Yes! Great stuff. Sounds like your patient approach paid off though, as it could’ve been an even tougher final 10k!
Maras are bloody hard!
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Well done 
, fairly even splits as well.
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True. I only did 1 run over 25k so it was always going to be tough to finish it.
Its the furthest Ive gone in a mara before it really started to bite. Need to build a bit more base and go again for a Spring mara. And already in the Berlin ballot for September.
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Wow. Now that’s a plan I can relate to !
Well done. 
I had one of best marathon results by entering with 15hrs notice. You sound like you were a bit overtrained. 
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Thanks everyone.
Wondering when my legs are coming back? Road maras are a bit tough on them eh.
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Not sure I’d recommend but it was the most I could do around work and family commitments.
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Legs coming back…
A day or two longer than if you’d got a few longer runs in I’d guess. Unless you compensated short long runs with some fast down hill running, that seems to help prevent as much muscle damage.
@joex its an okay plan, you might get away with it, but you pay the reaper with a touch longer to bounce back in my experience.
@Jgav Great run / result. Normally takes me until Wednesday to walk properly, Thursday / Friday for a light jog, my muscles dont seen that resilient to a hard 42.2km even with long runs in the build up.
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Last Threshold session… before the Marathon.
Repeating 3 sessions, 6x 1km, 3x 3km, 4x 2km, Threshold ish, every 3 weeks, over the last 9 weeks.
Same applies to 6x 1km and 3x 3km, not pulled the data for that
Anyway… ran out of time for more improvement (well maybe a very small amount) as @joex said the hay is mainly in the burning barn.
4x 2000m Progress…
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That’s solid improvement there! I think you’ve got a lot of bags filled with sand in your posts 
we’re going to see a good run from you.
Tell us about race plans etc? I’m firmly in the camp of enjoying the race first and foremost above targets.
You tempt me into thinking about it again but I left this handy note-to-self here in 2021:
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Spring marathon season, always tempting to see everyone else getting really fit. You could always just enter the London marathon ballot. By the time you get the rejection email, any enthusiasm will have well and truly gone.
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Tupps has been crushing it! Long runs at sub 3 pace.
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I’ve never go in.
The first time I entered the ballot before I opened the email I was thinking 
what have I done, but when it was rejection I was really disappointed.
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Well after 2023, Plan A —> get to the start
Plan A (part 2) get to the finish and enjoy it
I got my bib number two days ago. Not put it on socials or anything as the last I did two days after I received it I got Covid for the first time. So that means that would be been equivalent to today this time around.
Other than my Plan A, Ive not wasted too much energy thinking about it. Once I know the weather and how Im feeling race week, I’ll think more about other options.
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Not sure about that…
My legs feel full of sand today after those 2km reps
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I know we don’t have a sub3h30 thread, but it feels that is the the very least you should be posting.
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That is currently what I will set out for.
3:28 to 3:32 so sub 3½ hours (not days) seems like the obvious time goal.
Two weeks ago, I set out on a HM TT which would have indicated about 3:25 but it was hotter than Id been use to and got bad stomach cramps at 11km. They passed after 1km a 30s per km slower, and I got back on pace but they came back at 15km so I called it a day at 16.1km (10 miles) On reflection it was too much caffeine, the heat, and hydration. As it wasnt going to be representative of current fitness I called it. Not had any issues during any runs since the height of last summer.
A bit annoying as it would have give me more confidence.
A marathons a long way to get the pacing wrong
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After my 2011 attempt, tore calf muscle running for train in Jan and wasnt back running until 2 weeks before, WCPGW. Ran through half way, sub 2hrs loving life, I still dont remember anything from just after the tunnel at ~15 miles until i stopped for a pee at about 20 and couldnt start running again. No recollection of any of it. Ended up crossing line in 4hrs50! I got ill in 2013 with a 6wk chest infection so in 2014 i was in 3.40-3.45 shape. Decided id go with the 9min/mile pacer and come what may enjoy the day and soak up the missing Docklands area. All went well but lost 10m on pacer in traffic in the twisty narrow back part around Docklands at about 17miles , but decided to not play catch up and ran last 6 or so miles with a guy in IMUK hat. And had one of the best sporting days of my life. 4.09 i think. I would have got the sub 4 as felt good after, but my experience was worth more. Got a ballot spot for 2022 but my Covid / chest issues ruined that and the deferral. I would only go back to do it justice as its so much fun when you are fit enough to soak it up.
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I think based on your times and build, sub 3.30 is realistic. Very rarely anything happens on race day that is a surprise, your race is a reflection of the work you’ve put in, especially a road race where the variables are fewer.
One of my club mates just ran Brighton and her build was bang on, in that she followed the plan she chose very closely.
She has yet to break 24min for parkrun but she could easily. She ran a 3.06 for Bramley 20 miler and she was talking about ‘I just hope I can break 4.30’.
I told her she didn’t have a speed problem, she had a self belief problem and that she’d be a lot closer to to 4.10 that 4.30. She thought I was crazy and told me so. She ran 4.08 at Brighton.
In a way, the race is a formality. Don’t train properly, do train properly (for what ever reason), to a very large degree, your race will be a reflection of that.
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