Marathon Training 2023 - Who's in?

[xsquared]

I've registered for my first marathon in Manchester which takes place on 16th April this year.

My half event is next Sunday, so I'm coming to the end of my half training which is loosely based on the Nike Run Club App. My runs until then will be mainly shorter and easier runs, so I will start on week 3 of the actual marathon plan once I've done the half.

Anyone else training for a marathon this year?

Let's keep each other motivated.

Well done everyone. I did a half last Sunday and felt good and finished in a time I felt quite happy with, but then felt wrecked for the rest of the week! I only managed 1 interval session and 2 other steady runs.
Yesterday I did 16 and that felt really tough. I literally can't imagine doing another 10 miles, and ideally go 1.5 min/mile quicker! I train with 2 others and 1 also found it tough and the other is running really well and made it 18 miles.
Going to try to stick to my plan this week and do 17 next week.

I made it to 18 last week. My DCs now have a two-week half term which is restrictive. I've booked a HM for later in the month so that's a good mid-distance race and it's a comforable distance for me anyway. I've got time to pick up 20mi, do some more high milage (15+) and then taper, so half term, it's more practical to fit in little and often.
I'm Jeffing which takes a lot of impact and pressure off, and eases recovery.

I'm feeling quite positive now. Especially with my new sports bra and body glide 😂

I did 18 miles on Saturday, a 3 mile XC followed by 15 miles. I don't like splitting my long runs but as I have 2 20 milers already done , I felt ok about splitting this one. Another 20 this weekend. My groin/hip problem seems to be easing . I've been doing the physio exercises and they seem to have helped. I do intervals on a Tuesday and although the injury doesn't impact me when I'm doing them, I'm a bit sore afterwards and the following day when I do an easy run. However it's all better than before and the pain is reducing.
Well done to everyone after their runs at the weekend.

Well done everyone on your long runs.

Can't help you with the belt question @Forestcantrun as I use the Harrier vest for my 500ml soft bottle. It's been fine.

I did my long run on Wednesday this week, 26km 4×5km fast, with 2 minute recovery between each. We managed to hit the paces but I'd like to aim for consistency rather than drifting into faster than goal pace and the compensating the other way.

4 leg relay tomorrow, which will be done at 5k pace or faster if I can muster it! Followed by 14km jog home.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Well done @xsquared .
I did my long run, 20 miles yesterday . I only did my previous long run last Saturday so only 5 days between them, so I wasn't looking forward to it.
However it went well and I did my fastest 20 miles yet.
Just a 6 mile tempo to do tomorrow or Sunday
Good luck to everyone running this weekend

20 mile run done today the last of my long ones reducing from now on ready for the taper.

Well done on the 20 milers! My longest has been 19 miles so far for this training, I will be doing 20 miles at some point, probably 5 weeks before the event.

How did you find it?

I think it is getting easier mentally, especially after the half marathon mark, when I am no longer thinking "I need to do this again".

Great job everyone !!!!

I managed 32kms today and ran the last km at marathon pace and now im questioning how the heck I’ll do that for 42.2 😩! I was hoping for a sub 4 but I don’t think I’ll be able to hold that pace so I’m not thinking of going for a 4:13 which I think has me running a 6 minute pace . Next week I’ll add some more 5:40 pace kms into my long run and decide then . 12 years ago I went through a similar dilemma and surprised myself so there is hope haha!

Last Sunday I did 30kms so only 5 days between the long runs this week too so I probably wasn’t feeling as fresh.

Those already doing 20 milers - which marathons are you doing? Surely not London to be doing 20 miles so early in the plan? Manchester would make sense though...

@fellrunner85 I’m doing Brighton Marathon on April 2nd !

I'm running The Grand Canal Canter a flat route along the canal in Tiverton Devon in three weeks time if I can maintain today's pace my time would be 4 hours 6 . My feet are really sore tonight.

I also did 20 miles in week 3 (of 16) of training, a friend from my running club was doing 12 consecutive marathons and that was as far as I could manage.

Oh I love Brighton @EveryLittleWish - fast and flat and full of support. Wish I was doing it; would love to try the new route that avoids the timber yard...

@fellrunner85 it’s my first time running Brighton! Good to hear you like it ! I’m looking forward to it !

Manchester for me. I am following their training plan, although not very strictly as I have swapped a few things round.

The long runs are time based until a little later on and it's in kms rather than miles. Which leads me to my next question, does the 2.40 mean 2 hours and 40 minutes or is it decimal time, so 2 hours + 0.4*60 = 2 hours and 24 minutes?

Anyway, it is 16 minutes difference, which could be up to 2 miles difference for me at hm pace!

Photo for reference to last post.

I'm doing Brighton but my longest run so far has been 16 miles - doing 17 on Sunday.
I've done it before in 2012 and 2013 and (I think) got a pb there in 2013.
Apparently the course is going to be flatter this year, but I don't remember it being overly hilly to start with.
I'll be happy if I can match my 2013 time.

@xsquared
I would read that as 2 hrs 40...

It's 2hs 40mins, @xsquared - I've done very similar plans before. In general I agree that plans by time make more sense than plans by miles; especially for steadier runners when churning out 20+ miles could take four hours or so, and have more injury risk than training benefit.

Thanks both.

Yes, that makes sense @fellrunner85. I have heard that long runs over 3 hours don't have much added benefit.

London for me. I have reached 20 miles a bit earlier than what most plans would say but I kept my long miles up after my last marathon so I'm hoping that doing a few more 20s than normal will help, especially as I may have to split a couple due to races that I've entered.

@Teawaster In 2012 I did a similar training plan . I had kept up my long runs from a previous marathon and was averaging 50kms a week before I started training for my marathon . I just did a ton of 32km runs and a few 35km ones too. Lots of cut back weeks . My body was so use to running the distance that I smashed it on race day !

@EveryLittleWish , that's what I'm hoping for. I did 4 marathons last year, 2 in May/June and 2 in early and late October. So I was so used to running long distances that I kept the miles up pretty much.
Must ensure I have quite a few cut back weeks

I’m also in Manchester this year. First ever marathon so will be a PB whatever time I do it in. Training not going as well as I wanted but I keep reading that the 20 or 22 mile training run is not essential or am I just hoping it isn’t ?? Atm my longest was 14 mile a couple of weeks ago. I’ve done a few HM over the years and a 32 mile race over 4 consecutive days so fingers crossed !

You'll be ok if you get the long runs in now, @GrannieD , but you can't wing a marathon the way you can wing a half. In my experience it's all about those long runs; not just for getting the miles in your legs but also about practising fuelling.

A half is essentially just a long run. Even if you're fairly steady, it's only around two hours, and most people can get through that without worrying too much about fuelling. But a marathon is an entirely different beast, and in my view you need to have at least three - preferably more- runs of 18-22 miles in the bag to be in the right place on race day.

You have time though; if you aim to get a 16 and then a couple of 18s and a 20 in before starting your taper at the end of March?