Sub 3 hour London Marathon 2014 VLM

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  • I am now the proud owner of my first ever "racing shoes" image

    Went for the Mizuno Wave Sayonara

  • No excuses now then Tim!!! LOL

    MACb - I am exactly the same as you. Find it hard to run slower and on times i run with someone else to slow me down. But my runs are usually hard word as i push myself. Probably need a few more structured runs though and wil try and follow the P&D schedule for VLM in 2014

  • Oliver - Very impressive time on little training. I have/ did have similiar PBs all set 18 months ago before injury - 17:34  5k (actually that was post injury) and 35:09 (just before injury), never ran a 1/2 whilst in that form but was hoping for 1:20ish

    Now hoping to go sub 3 next year on just 30 or so mpw.. but with quite a bit cycle training (2 x 60 min intervals per week and one long ride) and some swimming (2 x intervals per week)

    Not sure if possible though as so out of shape at the minute, and March is fast approaching

     

    Looking forward to seeing what you can achieve next year with higher mileage

  • Good stuff Golden boots - are you using a plan?

  • Hi. Some wise words and impressive performances on here.

    I'm also aiming for Sub 3 for London. Hopefully will do it in 2014, but would be happy with PB next year and sub-3 in 2015. My first VLM, so quite excited. image My PB is 3:11, set this year in Brighton, so quite a lot to take off, but it's a great goal to have.

    I'm going to follow the plan in Greg McMillan's book - You (Only Faster) - which has a 12-week schedule. His advice is to use a shorter plan as you're more likely to stick to it. If you haven't read it, it's a great book. Very simple to follow, yet it all seems to make sense.

    I'm going to use the weeks before the schedule starts (early Jan) for building up endurance (slow, slow runs). Also, I think I need a rest after a summer of racing. I don't think I can get up to 70-odd miles a week, so I'm happy with what's in the 'Run 4-5 times a week schedule'.

     

  • No plan as such a I will be Ironman training. In short - 1 long run, 1 tempo, 1 intervals, and 1 short brick session running off the bike

    as well as 1 long cycle and 2 x 1hr interval cycle sessions

     

    very scientific stuff as you can see image

  • Golden - if it works for you who needs science!

    Rockhopper you are in a similar boat to me - new to running and 3:13 in brighton marathon - I also cant do 70 miles a week - what are your 10k and half times?

  • Another hand up for attesting that a sub-3 can be run on around 25mpw.  The biggest helps for me were longer intervals (usually 6 x 1600m) at the track once a week, and losing a couple of kilos in weight (weight loss was in Jan-Feb with careful eating - then maintained in March to May).

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    That's good going HomeBrew.

    What was the rest of your weeks running like?
  • Wenty - My PBs are: 10k - 38:25, HM - 87:50.

    I feel like I need to get those down quite a lot before acepting I'm a Sub 3 marathon possibility. Aiming for 85 min HM next year and sub37min 10k.

    Need a full-on winter of training!

    HomeBrew - I think you are right that long intervals are key.

  • Rockhopper - not far off the mark though with those times. I'd say with a good winters training you should be good sub 3hr material

  • REMREM ✭✭✭

    Almost gave up marathons after London 2011 (3.21). Put miles up to 70 per week, ran 3.00.33 in 2012.  Put miles up to 80 per week, ran 2.55.14 in Chester this month.  Peak week was 96, and did a full carb bleed and load in the last week.  At the age of 47 beat my previous PB set 15 years ago. Miles is the way forward! Can't wait for London next year!

    Before I get the abuse, it's only a point of view. 

  • REM great times there and good inspiration for those of us that are past the 40 year old milestone. I need to find time to increase my miles. Are you doing doubles? I struggle to get out of bed on a morning and only run in the evening on work nights.

     

  • REMREM ✭✭✭

    Definitely double up on Wednesday, usually 12 and 8 or 10 & 10, and time permitting 4 mile recovery runs on other days, so something like:

    Monday 6 easy

    Tuesday 7 fartlek

    Wednesday 20 as above

    Thursday 9 tempo

    Friday 8 v easy

    Saturday parkrun plus easy 4

    Sunday 20 + plus easy 4

    Oh yes, and lost about 25 pounds in weight.  Currently not as fat as my rather old profile pic!

  • image That looks brutal to me. Anyway people I am off to Frankfurt this morning so ina couple of days I'll find out just exactly what shape I am in and then I'll be able to work out what needs doing to get back into sub 3 shape.

  • MACbMACb ✭✭✭

    Holy flip, 80 miles a week! That's some serious mileage, but isn't there a risk of fatigue and actually under performing in the future? I think there must be an optimum mileage, but obviously this will vary from person to person. Due to time contraints I never do recovery runs and i've never done a double run in one day before. But then i'll probably never go sub 3h in a marathon, but i'll try. It's amazing how you get the see the extremes of training here, from 25 miles per week to 3 to 4 times that.

  • REMREM ✭✭✭

    Forgot to say, that I was much more disciplined in my taper this time, i.e. resisted the temptation to add miles to the my schedule. To be honest, by the time I got to the taper, I fancied the rest!!

  • Well that was a nice surprise... thought I had lost a lot of previous speed in the past 15 months since my last parkrun, which was a pb at 17:34...

    this weekend... 17:43 image Not too bad for a starting place

     

    That is only very short distance though. Need to start getting some long runs in now!!

  • image 3:08 for me in Frankfurt. So back to the drawing board for me. 

    A bad run starting with getting off to a poor start in a cramped starting pen, both shoe laces coming undone (what a schoolboy error!!!!) and then persistent knee pain conspired to make this marathon a pretty miserable affair, I just could'nt talk myself into a positive frame of mind from start to finish. 

    Anyway still a top 10% finish but time for a proper rest and allow whatever is going on with my knee time to recover before re-focussing my efforts for London next year. I need to prove it was not a fluke.

  • MACbMACb ✭✭✭

    That's still a decent time PCleasby, only 8 mins to shift for next April! Yes the shoe lace things sounds a bit schoolboyish!

  • I did tie them both in double knots honest! No idea how they came undone but it only accounted for about 40secs of my time total and that would have put me in at 3:07 which would not have made me any happier.

    Still relaxing today, I don't intend running a step until at least Monday. It's the sorest I've been after a marathon so I am determined to fight the will to run and just rest.

     

  • PCleasby - sounds ok to me 3:08 - I always run autumn marathons slower as there does not seem to be the same buzz and training is easier over winter than the hot summer

  • I definitely agree with that Wenty. Summer holidays and hot weather seem to interupt my training and curb my enthusiasm slightly. Looking at Valencia for next Autumn which is held mid to late november so I might get a decent crack at a proper training schedule with it being a bit later.

    Legs feeling much better today so gentle re-introduction to running again today.

  • Valencia will be a good one....might have to put that on my list of ones to do!

    I am doing Barcelona in ~March 4 weeks before London so not sure if to train for Barcelona and taper for london or train for London sub 3hr and treat Barcelona as a training run! - London sub 3hr is the goal. Anyone any ideas?

  • REMREM ✭✭✭

    I think that Barcelona is a faster course, so plan sub 3 in Barcelona and then soak up the atmosphere in London with a nice gentle 3.30. 

  • MACbMACb ✭✭✭

    isn't London a fast course?

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    I thought that London was a fast course. There are also loads of people running sub 3 to drag you around.
  • Unless you're in the habit of running 26 miles in training (and I know some who do) then I'd plan to race Barcelona.  That way if your training get interrupted (injury, snow, life) then you can switch to plan B and jog round Barca.  

  • No certainly not in the habit of running 26 miles in training - normally not more than 18 but new plan for spring will be several 20 and 22 mile runs, so closer to 26. Hmmm see how it goes I guess!

    I thought London was a fast course, and a few records have been set there.

  • REMREM ✭✭✭

    London is indeed a fast course - if you are at the front. It's the other 30,000 people that seem to slow it down!

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