Sub 3h15

FINgers. With regards to shoes, I am also officially an over-pronater. In fact there are so many of us, and so few supinaters that I wonder whether the median isn't inaccurate. Sorry, that was a side-track thought. Shoes: I've had many different people analyse my gait. One chap at Nike got more and more extreme shoes out of the rack until he was happy, and I could hardly lift them up. After that I suddenly twigged a thought. My knees and ankles have been operating quite normally in their current positions, and if I alter the angles I will be trying to wear different wear tracks in the joints. That will surely spell trouble.

Also Ran. Just tag on a couple more miles if you're still feeling OK and join the flab busting party.

Mennania. Not a 2p in the washing machine pump, but it turned out to be simple (temporary fix). If you must know, the door was jammed by the electronic lock, yes, with a load of wet towels refusing to spin.
I had to hump the whole machine out and disconnect the waste pipes to manually drain it. Open up the back and lid and THINK. Then I spotted the loose connector block that was the feed from the door lock. The hammering overloaded drum (blame the wife) had clearly clonked the wiring and a standard Post Office rubber band was needed to hold everything in place.
Postie Postie. Thanks.

And now, cooking for a secret birthday party, just about complete.

Birch, thanks for the pointer to the 1170's - I have two pairs of 1160's that I have trashed or run into the ground recently, and my cheap source of 1160's had dried up - perfect timing.

Blisters - I wasn't being entirely serious about the 20's. Trying to be a bit more constrained this time and keep it to 6 or 7 20's. But, am impressed by all the midweek and weekend mileage being clocked. Surely OO's secret birthday party is out now

Belated welcome to the newbies

Belated birthday wishes to OO

Quite a few impressive 20 milers being posted already. I was planning on maybe increasing my 15 miles to 18 at the weekend.

After my rest day (missing my 13 miler out), I was due 9 with 4 at tempo today. After reading about intervals on here, I decided to cut out the tempo but mix and match. 13 miles with mid 7 at PMP. Hoping for 6:51, but came in at 6:54 and getting progressively slower (last 2 were 7mm plus). It was also a hell of a lot closer to tempo than PMP effort. Hopefully look back and shrug type run.

I went for a new pair of shoes yesterday, but didn't have anything to suit me in stock. I bought a new Blu ray player instead. Not quite sure how that happened.

I was only planning on 18m tomorrow. Feel like I am the thread wimp!

I'm very happy with the 305, and dread to think what I'll have to fork out for when it gives up the ghost. By the way, I don't even know what a bevel is.

A-R - See earlier comments. Wimp?

Gul, I like the way you are running late @ 7.15 in the morning after a 13 miler - hardcore!

Good to hear you've bagged a 20 miler so early in the year Lorenzo (4 days in). How many are you planning on doing? In regards to HM, I'd be tempted to do a flat HM so Dorney (although boring laps) would be my option. As it is flat it pretty much replicates VLM so a good indication to form on a (pardon the pun) level playing field. A hilly HM would be a good training run however, so depends on what you want to get out of it.

And WOW another 20 miler from Keir - nice pace. Again, how many are you planning in your campaign?

And Blisters too with a sub (just) 3 hour 21 miler.

Glad I'm not the only one not donig 20's at the moment TR. I just starting my mara training on Monday so a few weeks behinbd most on here.

Also Ran - I'm only doing a 13 miler on Sunday, probably mostly cross country though.

KR - good thoughts re Dorney - thanks. I PB'ed (1:28) there a couple of years ago so would be a good benchmark. Will mull it over.

Planning on getting at least 5 20 milers in, but if I can do one every couple of weekends between now and end March that wld be good. May follow some advice from Poacher a while ago and try and get in a 26+ at very slow pace into the mix. The one element I'm not convinced about with P&D is the number of long runs - given that everyone says they're the most important element of the programme I would have expected more in the schedule.

Ant - best thing to do if and when the 305 packs up is call Garmin and they'll send you a replacement for £50 (UK price - not sure what it would be for Spain)

No problems if you can do without it for a couple of weeks while you send the broken one back and get the replacement sent to you.

Minni - have I missed something? What sort of video of you "doing it" were you planning to post?! 

Poacher - very good set of mile reps.
Blisters - 20 miler? Not me, unless it was a typo. I haven't run one in over 18 months now. Very nice sub 3 20 miler from you though.
Carbloader - 50 miles! I could barely manage 1 hard 5 miler on the bike - very impressive.
Lorenzo - John O'Groats to Lands End? We might have to build up to that one slowly!
AR / FINgers - both beat me. 13 miles in my "long" run distance at the moment. Then again, I'm not in mara training
Ant - very sensible.
TR - ditto.
OOlg - ah, I see. Sorry to disappoint you, but I make notes as I go along! Happy bargain hunting.
Birch - enjoy the early start
RFJ - best of luck with the XC.
SD - still a decent session.
KR - have you recovered yet? I think I finished my 13 miler at about 6:35, so very late for me
3 mile recovery run @ 9:06 m/m done a while ago to make 44 for the week. Need to keep a lid on the faster stuff next week.

Lorenzo - I think P&D really values the MLR and these complement what appears to be a slightly lighter approach to the long runs. I think essentially they wrote the 100+ mile plan first, then watered down each run to fit the lighter weekly mileage plan. I assume when people are hitting high weelky mileages, the 'lack' of LSRs is not so apparent. Any comment RJ?

Blisters - You make it sound so easy, but washing machines arn't all that light to lift! 

Well done on keeping it sensible in the build Gul. 

Sounds like a much more sensible (and popular choice) Scooby.

KR - On the plan at the moment are 10 runs between 18 - 22m, 1x 26.2, 1x 33, and 1x17miles. 

Surely you've cleared up all those empties after 5 dry days now Minni.

18:38 at the parkrun today. Not bad with a thick head. 15 tomorrow takes me over 50.

Any thoughts on when I should run my first 20 miler in prep for the VLM?

6M easy today after a much needed rest day yesterday.  Legs are still a little bit tired but should be ok for tomorrow's XC.

Nice parkrunning, OO.

Not dry, Poacher, but plan is to drink less between now and 21.04.13, so definitely alternating alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and perhaps (shock! horror!) only drinking half pints/single shots when having alcoholic drinks.  I'm not a big drinker in any event, but the thought of no post-concert beers or no Friday night beer with my mates is a bit sad.

Joolska wrote (see)

Not dry, Poacher, but plan is to drink less between now and 21.04.13, so definitely alternating alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks 

Well done on the Parkrun OO. I'd be pleased to get within 30sec of that time at the moment! But if you haven't run a 20m yet, it is probably too late. Better focus on VLM 2014 instead 

I've just sen some of the new Team Sky kit. Very nice, but surely £240 is a little bit steep for anyone to pay for an anorak? 

Some good running going on so early in the year.  Fingers crossed for a breakthrough year for alot of us!!

You've got a lot of long runs in your plan Keir.  I think you will have built the endurance!!

Certainly not going dry Poacher.  Not a big drinker anyway so not much difference for me.

Excellent parkrun OO.  My first 20 miler should be in two weeks time.

16.26 miles for me this morning.  First 8m in 60.08 (7.31 pace) & return 8 in 56.24 (7.03 pace).  Second half felt tough but was 1.36 mins faster than the second half of the same run this time last year so a little bit of progress. 

Is anyone on Strava or Garmin connect here, would be good to see how people are training etc.

Find me on-Garmin-Davecarbhead

                  Strava-http://app.strava.com/athletes/686272

Just 4 miles recovery for me this morning, and felt like the Tin Man out of the Wizard of Oz. I have got the tightest hips, and am probably the least flexible person, on Earth.

So I decided to find some exercises to stretch the hips, and came up with these, although that standing half-bound lotus looks like a suicide attempt to me...

Lorenzo - PnD write a plan as a whole, the copy of the 18wk plan I have (I use it for taper guidance), has Tues 10s, Weds 15s and Fri 11s and 12s. There are also some long hard sections in some of the long runs. Its a plan as a whole that needs to be followed as a whole. Stu Leaney and Marigold both ran 2:35 following PnD to the letter.Like Keir says I'm sure that RJ has followed it strictly too.

KR - I've learned not to do too many fast LSRs, too many progressive LSRs too early, too many MLRs too fast, too many MLRs, too many too long MLRs, too long a LSR...etc etc. I'm still in the pre training for the training and saving my matches. Its not about how hard I can train in the build up, its about how I run on the big day, took a while for the penny to drop for me. But I'm sure there will be some folks that start race day with a too few matches left in the box. I'm saving effort not expending it.