running the london marathon in April, anyone want to give me training or diet tips?
I followed the online asics plan doing two runs a week, long one on sundays fast run on wednesdays. I also play five a side football (wendyball) on mondays and thursdays. Im doing ok with my training but seem to struggle with the long runs over 16 miles. Im fine up to the 16 mile point but after that my legs dont want to play ball.
I am targetting a sub 4 hour marathon if that helps

I think it’s a bit late to post this now !!
But good luck anyway

I’ve still got nearly four weeks training/panicking

Boris bike or tube.

😉

Eat plenty of cake then and don’t worry …..you can always walk the rest

Presuming you haven’t ran a Marathon before, the 16 miles training run should see you quite easily through the first 20 miles. I’d try a couple of battle runs, take it to 18 miles and see how your body/legs cope. I wouldn’t trai nat all in the week before the event either. Work on stretches and diet the last week or 10 days.
16 miles is a decent training run to be honest. Ideally you need more to give you a better chance of a sub-4 but 16 is defo enough mileage to train to. I’d look towards improving your carbs intake and maybe reducing your pace ever so slightly if your struggling beyond 16. Make sure you hydrate well in the first 10 miles or so, you might feel you don’t need it but its worth storing the hydration for later. I found getting to 20 wasn’t a problem, but totally and quite suddenly lost it from 21 onwards. I hit 23 miles with about 32 minutes left to make a sub-4 hour Edinburgh in May 2011 and failed. Ended up with a 4:12.

2 runs a week really isn’t enough but it’s a bit late to do much about that now. Do a few runs to practice a realistic pace. On race day ignore all the muppets sprinting off the line and make sure you run to your own pace. You will see lots of the people that passed you at the start walking by mile 16. The crowd makes a big difference when your knackered for the last few miles.

Not marthon experience but long distance bike. Google the current carb loading strategies. Basically light exercise and graze for about 4hrs. Amount of carbs proportional to body weight.

You haven’t really run enough, but try to do couple of longer runs in the coming weekends, aim for a 18 and then at least a 20, if you can do those, you’ll probably be ok* I’d have thought.

Bear in mind that at London the first couple of miles is sort of a run/walk/shuffle/run/walk….oh god run! sort of gig

*I’ve seen guys do a fast walk at the end of marathons and still get under 4 hours. Once in a lifetime opportunity, go for it!!

I’ve not run a marathon, only a few halves back when I was younger so this is not direct experience but I’ve been out these last two nights with two guys who have recent experience. And both said the same – pacing. One is a Veteran runner but still turning in times around 3:15, the other did his first back end of last year just under 3:30.

The vet recently had a miserable experience (for him at least), feeling brilliant for the first half and easily running a pace to beat his pb by a margin. At 20 miles something cracked and by 23 he was almost at a walk. He lost a huge amount of time in the last few miles and barely beat 3:30. Once you’re cooked, there’s no coming back.

Conversely the other guy set a target of 3:30, and ran at that pace even though in his training runs he was typically happy at faster than that, even over his 16 and 18 mile runs, because he didn’t know what would happen in the last 6. He was still on pace at 21 and 22, and had gas in the tank, so started to up his pace and in the end beat his target by 3 mins.

The two ran almost identical times, but one took almost 15 mins more over the last 5 miles than the other, where one got his pacing right and the other messed it up.

OP … firstly you’ll love it…. it’s a fantastic day.

Doing my third on the spin

Don’t set out too fast and that means for the first 13/14 mile not the first 3.

Take in the atmosphere but don’t get caught up in it…. my first year I was having so much fun and I almost forgot about my running for the first half … it came along and hit me in the quiet part around isle of dogs.

If you haven’t used the lucozade sports drink in training don’t on the day… mistake from my first go again… they gave me terrible stitches.

Your head will dip at some point… for me I know it’ll be from about mile 18 as you come out of Canary Wharf and then back along the Highway to Tower of London (hate that stretch)…. try to hang on you’ll get through it. You’ll come good again.

BTW … Still don’t think it’s too late for you to get two decent long runs in. One this weekend and one next (two weeks should be long enough for tappering) Try getting up to 20mile.

Good luck, enjoy it. It’s gonna be like a little bit of the Olympic vibe back for a day 😀

Again, I think your training programme has been a bit run-light. The long run is important, but it’s a part of training rather than all of it. You are where you are though so in ordrer to get the most out of the next few weeks I’d suggest trying a couple of 20 milers out. Don’t worry too much if these are tough, as the race day will make a difference and the experience of running tired will help. On those long runs you might also want to aim to run faster at the end (last couple of miles or so) so that you get used to pushing. A few hill sessions wouldn’t hurt either (I know that London is flat, but hills build leg strength.)

Finally, good luck and enjoy it.

Go easy for the first half – the first 20 miles that is 🙂

Get one 18-20 miler in to give you some confidence, too many long runs now will have you depleted going into it off what’s a fairly light mileage. You’ll get there.

Well I used to run quite a bit and did 9 Londons in a row (fastest 2.56). As others have said it’s a bit late now for training but advice is always good.

Try and run a twenty ..this weekend would be ideal. The crowd will get you home. Don’t wear anything new or untested on raceday…ANYTHING !

Do not set of too fast ( or try to catch up schedule if you get a slow start). This will bite you in the second half…which is the last 6 miles btw.

Take a drink at every water station and look to eat a sweet or something after 13-17 miles or so. People are usually handing these out but you could carry a few gummy bears or something. You’d be suprised how nice they’ll be !

If you start to flag a bit just concentrate on hitting the next mile & once you get in the home stretch you can use the memory of your short local runs to lessen the “fear” of another 4 miles to go etc.

If you live local…go to the Exhibition & pick up your number early in the week and enjoy it. Maybe get a massage.

Enjoy the run..the atmosphere is just great…and don’t get to the park too early on race day if its still cold. Take a disposable t-shirt and bin liner to keep you warm & dry while you’re waiting to get going.

If someone is watching you on the course. Pick a specific spot including which side of the road for them to be. It’s a great lift to see friends etc but also a deflating blow if you miss them!

Enjoy your beer afterwards! Good luck.

Thanks for the advice. I did an 18 miler on Tuesday and was fine up till about 16 mile then had to walk run walk run the last two miles. I was a little late starting training as I had to have a heart murmer looked into by my doctor then broke my arm. Hoping to do a 20 miles tomorrow (friday) and maybe another one on Monday to get my legs up to the distance. So slow and steady wins the race? I have been passing the half marathon way point at around 1.50 on my training runs

Hoping to do a 20 miles tomorrow (friday) and maybe another one on Monday to get my legs up to the distance.

Forget the one on Monday. It’ll do more harm than good that soon after the first.

Deffo only one 20 miler this weekend

Good luck BY – enjoy London for the experience. It’s tough to “race” due to the people. I would re-iterate the race of two halves point – 1h 20 miles, 2h 6.2 miles. This is key. Stay controlled and conservative to the 20 mile start of the 6.2 mile race. Given your training issues, I would even suggest a run walk strategy for the first 20 miles. Something like 9:1minute or 1 minute every mile marker.

I would also agree with the advice against two 20milers over the weekend. Perhaps back-to-back 12 milers?

food and drink that your used to will help you make it to the end, don’t just think you’ll get there on water alone.

Go to the Expo and get your name printed on the front of your shirt. If your struggling near the end it really helps having people cheer your name

Ignoring the OPs training issues….why would you not get comfortable running the full distance? Providing you start training early enough is it not better to get up to full distance so you can go into the day knowing you can run the full thing. Always wondered why the training plans handed out peak at 20 miles.

My understanding is that for recreational runners, it’s time in-your-legs throughout your training rather than length of training runs that is key. Ditto long training runs should be xoutside your race pace. You are peaking for one day when you put all the training together. Plus for most/many the actual mara distance causes too much muscle stress for quick recovery, so much better to train up to distances that allow muscles time to recover.

In my first LM, I was feeling great after a few HM races. Then I made the mistake of running Worthing 20 two weeks before. I felt too strong and ran this much faster than my intended race pace. Fine for 18miles and then died for the last two. My legs never recovered properly for race day and I ran the real thing 18mins outside target that should have been easy to achieve 🙁

I think there’s time for 2 20 milers, but certainly not in one weekend. Put one off to next weekend,or the weekend after if you want to go a shorter distance next weekend and are happy with a shorter taper.

ok I will cancel the double 20 mile plan and just do the one

Done the 20 miler today as I didn’t have time over the weekend. Felt better and managed to keep going till about 18 miles then I had to run walk again. Going to try again next weekend but at a slow pace then taper fort marathon

I’ve still got nearly four weeks training/panicking

No, you’ve just got 4 weeks of panicking. Hope that helps. 🙂

Done the 20 miler today as I didn’t have time over the weekend. Felt better and managed to keep going till about 18 miles then I had to run walk again. Going to try again next weekend but at a slow pace then taper fort marathon

Ah jeez. You’ll get round well enough. You blood will be pumped on the day, enough to push you round I’d wager.

I wouldn’t plan on having any requirements to walk for the following week.

I think i’ll get round but I think the 4 hour target has slipped away somewhat

I’ve also been training for a sub 4 hour but am in a similar position to the OP. Aimed for a 20 miler on Saturday but cut it short at 13.5 as the weather was awful, and I had run the last 6 miles into a strong head wind. Current longest run is now 17. I’m gonna aim for the 20 again this weekend and then taper.