Preston Guild Marathon

Places still left had a Facebook message from PCC because I am in the 10k on Sunday and it said places still for half and full.

Any ideas on how many will run the full marathon?  The last newsletter said over 3000 have entered, but this was a combined figure for both half and full.

Crispo wrote (see)

Just found this thread so thought I would join in.

Decided to enter the Guild Marathon as a challenge to myself thie year. Have never really done much in the way of running before but figured now was the best time to do it as I will be 45 by time the next one comes around.

Was wondering if anyone has any tips for training as we get close to the event. Training wise I started in May and feel like its been going ok but I dont really know when I should be starting to taper off my training and if I need to do anymore big runs. 

Last monday I did my biggest training run so far and covered 20miles in 2hr47mins. Do I need to do another one further than this before the race? I am up to about 26miles/week total training now, should I continue this right up until the week before? 

Any other tips most appreciated.

Fairly new to running?  45yr old?  Been training since May... but you do 20 miles at 8min 20s per mile?  That's very good. 

You should google some training plans...  I've followed one from Runners World.. called ultimate_marathon_plan.pdf  but I can't find it online now.   I hope they haven't withdrawn it on the grounds that it's poor!!  I have recently realised that there are far far fewer miles in it than most others.

For the long runs, it recommends that you run this weekend for 110 minutes at marathon pace.  7th Oct=170 minutes 14th Oct=120min@ easy pace  21 Oct 60min@easy pace.  There are other activities recommended during the weeks of course, but tapering off in those last couple of weeks.

Good luck

Hi Wales, im doing a runners world training program, but i got it out of their book they published. Im down for 22 miles this week if thats any help.

Oh and is any one else doign this : http://www.parkrun.org.uk/preston/course

Branno,

If you want my marathon place you are welcome to it. please email me on vince.walker1@btinternet.com and I can send you the details.

Cheers

vince

Thanks Vince. Email sent.

SJPC14- I do the preston parkrun most weeks, I would definitely recommend giving it a go.

SJPC14 wrote (see)

Oh and is any one else doign this : http://www.parkrun.org.uk/preston/course

Thanks SJPC

The Runners World version I have has 3 options..  a Beginners, an Improvers and an Achievers training plan. I'm doing a bit of a hybrid... between the Beginners and the Improvers.  But the surprising thing is that for the Beginners (for those aiming 4.5 to 5.5 hrs), the longest run is 165 minutes, a month before the race. 

If you're running at 5.5hr pace, that's 12.6 minutes per mile..  so you only do 13.1 miles.  For the Improvers, the same calculation works out at a maximum training run of 16.5 miles. This worries me!

Anyway, I'm ignoring that bit... I've done a 17miler and plan a 19 this weekend and a 22  next week.   Good luck

Thanks penguingirl, i am going to come down and tomorrow's one. Althoguh, i am going to jog down from my house as i only live over in Walton-Le-Dale i wont be going for a time as such. Just more practice running with a large group of people, as not done many races this year. Looking forward to it.

Sounds like your doing the right thing Wales, 13miles as your longest run, wouldnt leave you in any condition to do the marathon, very odd!!

How did you get on SJPC14? It wasn't another PB for me this morning, but only 7 seconds away from it. It's just a shame that the weather tomorrow for the 10k won't be as good!

Yep 9- all the info is here http://www.parkrun.org.uk/preston/home, plus they're on facebook too. Just register this week, print off your barcode and see you at 8.50 on Saturday mornings!

Hey penguin, i enjoyed it. I didnt get a PB but i didnt expect to as i had run 2 miles before hand to get to it but it was a good event i recommend it to everybody. I will certainly try and get at least one more in before the big day. Its a nice course and runners are friendly.

In regards to how i did my time was 21.54, which is a good 1.53 slower than my PB but as i said before i was expecting or aiming to PB and i think they put me down as finishing 11th which was nice too see. But i am guessing a lot of that is down to that fact that quiet a few people missed the race off to prepare for the Run Preston even.

Are you doing the Run Preston event penguin? your post seems to suggest you are. Which if so, your very brave having done the park run as well! Me, i am off on a 23 mile run 2maz, it was meant to be 22, but the route i mapped out ended up being a mile over and i couldnt be bothered doing another one.

http://www.runningahead.com/maps/bd7a4ff6f97a4e5eae4348932cae2abf?unit=mi

Hello all, hope preparations for the marathon and half are going well for you

Anyone know how hilly the half course is? (Apologies if the answer is already here but I couldn't see it on the last couple of pages). Would love to go under 2 hours for my first ever half, but it all depends on the hills!

SJPC14

I'm in the same boat just got back from 2weeks holiday no running or excess drinking at all, plus a bout of jet lag. Managed 9 miles to work then 9 miles back on Thursday in agony. So did Yorkshire 3 Peaks walk in 10 hours on Saturday. So plan is exercise classes this week plus two x 6 miles runs and then Rivington Trail Marathon on Saturday 6th October followed by 18 mile run on the 13th October then 12 miler on the 20th October. I have engine, but unsure if the combination of trail/fell and road will be enough to get me round in under 4 hours. Looking at my half marathon results I should be hitting 3.30, but I realise I lost a lot of fitness whilst away.    

I just read back through a lot of this thread... and saw a few arguments about the route!  Anyway, I'm confused about the undulation profile. Does anyone have link that shows the undulations?   I'm sure I viewed one some weeks ago, and it looked a bit frightening, but there are so many route maps littering this thread, I might have been looking at someone's training run! 

I found this link that suggests that it's a mainly downhill finish (the route I viewed was uphill for the last couple of miles... so I'm hoping that good news awaits me!)  http://astleyrunners.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/preston-marathon_10.html

Any help welcome.  Cheers

Morning all

Hey Sarah, there are a few inclines in the country lane section but its nothing too challenging. In fact, a few months a go myself and a couple of other runner went and did a 10 mile loop of that section. Here is the map if you want to give it a go :

http://www.runningahead.com/maps/0e91c39079d44d129b7f316f8da1b98e?unit=mi

Hi number, you should able able to recover your fitness in time, just try not to miss any training sessions from now until the day. Hopefully the break will leave you feeling  fresher on the day, than if you had been training none stop.

Hi Wales, here is a copy the route, unless ive done it wrong that is..... But there are some ups and downs but nothing too serious

http://www.runningahead.com/maps/89b003fe4b7d417a89c8e7f22ee68c46?unit=mi

Thanks SJPC - much appreciated.  This is the course profile I'd seen before... I guess you posted it previously.   The last mile looks a bit of a killer on the graph.. but I guess it's just the scale of the mapping.

Does anyone know of any clever software that estimates mileage split times, taking account of the undulations.  I don't  suppose it's so vital for this relatively flat race.... but, for example, I am going to (very overambitiously) write 4hr splits on my arm.  But there's a drop of a hundred feet in that first mile... so I need to be a bit quicker there... to make sure I've something in the bank for that last mile climb back to the finish.

I know that's an oversimplificaiton, but you get the idea. I think it would be useful (or at least, interesting)