P + D training for VLM 2013

Here are mine:
5k 18:36
10k 38:37
Half marathon 1:26:58
Marathon 2:58:54

Have been just concentrating on marathon really for last 18 months, going to try and get faster at shorter distances for rest of this year after this marathon.

Ten - good run. Replacing that GA run with a LT run might be a good idea.

probably too late now but I'm another one with huge feet. Size 8.5 I'm a big girl though at 5ft9. Still, I want Fiona's feet

Ten: good to have you back. If things go pearshaped in your life I'd put the running on the backburner for a bit. A missed week wouldn't do you any harm. I missed 2 weeks due to illness when I did my first P&D season in 2010 and still ran a 3:38 marathon (the aim at the beginning had been a GFA time of 3:45). Well done getting that 20 in. I would just continue with the schedule as if you'd completed the previous week as planned. You can probably do with a bit more recovery. Most people underestimate the importance of rest and recovery ... been there, done it, got no friggin't-shirt

cracking LT running Lit, Mennania, Al, ziggy craig, 15w and dave

And fab 20 milers from HeOw and NN

Chris: nice parkrunning - a 30 sec PB over 5k is respectable!!

14 easy offroad miles for me today. Had to rejig the week due to snow and ice . NOT looking forward to 20 with 10@MP tomorrow . 

Welcome back Ten and good 20-miler! Also, belatedly, I think I knew you were a bloke too... some excellent running by everyone else, too.

I just did my 6 mile recovery a bit reluctantly after staying out late last night. Following advice from people on here, I also tried taking a gel for the first time (High5 berry flavour) 20 minutes before to check there were no... digestive system issues before trying them on a long run. But it was so unpalatable (cloyingly sweet, but in a strangely muted way) that it took me about 5 minutes to consume half the packet (in slow, reluctant sips) and I had to throw the rest away because I just couldn't face it. Which doesn't bode well for being able to take one while actually running. I might wait till next time I'm doing a short run and try one of the SiS ones instead.

Mark, I agree lucozade's easier to swallow though not exactly pleasant-tasting, but I can't really handle caffeine when running fast (genuinely believed I was going to vomit on some children at the end of a half marathon once after having coffee with breakfast), so that's why I thought I'd try out some non-caffeinated gels. I've never run out of energy while running before, but never run more than 20 miles either, so wanted to explore my options. But if all the gels are equally hard to force down, I might end up just going for jelly babies; much yummier.

Did the six mile recovery today.  My times are -

5k 18:32

10k 38:15

half 1:24:08

Mara 3.11:35

The mara time is out of line with the rest, possibly because of the storm and tapering too early.  And last year I was only doing c40 miles a week compared to the 60 - 70 that am currently doing.

Craig - Paula Radcliffe set her best ever 10k time during marathon training. 

Literatin - I find the High5 ones quite liquidy.  The SIS ones seem to be nicer tasting though. 

Ten, glad you got your 20 miler done, hope yer fanny didn't chaffe... 

Helen - First week over with exception to 15 marathon paced tomorrow, only early days but have to say I feel great, slwoing it down and feeling refreshed after the slower runs, could be onto something here.  Are you doing Wrexham Half next Sunday?

Craig, I knew from your training log on Strava that you put in a lot of hard sessions a week and thought you would see a huge benefit of doing some longer slower runs, just wait, in a few weeks, your tempo will feel so much easier and you will find you just float on the speed session - I banged out 4 weeks of the 55-70 and felt great, couldn't believe I was doing 50 odd mile weeks and feeling so good.  Unfortunately, being realistic, I knew it wasn't going to be possible to do 60-70 mile week with the kids so young so have made right decision to drop down but once my youngest is in school in September, I will do the 55-70 for next year's Spring marathon hopefully. 

Some cracking PB's on here.  I need to do more update 10k/5k as they are a few months old now.  

Chris - 30 secs on a HM is great PB - on a 5k it is pretty bloody impressive!  Well done.  

chickadee - was that your first marathon and did you do sub 55 plan?  

Craig - yep doing Wrexham, did you get your number? 

Yeah came through a couple of weeks, looking forward to it, not ran a half since Warrington, not sure what time i'm going for, going to run with a couple of Deeside AAC lads, supposedly a flat, fast course, can't wait.

Got my Wrexham number too. It is the flattest half I have run.

A nasty, horrible, evil cold and soggy  20 for me today, Felt totaly off at 10 miles and hated every single step to 19 at which point I chucked (First time ever - running anyway) and dragged myself home over the last mile for an ave pace of 8.03mm. I am a silly bugger. I look back on the week and I have clearly done too much for me hence the fall apart at 10.

Woah Men - that sounds rough. Make sure you recover well.

Got a similarly cold and wet 21 miles in the morning.

Morning all - had my breakfast and off out soon on long run. Got a bit of mileage creep going on, am down for 20, but then increased to 21...now thinking might do 22. Maybe I'll just keep going forever and ever and ever.........................

Good to hear you got your number Mennania, we will have to have a RW meet up with Craig! 

Good luck on long run 15W and everyone else doing them today.  I had better luck with mine on Friday as weather nicer.  

7 miles with strides done.  48.6 miles for the week, plan had 50 miles but I have only ran 4 times so happy enough with that.  I am pondering whether to do the recovery run tonight that I have missed but that would mean I am becoming an anal twat wouldn't it...? 

Just also looking at tune up races for the weeks before the race.  There is the Borders League on 10th April which is 10k but that is on a Wed evening and my birthday is the next day, I could have shifted the week around and done the long run the day after the race but somehow, me popping out to do a 16 mile run the evening of my birthday seems a bit pathetic.  Makes sense though!  I have just entered Salford 10k on Good Friday which is flat one, that is 4 weeks before Manchester and I could do my LSR on the Saturday.  Craig, maybe a tune up race for you too?   Think for the first tune up race I will do a 5k, I could do with getting a new PB.  There is also Stafford 20 miler mid March which could coincide with me doing the 18 with 14 at MRP (obviously would do another 20 but that suits me, I want to do 5 x 20-22 milers). I would have to run first 6 miles easy pace which would be hard but needs must, I couldn't race it, would kiss goodbye to PB at Manchester but makes sense to do my MRP under race conditions. 

well - thought I'd better stop at 22mi. Pretty good run, knackered now though, and very muddy.

15w - Excellent session - I recovered by having loads of booze and wine watching the rugga and you tubing nick cave and big country etc till the silly hours. 

HeOw - Will be nice to meet up with you and Craig there! The stafford 20 miler sounds like a decent plan - I am also going to be racing a couple of the border league ones. You going balls out for sub 1.40 then I take it?

This thread is moving too fast to keep up!

I feel good following yesterday's 20m, and ran 6m recovery this morning.  Total for the week was 50m (my joint-highest mileage to date).

Thanks for the feedback 15w/chickadee- If I feel up to it, I'll change tomorrow's 8m GA, for 8m w/ 6m @ LT pace, take a rest day on Tuesday, then continue with the written program.  [Edit: I realise I'm cherry-picking the answer that I secretly wanted 

HeOw - I assume you are referring to the American meaning of "Fanny", in which case my bum was fine thank you.  However, I did suffer chafing from the HRM strap.  I didn't notice the blood/sweat mixture on my base layer, which was a pity because I would have saved myself using the "mint source" shower gel method to discover the cuts .  I have experienced much worse pain from mint source, but you'd have to be a guy - like me - to understand.  Did I mention before that I'm a guy? 

Mennania - sorry to see you had a bad one.  When I swapped my 20m for a 13m run last week, I remember how awful I felt at 10m and how glad I was that I only had 3m left to run.  Given that I run out-and-back, I would have been in trouble had I gone for 20m.  So I think you did very well indeed sticking it out during your run!

Following everyone's recent discussions on PB's and training paces, I'm pretty sure I could swap with anyone posting on this thread and be well happy .