Autumn marathon training - anyone?

[TeaAndHobnob]

In theory I have Manchester in October which now clashes with another race - I'm waiting to see if Manchester gets pulled before I decide which one I'm doing.

Has anyone else got a race entry that is in theory going ahead at the moment?

Have you started training yet? I haven't done any proper long long runs since April but I have kept up running regularly to keep ticking over. I'm going to sit down this weekend and sort out my training plan.

It's all looking a bit doom and gloom isn't it.

Did week 1 of my marathon training plan this week. My long run today was awful. So bad I cut it short. All the energy just left me after an embarassingly short distance. I struggled on for a bit and turned for home. I'm blaming it on the weather, it did get quite warm.

Week 1 for me too.

5 good miles, 2 terrible miles.

Regretting not keeping my miles up and gaining the lockdown spare tyre. It’s going to be a long long way back to marathon fit.

Rehabilitation here

Walking only for another 3-4 weeks. Ideally I’d be pool running, but can’t do that. Will have to think of other cross training that’s do-able with a knackered foot

Sorry to hear about the foot @iVampire, what's up with it?

Avulsion fracture - stuck foot in rut and went flying

Did it a couple of weeks ago, I’ve improved a lot in last few days, and can walk quite a way in the fracture boot now - can’t work out if I look more like a Stormtrooper or a Cyberman from the knee down

Will continue the longer walks in my exoskeleton, and now it’s time to see how I get on walking gently round the house without it

Ah @iVampire that sucks. Swimming is also my go-to when I’ve been injured.

Small silver lining, If there’s ever a ‘good’ time to be injured it’s when there’s no races to miss.

Ah that really sucks. If it's any consolation I don't think London will happen in October, I think you have plenty of time to train for the real race

I have a place in the London marathon - first time marathon runner! I can't see it happening in October but I'm training for it just in case. I'm following the intermediate plan on the VLM site but struggling to work out how fast to do each type of run (easy, steady, tempo, long run). There are descriptors for them, but I don't find them very helpful. Any ideas?

@Livettupalittle

I have a place in the London marathon - first time marathon runner! I can't see it happening in October but I'm training for it just in case. I'm following the intermediate plan on the VLM site but struggling to work out how fast to do each type of run (easy, steady, tempo, long run). There are descriptors for them, but I don't find them very helpful. Any ideas?

For me easy run and long run are basically the same pace - you can have a chat with a mate without getting too out of breath. Just a nice plod, minimal effort really.

Steady I think would be marathon pace? Or the pace you want to run it at. I'm not sure on this though, I think it can vary.

Tempo run is 10k pace.

Hmmm I was supposed to be doing Liverpool last month, but when that got postponed I chose to defer to next year instead of trying in October. Now I'm thinking about seeing if its possible to do one this year still. I'm thinking (if allowed obviously) at looking into a small event in October/November. There are a lot near me so I can easily pick one. Obviously I'm aware that nothing like this may be possible this year, but if I can I just might. It will be my third.

I also let lockdown get the better of my running. While I still went out running I didn't go further than 10K for over 2 months. Currently building back up. Did 9 miles this weekend.

How are we doing?

Done the first two weeks of my marathon plan now but as I still don't know what's happening with the race motivation is hard to come by. I'm always glad afterwards but getting myself out of the house is a struggle.

I'm back into a marathon cycle but the only real differences are the long run is getting longer and my tempo run is getting longer. I don't think the race will happen but it's all good base building.

4 miles tempo and a 14 mile long run last week for me, I much prefer the long runs at this time of year!

I've done the 14 miles here as well, was really achy afterwards, and as if that was not enough I've done some strength training yesterday as well. So I'm super achy now... not sure how I gonna do my tempo run tomorrow!

I'm not bothering to start marathon training as I honestly don't think the races will be on. I'm supposed to be doing the rescheduled Manchester marathon in October.
That said, I've been keeping up the 13ish mile runs in lockdown; just taking them more slowly and faffing around on trails rather than doing targeted MP runs on road.

It's all over now isn't it with Manchester cancelled. I have a couple of Autumn races still booked but I'm sure they will go the same way.

I'm intending to carry on training as much as I can and run a marathon distance anyway. I'm not totally convinced April will happen either if I'm honest.

Hi @TeaAndHobnobv- have you run many marathons before? I don't want to be the voice of doom, but unless the marathon distance is very comfortable for you, I wouldn't recommend running it this autumn.

Lots of research has been done on how hard training affects the immune system. Key findings in one major study found that running a marathon can make you up to six times more likely to catch the common cold - which arguably isn't something you want to do to your immune system during Covid:
www.seattlemarathon.org/running-and-the-immune-system

However, most studies have also found that moderately intense training (up to 10 miles for most people) can boost immunity. Sorry if this is something you already know; I don't mean to get preachy. But this is why I'm not running anything too long or at race effort at the moment, as I don't want to inadvertently raise my risk of Covid.

@fellrunner85 I've done a few previously. This year was the first year I took training properly seriously and did all my planned sessions, lost a bit of weight and was looking at taking 45 minutes off my previous time which is a lot really. It's that which is making me really reluctant to give up on the plan. I had heard about the immune system stuff. And I really don't want to catch covid. And to be honest I'm not even convinced we'll get big mass participation events next spring.

45 minutes off your time is LOADS!! What was your PB before?!
I was hoping to PB this year and also bag myself a GFA qualifying place for London. Without a "proper" race and the chance of getting GFA, though, the idea of half-killing myself to run 3:40 isn't very tempting

4:58 previously. Also at Manchester, last year. It was soooo good and I loved every minute of it. I could probably have run it quicker but I had a plan and stuck to it! I hadn't taken my training too seriously and that made me think what if I had actually put some effort in and trained more than 3 days a week? And so I did, and got a sub 2 half in March for the first time... And here we are!

I've never done Manchester; this year was supposed to be my first time.

Like you, I also PBd in a half in March and thought it boded well for Manchester in April...but then of course that came to nothing. Though I'm glad at least I have a half PB to show for this year.

Yes at least we have that!

Well, with what Boris said, is it going to be possible that London will run in October?

If public transport and enough hotels are open, then it might be workable. But it's still an awful lot of London to close, sucking in a lot of police/ambulance effort, and it disrupts the takings in loads of businesses. And they can hardly use a Nightingale as the race admin base (they'll have to post numbers to UK addresses and have a completely different pick up point for international?)

And anyone with symptoms or living in a lockdown area will have to be automatically deferred to the next race (even if silver bond, as smaller local charities might fund all their potential runners are under same local restriction)

But it still seems too big to be possible.

Interesting however that the next announcement is going to be next week. There is clearly good communication in the last 6 weeks or so between the government and the race organisers on the timetable for decision points.

With Manchester cancelled this week, London must surely be next. Even if you assume that half of the people have deferred, they’d have to sort out mass temperature testing, masks on in the starting pens, staggered starts that would go on for hours, and tell crowds not to come. The negative publicity would undo all the goodwill they have.

More relieved than gutted about Manchester cancelling tbh. I hadn’t reached the tipping point in the mileage so don’t feel too invested.

Richmond got postponed to Spring 2021. It was obvious it would be anyway. I was going to do 18 miles on Saturday so I'm glad i found out before then. Gutted I won't get to do a marathon this year, but hopefully I'll be in better shape in spring (read: lose some weight). I'll definitely do a half in October or November though if they do happen. Having built myself up to 16 miles a half marathon distance feels pretty easy now! Silver linings and all that...

They did say mass events might resume in October, so fx London goes ahead. From my understanding they will start dropping some distancing measures by then, although it does seem a bit too soon.

@CarrotPuff sorry to hear about Richmond although agree, it seemed inevitable.

I need to lose some weight too really - not helped by my breakfast of chocolate brioche - like you i am up to 16 miles and suffering runger!

Not feeling super enthused about London in October tbh, I have an ankle niggle which I didn't have for the last training cycle and I don't like the sound of socially distanced London. If it's no expo, no spectators I may end up pulling my defer card and doing a very small local marathon instead - wonder if they let you defer to 2022? 2021 may still be dicey and I think I would want a year off from marathons after so much time invested this year.