P + D training for VLM 2013

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  • TenjisoTenjiso ✭✭✭

    Thanks agp - and good luck!

    JF50 - nice image of the turtles head image.  Negative split is great running.

  • chickstachicksta ✭✭✭

    Well done for keeping it together, Stu image. A PB is a PB.

    completely sunburnt too ... noticed when I towelled this morning. Ouch. An ugly vest shaped sunburn on neck and shoulders. I never found it hot (I think temp. was 16 degrees max. in Hamburg) but it looks like the sun must have been pretty intense.

  • TenjisoTenjiso ✭✭✭
    chickadeee wrote (see)

    ...in Hamburg

    Now I remember why I didn't have you on my stalker list. *facepalm*

     

  • TenjisoTenjiso ✭✭✭

    NP - I also meant to say I hope you're not too disappointed.  I can't think of anyone who has worked harder at this than you have, which I can only imagine makes it harder to swallow.  Marathons are cruel when things don't go right, but the training is always worthwhile even if the results don't fairly reflect the effort.

  • 15West15West ✭✭✭

    Ok - going to attempt a race report...

    4th marathon, first London Marathon. Was in FGFA start which was full of men of a certain age. Stupidly I had a mind blank and took my final gel, put bag on truck and generally got ready thinking start was 9.30, then remembered it was actually 10! Doh. So,  walked around some more trying to pretend I wasn't chilly or anything, whilst everyone round me still had their jumpers/coats on. Went for a little jog, tried to empty bladder as much as poss, then 9.45 made way to the start. Did the 30sec silence for Boston which I actually found very moving...and then we're off!

    First few miles was fun and I maybe got carried away a bit and ran faster than I planned. Originally it was going to be a 6.40 pace, but after a 1.21 half marathon 4 weeks ago I thought maybe a 6.30 pace was doable. Anyway, I was running at 6.20 pace for first few miles, so a bit quick really. Had a wee stop at about mile 4, and also nearly stopped to tighten my right shoe laces, but put up with worrying about it for the rest of the race.

    Found it difficult to steady myself as we ran round Greenwich and Deptford as there was so much going on, the support was fantastic, and I spent a lot of the time slapping as many kids hands as I could.

    As we approached the half way point and tower bridge I started to feel the earlier faster pace, which worried me a bit. It was then I knew I had to concentrate as it was going to get a lot tougher, and started counting 1 through to 8 in a mantra  style for something to focus on. Tower bridge was, as expected, a fantastic experience, literally sent goose bumps up and down me.

    The miles north of the river round the isle of dogs and canary wharf were hard work what with all the twists and turns.  I took in as many drinks as I could and made use of any showers as the heat was starting to take it's toll. I stuck to a sis gel every 30 mins but took a lucozade gel to hold just in case.

    Enjoyed the silent moments of the tunnels, the second of which I saw some friends as I exited who were waiting to cheer me on. Was not expecting to see anyone I knew, so that really helped me for the final stretch along the embankment. I was still sticking to a pace of about 6.25 min/mile, although at the time really felt I was slowing.

    As we approached Big Ben I was getting really tired, desperate to finish. I think I lost my form a bit as my head lowered into my shoulders...and I know I was grimacing a bit, but I didn't really care. I just kept my eyes on the road in front and continuing to count 1 to 8.

    Finally the mall. Everyone round me seemed to have a sprint finish in them, but I was never going to be able to join them. Saw that I got a 2hr50 time which I was elated with me, although can't help thinking if I hadn't had that wee stop I could have gone sub 2hr50! Who knows.

    Was so wiped out when crossed the line, but so was everyone else around me. Stopped for a stretch and my hamstring started cramping up. A medic came over instantly to see if I needed assistance, but I was ok and made my way to my baggage and then a slap up meal in MacD's!

    All in all, brilliant. Early days, but would like to do it again next year.

  • yer majyer maj ✭✭✭

    15West it wasn't you who vommed on my bag at 23 miles was it? image

    I've never seen so much puking in a race before - I think the heat really got to a lot of people.  I'm still in awe of you all, even though I've done 2 myself!

  • TenjisoTenjiso ✭✭✭

    15W - great report.  You should have pretended you were an elite who had arrived late for the start image

  • 15West15West ✭✭✭

    yer_maj - no, not me. Did someone really vom on your bag?! How lovely. Saw quite a few casualties towards the end...

  • ShazmoShazmo ✭✭✭

    I've been loosely following this thread for a while. I didn't do the VLM, but I am following the P+D 55 plan ahead of next week's Manchester Marathon. I did Manchester last year (minus the P+D), so was interested to see what gains (if any) were made using the plan. I did 3.59 last year and am hoping for sub 3.50 this time.

    Anyway, some fabulous achievements on here and I just wanted to say a massive well done image image

  • yer majyer maj ✭✭✭
    15West wrote (see)

    yer_maj - no, not me. Did someone really vom on your bag?! How lovely. Saw quite a few casualties towards the end...

    Some poor bloke was having a good old barf just behind us.  By the time we'd checked he was ok it was too late to realise that it had all run down the pavement and my bag was sitting in it image Still, it was mainly water...

  • Well just had read back..what an amazing weekend..

    Chick well done you !!!! much deserved PB I am so pleased for you..and well done on the overall place awesome running..
    lit bloody amazing for a first marathon you will be well under 3 hours next time you are j just the right age to excel, I look forward to following your progress
    AL as chick says many would kill for 3.15..I would have killed to be able to have run it..so be proud..
    15w..fantastic well done, that must be a PB ?
    SR a 6 min pb, surely worth the extra training ?? it would be for me
    Mark come on mate a 12 in PB how can you be disappointed ..bloody brilliant..
    Men many congrats on the sub 3..
    Fiona well done on the sub 4 and world record.
    JF50..you text me that you did 3.44 !!!! how can you get it so wrong.??.well done you speedy thing..learn to text properly lol..
    Chris more proof that tis schedule WORKS.. well done indeed..
    Stutyr..a PB is a pb..and what an experience London is isnt it..glad you had a good day

    NP sorry yo hear you had a bad day..you looked so good at half way, and  I am glad you heard me screaming to you..it must have been tough carrying on, gritty performance..and it was nice to meet you and Anita, along with the others of the marathon thread..have a wonderful holiday.

    I had a brilliant day watching, I had a few I had to look out for but only spotted 2, NP and my brother..

    my brother got his 4.15 plus  (48 secs) which is a massive 20 min PB..very proud of him we nearly lost him to cancer a few years ago at the age of 34 so its very emotional to see him so well..lots of tears at the end ...and lots of money raised for children with cancer..it was far far more important that he ran it than me..I wouldn't have swapped places with him yesterday for all the money in the world..

    I am back running easy now thank christ did easy 5 today and only only feel ankle on the downhill, so will build up from here

     

  • 15w great report.  Hope those kids wanted their hands slapped.Sub 2.50 definitely in there soon.  I saw a few people getting treatment over the last couple of miles but I guess all are well today as no reports of anything too much.

  • NN sorry, thanks for your texts.  Yes should have put my glasses on!

    Big congratulations to your brother great PB and so emotional for all of you, great day for your family.

  • Well now on train home.

    Glad to hear about all the other fantastic races. Just shows how effective P&D is.



    Stutyr - I haven't been able to get on using my iPhone for the last week.



    jF50 - my OH thinks I could go sub 3:50 if I wasn't wearing 3 layers of clothes. Can you imagine quite how warm I was. And soaking by the end cos surgical scrubs are cotton. However it means the only bit of that was sun exposed was my face and I used my brains and put sun cream on!!!!! My husband and mother on the other hand...
  • enjoying reading all these reports.
    I stalked all of you for the first hour or so of the race on my laptop, then decided to go for a run myself and met up with some mates in parliament sq to watch the runners go by. I was there around 1pm for about an hour so will have seen most of you run past. At that point it's less than a mile to the finish, and it's clear that some people are dead on their feet and some have found a second (or third or fourth) wind with the end almost in sight.

    The weather was great for spectators, but a lot of the runners seemed to be suffering with the sudden arrival of spring.

    I'm really pleased for you all, no matter what your goals were, you've done it now, and have earned yourselves a good rest for a bit. before the next race image

  • chickstachicksta ✭✭✭

    How hot was it London yesterday? All the vomming going on sounds pretty grim image

    Great race report 15W and such an awesome time!

    Right, here's my little story   When I started training for this marathon my main goal was a sub 3:25, i. e. roughly 5 mins off my PB from October 2012. Then I ran a really comfy HM in 1:34 at the beginning of April and I thought I could probably bag something closer to 3:20. I had never trained at this pace though. With hindsight that was probably a big mistake. All in all I'd done a lot less MP work than last year due to the mostly inclement weather. I did all my runs and hit the mileage but many days it was too dangerous to run fast or the snow would simply slow you down.

    After a surprisingly good night's sleep I woke up to brilliant blue skies and - shock, horror - ground frost. Quickly raided my wardrobe for an old jumper. Usual pre race brekkie of porridge and green tea. Arrived 1 hour prior to the start. Dropped bag, joint loo queue and then lined up in the pen about 20mins prior to the start. It was very very cold and too congested to jog around to keep warm. I prefer to run for 10 mins or so before lining up but that was simply not possible yesterday. At 8:45 they played Sweet Caroline which apparently is played at Boston, followed by a minutes's silence as a tribute to our stateside running friends. Then the wheelchair racers got on their way at 8:50, followed by us lot at 9am. I was pretty close to the front and crossed the startline after roughly 90secs. Took it easy for the 1st k. No weaving. From the 2nd k I had free reign and settled into race pace for 3:21. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. My legs felt really strange. I wonder whether it was down to the cold but I couldn't really feel them for the first 3 or 4 k. Utterly bizarre. And somehow they never seemed to feel like they were mine. This is especially strange coz the winning lady said she suffered from heavy legs and the best placed German said she felt disconnected and had to concetrate really hard to stick to her pace. In the end she missed her world champs qualifier by a minute image

    Plan was to hit 5k in 24mins and 10k in 48. Got there in 23:58 and 47:44 so bang on pace. Then the fastest 5k split followed (23:37) but it was largely downhill and therefore came pretty naturally. After that flat terrain for next 5k (23:59) and a gradual incline (24:06). By halfway (1:40:35) my quads really started hurting. It got worse as I carried on. It felt like the DOMS on the Tuesday after the marathon and from then on the legs just refused to turn. It was frustrating because I could breathe easily and I felt I had in in me to go quicker but the legs were just saying no. By then it was a mental battle to keep going. Quick calculation in my head told me if I slowed to about 7:55-8mm I would still hit a sub 3:25. The next 5k splits were 24:28, 25:00 and 24:56. Final 2.2 in 10:46. I threw everything I had at the last 0.2 (7:30 mile pace). The announcers were shouting out my name as I came down the finishing straight and onto the red carpet. That was great!

    Certainly not my best race, despite the PB. The final 12k really hurt and just like the German elite Lisa somehow I never connected with this race. I know there's lots of crowd interaction but somehow I stayed in my own little bubble. I was surprised though how quickly each k seemed to come, even towards the end when it I rode the hurt train. When I ran 3:29 in October I felt strong, worked the crowds and loved the whole thing. Yesterday it never really came together. This sounds a bit negative - in the end I'm really happy with nearly 5 mins off my PB in only 6 months. And I'm proud that I kept pushing and fighting and willi
  • chickstachicksta ✭✭✭

    Fiona: of course you can go sub 3:50 image. I started this running lark 5 years ago with a 4:07 marathon. And I know there is a sub 3:15 in there for me in the not too distant future. Just believe in yourself.

  • Brilliant report Chick..I dont see how you can feel any negativity at all  marathons aren't meant to be fun ... a gritty run and impressive.pb .you are AMAZING !!

    I hope you lot hang around and carry on posting as I shall be following the schedule for Abingdon and need the support and chat its been amazing..image following all the ups and downs through the shit winter well done those who got the the start yesterday !!

     

  • literatinliteratin ✭✭✭

    Well... I'm not sure if there's anything to hang around for, NN. I mean, it's not like there are any exciting marathons happening next week or anything.

    I will write up my report later but in the meantime, here is a photo of me being too fast for my sister at mile 24 (just disappearing from shot).

    /members/images/699204/Gallery/IMG_3978_(640x480).jpg

     

  • I'll post a race report later when I have a proper computer to make it easier.



    NN - it would be great to stick around. I'm not planning another marathon this year but will next spring and like Ten plan to use the other P&D stuff so will be following a similar thing. Like you, I've found this really supportive over the last 4 months and probably would have struggled without you lot to convince me that it was possible.



    I've managed to run a whole marathon not just complete it, finally gone sub 4 hours and learnt a lot about endurance running and usin heart rate. Incredible. I will use this plan again and maybe even try to up the mileage next time. I might even look to join a club now that I will have a little more flexibility in my training.
  • Chick great report and a great PB.  If you read all the post race reports on here we all wanted a bit more, we are a competitive bunch so you always want more.  But improvement is also pretty good, and then looking for it again, never being quite satisfied, content but never quite satisfied I think is a pretty good feeling.

    I really do think the programme has been good and also effective.  Enjoyed every mile, well ok most of themimage

  • chickstachicksta ✭✭✭

    NN: you are right. Look at this - no fun at all image  but I beat the guy next to me by a minute image

    /members/images/411726/Gallery/marathon2263_2.jpg

     

    Lit: you have amazing legs image

     

  • TenjisoTenjiso ✭✭✭
    chickadeee wrote (see)

    ...but I beat the guy next to me by a minute image
     

    LOL - love the way you checked. Super competitive image

    Great report, Chick.

  • TenjisoTenjiso ✭✭✭

    We should have a straw poll to see who intends to use P&D again.

    I'm already debating whether to step up to the 55-70m plan next winter image  It will depend how much time I have, otherwise I'll go for more of the same, but hopefully faster! I've also created my skeleton 10k plan from P&D's road racing book  

  • I hope you guys can stick around for a little while longer. I'm looking forward to posting a race report next Monday after running Manchester. I can't remember who else has spring marathons on here, apologies, but i know at least one other person is running Manchester, and I think I read that we have people running Edinburgh and MK.

  • Ten, the bonus wil be that if you get faster over the 5k and 10k races this summer, then when it comes to marathon training again next winter your training paces will all be quicker. So either you'll get more miles for the available time, or the same mileage in less time. Either way, it's a win image

  • Lit you are a blur...you look like you are sprinting,image mind you compared to my intended pace you were !!image and I agree with Chick..great legs..

    Chick you look great thats a brilliant pic..

    roll on next weekend..more marathon reports..image

    I am a bit torn to be honest part of me thinks after all that training then the disappointment  I should take a break and leave marathon training till next year , the other part wants to capitalise on the base fitness I must have gained and do Abingdon image

  • TenjisoTenjiso ✭✭✭

    NN - Julian Goater recommends keeping up the mileage all year round.  He say's it's the best way to avoid injury, rather than suddenly ramping up the mileage when it comes to marathon season.  I'm paraphrasing, but that's the gist as I understand it.

    Less than 51 weeks to the VLM - when do they start the official countdown clock? image

  • 15West15West ✭✭✭

    I'll be sticking round for a while...especially to keepup with those running Manchester this weekend. I live close by so will probably come out to support (depending on the weather of course image ), and also I ran it last year so can offer any advice if any is needed?

    Going to be weird not to have an autumn marathon to train for...still thinking about Chester, but probably give it a break till next spring. As others are doing will enter a few 10k's and halfs during the summer (Buxton, Warrington, Tatton park?), will be doing more park runs too, and then next year will be either London, or Manchester, or Windermere, or somewhere abroad for a marathon depending on how adventurous I am (and family of course).

    Will be using my other P&D road running book for the shorter races, although going to be kess specific and just keep running, just reduce the quantity.

    I have some serious DOMS going on today.

  • literatinliteratin ✭✭✭

    AG - of course we're sticking around! I fully intend to collect numbers and stalk all your race photos from Manchester.

    15W - me too, my quads are really sore and I'm wincing every time I have to go downstairs or lower myself onto a chair. Otherwise I feel fine though.

    NN - I think you want to do Abingdon. image

    Chick - great report - sorry you didn't enjoy it as much as you could have but it's still a great PB.

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