DCM 2019 - Mentored Novices Thread

Mr. Guappa

Soulsun wrote: »

Mods any suggestions how to push on for the week ahead training wise

Don't worry about pushing on - just follow the plan. Allow the paces to be even easier than normal if further recovery from the Half is needed. Your training has been a little sporadic to date so for the next five weeks just concentrate on getting out 4 days a week. Nice run yesterday, although pacing could have been a bit more controlled in the early going. Take confidence from the result and refocus now for the remaining five weeks

saffron22

Good week. Have been having stomach problems all week and elevated rhr so think I have some small bug or other. Still got all done

5k monday
9.6k tuesday
14.1k weds
5k thurs
32.4k sat

Legs tired but no shin splints. Going to try concentrate more on sleep from here on in but beginning to believe I can do this and get in around 4.10

Dante

Did my longest LSR today of 28km, I rather foolishly decided to try a new route around Richmond Park in London. It was literally infested with hills, according to my watch there was a total ascent of almost 4km

On the positive side I managed to slow my pace down to 5:58/km, although I guess that was mostly due to the mountain ranges along the route.

kemcloughlin

I typed up a race report last night and I was logged out when I posted...so all vanished! Here we go again...

The week before the half comprised of me recovering from the knee problem the week before. By Thursday my knee was absolutely perfectly pain free. I had the week from hell though at work, and that messed up my hydration and overall preparation and thoughts for Saturday. Got to sleep around 11.15pm Friday night and up at 5.30am Saturday.

Breakfast comprised of 2 x Weetabix with skimmed milk and two slices of mccambridge bread and some chicken. Cup of coffee and then off up the M7. Electrolytes in my bottle of water. Arrived at 8am with loads of parking in Chesterfield Avenue. Started between the 2:20 and 2:30 pacers as my time in Tullamore a few weeks ago was 2:30. The goal was to beat that - even by a second. It wasn't to be. The 2.20 pacers moved off fairly rapidly and I stayed ahead of the 2:30s until after the 1st waterstop. After that we ran together for a bit and then I slowly drifted behind them. I found the sun very tough and used the water stops as a chance to throw water over my head. The state of me at the end!

Thank God for the Lucozade station. I wont be having the brown bread for breakfast again as I think it gave me heartburn. I ate about 5 Stinger jellies en route.

I crossed the line at 2.39 - 9 minutes over the target. But I definitely didn't feel as bad as I did at the end of Tullamore. I did have some cramp as I walked back to the car which was unbearable at times - but I kept walking and eventually it eased. I am feeling a bit MEH about the time - I cant blame my knee. Maybe it was heat, lack of hydration and overall busy week. I don't know. The course felt very repetitive. I don't really know the park either.

The little voice in my head between 3 miles and 7 miles was saying "what the hell are you doing this for? Just stop and go to a medic and say you feel funny... Who cares about the stupid t-shirt and medal anyway? I am not doing DCM. All I ever wanted to do was do a parkrun...."

When I was running for 1 hr 40 mins a woman walked passed wearing her medal. I had to do a double take...how could she be finished?! :eek: Then a man appeared with one - a guy running beside me said "well done" to him. He appeared to be delighted. So everyone who walked past got a big well done from me and that kept me going.

So now it's over - I had said before all this madness started that if I got to this point and finished that half marathon, I would make the call re: the DCM. I am feeling very unsure. I couldn't have gone another 13.1 yesterday. No way. But I have done 16 in training. The DCM wont be as hot as yesterday. I really don't do heat well.

The DCM race predictor is saying 5:35:49 for DCM with a pace of 12:49 based on the half marathon results... So over the next few weeks as Adrian told me on Strava I need to really slow down the training runs...but if I did 14+ mins/mile...I would be walking!?! Any thoughts?

Well done to all on your great results yesterday and success for those doing a LSR. It says 14 for my LSR this week on HH plan - but I think I will make this 16 as it will help psychologically.

Mile 1: 11:05
Mile 2: 11.16
Mile 3: 11.34
Mile 4: 11.28
Mile 5: 11.55
Mile 6: 11.55
Mile 7: 11.52
Mile 8: 12:15
Mile 9: 12.12
Mile 10: 12:08
Mile 11: 12.39
Mile 12: 13.01 A small bit of walking included
Mile 13: 13.54 A bigger bit of walking included
Mile 0.2: 10:54 - delighted with the stronger finish as in Tullamore this bit was 14:03!

skyblue46

Firstly 14 min miles is faster than walking....20 min miles would be walking. It is the best thing to do. Doing all your runs between now and DCM at what would be a pace faster than your PMP would leave you wrecked before the big day. It's not going to be easy but it's still your best option. Give yourself the best possible chance to get it done on the day.

Mr. Guappa

Week 14 Preview

Firstly, well done again to all those who raced yesterday. Running a Half Marathon is a great achievement in it's own right - it's something you should all feel very proud of. There have been loads of great race reports already - keep them coming. Unfortunately, there's no time for self-congratulation as we jump straight into another busy week . Try not to over-react to yesterday's (or last weekend's) HM - a good performance is of course welcome, but doesn't mean it's time to slack off. Similarly, don't go into panic mode if things went a touch pear-shaped - continue to trust the plan. That should be it for the racing now I hope, all eyes on DCM from here on in! Two tough weeks coming up before we reach the taper.

While we are on the subject of yesterday - it was great to see so many taking on board the advice regarding pacing. Some of you did go out too fast and found out later on why this was not a good strategy. The same advice will apply to the marathon itself: start slow - we will spend the next five weeks hammering you with this message. And I make no apologies for that - fail to heed this advice and you will be in for a very, very uncomfortable few hours on the 27th of October.

Plan|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday
HHN1|2-3m easy or rest|3m easy|7m easy|4m easy|rest|14m LSR|cross
Boards|4m easy|rest, cross or 3m rec|8m easy|5m easy |rest, cross or 3m rec|20m LSR|3m rec


Lots of easy miles on both plans this week with a 20m LSR for the Boards crew while the HHN1 followers get to enjoy a bit of step back week. This will be the highest mileage week on the Boards plan. Have fun out there

Homework:
With all our build up races now behind us, thoughts are inevitably turning towards DCM targets. So, I'm interested to see what everyone is thinking before we crush your dreams. Please do give the reasoning behind what you've come up with as a target time.

Bananaleaf

kemcloughlin wrote: »

So now it's over - I had said before all this madness started that if I got to this point and finished that half marathon, I would make the call re: the DCM. I am feeling very unsure. I couldn't have gone another 13.1 yesterday. No way.

Well done yesterday. I had to laugh at the DJ saying "Gorgeous weather for it, hopefully we get the same again for the marathon" I was thinking to myself. Oh. No. You. Didn't :eek: I'll be brokenhearted if DCM is as hot as that!

I understand that yesterday you couldn't have gone 13.1m more, neither could I. But that's because we weren't mentally prepared to have to. We knew we didn't have to. And we haven't got the benefit of a taper in our legs yet either.

DCM? You absolutely can. And you absolutely will. This time in 5 weeks you won't even know your own name you will be so deliriously happy or drunk or tired or maybe all three :pac: but you will also be a marathoner then too!

Doc76

I usually do my LSR on Fridays so on HH plan would I be ok doing the 4 miler on Sunday instead of Thursday which I would make my rest day? So it would be 3 Monday 3 Tuesday 7 Wednesday rest Thursday 14 Friday 4 Sunday with maybe 2-3 mile recovery on the Saturday?

Re: homework thinking under the 5 hr mark maybe around 4:50? PMP around 11 min/miles probably starting a bit slower than that and gradually picking up the pace?

pd79

Would love some advice on finish time for DCM, had hoped for 5 hours , but think I might bit touch over this. Did half in 2:22 and felt good throughout . Finally went to physio and knee is turning in , so lots of strengthening exercises to do, . Going tending heels in for next two weeks. Very apprehensive about 3/4 marathon especially as there is cut of of 4hr30. But mostly because if it's a disaster it might be disheartening for DCM.

Bananaleaf

When I started the journey I wanted 4:30. I figured out quite early on that while this may be achievable at some stage in my life, it is a goal for another marathon.

I put 2 recent race times into a pace calculator that was shared with us on this thread and it came up with a time of 4:48. So, I rounded that up and came up with 4:50.

4:48 means 11:00min/m. My PMP runs have been at about 10:55 so I think that somewhere deep down, my ego wants me to find a bit of strength in the latter part of the race and maybe get a 4:45

Fraggle07

I'm thinking 11min/m so 4:50.
I'm not very hung up about a particular time, my focus is to finish.

Mr. Guappa

kemcloughlin: skyblue46 is right - 14 min/miles are what is required. Don't worry for now about DCM - concentrate on the plan, take it day by day and tick off the runs. There is nothing in the plan for next week that is beyond your capabilities - just do it

It is important to take a look back at Saturday and see what lessons could be learned. You had two pretty lax weeks leading in with your knee, so racing in the first place might have been a tough ask. And asking to better your Tullamore time was definitely a step too far. That all led to you starting out at too fast a pace, which resulted in the suffering later on. But, you saw the thing through - that shows great heart. You earned that medal.

skyblue46

Fraggle07 wrote: »

I'm thinking 11min/m so 4:50.
I'm not very hung up about a particular time, my focus is to finish.

I get you on this but I'd urge a bit of being 'hung up'. It's good to be hung up if the target time is realistic. It enables you to plan your pace and know how cautiously to approach the early miles. Chat to the mentors and have a time and a plan in mind.

3boyz

Re: DCM I would be very happy to get around in 4.45, my half time might indicate a bit better but if the start is slow with sheer crowds doing the marathon, and then the sheer distance, I think this is realistic, anything quicker would be a bonus.

For this weekends Lsr, I have the chance to run it with my friend, I have done all my runs alone so would really love the opportunity to have company on a long run. The only problem is she is planning to run 20 miles and our plan is 14, would I be crazy to do this? I would just love the company and hoping that the chat along the way would slow my pace. Any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Karlos80

Target for DCM : 4h10m
Reason(s)
1. Marathon 1 (2013) was ran in 4h20m. I feel fitter, more prepared, better educated this time.
2. Had aspirational hopes of running a Sub-4hr many moons ago, but revised this out based on
(a) missing a couple of week training with injury
(b) advice here, research, and needing a more substantial mileage base
3. I find a target gives me more motivation, both to train, to push for, to remain disciplined. Without a target I tend to drift and make up random aims.
4. Judgement based on HM time.
5. Today's recovery run was first 'pain free' run in 5 weeks. Delighted, so soon after yesterday. Last mention of the inj*** word.
6. Confidence/Notions/Dilusion? Haha

Mr. Guappa

3boyz wrote: »

Re: DCM I would be very happy to get around in 4.45, my half time might indicate a bit better but if the start is slow with sheer crowds doing the marathon, and then the sheer distance, I think this is realistic, anything quicker would be a bonus.

For this weekends Lsr, I have the chance to run it with my friend, I have done all my runs alone so would really love the opportunity to have company on a long run. The only problem is she is planning to run 20 miles and our plan is 14, would I be crazy to do this? I would just love the company and hoping that the chat along the way would slow my pace. Any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated.

I do think you are setting your sights a touch low with that goal time. Extrapolating half marathon times to full marathon goals is an inexact science, but it is the best guide we have. Your HM and 10 mile times would indicate that 4:30 is by no means out of reach for you. I understand the conservatism, and I will encourage it for everyone, but in this case I think you are being a touch too conservative.

As regards your long run his weekend - can you arrange a route where you join your friend when she is six miles into her run? The HHN1 plan has a 20 miler the following week, so back-to-back 20 milers wouldn't be a great idea, and switching the 14 and 20 milers would result in too much of a taper.

eabha19

kemcloughlin wrote: »

I typed up a race report last night and I was logged out when I posted...so all vanished! Here we go again...

This happens me every time so I now try to remember to copy the message firsts before I press post so I can paste it back in after I log back in! Glad it's not just me!

As for marathon goal I had been saying 4:30 as my realistic goal and 4:20 as my dream but after yesterday I'm definitely scrapping any thoughts of 4:20 and am wondering about re-thinking 4:30 too.

Re going out slow on the day do you mean on target pace or slower than target pace? I have to say that I don't have much faith in myself managing a negative split in a long race. I always feel that my legs will be too tired to make up time in the second half of a race so if I'm honest in most of my pbs for longer runs there was an element of banking up a few seconds in the early miles when my legs are fresher - only 5 seconds per km or so and usually not intentionally but it makes me a bit unsure about starting out too slow. I guess I feel that no matter how slow I start it's going to be fierce unlikely that I'll be getting a second wind in Clonskeagh so I may aswell at least keep to target pace at the beginning.

3boyz

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

I do think you are setting your sights a touch low with that goal time. Extrapolating half marathon times to full marathon goals is an inexact science, but it is the best guide we have. Your HM and 10 mile times would indicate that 4:30 is by no means out of reach for you. I understand the conservatism, and I will encourage it for everyone, but in this case I think you are being a touch too conservative.

As regards your long run his weekend - can you arrange a route where you join your friend when she is six miles into her run? The HHN1 plan has a 20 miler the following week, so back-to-back 20 milers wouldn't be a great idea, and switching the 14 and 20 milers would result in too much of a taper.

Re the long run, I get what you are saying alright, I miscalculated where I should turn back this week on my long run and ended up doing over 16 miles so I was thinking that maybe it would be ok, but you are right I should leave the 20 until the following week.

Re: DCM goal time, I'll go with your advice and say 4.30, that is a time I never would have thought possible!

Thanks

3boyz

Re going out slow on the day do you mean on target pace or slower than target pace? I have to say that I don't have much faith in myself managing a negative split in a long race. I always feel that my legs will be too tired to make up time in the second half of a race so if I'm honest in most of my pbs for longer runs there was an element of banking up a few seconds in the early miles when my legs are fresher - only 5 seconds per km or so and usually not intentionally but it makes me a bit unsure about starting out too slow. I guess I feel that no matter how slow I start it's going to be fierce unlikely that I'll be getting a second wind in Clonskeagh so I may aswell at least keep to target pace at the beginning.[/QUOTE]

This is very much my thinking too. People keep telling me that the crowd will get me home over the last 6 miles, and in my mind I'm thinking, they are not miracle workers, and it will be a miracle if I do cross the line in one piece.

Wombled

To be honest I found the Lsr tough today, my pace was all over the pace. As 3 boyz said above, I am the same and nearly feel I have to bank the mile/ pace in early on. Any advise would be most welcome. I would love a sub 5 hour finish but the way I am feeling at the moment, 5.10 would be more realistic. Sorry but I am finding the whole thing a bit exhausting at the moment. It's great reading everyone post and thanks for the laugh bananaleaf, I can totally relate to your post earlier.

py

DCM Goal: 3:59:59

The perfect DCM day strategy: Start with either the 4 or 4:10 pacers till about the 15-20Km on 5:45min/Km pace. Up the pace to 5:30min/Km till the end of 36th Km (Top of Roebuck Road) and then take her home at somewhere between 5:15-5:30min/Km. This could of course all fall apart along the way, hence it being "perfect DCM day".

My reasoning:

• DCHM went well from the time I woke up will the time I got home.
• My pre race routine is solid right now from timing of breakfast to what I'm actually eating.
• Fuelling/hydration during the DCHM (and LSRs) has been spot on and I've been disciplined to fuel/hydrate even if I feel like I don't need to so it's not too late when I do eventually fuel/hydrate.
• I'll be cutting back on the cycling in the week runninng up to DCM and there's not a hope I'll be cycling to/from the event either - that said, my legs were still strong cycling home yesterday from DCHM whereas the FD10 return leg was a real struggle.
• My diet for the past 4 weeks has been 90% on track and has resulted in several Kgs of body mass being lost. If the trend continues over the next 5 weeks then a few more Kg should drop before race day.

Open to guidance/criticism/opinions.

py

Wombled wrote: »

nearly feel I have to bank the mile/ pace in early on.

Any of the posts I've read on Boards about having a successful day at the DCM have been unanimous in running really conservatively at the start given the course profile is all uphill till you get out of the Phoenix Park.

Wombled

Any of the posts I've read on Boards about having a successful day at the DCM have been unanimous in running really conservatively at the start given the course profile is all uphill till you get out of the Phoenix Park.[/quote]

Ya well that make sense so. Thanks

Sunday Runner

Evening all,

I wasn't very talkative when we met either and I can't put real names with boards names - i'll figure it out before DCM!

I didn't race the HM, but i'll do a quick report all the same.

Took it super easy on Friday evening, I didn't even go to the gym. Bed early and I was awake before 6am. I had a pint of water, some coffee, toast with peanut butter;then we had to get the kids up and out by 7am. We wanted to take our time and had had planned to be in the Phoenix Park by 8am, but it was closer to 8:20 again we parked.

Seeing as I was doing a bit extra yesterday, I set off, but only had time for 7km before the start of the race. I was running with my husband, well i thought I was (more on that later). We tucked in well behind in the 2:10 pack, actually just in front of the 2:15 pacers. We set off fine, all was well and the first few miles tipped away nicely. I actually enjoyed the first 10 miles, it was quite nice to be under no pressure time wise, I was just moving and under no pressure whatsoever. I was running a couple of meters in front of my husband, until the race left the park, then i ended up a good bit ahead. Just before the 10 mile marker, he told to leave him alone and to to go ahead. Every time I was looking back he looked furious. By the way he really doesn't enjoy running, but he is super chuffed that he has done the race too! Well now he is, yesterday at the 10 mile and subsequent mile markers, his mood said otherwise. I was pretty annoyed with his outburst at mile 10 and it took every ounce of cop on to not storm off and run the rest of the race like a crazed lunatic. Put it this way, I do not remember any hill at mile 12 - I know we ran back that road, but it didn't feel like a hill. I stopped about 500m from the line to wait for him and we crossed the line together. Picked up the medal and tshirt and I immediately did another 1.8km (I think) to bring me up to 30km.

I took a gel at mile 8 and another at mile 15. I also took as much water as I could. I thought two of the the water stations were a bit of a shambles. I had my own bottle for a bit and decanted water into it. And the mess!! In race photos I always seem to be running with handfuls of rubbish, I find it hard to throw things onto the ground.

Some observations:
Shorts are a must. I decided I needed to get over myself and bought a pair in Run Hub this afternoon. I'll test them during the week. In the dark. :-)
I'm going to stick with the maurten gels. I don't have any issues with them at all.
Also sticking with the nuun tabs in water. I think i'm addicted to the strawberry lemonade one. I'm going to carry a bottle with me and have other bottles planted with my friends and family.
I was amazed to see people really struggling and their fight to keep going was just unreal.
Because I was in observation mode, I passed a guy with his friends/family who were running for a cancer charity and he had a photo of someone pinned to his back and chest. The poor guy was in bits, he was so overcome with emotion. It's a good job I was wearing sunnies, I couldn't but feel for him.
Must remember to wear sunscreen next weekend - my face, chest and arms are a lovely shade of pink today. Not red, but definitely hot pink.
I miss my best friend. We started running years ago and have had some great fun along the way. This year, for a multitude of reasons she has fallen out of love with running, but wants to get back to it over the Winter. She was really upset yesterday for not following through the half. Every race booked, but she couldn't get into it. I'll get her back. I cried too, we always make the most of our days out!
I'm really excited for race day! Still have no big plan or strategy hatched, but i'm looking forward to it now.
I need a GoPro camera - how do you remember each mile?!

Sorbet

I'm a bit lazy so haven't done my race report yet but will do the DCM pacing homework as am dying to have a target confirmed.

Race series results:
10k 53.13
10 mile 1h 34m 08s
Half 2h 02m 56s
I've done all pmp miles at 6.30 per km.

10k and half were the better results, 10 mile probably didn't push myself hard enough. Calculator says 4.18 but I feel 4.30 might be a better target. My priority is truly to get through the distance without walking and if I'm honest I don't think I'd be hugely more pleased with a 4.20 than a 4.29.59 so I am hoping mentors will think that 4.30 is an achievable target.

I'm so embarassed now when I think of my first post on this thread saying I'd love sub 4hr - how little I knew then!

Rega

Week 13 went fine for me.

Tuesday: 5 miles @ 10.38 mins per mile
Wednesday: 5 miles @ 10.30 mins per mile
Thursday: 5 miles @ 10.47 mins per mile
Saturday: 20 miles @ 11.05 mins per mile

I'm smothered with a head cold so didn't go out on a recovery run today. A rest day was nice.

As for Dublin I'd love to get in under 4 hours. My half marathon time was 1.48. It's highly aspirational, I know. As long as I get around the course I'll be happy enough.

Saying that, if I'm approaching the finish line at 4hrs and 2 minutes I'm going to sit down on the road for ten minutes before I cross the finish line. I don't want to finish up feeling I could have gotten my target, leaving me with an itch to scratch. I've no interest in doing this again. My wife has been incredibly patient and helpful and has taken on a lot more with the kids but I do get the feeling (like others here) that she's glad the end is in sight. (I am too!)

Mr. Guappa

I'm still reading through the race reports by the way. Some great stuff in there. Don't want to give rushed answers to your target times questions so we'll take our time over those, but we will get around to everyone, don't worry

On the banking time question: Basically, DCM has the worst of it's climbing in the early miles. Go too hard here and you'll have a real struggle on your hands later on. Give yourself a chance, take it easy on those early miles and leave something in the legs for later. As I said in the preview we will drill this into you over the next five weeks. I'll expand on this tomorrow.

kulekat

DCHM Race report & DCM time aim

Slept badly due to spouse snoring issue, but managed to get about 6h interrupted sleep. I was well hydrated, nicely carb loaded and did a 2.5k mini run on friday. Sat am brekkie was peanut butter and jam on toast, my usual, with a cuppa tea and i was all set. I parked a couple of km out of the park to get a warm up run in, and then headed straight to the loo-Q. It was all very well organised i thought, and so i noted my pacer (2:30) and his orang balloons and headed for the start area to stretch out.

So my plan was to take the race as a lsr , and stay around the 2:30 pacer. No nerves before hand, so i hung out and just sipped on my electrolytes, waiting for the start.

And were off, nice and slow, god very slow. I just kept thinking those balloons on the back of pacers heads must be so annoying. They deserve a medal for that in itself!! I ended up going 1-16km ish around 6:50km/min pace and found that very comfortable. The hills did not bother me at all, at that pace. I loved the high number of water stations.. i must check if they are that commonly spaced at dcm. The lucozade station was brilliant, just even a taste of the sugar burst was amazing. Around 16k i naturally sped up a little, maybe to 6:20pace. The road on the right after the roundabout on centerfield, went on forwever. I passed someone with a bloody radio blaring, while running! Im normally v relaxed but that should not be allowed. Get a pair of headphones, i nearly shouted. So i just ran faster to get away. Coming up to that long hill at the end i felt very comfortable, and i wondered why so many people were walking at that point. Of course cos they went out too fast, ive done that too in the past, my lesson has been learned the hard way. Anyway, i kept going, nice and easy. Around the 13m marker i wondered how the hell am i going to run this distance twice? My legs/muscles were fine, it was my brain that was getting bored, and the self doubt kicks in. Should i bring my headphones so for dcm, and pop them on if im getting bored?

Delighted then to see the finish line , sped up and strided home. Time 2:20, could of ran further at that pace (6:40km/min average), and tbh i felt grand. People were talking about the brutal hills, i guess its all relative effort. If i ran 5.00, or 5.30km/min up them, yea they would of been killers alright! So kudos to all of ye who raced it.

Nutrition .. i took gels at 8k and 16k, and carried my water, and drank loads during the course. I wore my dcm outfit, so happy with that. Now to determine my pmp and dcm time. So i comfortably ran the half at 6:40. Do u think i should start at that pace for dcm?

If i ran the full dcm at 6:40 pace it would get me in around 4:41 which i would be delighted with.

Thanks!!

frash

Up at 7 for the breakfast of champions (porridge & banana with a cuppa tea) and left the house by 8. Got parking handy enough.

Last year I did this race in 2:00:00 (still to get a sub 2) but I knew it was unlikely I'd get this time again between the predicted heat, the unexpected (by me anyway) wind and the tired legs. Nevertheless I was going to go for it.

1 9:04,0 Started off with the 2 hours pacers
2 9:03,7
3 9:12,9
4 9:11,6
5 9:22,3 Bit of a gap opening up between me & the 2 hour pacers here
6 9:20,3
7 9:32,3
8 9:32,2
9 9:05,9 Thought I could catch up with them here
10 9:54,4 Think I paid for the faster mile here and knew a sub 2 was gone now
11 9:43,9
12 10:22
13 11:10 This mile was a real struggle – I knew the time I wanted was gone. Had flashbacks to my 2015 marathon where my legs turned to lead at mile 20 – is it going to happen again this year?
14 1:20,6

Finished in 02:05:51
On the rule of thumb of twice that plus 20 mins I'd be around 4:32 for the marathon.
Tinman says 4:22.
McMillan says 4:24

I'd love to get 4:30 but have doubts about it being possible.

Last time out (2015) I went out with the 4:40 pacers so as to not start too fast with a view of catching up with the 4:30s in the 2nd half. Got to half way in 2:18 but then the wheels came off at mile 20 and I finished in 5:10.

This year I might place myself somewhere between the 4:30s & the 4:40s and hope to feck I can run the whole thing.

This week in the plan it's a 14m LSR but I'm still a bit ahead on the plan so might push that out to 18 miles as I think I'd benefit mentally from two substantially long runs (18 this week & 20 the week after).

Lombardo123

Target time for DCM: 3:57.00.

FD 10 mile: 1.21.13
HM: 1.48.16

I would be happy with sub 4 any time, but feel my endurance over the last few weeks has increased a good but considering a change in diet/sleeping habits. I had more in the tank for HM also.

These times indicate that maybe sub 4 is on for me if I run a well thought out race.

I'm also comfortable with my fuelling and hydration so no changes needed in the coming weeks.

All that is giving me some confidence I can do it :cool: