Sub 4.15 - Spring Marathon

13/12/2004 at 19:38

Well thats my target anyway.

I'll be tri training with an additional long run every two week - hardly conventional marathon preparation I know but its just got me a 1/2 marathon pb so I'm going with it for now!

4.15 will be a bit of a stretch given its a PB by over 25 minutes - but you've got to set challenging targets or you'd never achieve anything.

So - anyone else out there looking to achieve 4.15 this spring?

Day Nurse (night nurse's slower sister)

13/12/2004 at 22:40

Hi M, I am currently floating between sub 4.30 and sub4 hour thread!! I have run the FLM before but not fully fit on either occasion. I am already a lot fitter this yer=ar and confident I could acheive at least 4.30. Anything under this would be great. Sub 4.15 would be a super bonus and sub 4, a super duper bonus. Its my experience that many factors can affect your time on the day so I am of the attitude that it pays to be flexible with your goals. (dont think I'll join a sub 3.30 thread though!!)

13/12/2004 at 23:09

Hi Billie

I know just what you mean. Sub 4.30 would do me nicely but sub 4 isn't going to happen (except in my dreams! - I've only just broken 2 hours for the 1/2)

So for me 4.15 is a tough but not unreasonable target. I haven't done FLM before but did Rotterdam last year :-)

Good luck with training.

Day Nurse (night nurse's slower sister)

13/12/2004 at 23:15

Thanks M
I have just read the book " train for a sub 4 hour marathon in 4 months" very inspiring and wish all I had to do was read the book to get me round in sub 4!!

slowlegs

14/12/2004 at 11:38

Hi M. and Billie
I've also been floating between the 4 hour and 4.30 hour thread! I did the race time calculator thingy and depending on which race I put in, it comes up with around 4.15. Mind you the races I've done recently I've not been that fit, I intend to get as fit as I can for the FLM. I don't know whether this means you could probably run it a bit faster though. I think sub 4 is a bit optimistic though and if I got under 4.30 I'd be happy, like you 4.15 would be fantastic!
Feeling good now as just forced myself out the door for a hard (for me anyway!!!) 5 miler which I did in 44 minutes - I suppose on that calculation sub 4.30 would be a bonus after all!

stevej

14/12/2004 at 16:00

Hi sub4.15ers

i cant make my mind up, no way i could do sub 4 think i could do under 4.30, sub4.15 would be amazing for my first marathon,

slowlegs

15/12/2004 at 08:14

hmm, not too many takers for a sub 4.15 marathon so far eh! I thought this might be quite a popular target time given that it requires around 9.30-10 minute miling.

If we do a race some time before the marathon can we use that race time to adjust our target finish time? (particularly if it is faster than usual?)

15/12/2004 at 18:56

slowlegs - do you mean adjust your "official" target time and hence your pen number? if so i doubt it but it may be worth trying at the expo? or did you just mean your own target time and therefore the pace you start off at?

i've been having a quiet start to the week after the 1/2 marathon on sunday - sore legs for a couple of days! so i've only done one swim session so far. but i've got a 5k race planned for tomorrow.

tonight however? a glass of wine or two to celebrate the job offer i've just received :-)

hi stevej - 4.15 would indeed be a fantastic first marathon time. i was just happy to get to the end of my first one!

slowlegs

16/12/2004 at 08:57

M. - Well, I meant adjust my own target time but now you come to mention it I can't remember what I told them I'd do it in! I think it was 4.30 but am not sure. Can you find out any way?

Congratulations on breaking 2 hours for the half by the way! I, too had a couple of glasses of wine last night to celebrate passing some exams! Woke up with a bit of a sore throat but hopefully I can just do an easy 3 miles later after some hard christmas shopping!

stevej

16/12/2004 at 09:32

Hi M. congrats on the job offer, i know that
-4.15 is going to be hard for my first marathon but you have to have something to aim for dont you,i dont think i would be to disapointed if it takes longer...as you said "its something just to get to the end"
good luck with the 5k today,

16/12/2004 at 20:35

well - the 5k was not so good. i could feel how tired my legs were from about half way and finished in 26.15 or so - by far the slowest 5k of the year.

hope the sore throat is feeling better sorelegs.

stevej - you definitely do have to have something to aim for. i stayed with the 4.15 pacers at rotterdam last year until about 1/2 way then just faded. this year i'll have a lot more endurance training behind me (having trained for a 1/2 ironman this summer) so hopefully i might be able to hang on a bit longer!

plans for the weekend....
tomorrow night - either run or turbo.
saturday - 60 min coached swim am, gym pm, boyfriends running club christmas do in the evening :-)
sunday - recover

Day Nurse (night nurse's slower sister)

16/12/2004 at 20:54

Hi all,
good weeks training so far.
7 Miles sunday, 3 miles monday, rest tuesday, 400m reps yesterday and went for a 5 mile run with my 13 year old son today. He is a good runner and I made him run infront of me so I would have to run at a good steady pace.will have rest day tomorrow, My long run for Saturday will be 9 miles.
Really have the motivation to raise loads of money. I hadnt chosen a charity up until now, but found out today that my younger brother has CANCER!. I feel pretty useless and dont know what to do. I am now determined to raise as much money as possible for cancer research UK

16/12/2004 at 21:03

oh billie thats awful. raising money for cancer research is a fantastic idea though. its so hard to know what to do when you find out something like that.

thinking of you
M xx

Day Nurse (night nurse's slower sister)

16/12/2004 at 21:09

Thanks for your kind words M,
the whole family are a bit shell shocked to be honest. I feel positive that I will be able to raise loads of money as I am in the medical profession. It will give me something to focus on. My brother will need surgery and chemo, he's only in his 30's. Lifes a bitch sometimes. He plays loads of sports, drinks only a little and has never smoked a fag in his life!! wheres the justice eh?

16/12/2004 at 21:41

i'm sure you'll be able to raise loads. cancer touches so many peoples lives these days. and you are right it definitely isn't fair. at work we've just done a christmas rag-mag and guess the baby photo competition for cancer research uk. people gave loads towards it. i guess most people realise by now how important their work is.

get yourself a justgiving.com webpage.

stevej

16/12/2004 at 21:43

M,i know it will be hard work..but worth it,all i can do is give it my best shot,

Billie, sorry to hear about your brother,one of my work mates went through surgery and chemo at the start of the year ( he is only 27 ) and he is doing great now,
im sure all will be ok!

slowlegs

17/12/2004 at 08:00

Billie - really sorry to hear about your brother - I have a similar story in that my my best friend's little girl who is 4 has cancer. She has been having treatment for about 2 years and is undergoing a second go of chemo at the moment. Just thinking of her and what she is going through pushes me out the door every time now. No discomfort seems of any relevance compared to that. I'm also hoping to raise money for CHICS who have helped the family a lot - but I need to get my butt in gear and actually start!

By the way, I asked above whether anyone knew how to find out what official target time you had if you'd forgotten what you put down! Anyone know?

17/12/2004 at 20:06

not sure slowlegs. i'm pretty sure i put 4.30 but there doesn't seem to be any way to check.

22/12/2004 at 19:19

hope things are ok billie

getting ready for xmas now. b/f and i are running the sale harriers festive 5 after christmas then i've got 2 weeks off work so i'm hoping to get some good training in then.

Bikingbird

17/01/2005 at 12:44

Anyone still on this sub-4.15 thread or has everyone upped or downed their expectation?!

I run halfs at about 1.50 which in theory means I can make sub-4, but as this is going to be my first marathon, I reckon a 4.15 will be a great result.

Would be interested to resurrect this thread to discuss training if anyone else is on for this time too........anyone?