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TT - 5:38 is about right, it was the slower couple of miles to begin with I was meaning.  Looks like you're coming into excellent shape early on.

Al_P - speedy track stuff.  I'm yet to post a sub 70 400m rep.

LJ - keep at it, sure you'll be back stronger.

Best of luck to Padams.

Talking of weird physiological traits, on my one and only visit to the physio, he suggested that the injuries I was then suffering may be to do with my feet splaying slightly outwards when I run or walk, affecting my calf strength.  I thought that was just a natural feature of my gait.  However, I recently found out that when I was a toddler a doctor told my parents to put my shoes on the wrong feet for some reason (presumably a medical reason rather than his own amusement).  I bet that's why.

Ric, I'm not sure I agree for my particular cicumstance. What you're describing is basically what I did last year, and, whilst many would say it was OK as a debut, it was nowhere near my potential based off my shorter distance times.

I certainly think that in another 5 years I'll be able to do pretty much as you describe and do myself justice, as by then I will have a decent aerobic engine under my belt.  However, at this stage I have been running properly for less than two years, so I still believe there is lots of marathon-specific work to do.  The schedule I'm following is from P&D's Advamced Marathoning, and is aimed at those who are already training seriously, so it starts at 65 mpw with a schedule that, actually, looks pretty much like my normal schedule minus the speedwork. So, as yet, I'm not doing anything very different, and probably won't for a few weeks.

Nice work Pi-Man, you seem to be PB-ing every page on this thread at the moment.

Great half by jonny, and sorry Andy D didn't get what he wanted at Freckleton.

Excellent pace on the 19 by Al_P, presumably it wasn't just running round in big circles with one leg shorter than another?

Belated congrats on the nomination for HR, that's almost as impressive as Dan A's darts feats .

Had an early start on Sunday to run Leg 1 of the Ridgeway Relay for the club, starting at 7:30.  11 off-road fairly hilly miles, including some hairy descents.  Got a bit of a shock within 400m as my pussy-footed descending off Ivinghoe Beacon resulted in about 15 runners pouring past me at once.  Bloody fell runners.  Anyway, I overtook them at the bottom of the hill again and brought the team home in 2nd place, averaging 6:04 minute miles, which is OK on that terrain.  Team ended up 7th.

Started marathon training this week, so first P&D session done today - 9 with 4 @ LT (5:48, 5:52, 5:38, 5:38 - slower than usual threshold, but my legs are still paying for Sunday).

Welcome Darren, and congrats for a good PB for Mennania.

Marathon training began today with 9 including 4 @ threshold, so 5:48, 5:52, 5:38, 5:38.  Averaged slower than usual tempo pace, but still very much feeling the race on Sunday in the legs, it definitely worked some different muscles to usual,  Doesn't really feel like the beginningof marathon training, since that's a pretty typical tempo session for me anyway.

Update on the Ridgeway Relay was that my official time was 1:06:42, so actually 6:04 pace, and the team endedup 7th.

Hope Mr SG is doing OK.

Leg 1 of the Ridgeway Relay for me this morning.  We had a pretty decent looking A team, so the onus was on me to give us a good start, despite off-road and hilly not generally being my strengths.  Meant leaving home at 5:45 am (on father's day!) for a 7:30 am start at Ivinghoe Beacon, not far from Luton.

Raced with my new Garmin for the first time, but I didn't realise that you can't ask it to find satellites 5 minutes beforehand and still expect it to have said satellites when the gun goes.  This meant some frantic pressing as we started, and in the end I gave up.  So no exact times or splits, I'm afraid.

Slightly odd start - I went straight into the lead at a very comfortable pace for 200 flat metres, but then you immediately have a pretty hairy descent off the Beacon, and the fact that I was out of my comfort zone with fell running type stuff became immediately apparent as 10-15 runners poured past me at breakneck speed on the descent.  I overtook all but 2 immediately as soon as it flattened out, and tried to settle into a sustainable pace.  Gradually pushed up alongside the leader from Vale of Aylesbury, and ran with him across the grasslands for a mile or so, before he dropped me heading towards some woods and opened up a pretty big gap.  I had no inclination to chase him, as I didn't imagine that thrashing myself in the first couple of miles was a good idea.  However, I was starting to regret wearing the layers that had seemed such a good idea at the top of a windy hill.

Pace was fast and comfortable into the valley and across Tring station, but after that the uphill began. Halfway up a hill after crossing the dual carriageway a small fly went into my mouth and stuck to the roof of it, which meant an involuntary stop for a couple of seconds of Bus-style dry retching.  Took the opportunity for a glance behind to see that 3rd place was catching, so pushed on again.  Around the 4 mile point, which was the highest point of the course I felt like rubbish, but in the knowledge that the large ups and downs were mainly behind, pressed on, helped by a beautiful wide and largely flat pathway through the wooded part of Tring Park.

This was followed by a road section, and at this point I realised no-one was close behind me, so I allowed myself a bit of comfortable pace before pushing on.  More woodland was followed by a field full of cows, and another woodland.  Almost turned my ankle on, ironically, one of the few flat bits, but managed to pull out of it.  A steep, very loose descent followed, and I was grateful to get to the bottom with both ankles intact.  The final push was an uphill then a long downhill through woodland and finally finished down a farm lane to hand over in 2nd place.

Seems like I came home in about 1:06, which for 11m dead is 6-minute miling.  Fairly happy with that given the off-road and ups and downs (albeit that it was net downhill).  Fulfilled my three aims, to (a) have a good run at a decent pace, (b) keep the team in contention and (c) not get injured.  Think I was a fair way behind the Aylesbury guy, who the likes of Bus may well know of (think it was this chap: http://www.thepowerof10.info/athletes/profile.aspx?athleteid=71450) - he seems to be pretty good at this kind of thing.  But I was also a decent way ahead of 3rd.  Last I heard our team was 4th, but it's still going on as I write.

I'm aware that that was a long race report, but off road stuff is just a bit more eventful.