From Zero to Hero in 6 and a half weeks .... (plus 4 and a half hours)

So having never done more than 10 miles in training and only 13 miles a couple of times during some halfs, I intend to cover Wiltshires hardest marathon (well it might be the hardest marathon in Wiltshire for all we know), by running the Neolithic/Sarsen/whatever other convulated name we can give this marathon in under 4.5 hours. None of this flat, nicely paved London marathon malarky for me. Nope, nothing but undulations and running on chalk downs for me!

I mean its only 2 laps of a HM course really when you think about it right? So if I can do a half in 2 hours, times by 2, gives me 30 minutes spare ...... easy right?

hope you've done some 'hill' training on your treadmill?

I will now!! How long can it take to train up some calves right???

Don't forget the quads for the downhills too if it is actually hilly

Thats where my rollerblades come into play Wib.

How will they handle the trail? Maybe look at a mountain board or zorbing?

Train up some Calves!

Are you planning on taking a herd of cattle with you?

David Falconer 3 wrote (see)

But Phil that goes back to a point I made in another thread, where I said merely covering 26.2 miles isnt enough ....... there has to be some conditions attached to it, like having never stopped running the whole time or has to be done within 4 hours) or something like that. Because to be honest, any idiot in the world can get round 26.2 miles given enough time, so why should the person who took 6 hours to do it, say they 'ran the marathon' and be given the same credit as someone who also 'ran the marathon' but did it in 3 hours?

Personally I would keep it simple ....... youve got 4 hours ....... the person doing it in 3:59 gets a medal, the person doing it in 4:01 doesnt ....

so you are chickening out of running a marathon already and not going for a proper time like sub 4........next you are going to walk it all in a fancy dress costume in a pair of tennis shoe or boost shoes ( same thing ) 

The winner last year took 3 hours to do it (2hrs 56 mins) .....so to be honest, by my reckoning I think a time of 4 and a half is probably the equivalent of a 4 in say a VLM

Just looked at the race and it actually looks ok. Have friends down there and was tempted to enter but clashes with 3 Forts Marathon and I am already entered to run that.

Should be a fun run out DF3.

Well its close to where I live, so I thought why not ..... and a bit more interesting than running around on a street for 26 miles! Plus it will probably be 6 years worth of ballot before I get a go at VLM anyway.

Its a total pig of a course! At no point can you take your eyes off the ground two feet in front of you or you'll be on your arse. There are some hills that are soul destroying and when crossing Salisbury Plain in the 2nd half you can see the trail ahead of you for miles. Pray that it isn't hot. I carried 2 and half litres of water and finished the lot by half way.

Enjoy 

Haha ...... well if nothing else I will copy and paste Cop-outs post if it all goes wrong as one of my list of excuses.

go for it - no excuses just go for it.

David Falconer 3 wrote (see)

Well its close to where I live, so I thought why not ..... and a bit more interesting than running around on a street for 26 miles! Plus it will probably be 6 years worth of ballot before I get a go at VLM anyway.

I thought you only wanted to get into VLM so you could write to the organisers and tell them you didn't want to do their crappy marathon anyway?

By the time Ive gotten a place you'll have all forgotten I said that!

Looking at it seriously, you can't compare road and trail marathons.  Plus you're too optimistic on your conversion, I think you might hit 4:30 in a road mara. So I would say 5 hours plus for you if you pluck up the courage to do it.

...and 4:30 for your girlfriend, she look like a proper runner to me.

Mr Puffy wrote (see)

Looking at it seriously, you can't compare road and trail marathons.  Plus you're too optimistic on your conversion, I think you might hit 4:30 in a road mara. So I would say 5 hours plus for you if you pluck up the courage to do it.

Well even better, so what youre saying is that if I struggle in at say 4:45,  you'll give me credit for that then?? Have we got that on record?