Sub 3 Tom: #asics262

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  • Golfer – mental note made! I’ll give you a shout.

    Metro-gnome – appreciate your wisdom, and I agree, it does sound like the sensible option. I haven’t written off Edinburgh at end of May, but I need to get back running fast and that’s not an option yet. Chester isn’t one which I’d considered, but I’ll have a look at it. Autumn marathons are not ideal for me as my work schedule over the summer months is fairly intense – I’m working every day including weekends in July for example, so not sure I’d be able to give training the full respect. Best of luck on Sunday.

    Roundman - beetroot juice and motivational chants – tick!  

  • Iain LoveIain Love ✭✭✭

    morning folks!! 

    Malcs -  The weather was perfect on sunday. really was glad to have no rain though as the trails would of been quite muddy..

    If i don't get a chance later, Good luck to all of those running London on sunday. I get quite jealous this time of year as I work in Blackheath and all the prep for the marathon is all around me..At least i can be glad in the knowledge that next year ill be ready to run. (just need to make sure i put my GFA entry in) 

  • Good luck to all those running London this Sunday, especially Steve. I hope you will be in good form to give another sub 3 a challenge. I guess you have got a race plan already bearing in mind your recent setback. Best of luck.

    Hi Tom, Chester is a good course with a lot of potential with the start and finish at the race course.

    I've decided to miss an Autumn marathon and go for again next Spring in Manchester. I was looking at our calendar over the summer and there are quite a few weekend taken up with holidays / camping / visiting friends etc, so I know I wouldn't get good back to back weeks of consistent training. I also prefer mara training in the winter!

  • Very very jealous of all running this weekend. Conditions look perfect so hope everyone smashes their target.

    Foot is still not quite right and has been painful to walk. It's not improved as quickly as I'd hoped, and almost 2 weeks of no running now. Thinking of trying a few treadmill miles over the weekend though, so fingers crossed. 

  • RoundmanRoundman ✭✭✭
    Race number collected - 30588



    Seem to be packing more stuff than I would for a 2 week holiday!!



    Good luck everyone else running - see you on the other side
  • Good luck to everyone doing the marathon - hope you finish strongly and pace it well.

  • AndyVAndyV ✭✭✭

    3.04:00 and a 12 second pb for me at London today. Felt strong till 24 miles then limped home with cramp yet again. Hopefully good enough for GFA again next year. On reflection i'm reasonably pleased as caught a nasty cold when tapering and barely ran in the prior two weeks. I got to 55mpw this time. I think i need to go up again with possibly a 24 miler six weeks out next time to conquer the cramps. 

  • well run Andy - good time with the cramps.

  • You did OK yourself Steve, although you looked in rather a lot of pain when you passed my support point at mile 22.

  • MalcsMalcs ✭✭✭

    Well done Andy!

    Saw Roundman and someone else shouted out but couldn't see who, sorry image

    I think I saw Lit too (white fife vest?)

    Steve, amazed you even ran today after the injury then illness. Very well done!

    Looking forward to hearing how everyone got on.

  • literatinliteratin ✭✭✭

    Hello Malcs! Yes, Fife vest and all the crowds shouting 'go on Fifi!'. Apparently when my teammate came through a few mins later she heard someone saying 'that's funny, there's another Fifi...'. However, I'm afraid I failed to see you and your giant Swiss flag, though I was looking. I saw Speedy though (but she didn't see me). I was pleased with my time of 2:52:30, though I did fade a bit towards the end, and my fellow Fifis ran well too so we may have won a UK team medal of some description.

  • Poor day at the office for me. Worst marathon performance and finished at 3.13.32.



    Main problem is I went off too quick dreaming that I might be able to manage a sub 3. (I was very confident of a pb, i.e. quicker than 3.06.) I was 1 min ahead of schedule at mile 9 (i.e way too quick) and then got a stitch. That's a bit of a problem for me but doesn't normally hit until later in the race. Anyway, I slowed down but still managed to get to half way under 1.30. However, I was struggling and it got progressively harder. Not helped by me forgetting to take my gels out of my bag before giving into the bag drop, which became a bit pressurised on the green start with longish WC queues and the lorries leaving about 15 mins before the start. Hey ho. Think I lost several minutes at the end without the gels.



    Was very disappointed at the finish (only positive was that I hadn't actually stopped) but was made worse when I started to get severe cramp at the meet & greet area. After a few screams of severe pain I was escorted off on a stretcher by the St John's ambulance people! A bit embarrassing but they did a great job in getting me walking again image Fine now, relatively speaking.



    Brilliant day, although not the most enjoyable for me, sadly. Great support all round.



    Congratulations Andy and Lit. Great running.



    KR would you not consider doing VLM next year of the back of a good for age?



    I might have to follow a sub 3.15 thread next year... image
  • Iain LoveIain Love ✭✭✭

    Andy, Literatin, Golfer - great running yesterday. Golfer, although it wasn't the result you were looking for it is still a great time.  I missed the marathon yesterday as I was taking part in a charity football tournament, which ended up with me in A&E with a severely bruised foot. (Metal studs stepped on my foot). I am eagerly waiting for the applications to open for next years VLM so I can get my gfa entry in...

  • Well done to all who ran London some great runs in what turned out to be spot on running conditions 

    As for my own race still in a state of shock image I ran 2.59.34 went through half way half way in 1.29.54 which was spot on but had to dig deep over the last couple of miles even with 400 meters to go still wasn't sure I was going to do it absolutely over the moon , think I had the perfect race apart from having to have a pee stop, don't know how I can ever beat that image    

  • After a 3:01:52 in Manchester I'm going to join the team of those planning a full-blown assault on a sub-3 Autumn effort.

    Would be good to share plans, tips and motivational words with others planning the same. Does anyone know if there will be a similar thread to this in the lead-up to Autumn? Or do we just carry-on here?

  • Roundman, Steve, AndyV, Literatin (Fifi), golfer, Jim – well done all.

    AndyV, I can obviously relate to your race day! Well done on completing it despite the cramps and your poorly timed cold.

    Golfer, sounds like you also had a tough run with nothing quite going to plan. Losing your gels like that must have been really disheartening. Again, try and take the positives. 3.13 as your ‘worst marathon performance’ is hugely impressive.

    Iain, nightmare! Will it be more time on the side lines?

    Jim, delighted for you. You did run the perfect race.

    All the posts highlight how unpredictable marathon running can be. Cruel at times to those who deserved better but equally rewarding to others! 

  • well done Literatin - Golfer (though got pacing wrong!) and Jim

    To follow on from about 5 proper runs in 5 previous weeks then had really bad chest infection which anti biotics and even proscribed course of steroids failed to clear which meant no running in final week either and was running against doctors orders. was planning just to run 3:15 but though flat out and wheezing running first mile in 7, decided to at least try a sub-3 and was ok at 10k but realised wasn't well enough and had really bad calf twinge and eased back and just about did enough for the 3:15 and at least 2 more tries as good for age.

    Legs were agony on the descent at 23 but slight recovery last mile. Chest and breathing wasn't as bad as feared in race though have had 1000 violent coughs since and chest, lungs and throat feel like been battered. I still feel dehydrated and still 5kg less than when I started.

    Right calf still tight but didn't get any worse after 10k and if anything slightly eased.

    I have accidentally picked up the legs of the first M80.

    Certainly 3:14 doesn't reflect fitness I was in in March but all I could do and at least reached my pre marathon targets in terms of 10k, HM and number of long runs.

    Marathon can be a lottery, in terms of all the training and then it all going well on race day.

    On plus side, lots of club and training group did very well and there things went to plan. Clare won her W50 age group despite getting pacing wrong. Shona ran 2:40 PB club record, CL set club vets record 2:37 and Steve and Ebe did first sub 3 and others in group - Helen, Kevin, Laura, Gideon etc did PBs and were inside their targets.

     

  • RoundmanRoundman ✭✭✭
    Managed a PB by 4mins and achieved goal of sub 2:55 coming in at 2:54:02



    Felt really strong for 20 miles but then quads started to play up and feared they were going to force me to stop. Slowed down a little from 22miles and just ensured that would finish within my target.



    Crowds were fantastic - felt guilty that didn't acknowledge every shout out! Kept an eye out for Malcs and shouted out once I spotted him. Think he wondered who the hell it was at first!!! Few weeks rest for me now. Maybe sub 2:50 next year!!!
  • well run Roundman and well spotted as i have failed to spot Malcs either time last 2 years though looking.

  • Iain LoveIain Love ✭✭✭

    Roundman - well done, great time. Both to get a pb and your sub 2:55 target. 

    Tom - it is a bit of a bummer and just my luck but on a plus point, my legs are 100% even with the 4 matches of stop start running so once the bruising has healed I'll start planning where to start with training, might take the first few weeks to start rebuilding a good base before following a plan. I am determined to go sub 2:50.

  • RoundmanRoundman ✭✭✭

    Back home now - great weekend!!!

    Well done Literatin, AndyV, Jim - great running!

    Golfer - your experience sounds almost identical to my sub 3 attempt at London 2yrs ago (ended up doing 3hr 12mins when PB was 3:09 and also cramped up big time). Learnt from it and did sub 3 in Paris the following year. Am sure you can do the sameimage

    Sounds like a tough day at the office Steve - hope you are feeling ok now. Are you planning on another marathon later in the year?

    Rob - there are a number of threads on the site you can follow that are really helpful & useful (sub 3 / sub 3:15 / and event specific threads as well) .

  • Chuffed to make it round in 2:58 yesterday (2nd marathon after 3:11 last year). A great deal of thanks to Tom, Steve and everyone else who has to this thread - I feel like a lot of your knowledge and experience has guided me through training.

    Just wondering, I wore a gps watch yesterday and overall distance for the race was 26.6miles, I appreciate the distance won't be exact and is likely to be further given weaving etc however was wondering what opinions are for standard amount over distance ran?

  • well done Sam - yes 26.5 to 26.6 seems to be about norm - could be partly going off racing line because of sheer numbers and getting to drinks stations but also the tunnels.

    Roundman - think my body has enough trouble coping with even one marathon per year now after 40 years of marathon training and probably more likely to wait until next spring. Just calculated my 34 London's now average at 2:51  after a few slower ones in recent years and it's obviously only going to go one way from now.

  • Well done guys & gals - some great running and inevitable tales of a near miss or two.

    Brief resume for me 2nd VMLM (6th mara in all now).

    Followed the 3 hr pacer from green start but figured he was too hot after 4 miles so backed off and let him go. Through HM in 1:30:17, less than a minute behind where I wanted to be.

    By mile 22 or so I was right back up with all three 3hr pacers and in fact went through the bus - it was just too messy and crowded to stick with them.

    Then ran like a scared rabbit wondering if this huge train of people would hunt me down near the finish.......pleased to say they didn't and I crossed the line in 2:57:44, a negative split by 2 mins 50 secs and an improved PB

    1st V65 age division by about 10 minutes. Possibly UK No1 V65 2015

    Bonus: on the way back to our bus I spotted Paula Radcliffe & family near St James' park and was able to congratulate her on her stellar performance and of course her career. She now knows she also inspired me and so many others with her amazing exploits!

    Magic!

    .

  • Iain LoveIain Love ✭✭✭
    Wow Mike thats a fantastic result. Congratulations
  • Superb marathon Mike - great pacing and finish and brilliant age-group win.

  • Thanks guys.......enjoyed every minute!

  • RoundmanRoundman ✭✭✭
    Steve - I have really enjoyed the Asics sub 3 plan over the last 2 years but now want to see if I can go sub 2:50 or even sub 2:45. Most of my focus for the rest of the year will be on shorter distances and improving my speeds and then build towards a couple of half marathons later in the year. All going well I will give London another crack next year. Is there a similar 16 week plan you would recommend that I could follow? Thanks
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