Dealerz2.0 wrote: » I certainly will count it.......cause then I can stop my marathon training madness!!!
Dealerz2.0 wrote: » And sure as I am here I may as well post my plans: Attempting a solo marathon Saturday and hopefully a 4 min pb to get my first sub 4 on my 4th attempt....spooky symmetry.
ariana` wrote: » Hmmm am i missing something here - you talk about increasing distance in one paragraph and persistent niggles in the next? Did you have the calf strain seen too by a professional - what was the diagnosis? If there's nothing fundamentally wrong then it sounds like a muscle imbalance/weakness. Do you have a desk job by any chance? A lot of people who sit all day have weak glutes & tight hip flexors... You really need to get to the bottom of your weaknesses and work on them during this time and forget about building mileage. A good Pilates class a few times a week wouldn't be a bad place to start lacking anything more customised which may be harder to arrange in the current circumstances.
Anbocmorrua wrote: » So as my autumn race hasn't been cancelled yet I am proceeding with some pre-marathon training.I am slowly increasing my weekly distance. I was doing 30-40k a week at the start of the year and I want to get it closer to 80k by the beginning of June when the training plan kicks in. My biggest problem is staying fit. I'm plagued with niggles down my left leg. Most recently I lost a couple of weeks to a calf strain. I've had my left hand side checked out with a scan etc and there's nothing fundamentally wrong. So who has any good tips for staying fit througout the training?
passinginterest wrote: » I'd tried sub 4 on my one previous attempt in 2014. I ran a 1.37 half in the build up, but I wore myself out running everything to hard, didn't build the endurance and had a really tough last 6 miles to end up missing out by 48 seconds. I was also about a stone and a half lighter on that attempt and had a good base from years of football. I'm a massive convert to the slow down to get faster approach.
The Black Oil wrote: » Care to flesh this out and say what worked for you?
passinginterest wrote: » As someone who was very borderline for the sub 4 I think the slowing down was crucial. I ran 3.59, 2.01 for first half and 1.58 second half. My long runs were nearly all over 10 minutes a mile, one of the 20 miles was close to 10.40. I tried to run the last mile the quickest on all the runs over 15 miles, just to reassure myself I was buliding the endurance. I came into the block after 4 years of very little activity and spent a full year gradually building. I didn't blow anything away over the shorter distances. Just broke 22 for 5k had a 38ish 5 mile, didn't break 50 for 10k, 1.26 for 10 mile and 1.49 for the half. Starting slow in the marathon and really trusting the endurance I'd built following the boards novices plan was what I feel got me there. I'd tried sub 4 on my one previous attempt in 2014. I ran a 1.37 half in the build up, but I wore myself out running everything to hard, didn't build the endurance and had a really tough last 6 miles to end up missing out by 48 seconds. I was also about a stone and a half lighter on that attempt and had a good base from years of football. I'm a massive convert to the slow down to get faster approach.
rovers_runner wrote: » I was similar to yourself, it was in the mind for a few years until I finally got it right. - Put in a good hard winter, plan for a half in mid spring and an early summer marathon like Limerick or Cork. Different location can help mentally. - Get to a place in the plan where you are doing a 9/10 mile midweek to build endurance for your planned pace early in the year. - Try to improve pbs to a level of the following : - 5k - 22mins - 10k - 45mins - 10m - sub 80 - Half - 1:45 Those times will give you the confidence to run slower for longer known its not already at your limit. You can then set out to do first half around 1:52 and still have room to tire as happens most people who are at the 4hr mark.
carter3 wrote: » Thanks guys. Some great advice there and I definitely think the I need to slow down the long runs up the volume and be more diligent with following a plan. I will try and get involved with next years novice group too.
sibeen99 wrote: » Believe in your plan and trust the training. Mental preparation is as important as the physical prep.
rovers_runner wrote: » You only go out at 1:52 when you know you are able for 1:45. 30 seconds a mile slower than you know you can race at. It then gives you the cushion that you can run 2:05 for the second half if needed rather than having to go under two, especially if you have just barely gone out in two. Mentally it means you can have a bad mile or a longer spell at a water station etc without panicking about correcting your splits straight away.
skyblue46 wrote: » What is the logic in this plan of going out at a 1:51/1:52 pace that you have mentioned a couple of times. It's madness for anyone flirting on the edges of 4 hours and even if it managed to sneak one or two under 4 hours those same runners would find the experience infinitely more pleasant if it was even paced or slightly negative.
carter3 wrote: » Good advice on a hard winter and possibly should consider doing a spring full. If I don’t I will plan to hit the shorter distance times you mentioned earlier in the year. Loving the meno plan by the way. I think if I could make 30 miles per week the norm and used to doing some of the sessions I could step up to that but it is substantially more than I have ever done before. Feeling excited. Thanks for the advice apart from the 1.52 bit!!
rovers_runner wrote: » You can then set out to do first half around 1:52 and still have room to tire as happens most people who are at the 4hr mark.
carter3 wrote: » Well done to everyone on their great times. My story is I have been running for about 6 years and I have mainly done 10ks / 10ms / half’s and the dublin marathon for the last 6 years (about 50 races in total). My current level is roughly - 48min 10k / 1:25 10 mile / 1:55 half I have always trained fairly diligently for the marathon but struggled with endurance and my experience of it is that I tend to start run walking after 17 miles and finish 4:30-5 hrs. Ironically my best marathon was in 2018 where I had planned not to do the marathon until September and focussed on the shorter stuff. I felt sharper, ran less but faster and pb’d all distances 46/1:18/1:44.i ended up doing a couple of 20 milers after the dublin half but my mileage was generally low compared with previous years and pb’d in 4:17. I said I’d try and break the 4 in 2019 and although my times over the shorter distances slowed I got a good block of training done, never dropping below 30 miles per week over the last 9 weeks before dublin. Unfortunately, despite setting out at 4:10 pace (came through halfway at 2:05) I was slowing badly from about 15 and decided to call it a day dropping out at 19m. I have signed up to another attempt in 2020 and the prep starts now. I plan to focus on shorter distances until next summer and try and replicate what worked for me in 2018. i think coupling this with getting my mileage up to 40miles per week in the run in it should be enough. I feel with work I can possibly hit sub 45 / 1:15 / 1:40 but part of me thinks I should maybe focus on high volume aerobic work instead. Has anyone had a similar experience of hitting the target paces in the shorter distances but being unable to convert it into a sub 4 and if so what did they find worked for them? Thanks
kulekat wrote: » Love this thread, im just after reading chunks of it after a first time 4:32 DCM with about 4 weeks of injury thrown into my training block. I was delighted with that time, did a negative split. Took my pace slow for the first half, fastest pace was from 22-32km and then a faster 2km finish. My focus next year will be a sub 2h HM, does anyone have a link to the meno plan? I have the graduates plan and want to compare. Many thanks!
ewc78 wrote: » First run back today. Stiff as a board. Signed up for DCM 2020 on friday. We Go Again.
