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Number 3

5K views 59 replies 12 participants last post by  Fulmar 
#1 ·
Did my second marathon about 5 months ago. My first 1 year and 1 day ago :p
As I guess enough time has passed to allow me to forget how much pain is involved, I am now training for my third.
It will be in Lisbon on the 2nd of December.

3h36m33s in the first
3h03m43s in the second
2h59m59s is the goal now (as it was twice before haha :d )

Lets see if this time I make it.
Training is going well apart from a week lost to a biiiig cold. But 2h16m on Sunday, finishing fast, looked very promising.

Anyone coming over for that marathon?
 
#7 ·
Thank you all :)
This is quite a (positive) contrast to the usual "You're mad!", "42km!?????", "What for?", "Marawhat?"

Seriously, it was really good to read your messages.
 
#8 ·
Progression

Did a 10Km test last Sunday.
I was aiming for 39' but found out, after 2km, that the markers were wrong so just went as I felt.
Finished with 36'13''!!! And feeling good.
Things seem to be going well.

Next will be a half-marathon test on the 11th of November.
 
#14 ·
:) Thank you guys.

I will run it here in Portugal Granty. In a town not too far from Lisbon called Nazare. It's a good course. The only "bad" thing about it is that the town is on a wide bay. When you come back to it, you see the finish line "right there" and you still have a long time to go.

Steve - my PB is 1h17m25s. I have 5 or 6 times between 1h20m50s and 1h21m20s... I know :p , looks like I'm stuck... Especially because I haven't run under 1h20m for more than 5 years...
So, under 1h21m would be a very good result (as I won't be resting much for it and will have my longest run, 20 miles, one week before).
If I feel good on the day and the weather helps I will try to go under 1h20m

I coach myself and I am learning a lot from my mistakes. I hope there's no huge lesson to be learnt this time :d
 
#15 ·
Good luck hope you get another pb!!!

I did a 1/2 marathon in Nottingham a few weeks back and at the same event was a marathon as well, when the half marathoners were come into the finish straight so were the marathoners but they had to go past and just look at the finish line, I think that was quite harsh :eek:
 
#16 ·
Fulmar said:
:) My PB is 1h17m25s. I have 5 or 6 times between 1h20m50s and 1h21m20s, looks like I'm stuck... Especially because I haven't run under 1h20m for more than 5 years...So, under 1h21m would be a very good result :d
Hi there Fulmar, just to wish you luck in your quest for that magic sub 3 hour marathon. Also to say I consider a 1:21 half marathon time is bang on course for a sub 3 hour. If you double your half marathon time and add ten minutes you'll have a fairly good indication of what your full marathon time will be. It worked for me. Prior to 'London' my half marathon PB was 1:21:19 and I finished up with 2:53:04.
I really hope you do it. To run a marathon in any time is an achievement. To go sub 3 hour is like graduation day.
Cheers!
 
#17 ·
Thanks Runningfox, I am hoping to graduate soon ;)

TT - I had that experience in my last marathon when the ones doing the half stopped, I saw them, passed the finish line (a few metres away) and just thought that there was still another half-marathon to go... but by then I was feeling good hehe Not so much at 20 miles :p
 
#18 ·
Update - Did a 28km run on Sunday, with a friend. We did it in 2h13m over a flat course.
Surprisingly, today i was a bit tired but no big pain in my legs as usual.
Looking good :d
 
#19 ·
Just a thought that occured to me during training today:

The marathon is, indeed, a different race from the other ones normally ran.
I want to go under 3 hours. My results in other events give me a predicted time of somewhere between 2h37m and 2h45m...
I feel good, training is going well...
Should I just aim for the 2h59m59s or go for it and go through halfay in, say, 1h25m?

There's a lot more miles ahead for reflection...
 
#20 ·
It depends how confident you are in your fitness and how important it is to get under-3 hours for you.

It sounds like you have a good chance of an outstanding time, but it would suck to push too hard, run the first half in 1 25, the second in 1 36 and get a total time just over 3 hours again... If you want to guarantee sub-3 as much as possible, I suggest you keep to 3hour pace for the first half then accelerate where you can in the second.

Tempting to just blaze it and go for 2:37 though, eh? :d
 
#21 ·
haha :d Veeeeeeeery tempting ;)
I will do a half-marathon test on Sunday and will decide after that.
If I get close to my PB I think I will take a chance.

But yes, you're right... I want to "graduate", like Runningfox said... Sub 3 is more important :)

4 weeks to think about it.

Finished my hardest week today with a 20 mile run. It felt "neverending" but I was ok.
Only 4 weeks to go... brrrrr... sends shivers down my spine...
 
#22 ·
No net access 'till Monday so here goes...
Half-marathon test on Sunday.
Getting up at 4am to ge ton a bus. Onto the train station. Train at 6.11am getting to a village in the middle of nowhere at 9.16am.
That village is 4 miles away from the town where the race takes place. Will try to get a lift or else will have to run there.
Sounds promising :d
 
#23 ·
YES!!!!! Finally!!! After 5 and a half years I went under 1h20m in a half-marathon again :d

High humidity, heat, wind that picked up one hour into the race... It was hectic with runners stopping, walking, being sick...

I felt like throwing up a few times from mile 10 'till... well, until I went to bed that night :huh:

I went in a group until the 8th mile and then accelerated a bit to join another one with which I stayed until the last mile.
Always at a regular pace.
Felt the legs a bit heavy but I guess that's normal with all the training.

Anyway, it was a very good test for the marathon and a psychological boost to go under that elusive 1h20m :)
 
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