Sub 3h15

Tomas I would add, I believe we all found it difficult to slow down, it also goes against logic. The only way to improve this (like anything else) is practice and more practice. One of the benefits of running slow is it gives you Time On Feet without the distance/damage too the legs. If you want to run a 3:15 mara you need to be albe to run 3:15 first.

Gul good resting.

5 x 600m at 5k pace with 1 min between, all in 3:34 to 3:39 km pace (5:45-5:52 mm) I am particularly happy considering the short rests between efforts. Total of 9.4 miles run.

Tomas – If you are struggling to run slower than 7:40 pace in training then you may be faster than you think, or not working hard enough on hard days. I believe hard days should be hard enough to leave you needing to run very slow the following day to recover.

How about adding a mid week run of about 13 – 15 miles into your schedule? This could contain HMP and MP paced intervals and would help fatigue you before your LSR.

I’d also recommend trying a half marathon or if you can’t find one soon a 10k race to see how fast you can really race. Once you get a race result you can use an online calculator to see if you are on course for a sub 3:15 or faster.

As others have said most of your long runs should be about ‘time on your feet’ and not distance. I’m targeting 6:45 pace in London but ran my last LSR at 8:00 pace, which meant I was on my feet a bit longer than I hope to be on race day.

I’m happy with my 4 x 1 mile 10k paced intervals this morning in an 8 mile run. I averaged about 6:05 which is dead on 10k pace and this was only a few days after a 24 miler.

Badbark - Great session, no wonder you're happy with it.

I did a 2-mile warm-up then 5 miles @ 6:42mm, by the middle of which I had half talked myself into a DNS at my forthcoming marathon. I have been having real motivation trouble recently.

So, anyway, 6:42mm is the pace I will be trying to hold (and it's supposed to feel comfortable) at my HM on Sunday. Tomorrow I'll do 10-12 miles with a good chunk @ PMP. 

Uuuggh.  

Ant- We all have those days, just makes the good days better

Rest day yesterday, 45-60 mile road bike today in the glorious sun hopefully followed by 22 mile long tomorrow.Still have achey legs from that bloody off road 10k on sat, hopefuly they will be stronger for it lol.

I rested yesterday- because I'm lazy not because it was deserved. I'm going to try for 10 miles tonight including the club session. Looks like a great day out there

Had a lovely easy 6 miles this morning in the sun. It was beautiful over the downs. I wanted to carry on. First run after Sundays 20 mile 'race' and legs pretty good so all in all happy.

Ant - it's the fighting off of that feeling and making yourself do it when the motivation is low. Being on here and knowing others are feeling the same and still doing it that keeps me going at times. Sounds like you are going ok. Sometimes it's just the thought of the faster stuff that puts me off and then once it's done I think what was I thinking.

OO - a deserved rest. I felt like that yesterday!

Tomas, what is your total weekly mileage? I tried to do the sums and from 4-5 runs a week it must be 40-50 miles tops. If you up your miles you will find the ability to run a bit slower. Also slow means different things to different people: I actually prefer long steady run and I do the first 10 miles at MP+20% and the next 10 miles at MP+10% so for 6:30 MP that is 7:48 out and 7.09 back so 7:40 is too slow for my long runs.

Sunshine

None meant but I don't buy the can't or don't like running slow in long runs bit. Pace control and patience comes in handy on marathon day. I like it when I finish a slow long run reasssured that I have just saved myself a load of matches and feeling like I could have gone round again. Its about saving energy not expending it (at times).

TR wrote (see)

None meant but I don't buy the can't or don't like running slow in long runs bit. Pace control and patience comes in handy on marathon day. I like it when I finish a slow long run reasssured that I have just saved myself a load of matches and feeling like I could have gone round again. Its about saving energy not expending it (at times).

Agreed, but there is also the specificity of training so if you are aiming for 3:15 which is 7:27 pace then you need to do some at 7:27, some faster, some slower but not a great deal slower. The table below shows 10@MP+20% and 10@MP+10% which is the P&D recommended long steady run. For a 3:15 that is 8:56 out and 8:11 back for an average of 8:34 which is pretty close to 8:30 mentioned above.

Tomas mentioned 7:40 pace for long runs.

Ant Hopefully just the on set of negative taper madness.

I still tend to run my MLR to quickly and Frazer makes a great point about fresh legs.

Anyway, I was questioning the not being able to run slowly, regardless of teh pace.

Ahhh good chart that PMJ.

Looks like my long runs have been coming out at 3 hour pace.......GULP

Looks like I might bag a 3:10 though !

11 solid miles tonight in my quest to sneak in more mid week long runs. In the middle of the 11 was a 3 mile club session; 7* 500m at 1:40 pace (which was tough).

I have no trouble going slow on my long runs. My problem is going fast .

Nice session Scooby.

ANother great graph PMJ, where do you store all of these? When I started running slower in my training  I used to laugh at myself at slow I was going - thta was the incentive. If anyone overtook me I'd just let them go safe in the knowledge I could whip 'em if I wanted.

Ventured to my local park again tonight and did 8 x 1000m reps. Times came out at 3.45, 3.43, 3.42, 3.39, 3.36, 3.39, 3.37, 3.38. Did 1.5 mile warm up and a 3 miler warm down to make it up to 10 miles.

KR Impressive reps

14 this morning, none of it nice or pretty. Heavy rain and gale force gusting winds, just a case of getting through it. 8:31 mm av pace and 65% av HR. I actually feel quite happy to have forced myself out this morning.

KR - That is an amazing session, and I suspect very few on this thread would get anywhere near it. Are you going to VLM? You must be looking at sub-3, surely?

Scooby - Well done for braving it out...but what time did you get out there?

Off out myself now. Hoping for some positive vibes.