Sub 3h15

I’ve managed 510 miles this year despite a week long holiday.

Jools – 23 miles unfuelled is fantastic. I took 500ml of a homemade energy drink at 10 and 17 miles but intend to run a slower unfuelled run this weekend.

Keir, Frazer – I’ve fallen apart badly in 2 of my last 3 marathons despite all the training runs pointing to a better time. In London last year I was on course for about 3:07 and finished with 3 x 9+ minute miles and a 3:13. It was even worse in Belfast the year before when I finished with 8, 8:30, 9, 9:30 and 9 in the last 5. I did manage my goal of a 3:09:57 in Dublin in between these two marathons but was on course for 3:08 with a few miles to go.

So my goal this time will not change from 2:59:59 however well my training is going. Although in saying that I do intend to have a few minutes spare entering the last 10k so shouldn’t be far off 2:57 pace at that stage. If I can up the pace then I will but from experience it will take everything (and more) to maintain my pace.

Ultimately 2:55 won’t make me much happier than 2:59. I’m sure I’ll cry for joy if I break 3!

Scc – I’m following a Brad Hudson plan that has its longest full MP run at 14 miles, an 18 mile run at MP + 20 to 30 secs and a 20 mile run with the last 10 at MP.  As PMJ says it’s important to run plenty of miles at faster than MP pace so MP will feel easy come race day.

Bluemoon86 – 1:25 for a half is a great indicator for a sub 3:15 attempt. I managed a 3:10 with a 1:26 HM 3 weeks before the marathon.

Ant – Good luck in 26 days time! Are you not a bit concerned about gaining weight by eating so much?

Morning all,  been a while since I posted here but I have been reading.  So congratulation to all those worthy of congratulations.

I'm getting back to the mileage range I want to be at the moment of more than 55 per week average over the last 4 weeks.  Longest run now up to 22 miles and I've reintroduced tempo running as well.

I've been having a lot of health issues with my upper abodomen.  At first I thought it muscular in my back and then it didn't recover.  So after 3w of pain I went to the doctor who believes the cause to be in the stomach/spleen/intestine.  So she's requested an ultrasound appointment and blood test to try to understand what is going on.  In the meantime I've got a lot of pain and generally lying down is the worse but paradoxically running is pretty much painfree..hey ho

SBD - looking very promising.
EFC-Col - good to have you back; hope you can put a good campaign together for the autumn. As for my inervals yesterday, I'm confident that I could have run the last three at the faster pace, but I'm also pretty sure I couldn't manage 10k! 1200m in 4:32 equates to a fraction under 6:05 m/m, which is roughly where I'm hoping to get to for 5k over the next few months. My 10k plan is to maintain the same pace and increase the interval length up to 3 x 2M.
KR - getting used to running on tired legs is a positive!
FINgers - pleased to hear the ankle is holding up.
Badbark - excellent LSR - you must be feeling confident.
Birch - very impressive total recorded mileage - here's hoping you can go round the clock!
Lorenzo - 4:00 min/km is easy to remember - but I only added on the time for 100m rather than 200m. Either that or I thought I was Usain Bolt! Nice run in the vineyard.
Frazer - bit of a cut-back won't do any harm.
Ant - a bit soon for carb-loading!
SSC - that's a tough session. A standard P&D LSR is something like first quarter build up to MP+20%, middle half @ MP+20% and last quarter @ MP+10%, so your session is a harder workout.
Bluemoon - great HM time. Sounds like you have the ability and speed. Endurance will be the key, What's your training been like for VLM?
BikeIt  - pleased to hear the training is back on track; hope the health issue is sorted out OK.
SD - good bimbling!
335 miles so far this year for me.

503 miles for me so far in 2013.

Makes sense and a sensible decision BB. 

Nice slow but steady mileage Gul.

Stop sleeping and run more Bikeit! Seriously, I hope you get to the root of it, but well done on decent mileage in the mean time. 

When's your next race Fraser? I'm looking forward to seeing your results after your hard recent interval work.

Bluemoon - A 1.25 half marathon should make a sub 3.15 very achievable. Just make sure you bag 5 x 20 milers in training and also inject some MP miles into these runs.

Slokey, yes would be great to meet up. I'm driving there in the morning and have a parking space sorted for Old Trafford. Can't believe I had to sign up to be a Man U supporter in order to do that, wonder if I can “unfriend” them now?

Sounds like you are a man with a plan BB!

BikeIT - don't sleep just run then! Hope they can get to the bottom of your abdominal issues (sounds that rude? couldn't resist it!).

Nice total for the year Gul. Running on tired legs especially on LSR's is a good thing as you say, as you are replicating race day conditions.

Badbark - Yes, get sub-3 under your belt any old how and only then should you start thinking about doing anything faster. As to your question about my putting on weight, yes, that is the primary concern. But I don't want to go hungry, either. So it's a question of finding a balance there. 

Bike it - I think you have something similar to me. No problem whern running but later on in the day and esp at night there's this nagging ache difficult to locate specifically.

SSC - Within reason the more MP running the better. Your whole training should be geared to one thing - making MP feel comfortable and sustainable on the day. Training miles at quicker than MP will help, as will running at MP on already tired legs, e.g. in the last section of a long run.

9M for me in atrocious weather (again), incl. 4 x 2km off 500M jog recoveries (which were actually about 7:40mm pace). The reps came out at 7:49, 7:50, 7:54 & 7:47, which I'm happy with.

Bluemoon I would also agree a 1:25 points comfortably towards 3:15, endurance is the most important thing in a marathon

BB Great plan, good not to be greedy.

Ant Any extra weight will mean more energy stored.

BikeIt Getting healthy is the most important thing.

4.5 miles this evening pace was 30 seconds per mile quicker than this morning, but HR was only 3 bpm more.

200.9 miles for me in 2013: didn't realise or I would have cheered at the 200 point. Lunchtime handicap race and I am about a minute down on my PB over a toughish course that is 3.25 miles. Encouraging that I am now back to within 1 minute of my 5k PB sort of form, know that the last minute is the hardest to get back.

AR-Quality tempo, i hope to be around that level of fitness in around 6 weeks time.

Tonight i got involved  with some interval lark, not really done it properly before so i cranked the garmin to spit out some Info......

1.5mi warm up, 6x0.5mi with 2 mins recovery jog, 2 mile ish cool down

splits were 6.17,6.14,.6.13,6.03,5.58.5.58

Well that was one of the most FUN sessions of running i have ever done and there may be the problem(maybe it was too easy?). I set off steady and built up the speed of the splits and managed with relative ease, Garmin kept shouting at me to slow down so next time i reckon i will adjust the Faster end to 5.45 as that was the top end speed where i felt i could hold a comfortable pace for.However i just went along with the garmin to shut it up beeping and vibrating lol

If anyone has any good training sessions give us a shout

Badbark- What is in your homemade energy drink?  I think your 2.59.59 is a little too close for comfort, I'm aiming for 2.59.58.

6 and a 4 for me today. For the second time in about five years I tried listerning to some tunes while running. Nah! not for me, can't stand the bloody ear plugs and wires dangling down my face despite some decent music (The Strokes, Is this it). Plus I like to discreetly fart and can't tell if I'm going off like a fog horn when I've got a racket in me ears.

Carbloader- I do those sessions after a longer warm up and just stick a mile warm down at the end. Good effort btw.

Bike it- Hope the stomach sorts itself out, nothing worse than a pain in the gut.

Sorry to hear things aren't going brilliantly for you, Bike It.  Hope they improve soon!

9M for me including club session: 4 x (3 mins, 2 mins, 1 mins; all off 1 min).  Wasn't quite the 6 x 600m which P&D prescribed but close enough that I figured the change was offset by the faster people dragging me along at 5k pace!

 I forgot to log my Febulous runs for last week. Sorry!