Standfirst: The target for weeks 5-8 of your 15-week scheduleAuthor:Pics:Issue date: Feb-May01 / xref Ultimate schedsKeywords:-->A time-targeted half-marathon (Week 10)Why: It will be good practice to take in the racing environment, but also useful

Standfirst: The target for weeks 1-4 of your 15-week scheduleAuthor:Pics:Issue date: Feb-May01 / xref Ultimate schedsKeywords:uan120-->A time-targetted 10K or 5-mile race (Week 4)Why: The marathon’s main requirement is stamina, but many of the world

Standfirst: The target for weeks 5-8 of your 15-week scheduleAuthor:Pics:Issue date: Feb-May01 / xref Ultimate schedsKeywords:uan122-->A RUN OF 2:20 OR LONGER (Week 7)Why? Long runs are the most important part of marathon training

Standfirst: Real-life keys to overcoming marathon time goalsAuthor:Pics:Issue date: Feb-May01 / xref Ultimate schedsKeywords:uan135-->How I Beat... 3:00“Following a schedule was the most important thing. Knowing exactly what I had to do each day

I had a place in the London Marathon in 2003 but unfortunately had to pull out after doing all of the training, as I had a chest infection during the taper.  It was particulary sad because Dad was dying in hospital and was really looking forward

10 weeks of the programme, you may be best to postpone your entry until 2008; if it’s less than that, concentrate on the long runs and be prepared to lower your goal by 15 minutes if needs be. And at the end of the schedule, don’t be tempted to train

-59 mins 1:24-1:37 1:55-2:10 Sub-4:00 44-50 mins 1:13-1:22 1:40-1:54 Sub-3:30 38-43 mins 1:02-1:12 1:25-1:39 Sub-3:00 Under 38 mins Under 1:02 Under 1:25 Good luck!

and finished in 2:08. She could see that her training was making a difference, and it led her on to a 4:55 at the following spring’s London Marathon. Her big breakthrough came in 2000, however.“I’ve never been able to run any faster than 10-minute miles

being over-confident?A There’s certainly a larger difference than you appear to acknowledge between 3:00, 3:10 and 3:30 marathon times, and if you’re in any doubt about your capabilities, a compromise target of 3:15 might not be a bad idea. It would

. It has been widely used since then. The formula is T2 = T1 x (D2/D1)1.06 where T1 is the given time, D1 is the given distance, D2 is the distance to predict a time for, and T2 is the calculated time for D2.