichardson5664]

Yet another fantastic video, looking forward to seeing you in London April.

[@tomrankin4530]

Another fine video. Congratulations to Sarah! That was an excellent race. I really respect Ben for not only having the courage to make a hard decision but to also be forthright about it. Thank you,

[@kimbland5332]

Let’s normalise running for reasons other than finishing with medals, for times and running to make our bodies healthier. Well done on listening to yourself and keeping your body safe.

[@briantierney5183]

I think it was wise to listen to your body and learn a good lesson. Good inspiration for me, that you live and learn. Look forward to more content...

Glad to hear you enjoyed the Seville marathon despite dropping out of the race, which was definitely the most sensible decision with your A-goal in mind. I managed to run a 36-minute pb in Seville, thanks to your plan! Really pleased with 3:30 for my second marathon. Keep up the good work!

[@The_Funky_Horn]

Great run, Ben! Had a brief chat with Sarah on the course and she said that you just love helping people and that’s exactly what your content does!! Keep it up, you 2 are legends!! 🏃🏻‍♀️ 🏃🏻‍♂️💨💨

[@markjohnson4237]

Hi Ben, love the approach taken to your DNF here. Great to see and hear the negatives and the reasons. This is just as important as seeing and hearing the positives. We can learn just as much from this. Hoping to break 1:40 for a half for the first time in 9 weeks from now. I'd be really keen for you to do a video on maintenance training for when you have long gaps between races. EG,. I only do two halves a year, mainly because I live in NZ and there aren't that many to enter and I'd love to understand the best approach for training without having to go back to the start of a full plan. Cheers, Mark

[@benjarvis5379]

Another awesome video. Seen u yesterday after the race. Used the race as prep for Newport. And great to see you are being sensible with a main target. It's easy to get carried away and good to see someone you look up to doing it properly

[@BenParkes]

Good luck in Newport Ben!!

[@tombyrd69]

Spotted myself at 5:26. I look as bad as I felt. Thanks for filming.

[@davebowerman9869]

I attempted my first 50k Ultra yesterday at the North ridge and happy to finish under 6 hours. I respect your decision making regarding your future and wishing all the love.

[@Ruffnreddyrunner]

U keep me inspired to get my runs done 👍🏻 and I have entered into my first official half marathon at sandringham so 😊 thanks Ben and Sarah

[@karlbolderson4422]

A lovely course, really nice place to run. Not my pb course.. But really enjoyable so I hope you love it.

[@Ruffnreddyrunner]

@@karlbolderson4422 I’ve done the 10k one at sandringham last year really liked it done a decent time too

[@YouTubeTheRunningDutchman]

Well done Sarah! We had a training weekend in Spa, in the Belgium Ardennes. Getting some altitude in for the Ultra in Sussex next month. If you ever have the chance, come and run here. 5, 10, 22 and 31 trail runs and you can combine them with trail runs in the villages around.

[@rubarb1275]

Thanks for explaining the DNF, it can’t have been easy to decide to stop, so well done for making the right call in the middle of the race. 👍

[@chrisbull845]

Like others below Ben, I think it's great that you listened to your body, thought about what you have coming up ahead and made the decision to walk off thinking of a longer term goal. I've had only one DNF before and that was a marathon and I walked off at the end of loop 1 of a 2 loop course. It felt awful to do it at the time and I'm not going to lie, even now I think in hindsight, I could have dug in and got it done because it haunts me.. But I know how I felt at the time, I had niggles that were not going to go away, it was crazy humidity (about 85%) and I knew I was going to end way off my goal pace if I continued. Plus I wasn't going to collapse with heat exhaustion if I DNFed. It was the wise move. And Seville was the wise move for you. And Wokingham went awesome for you so you are already onwards and upwards! 👍

[@BenParkes]

Thank you Chris! Yes there will always be what if's.. sounds like you made the right decision too. All good learnings to take forward to the next one!

[@trevstow]

Sorry to hear about Seville Ben. Very well done on Wokingham. Really enjoying your inspiring content. 👍🏻

[@jasonhutchinson3653]

Glad to see you post the not so good with the good. So many times all we see is the success and NOT all the work and “failures” that make the success possible. Thank you for showing us all how hard it can be even if you make running a sub 6min mile look easy.😂. I will be watching as I train for my own races

[@ivylovesrunning]

Well done to you both! It is always good to listen to your body.

[@HobboTube]

I was at wokingham too.. shame I didn't see you. I came in 1:51:26 which was about 7 mins quicker than I was expecting.... really happy with that. Wanting to break 1:50 at Reading in 5 weeks time.

[@cars92dtb]

Barcelona marathon? You must really enjoy Spain. Roll on 19 March, I will be on the start line for that! Wish I had tickets for Barca vs Madrid later that night though..

[@SimonBerry]

Ran Wokingham yesterday, first time and local to me, also on the road to London also for the first time, not as speedy as you guys but a solid near best time for me, so very happy.

[@TriToBeIron]

Great work and super running. Great meeting u on the breakfast 5k out in Seville during the run!

[@jjnrmason]

Looking to get a London championship time myself at Manchester (first marathon) let’s see training going very well. Good luck yourself!

[@laurainthehaute918]

Wonderful video and one we can all learn from. Races can have different purposes and this is a great reminder to focus on what’s best in the long run. We are not machines nor should we be Strava slaves. I really believe “sometimes good enough can be golden.” You ran smart in Seville and logged some great steady miles. Congrats to Sarah for another PB and to you for a fast and smooth race!🎉🎉

[@miguelmurcia4809]

Hey I'm also doing Barcelona hopefully under 3 hours. See you there!

[@synaone]

I was also in Seville and training for the London marathon. I wanted to fo 2h45 pace to see how I felt and evaluate the pace for London. Unfortunately stomach issues mad me quit even sooner than you (at 18k ) It was so early that i have any conclusions about pace effort .. at least you got that perception where yout fitness is. Learning every day and we will be stronger and fitter in London.

[@jonathanwatkins447]

Great HM. You looked so happy. Smart pulling off seville at 35K . Makes sense. Keep up the great work you and Sara do.

[@goddesskore]

Congratulations to both of you!!

[@deshall1885]

Well done Sarah on the half PB

[@danthomasburton]

It’s really refreshing to see an honest response. I know it could have been easy to say that travel took it out of you or you were having stomach issues etc, but this is so much more human and relatable. Do you plan recovery/cut back weeks in your training? I’m following Advanced Marathoning at the moment for London and have a reduced mileage week every 4 weeks ish.

[@markcobbold3539]

Enjoyed the video! 🙂 Ran our first XC Nationals on Saturday. Back of the field for me but a great experience. Last week of 5k training using your L3 plan. Goal race at Dorney Lake on Sunday 🤞💪

[@matthiassventoest6800]

Congratulations to Sara.., good stuff.. Also, ben’s hair is in the building

[@fatrunner]

Great video, well done on the PB Sarah. Hope to see you guys in London on race day. Training is going really well, using your level 2 marathon plan.

[@bartholomewJsimpson]

get innnnn Sarah! you´re a complete beast and keep the channel running. thanks for all your work and nice editing

[@khazza930]

it's so hard to know and decide that the reasonable thing is to stop and to actually do it... I've made the mistake a few times to "toughen it out", only to regret it for weeks after... good luck with the London marathon training :)

[@uras1]

Well done on the pb Sarah! Solid effort on the marathon still even tho the dnf but it was smart idea to pull out. Looking forward to London for you guys I'll be doing Canberra marathon here in Australia a week before London, first one for the year

[@markkatepowell]

Hi Ben, I ran Wokingham today as well. Really enjoyed it, it’s a well run event. No PB for me but only a minute or slower so all good.

[@BenParkes]

Well done Mark!!

[@wilfriedkostbahn7681]

Right and brave decission

[@benjarvis5379]

Hi Ben. Just wondered if you could do a video documenting what sort of thing u would do before a marathon race. Warm up etc

[@babaza1972]

Carsington water 10 km today……thanks for all the advice and tips

[@NicBen]

Great work. Disciplined and wise. Good luck for the London marathon work between now and then! Look forward to the Barca vlog 😊

[@davewarman4208]

I did Wokingham today, although you were probably home by the time I finished, nice shoes btw 👍🏃‍♂️🇬🇧

[@dariuszlisowski1979]

Hey Ben! Sorry about Seville but like you said it's marathon and anything can happen. On another note I'm following your 3:20 marathon plan and I'm running London marathon finally 😀 Hope to catch up with guys there

[@BenParkes]

See you there Dariusz!

[@josephgonzalez_]

I agree, Seville was probably a suboptimal race to do. With Wokingham being a steady effort will you actually schedule a hard race effort half before London? I’d say you need it to at least get a better idea of where your fitness is at and what time you should realistically target at London.

[@bryanmcgill752]

Training for my first marathon in Edinburgh. Signed up for a half marathon 2 weeks today. Elche, the oldest in the world apparently. Great video as usual 👍

[@justalilbester]

Pulling out of a race is never the easiest decision to make, but with LM being the main goal I think it was definitely the right one. Sorry to have missed you in Seville but I’ll see you around soon 👊🏻

[@richardbrown1573]

Really good runs both of you. Building nicely for London! 🙌

[@Dannyner6]

inspiring mindset, ben. fantastic stuff :D

[@daiboy8076]

Ben casually interviewing the viewers at a pace that is 2 min / mile quicker than my flat out for one mile then die pace. Different levels to this game!

[@davidmellor5605]

Sounds like you was very sensible ben and made the right decision! Long term goals should always trump short term goals 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

[@lucycrowhurst5514]

How hilly is the Wokingham race? But worried about the hills

[@mitchellboocock2456]

Great video ben, such an inspiration 👏

[@nilocottini8236]

Were u cramping, Ben??

[@mikew6840]

Well done Sarah! Ben, don’t overdo it midyear, you need to be fresh for Comrades 🇿🇦😁

[@Joshuacrandley2679]

I didn't realise you were running Wokingham. I was not far behind you, 1:59 🤣

[@normrubio]

5:51’s…. Dang well done. I really need to step up

[@pauldouglass1272]

Great to meet you Ben - and I made the edit! Ha! Also, the hat at the end of this vlog - available yet?

[@attackedbywaterfoul]

Nice half - seemed pretty controlled, would be cool to see you do a half marathon all out within the next 6 months - maybe after London?

[@CSalisbury]

You scared me with the hatless thumbnail - glad to hear you're not injured

[@steventownley3342]

Wow how many marathons have you done I wasn't expecting nearly 100

[@davidjuson5608]

More good stuff. Thank you Ben. One thing though, light blue shirt and noisy-green trainers: not a good look.

[@StanleyCup919]

What brand are the pink gloves??

[@almckinnon1753]

I think that was wise to pull out if you weren’t on for the time you needed for London next year, no point over doing it just to finish a race that doesn’t mean anything and sometimes the hardest decision is to stop and re-gather for another day, last thing you want is to have more time off to recover and not do as well in London. I think Barcelona maybe a bridge too far also unless you do as you say and take it at a steady pace all the way, you’ve done hundreds of marathons so I’m sure you know, good luck.

[@joncrane7117]

Did you use the Nike Vapourfly in Seville, and was it any good as a marathon shoe?

[@kcc8041]

Love the video, and hope you make it in London.

[@gareffroque6163]

Ben planning to do Wokingham in feb 25th where did you park??

[@RP-fp2hj]

Great run! keep going buddy

[@emanuelsantos5585]

This is real life!!!! Congrats