Training - What Training?!

3 weeks of solid running ahead of me.

10.5 miles this morning to start

Windy and chillier than of late

1:16:19 / 7:16 pace / 125 HR

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Oops.

I’m committed now! 12 weeks to go.

Agreed to pace a mate at his first mara. Wants to go straight in for a sub 3 shot.

I don’t want to ā€˜train’ for it, but I want to get in decent shape. Not sure if this is supremely arrogant of me with an official pb of 3.05 or something! :joy: Not even sure why I said yes. Just fancying something cheap and local in my radar to encourage me back into some consistency, and I’m enjoying running hard again.

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Pacemakers can drop out at some point after half way though can’t they? :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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I was just thinking, where the heck is that, it’s a lot calmer than here. We’ve just come back from session in the ā€˜washing machine’. Little One had some good rides on my new board in the whitewater before going back to her bodyboard. I didn’t attempt to surf, just write off really.

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This is what i’ve been teasing him with ā€˜if’ i make it to half way etc!!

My other mates want me to go full Jake Smith: Cheshire Marathon pacer opts to keep running – and wins the race

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Time to reopen the sub 3 thread!

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Dude, your DOB and name is on there :scream::exploding_head:

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Yeha just noticed. Gone now. Ta

Probs not that hard to work out anyway. Look for any social media/strava birthday related post. Work from there! :joy:

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This is great. Chuck yourself in

I would have assumed your pb would have been well under 3 tbh! Maybe about time you put that right then!!

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Well i did my first standalone (first mara was IM Wales) in Manchester in 2015. The short course version. I ran a 2.52, but 'twas struck from the records. I’d guess at a high 2.53 equivalent for the couple of metres that were missing.

2017 i did London, but had an injury in the build up. I was shooting for a 2.42-45, but pretty much pulled up at 16/17 miles with the niggle. Ran it in for a 3.04 i think it was.

So theoretically i should be ok. I could walk out the door now and run a sub 90 half. But i have no idea how many more kms i’d have beyond that! 25, 30, 35? Who knows. The legs do weird things at the end of a mara, regardless of how well drilled they are. As many of us on here can attest to!!!

Course is going to be narrow, public paths and probably quite busy. So not ideal. But it was local and cheap and convenient timing. I guess now i have in the back of my mind that little niggle that tells me if i’m feeling good at 2 hours or so, do i roll the dice and crack on and let my mate fend for himself (he wouldn’t mind at all, i think i’ve just given him the kick up the arse he needs to book something and get going again).

… or i have no choice, because i didn’t train properly and my ego takes a big dent as i crawl off course at 30km!! hahah

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As per my injury, running has been off and fingers crossed to restart tomorrow. Deadlift and Squat session Friday and today. 40km on Friday and Saturday on the gravel bike locally and then 85km taking in as much off road as possible yesterday out to Westonbirt Arboretum and and back with some ā€˜ooo where does this track go’ exploring, plenty of bridleways I haven’t done before which was nice!

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Balls to the wall! I can’t do conservative running in races, not my style.

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it may not be conservative in the 1st place!!! :rofl:

Being a complete amateur and only doing my first proper training block, feel free to disregard any of my advice. But I noticed big gains from a month of getting a couple of decent length mid pace’d runs in a week, 18-24km, MLR - Medium Long Run as Pfitz calls them. Plus a longer (slightly) slower one as well.

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Yep. Personally i think they’re as key, if not more, than just churning out a few LSRs. Especially if you have good endurance background. Again personally, i would gain very little from a 20 mile plod. I’ve been doing silly, (really) long, slow runs for a few years now. I don’t think i’d see much adaptation from them. But doing MLRs at race pace as you note above, that’s where the GAINNNZZZ will come from for sure.

Also doesn’t feel like proper training then either, as they’re not very long and i can chuck them in wherever i like in a week! haha. I’m kind of cheating here really, as i should theoretically be a comfortably sub 3 runner.

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I don’t think I could get away with running them at race pace and I would be wary about doing them that quick for fear of (another :roll_eyes:) overuse injury. I’d say just be careful doing them at that pace.

What marathon is that? Is the course flat or hilly? :+1:

Some little charity one in Exeter. Flat, around the Quay. Likely to be slightly convoluted loops I’d guess, and a bit prone to wind. But it’s local and in 12 weeks.

Ti be honest, the mara is secondary for me. I’ve just lived ganging up on my mate with another friend and we’ve basically just peer pressured him into action!

I gave him my one condition of helping, which was to convert from miles to kms! :joy: So he’s changed his watch and is going to give it a go!

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That looks a lovely place that you’re staying at

3 k swim in 53:30.

Didn’t take long to move from typo slow to just crap… ish.

Started watching the swim videos again… there’s hope yet!

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