MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Just wanted to throw a quick thank you to @lunge who very kindly sorted me a pair of his old trainers for a fiver last year when I started dabbling in parkruns and some running. Since then I've done numerous parkruns, a 10k, a half marathon, and as of yesterday my first marathon in Manchester. Managed it in 4:04, really wanted to go sub 4, but had a rotten cold all week and heart rate flew up to 175 right out the gate and I couldn't hold my desired pace after mile 20.
Slept terribly and really struggling to walk, but already looking for another marathon to get sub 4!
Thanks again Lunge, you've caused no end of pain for me by sorting me those Nikes!
@chunkleton, that's bloody brilliant, love how a spare pair of Nikes has lead you on that path. 4:04 on a debut marathon is a great efforts, you should be really pleased with that.
Just be careful of this marathon running nonsense, it gets slightly addictive...
On the very other end of the scale from Chunkleton (well done) – after 2 years out with an injury, I managed a 1.5 mile run on Saturday with no ill-effects (other than muscle pain). When the thighs have settled a bit I am back out again, with the plan to increase up to my pre-injury distances/times over the next few months.
My knee is still just very slightly niggly, nothing remotely serious in everyday life but when I go for a gentle run I can feel a slight ache at the side of the joint. Been going on for a full 3 months so far, hopefully it will ease over the summer, but I'm wondering about cutting out the serious stuff for a year or two. I know a few ex-marathon runners who piled on the miles and eventually wore themselves out in various ways. 11 marathons in the last 11 years is a lot more than I ever set out to do at the start!
I can feel a slight ache at the side of the joint
Inner or outer? if outer and it has been around for a while it could be ITBS. It effectively ended my running "career" in that I was competitive (early 40's) then sidelined for 11 months and never really got back to fitness. That was just me though and I know lots of people who have it and it clears up quite quickly the point being it may be worth investigating and if so there are exercises and treatments that will hopefully help.
it gets slightly addictive
🙂 not for me. 1 was enough....
Saucony Endorphin speed 3. Can’t see any on sale in my size (46) and can’t stomach £180 for the 4’s. Any similar alternatives?
I really like these as well. The triumph are a good alternative but they are at full price at the moment from what I can see. The Endorphin trail are a good shout, so much so I bought a pair at the reduced price them immediately bought another. Similar in style but obvs a trail shoes as oppose to road. I do a lot of paths/fields/mud so love them but not really a full on road shoe.
Well done lunge!
I watched the marathon, a bit of it while doing a gentle jog on the treadmill. Might have to give it a go some time, unless I get too old and knackered first. Maybe a 60th birthday present to myself?
Well done @lunge and @mogrim - great running.
I managed to drop on @turboferret at the finish line yesterday after another of his stunning runs, and still looked fresh!
London really is a pleasure to participate in, although like @lunge, I know about it today!
Great work all round.
Well done all. @lunge did you beat Giles Brandreth's time - he has the record for the fastest sitting or retired MP, and it was a lot faster than one would have guessed! I don't run anywhere, although Sister2 did the South Devon challenge from Brixham to Shaldon this weekend (she's mad though, five marathon plus runs already this year on no training!).
Matthew Parris 2:32 ish?
You'd think seb coe would have had a good chance of beating that if he'd wanted.
You’d think seb coe would have had a good chance of beating that if he’d wanted.
Not a sitting MP I think the time needs to be done when you are sitting. 2:30 is pretty good and takes some serious training.
Well done everyone that did Manchester and London. Some impressive times being mentioned!
Back to what this thread is really about.... trainers.
I did a gait analysis years ago and got recommended Saucony Jazz. These have since been discontinued.
I bought Hoka Cliftons on the recommendation of them being highly rated for heavier runners (I'm 105kg). They're a bit narrow in the mid foot (suffered blisters on inside of arch for first 100km or so). The shop I got them from don't stock the wide version so I didn't know they were an option at the time.
I'm happy to go to a shop and try some but knowing they're only likely to recommend what they stock, it would be good to have an idea of some options to try and find somewhere I can compare.
Current goal is to beat some old PBs - aiminng for sub 21 min 5km and sub 44 min 10km, so ideally a fast everyday trainer rather than needing an out and out race shoe at this time.
Adidas do the Boston 12 in a wide fitting. Bostons used to be Adidas marathon race shoes but they are now classed as more of a 'Tempo' shoe, not an out and out race show, although people do race in them, They have energy rods (GRP not CF) and do give a responsive ride and have the lightstike pro foam which is soft without being too squishy and are probably one step away from the out and out race shoes. Great for fast paced training runs so you can use as an everyday shoe which is what I've been doing paired to an Adios Pro 3 for longer races. These are a massive step up from the Boston 10/11 but you'll probably not have tried those, but don't be tempted to get those iterations as they are not a patch on the 12 albeit they will be much cheaper.
@mark88, I'd echo the Boston 12, the normal fit is a touch narrow so make sure you buy the wide version.
Look at the Saucony Endorphin Speed too, that fits quite wide in the toe box and is a similar shoe in use case to the Boston 12.
Finally, I love my Puma Deviate Nitro 2's, but they are really narrow. If you can find the wide version that'd do a great job. They're nicely fast, very stable and have the best outsole in the business
After running a marathon at the end of 2022, I didn't run at all last year (literally - think I did one, maybe two 4k runs). Tried a quick 5 miles in February to see if I could still do it without the knee pain thats plagued me on and off since the marathon and was ok so been wanting to get back into it but not really had a chance until last night - straight up to a 56 minute plodding 10k from basically zero but I feel good this morning. Hopefully get back to it regularly now...
I agree that 2:30 is a fairly serious time and it's not a given that any random retired elite would beat it, hence my saying Coe would have had a decent chance. He was only 36 when first elected and had been winning medals into his early 30s. Checking wikipedia, Parris ran his 2:32 (nearly 2:33) aged 35 as an MP and he was only ever a keen enthusiast, never an elite athlete.
Anyone running at the Highland Fling this coming weekend..?
Feel free to come and say hello at the medical tent. That is, if you've not already landed yourself there from some bout of particularly bad behaviour...
Thanks for the tips. I was in London yesterday so was popped into the Adidas and Puma stores to try them on. Had hoped to get to Hoka to try their wide fit and somewhere to try the Endorphins but didn't have time.
Boston 12s felt good (couldn't see a wide fit but regular were ok) so I've gone for them. Entered my first ever road race next week (Kendal 10km) so they best be fast!
Hello, running has dropped off a bit for me - had an accident last September and taken a bit of time to recover. Looking for a (probably road) 10k or half around Oxfordshire in the Autumn. Where's the best place to look for a list? I've tried Google and some event websites, but there seems to be loads of, presumably, small commercial races like Jon's Moustache Run (might have made that up). In the olden days it seemed to be clubs organising them in a town, does that just not happen now?
Gotrail.run seems to have a great selection of events listed, not just the big events, but small club runs too!
New experience for me at the weekend, pacing.
I was volunteered and was selected to pace the 10k at the Great Birmingham Run. I was originally down to pace 55 minutes which I was really looking forward to as that would have been a nice, easy run out. However, a last minute change meant I ended up with the 40 minute flag, and it did not go how I wanted.
Now 40 mins is well within my capacity, I'd ran a 38 minute 10k 4 days before relatively comfortably, but I was (in hindsight, unnecessarily) worried about how I'd run with the flag and if I'd be able to hit the goal. Turns out the flag isn't to bad to run with at all and so I ran it far to hard coming in at just over 38 mins. I did help 3 people to PB's, but I could definitely have helped more if I'd stuck to pace.
At least I wasn't slow, but it's definitely something I need to be better at if I do it again.
Nice one @lunge
Most of my events recently I have been pacing. I like the challenge of trying to keep to a set pace.
I paced 40 mins at the Chorley 10k last Sunday. The toughest one I've done so far. The course is pretty lunpy and difficult to keep to an even pace. It also gets very narrow in parts which made it difficult to pass people on a 2 lap course. A lot warmer than I expected as well.
How come the last minute change to a 40 min pacer?
How come the last minute change to a 40 min pacer?
@ChunkMorris, they had a drop out and could find someone else to do 55 mins but not someone for 40. I got a call 2 days before the event saying they'd look at my stats on RunBritain and asked if I'd mind doing the faster time.
I think running at just below race pace, but still hard, it quite a lot harder than going at an easy pace. Much more difficult to judge the effort required.
Trainer advice pls! I'm not much of a runner and don't want to race. Most of my running is on rubbish local roads and a few dirt footpaths when it's dry. And in winter on a treadmill. Only run 10km max at the mo (and that'll probably not change).
Years ago I had a shoe fitting/gait analysis at a Cheltenham running shop and ended up with some Brooks Ravenna which were the lightest/nicest shoes I've ever run in. They are now completely dead and it seems no longer made.
Wide feet, always half a size up in 5-10/addidas riding shoes. Budget, I dunno, £100ish? Probably run < 500km a year and about 1/3 of that is on our treadmill at home in winter...
@ Alex.
Brooks Ghost? That's what I wear. They have a decent toe-box for wider feet and are well cushioned. Very comfy.
They are about £130 but you can normally get last years model much cheaper. I got some from startfitness for £65 with a free pair of socks.
Size-wise - I had to go up half a size compared to all my other trainers.
These ones: https://startfitness.co.uk/products/brooks-ghost-14-mens-running-shoes-grey-1
@alex, Saucony Triumph would be my first thought, last years model is quite cheap at the moment and you can always find a 10% off code at Start Fitness, the fit is on the wider side, go half a size big as they can run a little short. ASICS Nimbus 25 or 26, or Cumulus 25 or 26 and also well worth a look, I've done 400 miles in a pair of Nimbus 25's and they look like new.
Brooks Ghost is boringly dependable, I hesitate to recommend them as I like my shoes to have some excitement in them, but they're certainly not bad shoes at all.
thanks both- I've never thought of shoes as 'exciting' but I guess non cyclists feel the same way about bikes. I did enjoy running outside yesterday after a lot of winter treadmill. Made me think I might get back into it this year as there's some great scenery from our front door. Sadly it's all uphill 🙂
I feel qualified to post at the opposite end of the scale for this thread now.
I've never enjoyed running, it's painful and tedious and I've always been at least a little bit overweight. PB for a 5k is about 25:30 but that was 5 years ago.
I did the Great North Run in 2019, ran a 2:18 which was a little slower than I planned but I forgot that most of that course seems to be a steady uphill. Then Covid hit and I changed to work from home after a period of furlough. Before that I worked away 2 nights a week and would run on an evening because nothing better to do. Back at home with 3 children and, myself and Mrs PP now working full time, there was always something more important to be doing. The pounds piled on and 2 stone crept on without me noticing!
So, it's finally time to do something about it. I started couch to 5k back in Feb. With interruptions, general lack of motivation and colds etc it took me 10 weeks to complete 6 weeks of the program. But it was all improvement. Then last week I thought sod it, I'm just going to do 5k and see how long it takes even if I have to walk a few bits to get my breath back. Sunday went out and did it with a few moments of walking in 32:50. Did better than I thought I would, but it was surprisingly hot on Sunday afternoon!
Last night went out again. 8pm so a bit cooler. Managed to run the whole 5k without stopping in 31.40, steady pace of 6.19/km. Not fast, but I did it! For the first time in 4 years I ran 5k without stopping.
The only way from here is to get a bit faster and shed some more weight. What's that saying? Running never gets any easier, you just get faster.
Agree with @lunge but if you are running on paths then i would recommend the Saucony Endorphin trail. I had the Endorphin and they were good, better the more expensive Triumph in my view but they are all expensive full price, however Sportssfitness have the trail version at about £70 which is a bargain. I have been running in them for a couple of months and actually bought a second pair which i have stashed away...
Thanks @surfer - how do they size up. I'm a 9.5 in most shoes but a in 5-10/addidas. I see Start Fitness have both sizes in stock....
The above shoe advice just shows how important it is to try shoes on if you can.
I got my shoes from Advanced Performance in Peterborough who unfortunately are no longer there, but they used to do a gait analysis/treadmill type thing when buying new shoes.
I tried on a variety of shoes - Asics, Brooks, Saucony & Mizuno. Asics too narrow, but otherwise OK. Saucony & Mizuno just felt flat & uncomfortable - like they were already worn out, while the Brooks were like putting on comfy slippers and felt 'right' immediately.
My Wife got some shoes from the same place before they closed down & ended up with Saucony.
Good effort, pocpoc!
I did a 10k on Sunday. First time doing any running against the clock in years.
My legs aren't really running fit at the moment, so I was unsure what to expect.
My expectation was 55mins would be achievable & anything under that would be a bonus. I ended up doing an official time of 52:13, which I was quite pleased with. Legs struggled with DOMS for a couple of days afterwards and felt tired from 6km onwards.
Get some more regular miles in my legs & I think 50mins should be achievable in the next couple of months.
I've got half an eye on training for the Great Eastern Run (Peterborough Half) in October. Last time I trained for it in 2019 it was cancelled as we all stood on the start line due to suspicious activity on the course, which turned out to be a false alarm 🤣
I think the shop in Cheltenham may still be there, but rarely go that way nowadays. Might be worth a trip tho to get some expert advice on 'if you liked these, then...' - those brooks I had did seem very comfortable, but everything I'd had before was nowhere near as expensive.
My only 'other' pair of running shoes are some cheap deeply 'lugged' higher state muddy something that are like a Maxxis Shorty for your feet. Amazing in the forest mud, useless anywhere else!
My legs are still tired from running downhill on Monday!
As a counter, I’ve had much better experiences buying shoes based on what strangers on the internet think than any running shop I’ve been to.
3 times I’ve gone for gait analysis and 3 times the shoes have been expensive and not very good. Brook Launch, ASICS Kayano and some kind of horrible Hoka thing.
I personally think there are betters ways.
One is that some manufacturers (Brooks, Hoka, maybe ASICS too) offer free returns on their shoes even if they’ve been used. So try some and send some back.
If not, do some research and pick up a 2nd hand pair or 3 on Vinted or eBay. If you like then you can buy a new pair and resell the old ones.
There are loads of tools online that you can use to work out what kind of gait you have. Combine this with some research on what shape foot you have and then go read some reviews.
Completed my first Ultra yesterday. The Kintyre Way 50k in very un Scottish like heat.
A deeply unspectacular time of 8hr 27, at least in part due to cramping pretty badly from half way onwards, and having to walk a good bit of the last 20km. The first 15km along the beach, with hard sand, soft sand, shingle, grass and rocky bits was a tough way to start.
Half my brain is now going 'never again' whilst the other half is trying to decide what to do differently next time.
Really nice friendly event, with lots of the proceeds going back into maintaining the trails.
I did get a prize for being the oldest finisher though, and I wasn't last 😁
Bravo crewlie!!
had you run marathons before going for the extra distance?
Nope, well I did run a training hilly 42km 3weeks ago. That was probably a mistake 🤣.
Before I started training for this only really 5s and the occasional 10ks.
I had a rough time doing Leeds marathon today. I was on track to beat my time last year, felt much stronger, kept my heart rate in check despite mega start line nerves, and didn't go out too fast. Coming up to mile 19 and started to get serious stomach cramp which scuppered things for me.
Never had cramps like that before. Still finished and didn't stop moving (apart from having a piss and stopping to kiss my partner. These were separate stops)
3 times I’ve gone for gait analysis and 3 times the shoes have been expensive and not very good. Brook Launch, ASICS Kayano and some kind of horrible Hoka thing.
That pretty much mirrors my experience. The last couple of times I bought shoes at a shop they were great when I was walking / trotting around the shop, then absolute nightmares out on the trail. Cue the next 12 months just using them for short runs near home, 'cos I paid a fortune for them and I'm not just going to throw them out 🙂 These days I'm sticking to Decathlon (Evadict) or La Sportiva Akyras if I'm feeling wealthy...
31km race today - harder than expected, as it was pretty hot and the uphills were pretty brutal. Great race, though, with some fun downhills and some stunning views. Definitely one I'm planning on doing again next year.
@spawnofyorkshire, that crap but sometimes it just isn't your day. Did you change your nutrition strategy or anything like that for the day?
Well, I have been officially / unofficially signed off bike riding for the time being by medical professionals...or at least to avoid spending time sitting in a saddle. This is actually for a good reason as my SO and I are getting ready to start our first round of IVF treatment. The link is pretty debated between cycling and fertility in males I think, but as that's what the doctor ordered I want to make sure I do not bugger ANYTHING up as we only get 3 free goes at it.
Obviously riding has been great for my mental health and a bit of an escape over the past few months of appointments etc, but I must admit I didn't even think about that side of things!
So I will be running henceforth. I've always liked how faff-free it is but never really done it often enough to not feel like my legs aren't going to shatter into pieces.
I am relatively fit cardio/lungs wise, it is just my legs that I am not fit. The first few runs I am always sore with actual niggly pain rather than DOMS and have to take it slow...haven't quite figured out my warm up strategy just yet. I often feel best if I just start jogging rather than taking ages to warm up.
Do any of you follow Hironori Nakajima (Fitness trainer) on social media? He's not specifically a runner, mainly, his thing seems to be using his body like a spring. But anyway, he does lots of stuff with stride length from very short to very long such as in this, I like this sort of stuff, I can't do distance (time, lack of desire/dedication/commitment), so find experimenting with things like this quite fun (I stop somewhat short of going to the extremes that he does).
@elray69, you could do worse than start with Couch25k. It'll feel slow to begin with but it allows your joints and muscles to catch up with your cardio fitness.
Having fallen out if the habit, I'm getting weight/strength training back into my weekly routine. Partly on the instructions of my physio.
I can obviously google and refer back to what I was doing up to early last year. I've a decent space and a pile of dumbbells up to 20kg (40kg for the pair).
I'm curious as to what other people are doing in the real world and if there something I should be doing I've not thought of?
Let me say straight away I am not a runner of distance. I used to be a decent sprinter but 400m was as far as I was interested in.
Today I'm doing my first half marathon (well second but that was by accident). At 54 I'm looking at about 2 hours but have riding the course I'm not so sure.
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Manchester half tomorrow looking very rainy anyone else running it? 1st organised half in 12 years (have done 3 or 4 just while out running on a nice day). Thought my pb was from Rivington half 12 years ago but turns out I accidentally beat it during COVID so not sure I'll beat that but all good fun I think.
Has anyone here raced any track?
I seem to have accidentally signed myself up to a couple track races, a 5000m and a 1500m, and wondered if anyone had any advice?
I have barely set foot on a track since 1995, but am, obviously, already looking at spikes on eBay!
I don't race track, but train on one twice a week (and have done so off/on for about 10 years now). The only thing I can say is that it'll hurt 🙂
Never used spikes BTW, and never really felt I've been lacking for traction. For those distances as a non-elite runner I find it hard to believe they'd make much difference. But then you are Mr. Shoes, so obviously you need some 🙂
@mogrim, one of the events is being run under proper rules so whilst I don't need spikes I do need shoes with a stack of less than 25mm which rules out every pair of shoes I own bar my XC spikes. So yeah, new shoes!
Any recommendations for a decent knee brace? I’m getting a lot of pain on steep descents and with something coming up in a few weeks time I’d like to play safe with some protection. Ta.
I think you'd be best speaking to a a good sports injury physio about the form that any knee support takes. It's impossible to recommend anything without knowing the nature of the problem and then how much support is wise. Or even if any support is wise..
Has anyone here raced any track?
Yes lots but not for over 30 years.... I used to run anything from 800m to 10,000m even occasionally 400m relay legs. For 5000m I would just wear flats, dont worry about spikes you arent going to be cornering that quickly but it is good to be low down and not wearing a very cushioned road shoe if you can help it, tracks are naturally bouncy. Probably the same for 1500m unless you hope to be very close or under 4 mins.
Not posted on here in a while, but still running! Been dealing with a niggling hip flexor injury since May that's been intermittently junking my lower back, but physio and sports massages have helped, along with downtime and a lot of yoga. Had a very mixed few adventures recently, including a 36 mile lapped Ultra (3 miles on the hour, every hour for 12 hours) a few weeks ago, and then at completely the other end of the spectrum, a 1 mile race last night.
Plodded steadily around the Ultra since it was just laps of Hyde Park in Leeds, only intended to get some distance in the legs. The Summer Mile last night was a bit more pressure since I did well at it last year, happy to say I knocked 30s off my mile PB to get 6:12.4 and second in my heat. They run the heats slowest to fastest based on your own predicted time, so it's great to do a heat then grab food and watch the properly quick people race, think the overall winner did something like 4:38.
Surely we've all got bicycles to avoid the indignity and pain of running.
Not been here for ages. Hope everyone well and still getting out there.
I completed the Lakeland 100 2 weeks ago. 39 hours and 15 minutes. No sleep, two sunsets and two dawns. It was an incredible experience and I’m still in orbit. I didn’t think I could do it but people had belief in me and I did. Believe in yourself and anything is possible. Keep at it.
My 100km went to ratshit, missed the time cut at 65km because I hadn't realised that was disproportionately tight compared to the subsequent cut offs which I was using to judge pace.
I was particularly annoyed because I was feeling absolutely fine and had most of the climbing done and dusted so was certain I'd have finished.
So now I have to try it again next year.
eek. that sucks. bad luck!
It's that time of year again where I start thinking about my local 10km trail run in early November.
I was already trying to work some running into my week with one or two very steady 6km loops, but typical me/cyclist I managed to overdo it resulting in some tendon issues in my right knee.
Am doing some more strength work (all the usual stuff inc. wall sits as a precursor to body weight squats), and once I've cleared an annoying dose of (maybe) Lyme disease am hoping to pick up None-to-Run again as a 'safe' way to restrain myself until the legs are used to it.
Is a very frustrating experience to know you're actually fit enough to enjoy the running you want to do but you're too soft to do the runs you want straight away!
It's that time of year again, the start of everyone's favourite time of year...
So, who's doing XC this year? And who will be at (last years) nationals in 2 weeks?
Not been in here for a while but thought I'd pop in since I've just done my first run in about six weeks... A mighty ten minutes, half running and half walking.
This is following physio after a severe ankle roll at the end of July (it looks like I've completely ripped off the ligament that connects the fibia to the heel on my left ankle, yay!)
Just a bit of jogging here still, one or two 10k fun runs to tell me how unfit I am. Still no plans going forward but I’m going on holiday where I should at least get a bit more exercise. Not sure about the durability of my knee, might be time to think about the long term.
Quick injury question, I've always been fit'ish, 19:58 5k time, steady 3rd CAT road racer etc, I pick up running off and in now mixed with the gym, I'll not do anything daft but distances 5-20k I'd jog around fine - went out for a 5k slow jog a few months ago, pulled a calf muscle, fair enough, 4-6 weeks to recover building up to slow 5ks, then the other one went?? Same issue, I've barely ran in the 3 months since.
Strength work on the calf raiser in the gym needed? Maybe the gym stairs machine?
Just seems odd both have gone in quick succession
@lunge - I've not done XC since school. Fancy giving it a bash this year.
Do you have to be part of a club to enter?
@scatch, I do calf raises and drops every day as about the only S&C I do. I started doing them as like you, I pulled a calf a few times and didn't like it. No idea if it's the answer for you, but it's definitely worked for me.
@ChunkMorris, certainly for the league races you need to be a club member. XC is ridiculous fun, and part of that is running as a team.
Do you have to be part of a club to enter?
Its better as part of a club as @lunge says above but you dont always have to be. You can sometimes enter as a guest, look for your local leagues and just contact the organiser. If you are on the podium however you will not get the medal...
Thanks Lunge!
New to this thread - any tips for converting cycling legs into running legs?
My fitness is pretty good (I have run a sub 1h30 half) but I am struggling to run fast (sub 4min/km pace). I have identified a couple of possible problems - low cadence (I find it physically challenging to run above 165spm, even whilst at slower pace) probably as a result of overstriding, which is a result of using my quads to pull myself forwards rather than pushing with my glutes/hams. And secondly, tight hip flexors - again limiting my ability to push off and drive from an extended rear leg.
A lot of the running training plans are geared towards building fitness (eg lots of endurance work) but I don't really need this, and running slowly doesn't challenge my current form. I suppose what I really need is a combination of faster paced interval sessions with stretching and possibly some glute strengthening work too?
Any thoughts would be welcomed. And particular workouts/stretches/exercises that have helped you convert from cycling to running?
Good luck to anyone doing the GNR tomorrow. Have no fear if you are, I'll be slower!! <wink emoji...cos, you know, it's STW, so emojis...Shrug emoji>
Jamz, you can get your cadence up with a metronome (my garmin watch does that but back in the old days I bought a cheap mini one off eBay). Just one beat at a time.
I wouldn’t advise faster intervals etc until you are running with good form at slower paces. That’s like working with heavy weights before you’ve got the movements sorted.
@jamz ime by trying to run quicker you will engage the necessary muscles, i wouldnt overthink the form aspect. Set yourself the task of running a series of flat out sprints between say a couple of lamposts aiming to accelerate, reach max speed then hold for a few seconds before decelerating, do this a number of times until you feel you can't hit a high speed. Do them on a slight downhill if you can. Do them a couple of times per week and that should help.
I have just entered the Manchester Marathon!
Bike fitness is good and I run occationally for around 1 hour.
I was thinking of doing a 12 week 1/2 marathon plan before Christmas - a break over Christmas itself - and a 16 week marathon plan after Christmas.
What are your thoughts on the Garmin Coach training plans, or would purchasing a plan on Training Peaks be better? (Which ones?) Luckily I have 6 months to train!
@dyls, I would consider either paying for a specific plan for you or just following a free generic online plan. The paid for plans on Training Peaks or Runna or similar seem the worst of both worlds to me.
I paid Chris Ford £50 for a tailored plan when I wanted to go sub-3 at London and it was money well spent. He wrote the plan around my current abilities, my time constraints and also what I liked and didn't like. It worked really well for me and as it was built around me I was able to follow it much more easily than an off the shelf plan.
I've got a copy of Ben Parkes marathon plan that I can send you if you want a look at that. Drop me a PM.
Going to a race and not coming home is just unthinkable.
I believe he was raising money for mind and his page has now raised nearly 11k.
@dyls - do you have a marathon time in mind?
What lunge said.
Thanks Lunge, £50 seems ok for a tailored plan - I'll have a look at his website.
I have no time goal at the moment, cardio fitness is good from biking, but I need to transfer this to running now. The winter will help as its easier to run from your door than to cycle.
What would be a good time for a first marathon?
I found the Garmin Marathon plan worked for me last year. It just gave me a bit of discipline to mix up my running a bit. Combining that with some strength work and yoga/stretches seems to work out pretty well. Well enough that I won my first (and only) Ultra - in my age category.
What would be a good time for a first marathon?
@dylsm, how long is a piece of string? I reckon under 4 hours is a realistic target for someone who runs already and/has some fitness to build from. But even under 5 is a serious achievement.