Getting slower!

Right, I'm at a loss with my training. Any advice/suggestions gladly received:
For the last two years I have run a sub 3 marathon (2:58, 2:56)
I have followed a very similar training plan this year but I'm quite a long way behind where I was this time last year.
Yesterday I ran a 2:24 for 20 mile race which is nearly 10 minutes slower than last year. I can't understand why!
I'm 41 so surely i'm not 'over the hill' just yet?! I have admittedly put on about 2-3 pounds since last year but I'm still at 7% BF (151 lbs 6'0) Resting heart rate has stayed static at around 42 bpm
I have put in 60-65 miles a week roughly following pfitz 18-70 - so far 6 LSR of 20+ miles with a midweek long of between 10-13. Speed once a week (mile repeats - 4-6 times at HMP) and a threshold run of about 6M. The rest is all slow and easy.
By my reckoning I've lost about 25 - 35 seconds a mile off of last years pace.
I have 6 weeks left to go before my Spring marathon (London) Is there anything I could do in the last month before my taper to help re-kindle my spark.
Part of me wants to go and train harder / faster - the other half says I'm burnt out and need a prolonged rest. Advice?


Comments

  • Hard to say, Baldini. You're faster than me 25-30 minutes faster than me, though younger... so I may not be the best person to comment but  I lean firmly towards the half of you who thinks you should ease back rather than train harder. But of course, my knowledge is limited and you'll have to find the answer... but maybe people can ask you questions or share their experience to help you out.  So... some comments and questions in relation to the 20M race and the lead up to it:
    • Was your training really the same in the lead up to last year?
    • Were weather conditions the same?
    • Does 2 or 3lb really mean that...  or could it be 4 or 5?  I truly believe in the approx 2s per lb per mile rule... so 3lb could explain 2 minutes over 20 miles.
    • Really, I'm just seeing if you can chip away at the reasons for the difference - if you can explain half of it somehow or other, at least you'll feel a bit less out of control.
    • Do you have other indicators of poor form?  Any other race times... because it's possible you might just have had a bad day on Sunday... maybe even just about to come down with a cold.
    • Did you have an 'off-season' or did you keep running pretty high mileage since last year?...  or indeed, was the off season "very off"?
    • How have you been sleeping? Eating? Life stress? I'm sure you know that all affect recovery from training and recovery and adaption are crucial.   But it's easy to ignore some of this soft stuff.  So be honest... and be honest about whether you've been doing a bit too much or a bit too fast.
    Good luck with it.
  • Maybe you've stopped progressing if your training has been very similar for 3 years.

    Also, variety - you've got a good aerobic/endurance base evidenced by your times, body fat, HR etc. but what about strength, speed, power, economy...? If HMP means half marathon pace then it's almost all sub-threshold running.

    I'd guess that your training easily compensates for the negligible worsening of age and weight so that's probably not a factor by itself.

    What can you do in the 4 weeks before you taper? My guess would be don't just keep on with the same training. You've already got the base, and you're feeling stale. Just resting might be what you need perhaps, but there are alternatives. Go for some quick gains with strength training, proper intervals, proper speed work (even sprinting), plyometrics... They'd target areas you seem to overlook that are definitely relevant to distance running, add variety, should be fun and motivating, and give you some mental sharpness. If you don't normally do those things then above all else don't go mad and get injured. Just some possibilities, hope it helps.
  • Good post, James
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