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Aug 2021
9:53am, 18 Aug 2021
15,251 posts
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larkim
The other factor is that there are a bucket load of wider-family things that I've asked others to arrange around my Chester date so there's some emotional pressure there too. A 5 hour mara would be fine by me at Chester, and I'm experienced enough to whether DNF'ing is a possibility and aborting any "slow" marathon prior to the start. If I can't run 10-12 miles comfortably in the weeks prior to Chester I wouldn't start it, but I'd rather have a plan which takes the pressure off running a specific "time" but still encourages me to knock off an autumn marathon whilst I'm still in my 40s.
I know most would see it as daft or pointless, and maybe in December when I've got a chronic injury that won't recover I'll regret it, but that's my plan and (for now!) I'm sticking to it.
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Aug 2021
10:38am, 18 Aug 2021
10,646 posts
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jda
If you're confident in your ability to handle a long run, fair enough, but it seems a big ask at this point. How many 20 mile runs will you have done between now and then?
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Aug 2021
11:40am, 18 Aug 2021
15,252 posts
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larkim
Probably none! Let's just pretend I'm that guy in the office who has signed up for a marathon not really knowing what it's all about and reckons he can do a few runs for 4 weeks to train for it. With the same level of expectation of the outcome. Add in the fact that I know how to judge pace and I'm going in with eyes wide open about how poor it will be in comparison of what I could achieve with 10-12 weeks of "proper" training.
If nothing else, it will be an "experience"!
It's a long, long, long way from ideal and I won't do it if I think it will injure me. I may hate every second of it. And I may yet change my mind or plans, but many, many, many people who cover big city marathons do so on less running background and worse training than I'll be able to manage (I hope).
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Aug 2021
11:43am, 18 Aug 2021
2,821 posts
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B Rubble
You're right about a lot of people being unprepared for these big events. A friend was at the start of the Bolton Ironman a few weeks ago. The guy standing next to him hadn't run more than 12 miles or swum more than a mile.
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Aug 2021
11:47am, 18 Aug 2021
7,237 posts
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paul the builder
Has he finished yet?
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Aug 2021
11:51am, 18 Aug 2021
10,648 posts
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jda
It's not just the lack of training but the fact you've actually got an injury sufficient to stop you from running!
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Aug 2021
11:56am, 18 Aug 2021
15,254 posts
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larkim
100% agreed jda - the injury thing isn't something I'm now planning to run through. It's only if I am injury free (95%) that I'll do this. If the 4 weeks of prep either can't be done due to injury, or the injury flares up in that period then I won't be doing it.
It's more a case of "can I get round a marathon really slowly if I add 4 weeks of uninjured running in between now and the race day". I've zero interest in hobbling round injured.
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Aug 2021
12:50pm, 18 Aug 2021
4,613 posts
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K5 Gus
After getting injured last spring and doing very little running through to mid July, I did a virtual marathon last August off of 3 weeks "training" in 4:18
Note I had been doing quite a bit of cycling though, so aerobically. I was ok.
It wasn't particularly fun, but we're experienced enough in here to know whether it's safe to carry on or call it a day. As long as your sensible regards whether your injury has cleared I'm sure you'll be fine
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Aug 2021
12:54pm, 18 Aug 2021
15,255 posts
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larkim
There may be some mileage (!) in doing some cycling in the next few weeks, though tbh as the only thing I've changed this year is that I did a block of zwifting I'm crediting the cycling with ruining my running!!
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Aug 2021
1:01pm, 18 Aug 2021
18,267 posts
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Chrisull
One of my friends can't swim or cycle and has just entered an ironman (to be fair to him he's just done a 100 miler in under 24 hours so he's used to pain).
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RW sub3/3.15
Jul 2025