Abingdon Marathon 2013

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Comments

  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭

    Very nice pace that Martin! I had the oposite on my first 20M the week before last - aiming for 7:20 and hit 7:45 image (was VERY hot though!)

  • The Bus

    I was very lucky with the weather it was nice and cool this morning and I think with all the recent hot weather this made a real difference. We'll see if next weeks goes as smoothly image

  • KeirKeir ✭✭✭

    Nice pace there MG15.

    My unfuelled 18m went ok. No breakfast / fuel wasn't an issue but I was of in need of a drink when I finished. Ave 7.54m/m for most of the run, but 1m of narrow, brambly steep uphill footpath killed the overall ave pace. After a cut back 58m week I am planning to get back onto it again tomorrow.

  • I only had the one drink but I had four gels as planned. 72 mile week with three sessions. Good going for me, possibly my highest week since London. Legs feel fine this evening, just a 6 mile loosener tomorrow. 

  • Re gels/ water- I guess we do whatever suits us best.  I usually do LSRs at not far off MP and like Martin I take gels too, and if I was in marathon training at the moment I'd be taking my camelback too.

    Glad to hear the training is going well- look foward to seeing some of you in October

  • Just goint to wave and say hello.

    I shall be your resident thread stalker for the next few months as I'm in for Abbers.

    However, you are all much faster and doing more intense training than me (as a 4 hour marathoner type), so shan't be posting much. Not much fun being the only tortoise amogst the hares.

    Just going to watch you all in awe!

    WW

  • Wonderwoman, completing a marathon is a fantastic achievement don't knock yourself. Post your runs tell us how your feeling we're all runners. There was a lady on last year who finished in the final position but she beat all the people spectating that's for sure! Imagine how many people have always wondered if they can run one but have never had the guts to try!

  • Thank you Martin. Kind of hoping other tortoises might appear...

    This will be my fifth marathon but am coming back from a 3 yr break from the long stuff. I'm all to plan with training - just my numbers are more in the 8:00-11:00 area!

    Did High Wycombe Half yesterday - as the organisers say, they have plenty of flat roads in Wycombe - they just choose not to use them! Hills and distance and heat = rest day for me today!

    anyone managing to run in the heat today?

    WW

  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭

    Hi WW, I also did Wycombe yesterday (for the 12th time). Despite the dip in temperature it was very humid, and I ended up with my worst result there for 6 years!

    I think a lot of it was going too hard on that really steep, long downhill at 5-6 miles, which has left me with really sore legs today! So am in need of a break before the Abo campaign starts in earnest!

  • There was a really diverse group here last year which is just what you want. Lots of motivation for all. It certainly helped me along that's for sure. 

  • KeirKeir ✭✭✭

    I also like the wide variety of people on the event threads. We are all able to share tips, motivation and advice regardless of our target time. For myself I just wanted to complete 1 marathon in my life. However that done the goal now is a personal one about trying to go faster than I did before. Well done on returning to the big M after 3yrs away, but keep posting WWimage

  • Wonder Woman, I'll be a fellow tortoise! In for Abingdon as my first marathon and hoping to break 4 hours, but as long as I finish I'll be happy. I'm following the RW Improvers' training plan which is not particularly high mileage, but has me running 5 times a week instead of my usual 4. I'm finding that running on 3 consecutive days is tough going, but I've got the plan stuck on the fridge and I'm enjoying ticking off each run!

    Hope you had fun at the half  image

  • Yay! You and me, Hissy Fit, we'll follow the crowds from behind!

    Well done on taking on your first marathon. Abingdon is a quiet course for a first marathon, but nice and flat / fast and has fantastic club support.

    My plan is a mix of the RW one, my previous plans and my own stuff as a coach. Doing a bit more cross training this time, not much, just factored in the odd strength session in the earlier stages and it seems to be helping so far.

    The main issue I get with 3 days on the trot is not having enough kit or wearing super smelly stuff over and over!

  • Dr.DanDr.Dan ✭✭✭

    Yep, the more posters the better ... the way I see it is that a 4:30+ marathon runners have to do more than twice the work as the elite marathon winners.image

    I'm officially inimage ... number 918! Hoping for at least a sub 3:30. Sprint triathlon to get out of the way on Sunday and then it's the full mara-focus.

  • Campaign begins...... An 18 miler this morning, set out to make sure I stayed within my LSR pace of 8.23-9.39 and probably couldnt have exceeded it if I had tried, got some work to do I think

  • rosie roadrunner wrote (see)

    Campaign begins...... An 18 miler this morning, set out to make sure I stayed within my LSR pace of 8.23-9.39 and probably couldnt have exceeded it if I had tried, got some work to do I think

    You have given me an idea in a completly indirect and unexpected way!
    I am writing a paper for my degree and was brainstorming topics - am thinking I might do a piece on tempereture, humidity and running performance in training / recreational runners (given most looks at races and elites only). There is a lot out there, but that's what I need to get a good critical paper in that still has potential for future research. Thanks Rosie!

  • Dr.DanDr.Dan ✭✭✭

    Nice run rr ... I think 18 miles at LSR pace at this stage is nothig gto worry about!!

  • Thanks Dan, I appreciate that, its slower than my training in the run up to London where I ran a PB but I think I trained too fast, just need the confidence to train slower - this heat makes it easy - maybe when it cools down we will all run like the wind!

  • KeirKeir ✭✭✭

    Yesterday we went on the annual school walk. 10.5miles around local hilly countryside. Although I have run the route a few times, including 2 weeks ago, walking it at a slow kids pace obviously meant much more time on feet and my legs were much more tired from this compared to the running.

    Applying this logic to LSRs, the slower you run = more time on feet = more tiring on muscles = more training benefit. So don't worry about the speed of your LSRs RR. However if you do want to add something to them in a few weeks time, keep the overasll speed low apart from the final few miles and then try to raise the pace to target marathon pace for this final bit.

  • I'm at the stage now where the thought of 26.2 miles at MP terrifies me. I just did a mile w/u then 7 miles steady and suffered badly towards the end. My pacing was well off too. Way too fast to start and struggled to maintain pace at the end. Looking at my plan there are a lot more MP sessions coming up in the next fortnight or so, so hopefully I will get better at pacing and start to feel more comfortable at MP. 

    one thing it does prove is how fit we actually get towards race day. I suppose we have to trust the training and just knuckle down and get through plan. 

  • Dr.DanDr.Dan ✭✭✭

    What's your training plan and how are you deciding on what "MP" is MG? Is it based on current times at recent shorter races or on where you hope to be in 13 weeks? 

    Ker ... yep, it's all time on your feet.

    RR - most runs should be slow to build up aerobic endurance and to be rested enough so that the one or two weekly "sessions" are done properly.

  • Dr Dan

    I have an online coach, my MP is based on my last marathon and what my aim is for this marathon. I will be aiming for 2:43, I was bang on pace for this at London but was injured for a large chunk of that prep so my last long run was six weeks out. Due to this I had a lack of endurance and had to hang in for the last 10k or so. Still managed 2:46. Usually I get to 20 in good shape and fly through the last 10k so that will be the plan this time around. 

    My GPS for London was 26.5 and there was a lot of weaving and being held up in London too, bearing these factors in (Abo was 26.2 on GPS) 2:43 is a more than realistic target. 

    My shorter races indicate this time too however, my strength lies in banging out steady miles, I'm no speed demon that's for sure, I think maybe the marathon is my forte although I can run a decent half. 

    MP is as close to 6:14 for this time, I will be running more and more miles at this place a) so I can get used to hitting the pace and b) it feels comfortable. 

    Long run wise I'll expect to be doing lots of 20 mile runs so again they become bread and butter and I have plenty in the tank come the big day for the last 10k. 

    20 mile warm up followed by a 10k race image

  • I'm into week 4 of my training plan now and so far it's going well.

    First 20 miler planned for tomorrow and I'm actually looking forward to it image. Longest run so far was last weekend at 17 miles and I felt good after that, so I'm hoping the extra 3 miles will go by OK!

    I'm the same as some others that I struggle to run slow and end up running quicker than my target pace.

    As for fuelling I'll be running with a camelbak on tomorrow for the first time as I ran with a waist pouch last week that turnt out to be a nightmare as it keep twisting and rising up, and became very annoying very quickly! I'll probably take a gel as well to have after about 90mins.

    Out of interest, when do most people tend to start taking on fuel (gels etc.)?

  • I have a gel every thirty minutes but that's more for practice in stomaching them ready for the big day. Is your profile pic from abo?

  • Dr.DanDr.Dan ✭✭✭

    MG15 ... that's serious MPimage! ... in fact in my world it's called 5KPimage!   image

    JF ... good luck with that 20 miler ... so far the longest I've run is a 16+ very hilly route and I think I'll need anotehr one of two of those before I step up.

    I'm only about 8 weeks back from an 8-week injury outage, so lots of work still to do! Triathlon on Sunday and then I can discard the bike and concentrate on the running mileage.  ... I'm off camping for a week, so will have to find some nice new routes.

  • KeirKeir ✭✭✭

    Impressive target MG15. What are your most recent races times? As although shorter than the marathon, I suspect that those intervals feel hard as they are probably closer to your current 10k - HM race times on your current fitness. What weekly milegage are you planning and what have you done in the past to improve your speed?

    Dr. D - Consistency of running far outweighs sessions and mileage, especially if you are building back. 3 yrs ago, after getting injured I only started running again early June, hit my first 20m early Aug and still managed sub 3.10 at Abo by consistent training. Still 12 weeks to go to the big day.

    Good luck in the 20 today JF. I did 22m yesterday morning, inc 2x(2m@PMP, 1m@PMP+20sec). I took a gel at 9m and again at 14m. In the marathon itself I would have 5 gels - starting at 9m then every 3m until mile 21. 

  • Keir

    I am currently hovering around 70 miles, last year (for Abo) was closer to 80 however there's more quality this time around. I'd be happy going back up to 80 but we'll see how things go. 

    I did a flat 5k early 17's I think. A couple of recent 10k's were 39 something but that was mega hilly (I'm from north Wales) and a less hillier although still hilly low 37's. a flat 10k I would hope to be the right side of 36. My pb is 35:30 but that was with a strong tail wind image  I did Abo in 2:48 last year, London 2:46 (but prep was really bad). I have a flat 10k in three weeks which should be a good indicator. I finished 36:00 last year I'm hoping to improve on that. 

    Did my second 20 this lunchtime, after a tough interval session Friday. Normally I'd have had a rest day and done the long run fresh but work commitments take over Sunday. First 10 in 1:10:04 second 10 in 1:07:24. Total time 2:17:21. Average pace 6:52 which is just under 3:00 pace. Suffered towards the end I should have had a drink at 15 but had to wait till 18.5. Happy enough at this stage especially in the hot weather. 

    Rest day tomorrow and back at it Monday. Are we 12 weeks out now? That means 9 weeks till taper image I have a fortnights holiday first two weeks of September which will scupper things. 

    Hope everyone is training well and keeping injury free which is half the battle marathon training. 

  • 20 miler went well on Saturday, finishing it in 2:21 (7:03 avg pace). My first 20 miler and I was feeling good throughout and afterwards, though the last few miles were quite hilly and felt quite slow but they weren't.

    I ran with a Camelbak and only started to drink after 90mins when I took a gel (about 13 miles in). I might try something simialr to you Keir and take 2 during my next 20 mile run but take one earlier, maybe at 10 miles and then another at 15.

    MG15 - My profile pic is from the Lungbuster Duathlon. Good effort with 2:48 at Abo last year.

    9 weeks till taper? Now that's a scary thought. It will come around quickly, especially when we're getting into August in a few days!!

  • Now I'm a bit scared as I'm only up to 16 miles. You're all doing further! and there's only 9 weeks! eek!
    The 16 miles was tough going too. I was really fresh for about the first 13, then the midday sun hit and I slowed right down. No shade in those fields. Took about 2hrs 50m which is a lot longer than I'd hoped.
    My legs feel fresh today too, it was the heat and breathing that got me yesterday.
    I was fuelling on lucozade, prob should be hitting the gels by now.


    Have a couple of 18 and 20-milers planned before the day thou. And hopefully when this hot stuff goes / getting out earlier next time means it'll all go a lot easier.

    Am nervous now though, a bit behind where I'd like to be for sure. image

  • Good work with the 16 miles WW, still plenty of time to get some more long runs in. It's 12 weeks till the race, 9 till the taper.

    The heat has definitely been taking its toll on my runs too, but going out early (6am on a Saturday sometimes!!) has helped to beat the heat.

    How have you been finding the lucozade on the runs? I've just been having water so far. Does anyone know what drinks or gels (if any) will be available on race day?

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