Sub 3h15

That's a good run Minni on a challenging course.  Things are looking good for you in London.

Also Ant - that's a very impressive run if you're backed off a bit.  It will certainly contribute to sharpness come raceday. Hope you recover well.  It's also a fine tribute to your Dad.

Also very impressive RFJ - not sure I could run those paces for a mile rep at the moment.

Great place finish Lorenzo - you are also sounding in good shape at the moment.  Not sure how you could wear shorts in this weather!

Congratulations to Rob Cope - that's a huge speed improvement.

Good to see you're getting more running time SJ

Thanks for your encouragement O&O - I felt a lot better about my run after reading your post and realising the elevation gain is anyway going to slow me quite a bit.

Rest day today for me - well appreciated

Rob, Thats a big improvement from last time I read one of you posts on KRs thread. Good things to come.

Theres a local 10k in Wrexham 2 weeks before VLM, Is that too close or does the relatively short distance in taper mean you can let it avit?

Thanks all for the kind comments.

I think the last year has shown me the importance of consistency and plenty of speed. I've only averaged 30-35 miles a week, with the occasional 42 miles, but I've added a lot more quality and spent more time building my base.

I think the penny dropped when my mile reps were much slower than everyone elses on here - even though the rest of the week's times were similar. So I went back to basics, learnt how to run a mile much quicker and went from there.

I'll do the same again this summer before considering a marathon next spring. It's been a very interesting experiment.

I look forward to reading all your marathon successes over the coming weeks...

Good work, Rob - keep at it.

Cheers SJ. I'm lucky that my club has a brilliant coach, which makes all the difference.

Yes, I'll definitely start posting again. It feels like the long road to next year's marathon has just started. This marathon lark may still not be my thing, but I'd like to give it another go. Now I just need to get a place...

vo2 session tonight - just over 9 miles with 1k splits thus; 3.36, 3.45, 3.42, 3.30, 3.37, 3.30. First two on a grass track, with the other four up and down a road with a little incline to it. Second run in row that felt really rough! Tomorrows 15 will hopefully provide something more like it.

Well done Rob

And well done Minni

I have moved my rest day this week from Weds to today and feel I need the day to recover and just listening, something that I have learnt over the last year is not to be a slave to the plan, so far this year it is working wonders, yes I may have chnaged my training around from day to day as I feel, but in 10 weeks I have only lost 2 key sessions out right and 2 sessions that I have had to change (like winning the entry to Bath half so changed the long run day as was meant to have done a 20m race) At present my body is holding up well and feel that I am moving in the right direction to peak at the right time....

Thought I would pop in and say hello. Been hanging around in sub 3 forum and I learned that it is an unofficial netiquitte on the forums to remain a member of the first forum you joined. I mainly lurked on here last year as I was transistioning from trail running to run my first road marathon last year.

I was not a very good contributer as I did not find it easy to follow the flow of conversations relating to pacing and training as I was newish to running and very new to road/club running. I do now understand marathon training a little better, but I am still a trail running, tree hugging hippy at heart and not a member of a running club now etc.

Currently training for the Marathon of the North which I ran last year as my first road marathon. This will be my second road marathon and I am hoping to get a small PB for my marathon, as I am squeezing the run in between two ultras. I am running avergaing 60 miles a week at present(Which is proably about 10 to 15 miles a week more than last year). Which is quite low compared to many in the sub 3 forum thread.  Training is going quite well after a weird week last week with virus symptons and muscles pains

I have learned a lot of respect of for road marathons and the people that train for them in the last 12 months. So I am a very enthusiastic, if inexperienced runner that is hoping I can help others on hear to improve. If nothing else I can cheer and encourage everyone

Hi Minni, I have never run that race. Hopefully next year. Seems like you had a great run. Was very cold and tough conditions as well. I was up on Penshaw Hill tonight doing some hill reps and it was hard going in that cold wind!

Yay, hello to the de-lurkers Tim B -who's not so much as a lurker as just a quite attendee, and to Rob C. An interesting approach to getting faster. It reminds me of teh basics. If you want to race faster, you've got to train faster. If you want to race longer, you've got to train longer. Running's is not a science, it's an art JFDI.

Training for me? Not being a great fan of freezing to death, I chose the garage. It was still as cold, but I’m learning that I can peel layers off as appropriate without getting them damp. I ended up in T shirt and shorts, with the gloves last to be ditched. The net result was 90 minutes on the turbo bike (the old hack). That was a pleasing result, as I’ve not been doing enough. Run or swim tomorrow. I've not been doing enough of them either.

Good effort Blisters, I just skulked around comfort eating.

Pleased you stuck at it Rob and your 5 k to half times are very impressive - a good coach indeed! Do you have a marathon in mind for next year?

Very fast 1k splits Menn.

Welcome Tim

Nice garage session Blisters. Like you I was wrapped up well, even wore a coat too. So had vest, t-shirt, long sleevetop and rain coat on for tonight's recovery run. Only started to warm up by mile 4.

Moof - take care that of hamstring.
RC - good to hear how you've been doing - very well too, by the sound of it! I've been focussing on shorter distances too, but not with as much success. What is your mile time now? Good luck with the next step.
Mennania - you are flying!
RFJ - wise move to take the rest day early after listening to your body.
Hi Tim - sounds like you've been making lots of progress. Good luck with the ultras.
Blisters - injury is only a step away in my garage - it's a death trap
KR - it is rather chilly, isn't it?
Yesterday afternoon I started getting pain at the inside top of my left leg down towards the groin - which scared me silly as it's feels the same as before VLM 2010. It eased off and was fine when I got up, but returned as soon as I started running. After a few hundred yards I turned round and headed back home I know what running through that pain can do, so looks like more time off for me. Oh well.

Rob Welcome back and congratulations on great time improvements.

Tim Welcome.

Menn Very quick reps indeed

Blisters At some stage I plan to convert my garage into my gym, I already have the fridge (for sports drinks)

Gul Not good at all. Can you not go to a doctor/physio to get someone have a proper look?

11 miles including 6 x1km reps with 2 min recovery. I was aiming for 3:40km. They came in at 3:37, 3:39, 3:44, 3:50, 3:44, 3:50 I am happy I completed them. I really don't like to "hurt"

x post

Menn According to P&D schedule you are meant to run a 8-15km tune up race on Sat 06th April, so I can't see the 07th being a problem.
What is the course like at Wrexham? 12 o clock start, so plenty of time for me to get there. It should be my first weekend back home, so I may not be allowed.

scoobs - No course map on website but I have requested route and will let you know. Go on, you know you want to.

 First time for this race and they have closed the roads. Wrexham is generally flat but there are a few hills they could incorporate. I guess as its my local town and starts from my clubs running track it would be rude of me not to. My 10k pb is 41.05 so should improve on that a bit to boot.

Minni, been busy so I need to shout out a belated well done on the almost PB in very tough conditions: must be a good confidence booster.

Brought in a choice of running gear yesterday to cover any eventuality and put it all on to do my run: brass monkeys indeed.

Anyone else noticed how Garmin connect and facebook do sneaky things? I run at lunch from the office and put the Garmin to recharge on the cradle and upload the data. In the evening I analyse and categorise the data, but in the meantime facebook has posted my activity and even though it Garmin it is untitled, it has matched it to the closest route I run and named it after that route.

KR ran Wrexham last year, didn't he? Wasn't there some confusion with the front  runners or something along those lines in an industrial estate?