sub or about 4h30 hopefully

Well done team great times there!! Emma you have progressed well.
Redhead gets the smiley face for fund raising though
Jim probably gets one for DIY All the best with the 10K. Minus 6 here this am freezing.

Wow Emma, well done on Dublin!

Thanks for the smiley face Mark   Sounds blimming cold up your way!

I had to cut my run a bit short this morning as I couldn't get up the hill because of the thick ice where rain draining off from the fields had frozen solid.  Vehicles were turning round and going back on themselves.

I have been lurking a while and thought I would stick my head above the parapet and say 'Hi'.

Brief intro, got into VLM2013, my first after 5 years of trying.  Busy job so can only run 2/3 lunchtimes a week (6miles each time along the thames in central london) but with young family and 'grand designs' esq renovation project (Wokingham, Berkshire) I haven't run at the weekend - just way too much DIY.  Done 2x half marathons in the past at about 2 hrs each.

Planning on continuing with 2/3 lunch runs (av 8 1/2 min miles) but doing a longer sunday run, starting @ 7 miles and adding a mile each week - does that sound like a reasonable plan?

Signed up for Reading Half and Wokingham half - anyone else here doing those?

I cannot find/get my head around any training plan hope my basic plan above works for an about 4.30ish.

So thats me.............Hello.   I'll shut up and duck back behind the parapet now.

(and yes I do build windfarms - just not in central london)

Morning all,

Treddy intervals for me at lunchtime which solves the problem of the icy lanes 

Hi Windfarmer and well done for de-lurking!  Fully understand about the DIY as hubby and I have completely renovated 3 properties now.  If you can manage 3 runs during the week and  a long slow run at the weekend then that will get you round OK.  The important thing is consistency ie not 2 runs one week and 4 the next.  You need to vary the pace of your runs in the week so you don't get stale, perhaps 1 day intervals, 1 day marathon pace, 1 day tempo run.  If you're averaging 8.5 min miling then you should get a sub 2 half marathon which will stand you in good stead for the full marathon.  Increasing you LSR gradually each week is fine but it's also a good idea to have a step-back week where you reduce your mileage slightly to allow your body to recover before the next increase.  All IMHO of course   Good luck and keep popping in to tell us how you're getting on.

Jim, are you getting lardy?  We can't have that young man - get your ar$e into gear and get out training please  xxxxx (I put the kisses in 'cos the angry smiley looked a bit too angry!)  Oh and tell your mum I'm doing crochet and knitted decorations for my tree in the Xmas tree festival in our local church.

Couldnt feel my hands last night when I got home from work. Saw no one on the trail freezing fog and this morning ice skating rink from the moment I stepped out of doors to here.......awful rain on top of ice the roads are like glass, I ran on the grass...... Great advice there Redhead to Windfarmer......agree of course........have a great weekend. Bigeater my daughter is up in Scotland visiting family this week up near Montrose, rather nippy she said. Only minus two last night so warming up abit here now.

Hi there, I'm looking for a new home... I've been part of the asics 26.2 , but have also been lurking on your thread, as you all seem to have similar goals/ pace as myself. I'm not really sure what I'm going to challenge myself with next, but would love to join you on this thread...

Afternoon all,

Oh boy we've had a change of weather here - torrential rain and gale-force winds!  Thankfully I wasn't running today.  Spent hours putting up my tree in the church then my car got stuck in mud on the way home and I had to be pulled out by a tractor - great fun!

Hi Jenf and welcome to the thread.  Were you ion the 26.2 last year then?

Mark very sensible going on the grass.  We've got waterfalls running down all the lanes and it's impossible to run on the grass as it's just thick mud.

only a couple of pounds of lard added since the summer, but I seem unable to shift it! determination coming for new year methinks

Morning all,

I'm late, I'm late for a 10 mile date!  Must dash 

(((Jen))) their rejection is our gain (sorry I didn't realise, I've been too busy with other stuff to follow it this year).  Stick with us, we're very friendly and supportive and there's a wealth of knowledge and experience between us all 

I suppose I should stop lurking. Ran Brighton marathon at 4:32:44 in April, but I've had some injuries (PF) for a couple of months. Cross-trained a fair bit in that time, but running speed is down a bit. Back to regular running now, though, and targetting a sprint triathlon in May, possibly a longer one in July, and then Chester marathon in October. Still need to shift a couple of stone, really, which simply refused to go in the run-up to Brighton, so I need to properly focus on diet. In the New Year 

Hi Dan, and welcome to the thread!  Well done for de-lurking, we only bite occasionally   That's a good time for Brighton.  I did it for the first 2 years but missed 2012 so will be back there again in 2013.  Have you had any treatment for the PF?  I know it cna be a real pain to get rid of can't it.  Good luck with the weight loss.

My 10 miles was very pleasant this morning.  'Twas a hilly route but I only had a couple of minor breathing probs so happy with that.

I forgot to say that my little tree won the Christmas tree festival - piccies on my blog if you'd like a look http://extremeknittingredhead.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Well, following Asics rejection, (thank you for the hug Redhead) I have devised my next plan.. I've entered the GWM and put a pitch in on forum 6!  I've also entered a half marathon in March. I'm just running for fun this week, then start a proper plan after xmas I think.

Hi Dan, I'd been lurking too. It feels good being out doesn't it!!

Oh and incase you are wondering why I have a picture of a granola bar as my pic, its because they are my basic running fuel and I took a load to bootcamp to share, they went down well and so I posted the recipe on my 'vote jenny' thread.

Morning all,

No running today, just last minute Christmas panic time!

Nice running Bigeater but you really do need to slow you LSRs down then - if your chosen marathon pace is 9:30 then your LSRs should be done at around 10 - 10:15 min miling.  A good way to practice MP is to do a marathon paced longer run during the week IMHO of course 

Jen, please can you post your recipe on here 

welcome new folks and delurkers alike!

bigeater, I found 9:00 pace to be great for LSRs while training for London, and finished with a whopping 2:59 time for a hilly 20 mile race a few weeks before VLM. My plan was to stay under 9 minute pace all the way, and drop to 9.30 once I got tired... just didn't get tired that day! Most tempo runs at the time were about 8.30 pace, half at 8:20 and 10k at 8:00 ish. Unfortunately the VLM heatwave struck and I dropped that pace at 14, and dropped all pace at 18! got 4:28 though, so it's still a useful pace guide here!

Yesterday's run was a gorgeous, warm, sunny, not windy 10k in Derbyshire. 52:28 mins, so a bit pacey, though a minute slower than I did last year. Still happy with the time after this year's not training schedule!

Club's pub run tomorrow, so not many miles (we run to the club, run to the pub, drink copious amounts of beer and then walk home!) then an impromptu 5k race on Thursday evening. I get Christmas cake AND ice-cream if I get a PB!

Going to be a very long run to make up the calories next Sunday methinks!!!!

Jens Granola Bar recipe as requested. 

200g porridge oats, 200g mixed seeds, 100g dried fruit ( be imaginative, mango, cranberry or blueberry works well.)

100g butter, 100g light muscavado sugar, 3 tblsp honey all melted together.

mix wet and dry ingredients, tip into lined tin 18x25cm approx, press down lightly. Bake for 30mins 160 degree fan oven.

drizzle with melted dark choc (optional)  when cool, cut into squares, eat and enjoy!

Evening all,

Had a manic day.  Intervals & Christmas stuff dominated!

Thanks for the recipe Jen.  Will try it soon - LOL at the 'optional' chocolate!!!!