Giants Head Marathon - June 2013

I'm in as well. Nice to have a marathon to aim for in the summer.

Steve

As a first off roader thats very hilly ? Yes  

My first marathon was the Southdowns and it was hard hilly and hot and I loved every second of it. The start is Sydling St.Nicholas which is pretty is to get even though its in the middle of nowhere. Where do you live and what transport to do you have?

Are you thinking of camping? Train station isnt far away we could work out a way of picking you up If you local we will sort a lift out 

It's going to be a really friendly marathon and great as a first marathon as there will be nakid men and wimin and cake.

(not nakid Cake, but he can take his clothes off if he likes. )

Mouse speaks the truth. being summer no mud(I hope) or snow or cold winds.

To be honest its going to be great

 Eh... no mud... sulks.

I'm planning an easy hilly run for tomorrow to get into training. 16 miles with 2,000ft ascent. I might stick at that but if I'm feeling up to it ther's a bugger of a hill that I can add on at the end.

Has anyone got any tips for hill training? I'm trying to make sure that i'm prepared for what's to come!

Emmy best advice to give is make sure you do lot's of hilly run's know that's rubbish advice because you live down in the mega city but there most be at least a couple down there?

T.mouse wrote (see)

It's going to be a really friendly marathon and great as a first marathon as there will be nakid men and wimin and cake.

(not nakid Cake, but he can take his clothes off if he likes. )

 I wouldn't wish that sight on anyone.

@Cake - The best I have is motorway bridges (i'm being serious). We literally have no hills around here so I was wondering if there were other ways to train  (stairs? etc).

Emily if you live in a flat area do you have any office buildings with large staircases?

Try 20 minute warm up and then tw staircases with single steps then one with 2 steps and walk one to recover then repeat until you get to top of building or you have done 20 minutes....or you die.If you reach the top and you havent done the 20 minutes go down in the lift and start again.

It works my mate works in Canary Wharf and does it once a week. 

You also need to strengthen your hip flexors and hamstrings, so body weight lunges deep squats and burpees. Core and stability muscles, planks, supermans (for lower back) knee elbow crunches.

1 stairs session a week and 2 strengthening a week 

That will cover it

Emmy top advice from the beetle master stairs can be very good used to use the arts tower at shef uni for that and while I never managed to get to the top without sounding like some sort emergancy A&E case it did the job. If you visit Caz or someone up north between now and the race shout up and I'm sure we can sort out a hilly run for you. *evil laugh*

If you have a chance and its safe run the stairs barefoot it will strengthen your feet and ankles amazingly 

 Local hills for local people.

How about a gym? Use the treadder thing that makes your legs hurt and that I can never seem to push down on.  Or put the treadmill on a silly incline, the gym I very occaisionally go to has treadmills with hill training programmes, that might be an option. Maybe also talk to a trainer about the best exercises, I don't know anything about weights so can't help you there.

Thanks for the tip Bex. I hadn't thought of the treadmill incline!

Are you joining the race, Bex?

If you stretch out the elevation map as far as you can then it looks flat.

On google it looks flat... you just dont look at the elevation profile