Is anyone training for a marathon?

Thank you @Ringsender2!
I was aiming for 5 hours and finished in 5 hours 10 minutes so very happy with that considering the extra mile at the end! Also I overtook a few people who'd stormed past me at the beginning so keeping to my steady pace paid off.
Thanks for the advice about moving - I can't face a bike ride but I'm going to try a slow walk round the block in a bit as I've seized up a bit sitting working today!

@potatoes - well done! good on you. Were you happy with your time?

Going downstairs is a killer isn't it? I didn't do any running til 2 days after but did make sure to walk around the next day and also did a small cycle to keep the muscles moving a bit.

I did my marathon yesterday!! It was very very hilly and turned out to be 27.4 miles so I'm finding stairs a challenge today

Well my knee is now completely pain free to walk on so I can try a little run. I just need to find the time now. It's amazing how quickly the time gaps in your routine close up if you don't keep using them.

@imamearcat isn't it always the way, when you don't feel like going out you invariably end up having a really good run. Not sure what the science/psychology is there.

How's everyone doing? Leg got better quickly after a couple of days resting, got a good hilly run done yesterday. Thought about a nice gentle recovery run today but the weather was so dreadful! There's limits to what I will leave the house for and I think pouring rain, hail and gusts is it

How's everyone doing?

Had a sports massage on Monday for the first time in ages, and today something in my calf went ping walking down the stairs at work. I don't think it's related other than maybe pushing things a bit on my brand new legs this week. It's a bit sore. Trying to surreptitiously stretch under my desk while on teams calls. Supposed to be going climbing tonight for the first time in a year.

That's brilliant @teawaster - sub 3:30 is a dream for me!! I think I just need to do more really long stuff. Every time I've done a marathon I've struggled to do enough long runs with marathon-paced segments in. Wondering if that's the key.

And @imamearcat - I'd say it was three years of "proper" training that got me to those times. Over 4 years or so I completed c25k and did slowish casual running (just sub 2hr half, 50ish min 10ks, etc) but I was pregnant/postnatal/etc twice in that time.

Then after DD was born in 2016 I started training "properly." I ran some better times in 2017 and 2018, and then got PBs over all distances in 2019. Then the world went to shit

That 2 times your half time plus 20 worked for me. Half in 1:34 and marathon in 3:27.

That's a great time @imamearcat!

I haven't been out at all since my half two weeks ago. My knee still hurts even to walk on. It did seem a bit better when I walked downstairs this morning though so perhaps it's starting to mend.

Well done @imamearcat - that's a really decent time for a first half. You'll definitely be taking the full marathon more steadily though. The rule of thumb is generally that your full marathon time is your half x2, plus 20 mins, with exceptions for elite athletes (who are quicker!) and absolute newbies (who end up walking a lot in the second half). So my advice for July's marathon would be to aim much nearer to 10 min miles from the start, rather than going out at 9 min pace and burning yourself out.

The "rule" doesn't quite work for me - I do a half in 1:35 and my full PB is just over 3:40. I don't think I've ever "properly" trained for the full though, at least not to the same focused level I have for my halves. I've already mentally written off this year's October marathon - I wanted between 3:30 and 3:35 but I don't think I'm at that level yet!

8 weeks of training to go until taper for me. It's come round quick and I feel really unprepared ngl. Trying hard not to compare to how fit I was this time last year. It all went to shit over winter! Totally lost my mojo.

Need to do more hills. 2000m of elevation in my race. So hard to train for it when you don't live in a particularly hilly area. I try and max out elevation where I can and go hiking in hilly places. I loathe hill reps but they've got to be done. I hope it all works tbh.

Well done @imamearcat . Great time. You have definitely a sub 2 in you if you can do your first half in 2 hours. Honestly , everyone finishes a half thinking 'there is no way I could do another mile, never mind another 13' . And you will say to yourself after you complete a marathon and then after you complete a half after that ' I don't know how I did another 13' . But you will do it . You will have built up the miles and 13 will seem like it's not much on the day , other than feeling the delight that you are half way !

Haha good going @FellRunner94!

I'm tapering and finding it really odd to not be running for as long after all the weeks of doing all those miles. I ran for an hour this morning and felt slow and sluggish for the first 20 mins and I was wondering how on earth I'm going to make it round a marathon a week tomorrow...I'm sure it will all come together on the day...

Hope everyone else is getting on well

I’ve signed up for a second marathon this year why why why

Oddly excited though, my training is going quite well and I’m feeling positive towards the June deadline

How’s everyone else’s training going?

@AOwlAOwlAOwl , yes the uncertainty is the worst . I feel VLM may go ahead but possibly restricted to UK runners and no spectators. I'm not doing it if no spectators . They are very slow here to lift restrictions so not convinced Belfast will go ahead either , at least not in the usual format . I am determined to find one somewhere in the autumn . I just don't want my first VLM to not be the full experience , especially as I have to travel across the water for it. I would prefer to wait until Spring 22.

@Anonmousse .that's interesting about your best time . I am currently researching best marathon plans . I didn't really follow one for the one I completed in 2019 , I did a mix of Runners World and another one. Then for the cancelled races, I was using Hanson's Method which restricts the long runs to 16 miles and is based on the principle that they mirror the final 16 miles of a marathon because you have a lot of running in your legs from previous days . It's a lot of miles each week though. I'm reluctant to start it again and was always worried about the shortness of the long runs, despite quite a few people in my running club having had good improvements in their times using it .

@Teawaster it's the uncertainty of it all isn't it!

I'm not convinced the big races will happen in October. I hope they do, but I think there's too many variables at the minute to be sure.

I am planning to do an october marathon. It will be my 10th marathon, and whilst I'm not great at sticking to a rigid training programme, I do try to incorporate some intervals/speed and a long run into my week as well as 2 10k ish runs. My best time for a marathon was when I was on the waiting list for a place and found I had one with about 8 weeks to go. Luckily I had a decent base and was already up to about half marathon in training. I did a lot of the long runs on my own but I prefer to do with a training partner.

@AOwlAOwlAOwl . That's too bad. Hopefully you will get to do another one , but possibly have to travel . I was in for Belfast and London in 2020, London being first and I was going to wait and see if I felt I could do Belfast a few weeks later . Now both are deferred to September and October , with Belfast being first . I want VLM to be the main one as I have never done it before so I don't want to run another marathon a few weeks before . But if it's cancelled or restricted /no spectators then I will do Belfast , if it's on . Some races have commenced here again so I'm hopeful and I feel enthused about upping the training .

I feel the same @Teawaster with Manchester for me. Only now I won't even get to run it in October as the date clashes with another race that also got postponed. It's a team race so I'd be letting people down if I didn't do it. I've trained twice for Manchester in the last year and haven't run it since 2019, it feels very Groundhog Day now.

@Ringsender2 I think there's training plans you can sign up to if you're a subscriber, I haven't tried them though or know how they work!