Sub 3h15

SD - good reps off short recoveries. And well done toughing out 14 miles in atrocious weather.
Lorenzo - was it eerie in the mist?
Badbark - good intervals so soon after that 24 miler!
Ant - don't despair; we all struggle some days. Hope today goes better.
CL - nice day for a long bike ride yesterday - enjoy the LSR today.
OO - resting is obviosuly in at the moment. Good club session.
DS2 - the sun is quite a tonic.
PMJ - as you say, you run the second half of your long runs at a steady pace. P&D reserve MP+10% for the last 4-5 miles of their LSRs.
Frazer - nice running!
KR - those stats are very impressive. Are you planning any parkruns in the near future?!
Tomas - I wouldn't worry too much about the exact pace. It's just about making sure it's a nice and easy effort. It's thought there are physiological benefits of running for long periods at low heart rates and as a bonus your legs will fresher for the faster stuff.
I won't know whether or not the niggles are clearing up till I go out for a run - but that won't be for a little while as my bad throat has moved to the chest; fingers crossed that there's no infection. Keeping warm and resting for now. Is it just me or do other people have problems with tight muscles if they haven't been out running for a few days? Need to warm them up and do a few stretches.

KR - cracking session! You must be pleased with that. Feel better soon Gul.

rejig of schedule for me again but did 13 at 7.45mm last night with a little bit of DOMs showing up for the first time from sundays effort. Foam roller employed to much family mirth at the dogs reaction to me cavorting around the floor squeeling like a puppy. Nice gentle recovery some time to day.

Just under 11M this morning with the last 5M a tad quicker than PMP (7:05mm, these). Feeling better about life, but who wouldn't on a day like today? Bright sunshine, 15ºC, legging it around town in a t-shirt and shorts - none of yer gloves and hat nonsense. Overall av pace 7:28mm, av 138bpm.

Mennania - Good miles, no harm in a bit of DOMS now and then!

Gul - Look after yourself, hope the tickles and niggles don't amount to anything.

21.5 miles today......one of those days when even after a few miles your thinking ''oh dear this will be a tough one''.

Out went the window of doing any mile near MP, so just stuck to a solid even pace and ended up with 8 min mile pace for a lovely 2hr 52min run.

Must of been last weeks efforts from intervals ,race and a hard tempo still floating aroud in the legs.Any way its bagged not many more to do now.

TR wrote (see)

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

Totally agree: up to a point anyone can run slowly: there is a point where mechanically it becomes hard to run. I run as slow as 9 m/m in recovery runs when the idea is just to get some blood flowing. If I did 20 miles at 9 m/m pace then that is 180 minutes or 3 hours so is an over time run and wouldn't be useful to me. I am planning some long time on the feet runs for the autumn up to maybe 2:55 for 21 which is 8:20 pace so that effectively puts a lower limit on the speed for long runs.

Needed to do some errands at lunch time so set a course between the palces I had to go to and used the Garmin as a nav aid only so 13 miles with no feedback on pace or distance came out at 7:30 and felt easy so seem that the 190 miles over the last 4 weeks has started to have soem positive feedback. Also nice as  I squeezed in Holland Park, Hyde Park and a lap of Regents Park on the way round.

PMJ - that sounds about right, I will make my longest run last around 2:55 ish and get about 22M in. I already have some 2:4X 20s. I do plan to try to do a few progressive 20s from now on in and also make a couple of my last long runs completely flat.

2nd midweek 13M of the campaign (inc 8 at ~MP) this morning, with 5M home again later.

It was a good idea to rest monday and tuesday and give my tight hamstring a bit of recovery time (actually 78 hours rest in total). Hamstring felt fine, but perhaps not the best plan to go out for 14 miles as a "tester" tonight. I'm now sitting on a bag of peas.

It felt perfectly ok during the run but tightened up afterwards. Now if I'd only just gone out for a 4 mile rec run. I'll never learn.  Moan over!

Nice reps from KR and Scooby.

Good effort with the long run Carbloader.

I'm off to see if there is a beer tucked away in the back of the fridge.

Got home in the rain to a hot tea and cold beer. Then felt guilty all night about missing my run. Wish I'd done 14 moof. 

Impressive early morning mileage Scooby, especially in the rain (and I guess dark?).

I'm doing Manchester Ant. I have got a HM planned for 7th April, so hopefully that should give me a good idea of what pace to go for on 28th April. Hopefully aiming for around 3.05. I'm back to hat, gloves & leggings after a brief speel of bare legs!

Gul, it's been a busy few weeks and I was hoping to get a Parkrun in - just got life and my lads football training to work round!

Great long run carbloader and a good endurance run too.

OO'50, I'm intrigued by the hot tea and cold beer combination!

12 mile run tonight turned into a 13 miler due to Garmin watch user error. Looks like I stopped my watch at traffic lights and didn;t start it again! Oh well, 1 more miel to the weekly tally, sould take me to 63 by Sunday night.

Mennania - have a good recovery.
Ant - pleased to hear things are looking up after that blip.
CL - that's a very good long run after the thrashing you gave your legs last week!
PMJ - sounds like an enjoyable run - looking very promising.
TR - good MLR.
Moof - hope the hammie loosens up for today.
OO - one missed run isn't much in the scheme of things.
AR - you certainly seem to like extreme weather conditions for your holidays! Have a great time.
KR - I know what it's like trying to fit in the parkruns with a busy family; last week was my first since October.
I've more or less decided to have a whole week off; dosing myself up and resting. Both calves are really painful this morning and not making for easy walking! I think I'm cracking up.

Sorry to hear that Gul- makes me feel better about 1 session missed though. I've had a few injuries but never calves.

KR- tea is my dinner  

Gul Look after yourself.  Maybe a massage would help, especially if stiffening up after no running.

6 miles this morning with 6 x 100m strides. Rain and wind, but not as bad as yesterday. 4 miles planned for this evening.

OO / SD - thanks, guys. The niggles were actually left hip and glute, but I always seem to get really tight calves when I stop running for a few days; hopefully no injury as such. To be honest, I'm more concerned about my chest, so I wouldn't be running anyway. Enjoy the double, SD.

I’m interested on hearing people’s opinion on running a 26 mile run in a marathon training scheduled. I’m aware most people don’t recommend it but I’ve really struggled over the last 2 to 3 miles in my last three marathons so was thinking of running one.

I ran 24 miles last weekend un-fuelled without difficulty at the end of an 85 mile week.

My current plan is after this week’s reduced mileage week to run about 85 miles next week including a 26 miler at an easy pace. This 26 miler would be 5 weeks from the VLM. The week after this I will reduce my mileage finishing with a 13 mile HM race 4 weeks out from VLM.  Then another higher mileage week including a 20 miler with the last 10 at MP before a 3 week taper begins.

How does this sound?

sounds like you are a bit of a wreck Gul

BB - I did 26.5 a couple of years ago in the build up and it took me about 25mins longer than race day turned out to be, IMO it was a waste of matches and 25mins too long in the danger zone. This time I intend to do the same as last yr and make a slow 22 to 23M last me about 2:55. Much less risk and saves far more matches. But I have also beem making 20s last 2:40 ish, so am getting lots of good time on feet. In previous campaigns I  have run long runs too fast at times to get them over with/to see how fast I could run etc etc and its a crap idea tbh. Save the energy for race day.