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.

I'm mapping out my plan until my race plus recovery phase. With having to defer due to injury last year, I was a bit reluctant to look at it in too much detail, too far ahead and have my journal besmirched by pages of thwarted ambitions.

I've been using a Jeff Galloway plan which mainly focuses on the long run, and I'm in a good place. I did 18mi 10 days ago, have a HM next weekend. I'll do 20mi after half term. I'm a weekday runner and the teaching strikes are hitting the days that would be optimal for me to hit my highest milage and recover after. I have enough flexibility to get the miles in, but if I do it on a Friday, that then knocks out doing a decent push at parkrun on the Saturday.

My long run this week was a gentle 10mi, (my long, long runs are every other week) and I'm feeling knackered and dead-legged. I initially put it down to hormones, but that should have passed. I'm wondering if my immune system is fending off DS's cough/ cold as he's been spluttering all week. My yoga routines have also been disrupted by different morning routines caused by our semi-half-term (DCs straddle different LAs) so there might be a lack of stretching not helping. There is also a lack of space in the house as my room is currently lacking in some floorboards... these things do not help!

Oh well, niggly shins will pass, and there is time to get the miles in and get more comfortable with those long runs, and taper. It's just a shock when you realise that you're roughly a month away from the taper, and it's a more disrupted period than you'd reasonably have anticipated.

Can I join please! Doing London in 9 weeks

Hello. Do any of you do weight training to help with marathon training?

I do a circuits class with weights anyway. My upper body has definitely got stronger since starting it 2.5 years ago.

@RandomUsernameHere - hello - me too - my first so I'm pretty nervous....

Had a really good week and got 2 midweek runs in plus an elliptical session to replace the third. Yesterdays long run was "just" 15 miles and was really comfortable so I increased my Jeffing interval for the last couple and "practised" running the last 400 metres non stop with a smile on my face in the hope I might manage the Mall on 23 April. I noticed that there were suddenly a lot of runners with clearly just out of the packet new hydration vests. (Cant think why......) I've also been trying a couple of alternative nutrition strategies with a Mountain Fuel gel which is just fruit and chia seeds which feels a bit like baby food but is otherwise OK and tastes quite nice. Yesterday I swapped the Kendal Mint cake for dried apricots which taste nicer but do take a bit of chewing. Seem to work though so I might try a combination of the two when the long runs ramp up again in a couple of weeks.

Saw the physio today and he was sufficiently pleased with progress to say that I could return to my hillier routes rather than only doing flat ones so I might see a bit less of the Thames path now.

Long run for me yesterday felt better than the week before, and ran a bit faster . Undulating 17 miles, @londonmummy1966 I used my hydration vest. I've used it before but yesterday was first time I've taken both water bottles (although I'm not sure it was worth taking 2, as I didn't fill right up, and I only just started the 2nd one)
Legs feel fine today but it's a rest day

Half term for me this week. Just means I don't need to get up really early for run then work.

Did a hills session with my club today which will prepare me for the final XC course in a couple of weeks' time.

Next run will be a chilled run on Wednesday, then a 30k on Friday with 4x 5k efforts at marathon pace. Club has planned a parkrun takeover this weekend, but I'm in two minds about going since I will have done 30k the day before! I could just treat it as a recovery run, but knowing me, I will probably race it!

Sadly a bereavement has knocked me off course so I’m going to take a break for a few days then hopefully get back on track and settle my head

@Forestcantrun Sorry for your loss 😞

Does anyone have experience racing during your marathon taper ? I’m thinking of racing a 10k to help me decide on my marathon pace . I thought about doing a half but I worry that will need more recovery .

My 3 week taper has me reducing my mileage by 20% the first week , and then a further 30% after that before my final week . It would likely be during my second week of taper as I think my body would be rested enough after peak training to have a decent result .

bad idea ?

@Forestcantrun v sorry to hear. Be gentle to yourself. Grief takes so much emotional energy and its very normal to be tired. X x

@EveryLittleWish I did 2 10k races on the 2 Sundays before I did a marathon several years ago. I got a pb at the first one, a course pb (it was a mixed terrain route) at the 2nd one and a pb at the marathon. My best month of running!😂

I have felt unwell this week and not run since Sunday, hoping I feel OK for my long run at the weekend.

@EveryLittleWish
I have often ran races during taper. I did a Half 2 weeks before my last marathon and got a PB. I did a 10k a week before the marathon.
A 13 miler long run was in my plan anyway for the Sunday that I did the Half so running it faster than marathon pace 2 weeks out was fine in my view, as long as I reduced my mileage and didn't push at my speed and tempo sessions.
I had 10 miles in my plan for the final week, ran the 10k on Saturday and ran 10 miles on Sunday. That maybe shouldn't have been the best idea but I did a marathon PB so it worked out ok.

Not sure about trying to work out marathon pace within a 10k though at that stage . That wouldn't work for me as I need to have an idea before then and base it on my previous marathon pace.
If it was my first marathon I would be basing my pace somewhere between what my tempo pace for 13 miles was and my pace for my long run of 20 miles

@Teawaster Thanks for that . It’s not my first marathon but my first in a long time. I want to run the 10k as some reassurance more than anything . I have a pace in mind ( aiming for a 4:13) but I think I’m capable of a 3:59 and I have been running my runs around that just incase . Im torn at the moment . Today I’m running 32kms and running the last 5 kms at a 5:40 pace( in-line with a 4 hour marathon ) and I’m hoping that will give me a better idea. I’ll try and get more of those marathon pace runs in over the next few weeks too. It just feels a tad too fast at the moment . Years ago I ran with a similar goal in kind ( smashed it ) and I had done a 10k in 51 minutes during peak training ( I’m sure if it was during the taper I would have pulled off a sub 50). Im hoping to match that for extra reassurance .

@Fizbosshoes 👏 Nice !!!!!

@EveryLittleWish , I realised when I looked back that you have completed lots of marathons. You know what's best for you and I understand being torn. Although I say that I have a certain goal time , I usually have a slightly faster one in my head that I'm really aiming for and I have a tendency to start too quickly.
My long run was 13 miles this weekend, which I did yesterday . It was the first time I had a reduction for a while so it was a nice change. Back up to 20 again next week.
Lots of races coming up over the next few weeks too, including a XC on Sunday, so it's going to be tricky fitting everything in.
Hope everyone has good runs at the weekend

@Fizbosshoes hope you feel better soon and get to run at the weekend, although not the end of the world if you can't or if you are not in too form.

@Forestcantrun , sorry for your loss.

*top form

Hello - running Manchester on 16th April. Not feeling particularly fit and have had a bad sleeping toddler + tummy bug in the past few weeks which has knocked me off course.
I ran London in 2015 just under 5hrs (but knee went at mile 18) so if I can beat that, I’ll be happy.
I did a slow plod 14 miles this week. I’m really struggling for motivation atm.

Sorry to hear about your loss @Forestcantrun. Be kind to yourself.

Welcome to the thread @MatchesinEyes23. I hope your toddler settles soon and that you make a full recovery to resume training.

Do you have a running partner? I find that helps with motivation.

There's no way I could race during the taper - I would be tempted to take the race far too hard and potentially cock up the marathon by picking up a niggle.

I also don't really understand how racing a 10k will help you find your marathon pace - surely your 10k pace is much faster? Mine are about a minute apart though that might be out of the ordinary.

My 10k pace and marathon pace at the time of my pbs were about a minute apart. Not sure now, I haven't done a marathon for 5 years and am (sadly) much slower than then. I haven't done a road 10k for a while but I did a 5 mile race before Xmas so I might try to gauge what to expect from that. I've done 2 half marathons in the last 4 months and have another one next weekend which is possibly a better gauge.

Thank you all. I was doing so well but I’m hoping to bounce back stronger than ever when I can x

@fellrunner85 just reassurance . I posted why after. I have a bias for distance over speed anyway . My 10k is roughly 30-40 seconds per km quicker .

Thought I would do a semi naked flat run today so set off to Manchester and back.....bit gutted at the end to find it was only 14 miles. Was hoping 17 to 18. Back up in the hills next weekend I reckon as there was a lot of stopping and starting at road crossings. On a plus side I only needed a wee stop in Tesco's and I managed an isotonic drink , half a sausage roll and a bag of walkers salted crisps without feeling sick !

I love mid-run crisps, lovely, lovely salt and starch. A shame they don't travel well for being carried in races through 😂

There seems to have been loads of HMs today. I got mine done. Jeffed 30:30 and came in under 2:30.