RW Forum Six - Sub 3:30

Minni - I always find that when my other half runs a marathon or half when I am it becomes all about him and I forget about my nerves!! Good luck to him anyway. He will no doubt ache more and be more tired and need more attention after it!!

CG - agree with Mr S - 7:30s....? Surely with all this pent up energy you will be like a coiled spring ready to fly!!

CG/Mr Spoons - I've no idea what pace or or time!  I race so rarely that its difficult to actually pre-plan a pace.

My 8 mile general aerobic today ended up being 10 miles with an average of 8.18.  A bit faster than I'd planned but we were chatting all the way and although it felt testing it didn't feel tough. 

The 10 o'clock start is going to be a challenge in itself.   We'll have to set off about 5.45, I think

I wonder how Dubai Dave has got on in the Dubai marathon today..... 

Minni - good luck for your half at the weekend, hopefully the early start isn't too tiring.  What pace do you usually do your general aerobic run at?  I managed 7 1/2 miles last night, only averaged 8.45, felt really tired.  

Hat off to Dubai Dave - couldn't imagine running a marathon in 27 degree heat!

Nice run Minni. Sounds like you are making improvements already.

I've not raced a HM (1:42) for almost a year so have no idea of pace really. I haven't been doing a great deal of speed work but have been basing my HMP on 7:20 - 7:30. From the session I did last week I couldn't imagine sustaining that for 13.1 miles! I tend to get really worked up about the shorter races to the point where it can really affect my performance so I'm trying to be chilled out and definately don't want to go out too fast.

Hi Minni - thought I'd pop into your 'other' thread and say good luck for Sunday's half.

CG - Good luck to you too, just relax and enjoy the race.

looking forward to reading your race reports!

MInni /CG Good luck at the BM.  I would think 7-30's is about right from what you have both said about training lately. You can always pick it up if your feeling good.

The weather at Dubai marathon was kind this year, 22C and overcast. I had a good day at the office with splits of roughly 1-43 / 1-41 for a 3-24-34 PB. I ran most of it while chatting away to the guy next to me, at 28K I decided I better introduce myself as I knew full well one of us was going to fall away sooner or later. So we shook hands and wished each other well, at 36K he said he was dropping back and I was forced to try and maintain those 4-45 min/K's on my own on a section of the course where there is zero support (there is not much anywhere on the course), fortunately I could see a club mate ahead who had overtaken me at 16K (we ran the whole of the Dubai 1/2M in December side by side) and chased him down, then it was chase down a runner from a rival club who I had never beaten and so it went on. Have to say that the last 30 mins were some of the hardest minutes I have spent racing, it hurt!  So I am living proof that you can run PB's / Sub 3-30 marathons off 30 mile weeks!

DD - amazing time, well done. I like the marathons marked in ks - the markers come much quicker. I am also not a high mileage runner and rarely top 35 miles in training. Really pleased for you.

Psyching myself up for my 18 miles this morning. Its freezing!!

Right, that's it.  I'm dropping my mileage back.....

Great report DD.  It sounds like you had to dig deep towards the end but you nailed it with a 2 minute negative split.  Fantastic work.  Did you have a pace in mind that you tried to stick to, or did you just go with the flow?  Well done and it give us all something to aspire to!

AA   Good luck wiht the 18 miler.  It'll soon warm up once you get going! 

JR/ Mr Spoons thanks for the good lucks!

I feel as if I've got a slight hamstring pull.  Nothing too sore but I am aware of it.  I've had my recovery skins on since my run yesterday and taking ibuprofen and hoping it'll not develop into much.

Great race DD, I just hope the people you were chasing down don't realise what mileage you came off.

Good luck at BM tomorrow Minni and CG. Both your training seems to be going really well and hopefully that will pay off.

18 miles for me too today. Trying to warm up with a bowl of porridge at the moment. 

Minni: The pace was very muuch pre planned  knew that a average o 4-50min/k's was going to give me a PB and a sub 3 hour age graded marathon, averagepace was 4-49! Don't take the low mileage at face value I spend another 8 - 10 hours a week cycling and swimming.

good work DD well dug out. The last 30 mins sounds like my last two VLMs.

Folks musnt get caught up believing that they can all run PBs off Tri/cross training though, there's no substitue for running impact miles, and running marathons off Tri training is very hard, and quite a bit away from where you could be with a running only approach.

excellent result DD, well done!

Good luck Mini and C.G for tomorrow.

16 miles planned for tomorrow here.

TR: True re tri training but perhaps less so for oldies like me, tri training is pretty well what all the references recommend once you are over 50. 

To be honest the inspiration for the last 30 mins yesterday came from this thread, how could I possibly be a mentor on a sub 3-30 thread if I couldn't still churn out a marathon in less than 3-30?

DD - sounds like you were thinking of Minni then!!

My 18 miles didn't go well. Suppose we've all had runs like this and I tend to get them early on in the training and today was it. First 8 miles wasn't to hilly and I was averaging 8:30s which I knew was a bit quick. At 9 miles it was contiuous hills and my legs pretty much fell off at 15, and I stopped and walked for 20 seconds  at 16 and after a girly cry (bad week) pulled myself together and ran up the hills home but it has taken me all day too get over it. Feel exhausted. But I have been here before and this is my longest run yet on this campaign. I am now going to rest again tomorrow rather than a 5 mile recovery run. 35 miles this week in 4 runs and that's a lot for me. PS - time ended up being 2hours 40

Wobbled - how did yours go

Good luck with everyones long ones tomorrow. Special good luck to CG and Minni in their races

Sorry to hear things didn't go to plan AA but good experience to draw on.

DD - Brilliant result!

We've got an early start in the morning but nothing like Minni's. Going to have an early night as not feeling great