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MG09... yes !

First marathon at London in 3h52m, then Berlin in 3h22m, then Brighton 2010 in 3h7m. . . all following a 16 week plan + 2 week taper. 

Michael Young - My half marathon pb is 1h28m and that was in build up to Brighton. General rule of thumb seems to be double half time and add 10m or 10% depending on who you speak to but there is clearly some leeway. Think its really individual based plus what the focus of training has been.

I think the key to my times increasing was two longer runs, one weekend and mid week long run. W/e - 16 to 24m and midweek 12-15m.

no chocolate, no crisps, no alcohol, eat fruit and veg and portion control. Easy... the hard part is sticking to it over a month or two rather than a day or so !

I've been looking to include some cycling into my 'regime' of running and thought the best place to start would be swapping a recovery run for a cycle... just to do something different if anything. Good to see i'm on right lines Cougie.

Matthew.... if that sounds like something you would do, i've read that you need to 'spin' (not sure it relates to spinning classes specifically or not but sounds like its where they got the name). It means spinning the legs almost to the point where you feel like youre gonna lose control... but clearly you dont... so select an easier gear.

Went out for a spin (pun intended!) yesterday for the first time... did an hour, maybe 10 mins more than my usual recovery run (which i do at 8.30-9.00 min miling pace)... felt good. Give it a go... if you want to do more, do more and use the Glasgow race as a test to see how it impacts... you can always enter another.

Also agree with cougie... specificity. When i start Brighton marathon training in December... i'll give the bike a miss. Hope that helps.

the cat was on a 30 mile training run and needed the drink

hi. new to the site and forum but been running (with intent) for a few years now and good to read all tips. Agree with pretty much everything everyone has stated (so good to know) but most importantly, if YOU think YOU need a drink... then take one. Water or Lucozade (or equiv) will be fine. Try some out, see which you like the taste of, so many and so many different flavours. 

Personally, if i'm doing up to 10 miles, I dont take a drink. Track session/Intervals, I might want some water, just to sip halfway through. Anything over ten miles, i take lucozade (orange or raspberry) and have mouthful or two every two miles. I used the two mile gulp approach over a marathon and it worked for me.

Post run (training or race) you want a mix of protein/carb. Replace energy and help muscles repair. Cold shower on the legs is also a winner for me. In marathon training i've used Nocti, which is popular with cyclists, a protein drink.