RW Forum Six – Sub 4 Running Rachel with Cheerful Dave

Ooo good luck for tomorrow Dd, hope you get some decent weather! What time are you aiming for?

Ok, temp run done.

4.1 miles at average pace :8:24

Felt quite leisurely in places, but is that ok, or should I be pushing it faster?

Dave...today's questions is about stretching...last time I upped my miles I stretced quite regularly as I started to get the occasional niggle. Since the marathon, I haven't really stretched at all and am quite lazy in that respect. What's your view please?

Sounds good Rachel.  No need to go any faster at this stage, you'll be lengthening the midweek runs soon and it won't feel quite so leisurely then!

I'm also quite lazy on the stretching front but I do find that stretching before a run helps.  It would probably help to avoid those occasional niggles if you start stretching now rather than wait until the niggles start.  Getting yourself to the start line in one piece is fairly important, after all!

My lunchtime run today didn't go as well as yours did earlier, it was all a bit of a plod really.  I did run twice yesterday though, which may have had something to do with it!  I was going to go swimming instead today, but left my swim kit at home this morning.  There's a lesson about organisation in there somewhere...

Dave, did you do a double parkrun yesterday?

No, I just did the one and then went out for a few miles after lunch.  Ours was at 10am so we had quite a few people coming over from elsewhere for their second of the day.  Did you manage two?

Hi Rachel

I have never been one for stretching either and have been fortunate so far to get away with it

It looks like you are off to a good start with your training plan, how are you finding it so far ? Which spring marathon are you entered for ?

Dave- good to know that you're human and "plod" sometimes too!! Though in my eyes running twice in a day is very impressive!!

Hi Carterusm, nice to see you in these parts!! I am doing the Manchester marathon. This week is week one proper of the plan, and, so far so good!! How about you?

I've been putting in plenty of miles over the last 3 months or so but Spoons has now got me focussing on speedwork e.g. for a tempo run he suggested I should be aiming for 7:45m/m which I was very doubtful about achieving. However, on Monday I did my first tempo run and achieved 7:53 albeit for only 2 miles but it was a good start

I am doing Manchester also, it's my first one. I have only run a HM in November and finished in 1:47 so waschuffed with that too !

Sounds good carter - are you still targetting 4 hours or are you going to decide nearer the time?  If you get the endurance miles in to support your obvious speed you should be on for something a bit quicker than 4.

Dave - I'm not sure really. My original target was to break 4:00 based on my HM time, Spoons has initially suggested 3:45. If, and it is an extremely optimistic and possibly unrealistic if, I could maintain my HM pace (8:12) for the full marathon my time would be 3:35. I'm sure Mr Spoons will give me the dose of reality I need on this !! I am in the Liversedge HM on 10/02 and Spoons has said it would be ok for me to make this a PB attempt so I think I will wait until I see how I perform there to set my target for Manchester. I'm not really sure how much of an improvement I will make by introducing the speedwork ?

It'll be hugely beneficial carter.  I'm sure there's lots of science behind it but the way I look at it is that if you spend all of your time running at pace X, then you can very good at running at that pace but anything remotely quicker becomes hard work.  Through in some speedwork, with relatively short stints of much faster pace (say 1 min/mile faster than X), and after a while doing 'only' 30s/m qicker than X seems relatively easy. 

Your HM should give you a good idea of where you're at, if you can run it at a relatively constant pace and don't go off so fast that you blow up!  Tempo runs & intervals help though, you'll have a better idea of what sort of effort you can keep up for the distance.

ooo..see you at the start line for anchester then Carterusm!!! Impressive half marathon time! and good sruff with the training so far!

Very impressive Dd, well done! 

4 miles easy this morning at just under 9 min mile pace. First week of 3 consecutive weeks days running, so took it easy. Rest day tomorrow!

Carter- you should be crossing that finish line before me!!

Well done Rachel, some excellent progress already then. How are you feeling physically with the 3 consecutive days running ? If I'm over the line first I will have a beer waiting for you 

Hi all, new to online / social media communication type stuff.  Doing my first marathon in Edinburgh 2013.  Set myself the usual sub 4 hour ambitious goal..Some days feels well within my grasp, other days an unrealistic goal.  Fairly new to running, did GNR 2012 (on a last minute transferred place... shhh ..) and managed 1:53:57 without any structured running plan. Does anyone know a good solid plan to follow to achieve this goal.  I got a plan from myasics , but the long runs later on in the programme seem not so long.  Would I be well enough prepared with this ?

PLAN =  a couple of 15 milers, 2 x 17.5 milers, 1 x 20 miler, then reducing miles towards event date ??

Hi Reedee.

Spoons and myself have come up with a marathon training plan for me. If you want to have a look at it it will give you an idea of what I am doing and my target time is 3:45. There are also many on this website of you search under Training (menu at the top). If you want a copy of mine send me a message with your email address and I will forward it to you.

Cheers