Just over two months to go now 'till the FLM! How's everyones training going?

I've got another marathon before FLM to worry about first... training has been a bit erratic due to ensuring niggles don't progress into full injury. I'll know how fit I am after this Sunday's 20 mile race, then I can take it from there I guess

I think it's going well (as in I'm getting faster and I'm running longer distances). But there's ample time for it to go wrong still... 26 March and the Cranleigh 15/21 will be the acid test.

Very interested by this comment... Wish I'd done alonger race ahead of my last FLM effort (my longest was Kingston 16 miler which gave me loads of confidence but was still so much shorter than the 26.2). How are you using Cranleigh? Are you going to run it at full marathon pace? Faster than marathon pace? Slower? What are your test criteria going to be?

P.S. I'll be there too but currently thinking I'm just going to race the 15 (I don't need to put myself through 21 right now as I'm not marathoning yet this year)

At present it is sandwiched in my training plan between 2 22 milers, and I don't think I want to run that kind of distance 3 weeks in a row. So the thinking is either :
- only do 15 miles, and run them at Marathon pace or slightly faster
- or run 21 miles, doing the first 15-ish slower than MP and the last 6 at MPish, and drop the next long run down to 15 miles. Not sure I want to do that though as I won't have another chance for a loooong run before tapering.

So there you go... On balance I think I'll go for the 15 mile option.

I certainly wouldn't want to - definitely would not recommend that for a first marathon (I wouldn't do it for my fourth either).

Lot's of training plans don't take you as high as 22 miles - and those that do only generally take you there once.

For my last FLM I admit I went to 22 miles 3 times over 2 months with the last one 3 weeks before the race. Next time (if there is a next time) I'd probably aim about the same again but I would not do them all in a row. I'd also be looking to do one of them as something like Cranleigh (a 20 mile-ish race) at about my target marathon pace - with the hope of still being alive at the end and with the specific aim of using it to define my marathon pace.

Are you sure you can't move the other 22 milers further away from this race? Cranleigh could be a real useful dry-run for the big day in terms of kit, breakfast, schedule, drinking, etc.

Either way I'll be there yabbering away throughout ;-)

Bah!

Terrible news!

Cranleigh's just got even harder as a race.

The clock's go forward an hour that morning :-(

Bu**er. I thought my training plan was sorted. Now I have to look at it again... Thanks for the advice though.

On the other hand, if you do feel you've got a training plan - and if it's already working for you in terms of your practice races - then some good advice is to stick to your plan! There are lots of good ways to prepare for and run a marathon... good luck!

I can't wait until the clocks change, it's so much nicer training on a night when it's light.

That'll be soooo cool!