Have I met the greatest mara runner ever?

LP84 wrote (see)

 He also advised me to push to the front to get a good start. 

Then there was the guy who told me to suck on a small pebble to prevent a dry mouth.

 I don't suppose you overheard what wash to put the trainers on at Cougie???  Don't want to make a beginner error of putting them in on a boil wash when it should be cold or vice versa...

Put one trainer in hot water, one in cold water. Let them dry for an hour, then switch round.

 You now need a new pair of trainers.

As for the guy who ran 3hr 30 for a marathon off 3mile commutes. He's one of 2 things. Lying, or stupid, and it would have been a miserable plod round at 8min miling.

Like your comment Stevie G -  plodding around at 8 minute mile pace - an old friend of mine no longer talks to me because about 8 years ago I had a letter printed in the Metor that suggested that anyone who couldn't run under 3 hours couldn't consider themselves a marathon runner !  There was far more in the letter than just that and was totally tonuge in cheek - but he totally missed that point -

Seriously you need to remember that the old boys probably did run those sort of times off that sort of training and if you ever read Plimsolls on and Eyeballs out you will see just what was recommended in the days gone by - in the 60s and 70s distance running was a completely different sport - I have posted this before - but I remember a few years ago doing the Roding Valley Half Marathon on a very cold day and listening to a couple of old club members wanting to know why the runners these days needed water out on the course as they wouldn't have needed it when they wer competing - so it is always possible that he is not a lier!!!  Just that he ran what he considered to be a very slow time on little training