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Talkback: ASICS Target 26.2 Team: Colin
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Fraser, I'm hoping you can take a nice chunk off your mara time, how's the training gone this time compard to Abo last October?
I think gutted would be an understatement for those marathon runners in Startford to have the race cancelled on the start line. Was it flooding of the route that made it dangerous? I know ice & snow can get a race cancelled but never heard rain having the same effect?
Well done Martin, knew you should have been in the Mens A team instead of me, but probably would have been more pressure to perform. I think you clearly showed you've got a lot of speed in your legs to run that kind of time 1 week after a storming marathon. I was pleased with my 18.19 time which worked out at av pace of 6.06. I too had a good first mile of 5.50, but the wind slowed me down in the next 2 miles to 6.12 & 6.16. I tried one of those Beet it shots today for the first time and felt great in the first mile, but think that had a lot to do with the wind
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I see Tom from our Club came 3rd at the Milton Keynes marathon today, can't find out his time though?
Great running on post mara legs Martin. Very impressive.Quick stiff from you too KR - we'll be drug testing you for noxious banned substances
Good to see you're starting to get out for a gentle wobble or two Speedy
KR - this campaign has gone much much better thank goodness. Main difference is not getting injured. Pre Abo I lost about 5 weeks in chunks of 3 then 2 out of the 16. If I say anything more I will of course jinx myself but this time I haven't missed a single session and feel wonderfully niggle free. Less mileage but more quality in essence. Just ruminating on MP for the day at the moment. It looks like 2.52-2.53 will be the target ie a good improvement but not greedy. Of course lots could happen in the next 4 weeks
Cheers KR - I think that there were a few of us around the same pace yesterday. I didn't want to put myself forward for the "A" team without testing my legs as it could have gone the other way and they could have seized up after a mile. The slowdown in the second and third miles happened to everyone. That was by way the worst conditions I've raced in.
Fraser - I was having the same pacing conversation with myself right up to standing on the start line at VLM. You training has been longer and faster than mine. Start at 6.30 pace and see how you feel after a couple of miles. If you are not feeling confident you can slow down long before you have to. If it feels good then you can push on and for it.
Good race, Martin. I thought that you'd like to know that I took your advice and entered the London Marathon ballot. The plan is to defer until 2014, giving me plenty more time to push down my times before giving it another go. My application for the local running club has also been sent in the post... The power of the Forum. Thanks everyone...
Well done Rob. I think a running club will help you get your mojo back and will develop you even more. I was listening to the latest edition of Marathon Talk and Liz Yelling was talking about how having to stop running during her pregnancy has affected her long term. She said that she lost a big base of miles that can only be built up over the years.
This is exactly what will happen for you Rob. If you run consistently through the next couple of years you will have so many more miles in your legs (and probably at a faster pace than you are now) and it will give you a much better starting point for 2014 marathon training.
Back to proper training for me tonight as have a HM in two weeks time. Hilly, as usual around here, so won't be reaching potential, but confident of a new PB.
Cheers Martin. I really appreciate all the advice that you, KR and everyone else has given. I haven't had chance to listen to Marathon Talk, but wanted to hear what Liz said. I agree that it must be something to do with base miles. I have no history of sport and only took up running four years ago. Some people obviously have better genes and a better history of fitness, but I don't. I did all the training and had the interval/tempo/HM times, so it must be that.
Good luck with your training. Thanks again.
Mennania - Not too sure really as only started to think about it this morning. Probably (although not set in stone) something like this:
Today - 5 miles (1m easy, 1m @ 6.50, 2m @ 6.00, 1m easy)
Tomorrow - 6-8 miles (club run, just enjoy)
Weds - 3.6 miles easy run
Thurs - 1 mile easy,
15 mins @ MP (6.29 pace) (2.3 miles)
15 mins @ HMP (6.06 pace) (2.46 miles)
10 mins @ 10K (5.55 pace) (1.69 miles)
5 mins @ 5K (5.45 pace) (0.87 miles)
3 mins @ 3K (5.35 pace) (0.54 miles)
1 minute or longer/shorter at almost flat out (5.20ish pace) (0.20 miles)
1 mile easy
Approx 10 miles in total – Approx 63-65 mins
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 13 miles with 8m at 6.00 pace
Sunday - 4m Easy or Rest
Monday - 9 miles (2m Steady, 6 miles done as 0.5 mile @ HMP (6.06) then 0.5 mile @ 6.30, 1m Easy
Tuesday - 6-8 miles (club run, just enjoy)
Weds - Rest
Thurs - 5 miles with middle 3 at 6.00 pace
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 10 mins (4mins steady, 2mins at 6.00, 4mins easy)
Sunday - HM at HMP (hopefully 6.00-6.10 pace)
Being honest I have no idea how this will go. I am trying to get my legs used to running at 6.00 pace in as short a time as possible. However, if I feel any fatigue in my legs then I will back off instead of tempting injury.
Mennania - Take what you like. I've stolen them from various places over the past couple of months. Did you do any speed training during your marathon training? I've done some of these sessions over the past three months but have just increased the speeds.
I'm not sure whether my legs will want to run those speeds (especially Thursday) but if I don't try then I never know!!!
Thanks Martin - I did quite a bit of speedwork in the build up to VLM and to be honest the shcedule looks fine but I did gulp at Thursdays session and may tweek that a bit by chucking some recoveries inbetween and reduce the time -2 mile at HMP followed by 4 faster is probably too much of an ask for me at this stage, but will see come thurs!
Mennania - The point of the Thursday run is not to have any recoveries. It is about pace judgement, finishing speed and strength, and a massive confidence builder. Instead of including recoveries, just drop the number of minutes for each speed.
Remember the session is about the time spent doing the speed and not the distance. So you could reduce it to start with 10mins of MP & HMP, then 7 mins at 10k pace, etc, etc.
That is what I will do if it gets too much.
Looks like a good structured 2 weeks Martin. I did read somehwere that you should be able to do a 10k distance @ HMP a couple of weeks out from a half marathon. If you struggle with the pace you've chosen for the 10k distance then your half marathon pace needs readjusting. I don't think there's a lot of training that can be done now to be benficial for the half marathon in 13 dyas, but more of a realisation of what is achievable pace wise.
Just been looking at the course profile and the first half is okay hill wise with a few undualtions. There's a 2 mile climb from mile 7 with a sharp one between 8&9 and then another sharp climb between 10&11. However the last 2 miles are downhill
. I've done this race now for 8 years and enjoy it in a strange way!
Tonight wasn't the best time to test it. 2 steady miles to start, then 5.56 uphill and a 6.05 into a strong head wind. Hard work but then MP was like that a few weeks ago. Just not sure I have enough time to adjust.
I'll probably do what I usually do. Go out too fast in the first mile, panic, slow down a bit and then hang on for dear life until the last 800m when I suddenly get a second wind!!!!
Strange how a sprint finish seems to be more in the mind than the legs!!!
Ahh that bouncy first mile feeling - why can't it last! I usually get a bit freaked out by a quick first mile too.
First track session tonight since the marathon and it went reasonably well. .Did 10 x 400m @ av pace of 1.26 with 200m jog recoveries. Not many down tonight - probably due to the weather.
Just a quick report back from Manchester Marathon (I've been "recovering" by getting drunk in Norfolk)... did 3.23.46 in tough weather conditions (you've prob read about the race itself elsewhere, by now). Had hoped for a little quicker, but PB by 28 mins so shouldn't really complain! Last 7 miles or so pretty tough, into the wind and driving rain and hail... did 1.36 for first half which illustrates how much I slowed... but noty being too hard on myself!!
Anyway, have found this thread v. useful and motivating, and have enjoyed reading about KR and everyone else's progress.
Excellent result Simon - really pleased you got the result you deserved and trained hard for. Got a bit worried it didn't go well, but a combination of a 28 minute PB and being drunk in Norfolk is a good excuse! Sub 3.15 next year then!?
Simon - only just seen your result. Well done! A fantastic time.You must be very pleased with that, particularly after last year's marathon.
I hope everyone is well. I did my first parkrun a couple of weeks' ago. Poorly paced (first mile far too fast) but really enjoyed it and I'll be back for more.
I also did my first track session with Dulwich Runners last night, which was run by Steve. I absolutely loved it and I'll be making it a weekly fixture over the summer.
Glad to hear you've made down to the track Rob. Those kind of sessions are great as a group as there are always faster runners there that can act as pace makers, so you always have someone to chase down. Hope it all goes well for you there, Steve is a great coach.
Cheers KR. Well done on your HM race, by the way. I just saw your post on the 3:15 thread. I don't think my body has fully recovered from the marathon, so I'm very impressed that you did that race. I've been hampered by a sore quad and hamstring since the marathon. I realised that it was worse than I thought going into the marathon. I took a couple of weeks rest and on the mend now, but still taking it easy.
Steve is a brilliant coach. He's a tough task master, but that's exactly what I need. It made me smile thinking what you must've gone through with him on those track sessions on the run up to the marathon. The biggest difference last night was the timed recoveries seemed to be shorter than I'm used to, which is good. And of course keeping up with the other runners around the track...
Keep up the great running.
Cheers Rob and KR. Writing this in bed after a minor bout of food poisioning... but prob need the rest anyway! Did Borrowdale Trail Run on Sunday... a tough half marathon trail, think I still had the marathon in my legs a bit but did okay, a top 20 finish (okay, 20th, and it was a SMALL field!). I'm looking at sticking some track sessions into my schedule too if I can,Rob. I'm sure it helps in a number of ways, not least the "pure" focus on running - no traffic, hills, anything else to distract. KR, yep, sub 3.15 has to be the next goal. Though I also have the small matter of next year's Marathon des Sables to focus on too! What about you? When you going to smash 3 hours??! Have a race in mind?