The sub 3.30 marathon thread
188 watchers
Apr 2023
2:42pm, 3 Apr 2023
4,656 posts
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Dillthedog
Well done ptr, and great write up in your blog.
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Apr 2023
9:15am, 4 Apr 2023
2,347 posts
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SailorSteve
Taper time for me now. I love it this bit, the view from the top of the training block mountain.
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Apr 2023
2:46pm, 12 Apr 2023
2,349 posts
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SailorSteve
How are you feeling for this w/e Oscar the Grouch? All good I hope. I’m liking the look of your weather f/c at this stage…..
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Apr 2023
3:01pm, 12 Apr 2023
5,909 posts
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Oscar the Grouch
Weather f/c looks terrific, marathon-wise. I had a slightly disappointing 10k run out (45.21) when I'd expect low 44 or under, but it was very windy and I woke up with a minor cold yesterday. Truth be told, I haven't had that one session where I have thought, blimey, I feel really good and had a pace to go with it. 3h40 plus wouldn't be a massive surprise BUT I'll give it a go and see what comes. I have the speed, just not been in 'fast' marathon shape since pre-COVID so I might need another cycle or two.
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Apr 2023
3:09pm, 12 Apr 2023
2,350 posts
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SailorSteve
No fear of complacency then! You know the course well so you’ll know what’s what on the day. Have a great day👊
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Apr 2023
3:23pm, 12 Apr 2023
2,825 posts
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tipsku
Oscar, I sympathize with that. I know the feeling of a disappointing 10k in the current marathon training cycle. I ran a 44:37 at the end of January on a cold day seemingly out of nowhere (I think it was week 6 of the 18 week P&D). It looked great, I had only done tempo runs around 7:45 so a 7:15 paced 10k was a nice surprise. When I wanted to improve on that later in the plan (week 12 or 13), I only managed 46:15 and it was about 300m short so in reality, I didn't even break 47. In my defense, the weather made it harder. It warmed up from around freezing on Tuesday to 18°C on Saturday. There was no way I could have adjusted that quickly but it was still disappointing to be that much slower. To think that a couple of weeks earlier, I was capable of running a 1:45 half at marathon HR in 5°C and I felt fine. 😣 Now I'm worried that the weather is going to warm up to 18-20°C by the 23rd. Then I can kiss 3:30 goodbye. I've been training in 5-10°C in recent weeks so anything over 15 will be unfamiliar territory. I don't know what the answer is, going for an earlier marathon? Ideally, I'd run in 5-10°C. |
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Apr 2023
4:09pm, 12 Apr 2023
5,911 posts
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Oscar the Grouch
Thanks, both. Difficult if the temperature suddenly rises when it has been a cold start to the year. Part of the luck of the draw! As you say, Steve, I know the course well, so I'll do my best to be in with a shout.
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Apr 2023
4:27pm, 12 Apr 2023
2,351 posts
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SailorSteve
tipsku yep, heat is a sod when 90%+ of training has been in cold/cool conditions. Hopefully it won’t be a repeat of 2018 - my toughest marathon to-date. I have read several similar articles on the potential benefits of warm/hottish baths post-exercise in the preceding 6 days pre-race e.g. mysportscience.com Might be worth a try? |
Apr 2023
4:35pm, 12 Apr 2023
2,071 posts
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auburnette
tipsku could you do some runs during the taper with extra layers or indoor/on treadmill where it tends to be hotter? Not sure how much difference it makes during the last few weeks and of course getting the recovery benefit from the taper is key. If it's any consolation my races also got worse as the training progressed - 1:41 half on a super hilly course in February (only 20 sec off my PB, set on the flat, and I briefly walked during the hilly half) and then unable to run 10 miles at that pace in April! Hoping it's just fatigue and poor race execution to blame in my case. |
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Apr 2023
11:24am, 13 Apr 2023
2,831 posts
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tipsku
SailorSteve, which marathon was that in 2018? I had a tough marathon in 2018, too. I ran Leipzig on 22 April that year. We had a very cold spring, snow storm early in March (I visited Wales that weekend and ran the Anglesey half on 4 March) and I logged my last sub-0°C run on 18 March. Then it warmed up to 25° in marathon week and it crushed me. auburnette, thank you for the advice. I went out running in an extra jacket last night for a recovery run and that was fine. I was sweating a bit towards the end (normally, I never sweat when I run recovery runs) so it made some difference. Maybe I'll do that for a few more runs before the marathon. I'm thinking fatigue, too. In week 6, I was still pretty fresh. 12 weeks of high mileage took their toll. I just hope that reducing mileage in the last weeks helps me to bounce back. According to my stats, I have never run that much in the 18 weeks leading up to a marathon and my paces for the HR zones have come down nicely. I can't really compare to 2014-2016 because then, my LTHR was still higher (around 175-177 compared to around 170 right now). Also, I have to pay attention to nutrition and sleep so that I'm fully charged on race day. |
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