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Some test results

rogerbarr — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 20:36:07 +0000

In my last post I laid down some tests. I’ve not really managed to do the swim (yet). Planning on doing that Monday morning. At the moment there is nothing to look back on with regards to data but over the coming months hopefully a useful benchmark below.

But results so far as follows:

Run – 19th March – 5km done on treadmill on 1% gradient with speed set to 8mph (7m30s per mile) – AVERAGE HR was 126 which is already very encouraging. Will keep monitoring this based on the same protocol. Possibly worth repeating after a 4 hour bike as I’m sure it will be more elevated!

Bike - 18th March – 2 x 20 mins @ 85% FTP (260watts) with 4 mins rest. Have taken average watts (260+262=261) & average HR (140 + 143 = 141.5)

Below is what I set out to do:

1) Swim – In wetsuit – 1000m warmup then 20 mins for max number of lengths

2) Bike – Average HR of the following repeated twice- no warmup, straight into 264 watts (85% of FTP) for 20 mins then 4 mins rest then straight into 259 watts for 20 mins again. Take the average HR of the two.

3) Run – Treadmill – Both previous Ironmans I’ve only been able to run @ a HR of around 132 (as opposed to 140 on the 5 hour bike). So I’m gonna go for 12.9 kph (or 7.5 mins per mile or a 3.15 mara). Target will be to be able to run 7.5 mins per mile at HR 132. So let’s get training the body to do that huh!

Training Watches – The Garmin 310XT

roger — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 18:41:38 +0000

So I've comitted to running 30 mins every day for 365 days. How on earth am I going to stay motivated for that? I've bought the Garmin 310XT of course! I've always loved the bits of tech that have been developed for athletes to monitor their progress. Having used the Garmin 305 in the 2008 marathon I've been waiting for a watch that is waterproof (i.e. can be used for swimming) and the Garmin 405 was a little disappointing in that it did everything that I wanted, except it wasn't waterproof. The 310XT is a Heart Rate monitor, measures speed / distance AND it's waterproof. I paid £160 for a 2nd hand version on Ebay.

So for around £70 I spent my paper money on a Polar Edge which was pretty basic in that all it measured was a heartrate and I think it had a self lit screen! The Edge lasted for years and I was still using it in 2001 for the London Marathon.

When I got into triathlon more seriously in 2002 I realised that I wanted something a little more sophisticated. So I purchased a Polar S710. Apart from it falling apart in the last few years this watch was excellent. I loved downloading all the exercise files into the Polar software and pouring over the data, which even included a gradient profile.

I was bugged by the fact that the S710 didn't do distance and round about that time Timex brought out a groundbreaking watch called the Timex 50 Speed & Distance (there was a Timex 100 which allowed you to take 100 time splits). The main feature was that it measured speed and distance using GPS. The downside was that the GPS signal was picked up by a rather bulky receiver that strapped onto your arm. Never really did like the watch and probably didn't really justify the spend on it. It was pretty unrealiable in town or under trees but I did use it to pace my marathon PB!

Self doubt – but that’s normal isn’t it?

roger — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:47:37 +0000

I'm not a worrier by nature but it's fairly typical for me to start doubting myself in the week before a major race. Equally, I'm well aware that this is extremely common or should I say normal. I know that most athletes doubt the training they've done. Thoughts that come to mind include:

Did I do enough?
Does my knee hurt?
I feel really tired and lethargic
My legs look thin and weak
I feel heavy
Am I coming down with something

I say with the exception of feeling tired and lethargic I've felt all of the above recently.

The marathon really is such a tough cookie to crack. Every year it's a different test with factors such as illness, work, family and of course injury getting in the way of the "perfect" build up. I refuse to use any of these as excuses for not achieving my goal this year. I'll talk a little more about the goal though. The goal is to break 2.45. There you go, I've said it, although I think I said it back in November when I started training properly. In fact the quote was as follows:

"The primary goal is to dip under 2hrs 45 mins although I do feel I'm capable of closer to 2.40"

I still concur with the later part of this statement although I'm not going to allow any goal creepage. One day I'll go close to 2.40 although I'm setting my stall out to just run 2.45 on Sunday by aiming to run the 1st half marathon in around 1h.21m.30s. that translates to 6mins13s per mile. Assuming I run the dream race and don't fade at all that will bring me into the finish in around 2hrs43mins. If by some miracle i run a negative split………yeah whatever. If you look at the splits for people who do the London Marathon in under 2.45, very few run a negative split. The top elite runners will though.

My preparation has had the following flaws:

1) I had 2 weeks off in January and 1 week off in February due to colds that turned into infections (and antibiotics)

2) 3 weeks out from the marathon I developed acute ITBS. I've not been able to taper properly and missed the last long 20 mile run.

There have been times when I've doubted whether I'll start and also times I've felt like packing the campaign in and entering a late season marathon instead. I actually believe I can run sub 2.45 even off an imperfect build. Kingston was run at 5m54s per mile which using the many race calculators that exist out there would bring me home in around 2.39-2.41. I'm calculating that the lack of miles over the last 3 weeks will take the edge of this as most calculators assume you've done the miles (although it's anyone's guess as to the definition of what this actually is). In 2003 when I ran my marathon PB I didn't exceed 45 miles, but then again I was riding 5-6 hours on the bike. This time I put in 2 excellent weeks in early March to compliment all the steady mileage I'd done in January and February. I've never run over 60 miles in one week before. This time I managed two weeks of over 70 miles (even a 75 mile week!).

So I'm signing off now having talked it all through. Writing it all down is like self help therapy! Watch this space to see what happends on Sunday.

Bike ready for Arizona

roger — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 20:55:40 +0000

Sigma Kronos with Disc, originally uploaded by rogerbarr99.

Above is my race setup for Ironman Arizona with the exception of the tools and tubs I will be taking. Recent additions to the bike that I have been riding for the last 12 weeks are the rear disc (thanks to Kate Foster for lending me this), the carbon front wheel and the profile bottle cages behind the seat. I will be putting my tub and tools in an old bottle and these will be going behind the saddle. The other space will be used for storage when going through aid stations. I plan to re-fill the profile aero bottle with gatorade on the move and also down most of a bottle of water at each aid station. The bike position isnt particularly aggressive but its very comfortable and my back is pretty much flat anyway.

Sigma Sport Expo 2007

roger — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 12:44:00 +0000

Venue: Hampton Court Golf Club, Hampton Wick, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey KT1 4DA
(see separate map on our website, www.sigmasport.co.uk)

Contact: Jason Turner at Sigma Sport 020 8943 4443 or 07711 875892

Open to public: 17:00 – 22:30

Exhibitor List:

Specialized
Trek
Yellow – Pinnarello
Jim Walker – DeRosa
Fishers – Look
Madison – Cervelo
Windwave – Colnago
Chicken & sons – Time
Extra – BMC
RBS – Isaac
Sigma Sport – Sigma & Seven

Event Purpose: To exhibit the major bike brands stocked by Sigma Sport in a friendly and informal atmosphere. Representatives from each brand will be on hand all evening to answer any questions you have.

The Expo will also see the official launch of our own road racing team, once again headed up by Matt Stephens and the launch of the Thames Turbo/Sigma Sport triathlon team. The teams will be introduced by Eurosport commentator David Harman.

Press: Cycling Weekly, 220 Triathlon magazine, Cycling.tv and Londoncyclesport will be present to report on the event.

Food and drink: We will be providing a free buffet and there is a cash bar at the venue.

Parking: There is plenty of free parking just outside the club house.

Cost: This event will be completely free of charge to press and members of the public.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Norman Salute!

roger — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 21:55:29 +0000

I came across this little gem while on Slowtwitch this evening. It really made me laugh. There's a lot of debate about who it's aimed at but I just think it's funny that he should choose to do this right after crossing the finish line. He must have been running with a whole lot of anger in him. Whoever it's aimed at certainly provided some fire in his belly. I reckon he'll be out for a 3rd title later this year. Hopefully I'll be there (way behind of course) to see him do it!

I posted the image and the text above a little too quickly. It turns out that if you look very carefully it's actually a church spire in the background and he's really just punching the air. Click here for the proof.

TCR 2007

roger — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 10:52:12 +0000

Had an excellent time at the TCR show. I've attended all 5 of the shows and this was probably the best. Plus as you can see from the pictures above I managed to do a bit of hob nobbing with the stars. Pictured above are the current Hawaii Ironman World Champion and the current ITU World Champion, Tim Don.

Mike Gratton’s hard London Marathon Schedule 2006

roger — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 21:34:18 +0000

The principle is simple: after a period of base training that builds the endurance background required to run a marathon, there follows a period of consolidating the mileage and gradually introducing faster running and speed endurance work. The final stage has a change in emphasis towards faster running at speeds much quicker than marathon pace, which will bring you to a fitness peak in late April for the Flora London Marathon (or other marathon if you're not doing FLM).

This turns on its head the accepted system of starting a marathon build-up from a low mileage base and building up the long runs and total miles between Christmas and the race – usually about 12 to 16 weeks. This is fine for relative beginners and in the early years of running. But once you have run a few marathons or have a number of years of background it is crazy to constantly go back to the beginning and try to build up endurance in just 12 to 16 weeks again. The biggest improvements come when you build the endurance and maintain it out of season then use progressive speedwork to come to a peak.

The athletes I have coached have made their first big improvement when they have moved on to seven-days-a-week training; the second big improvement comes when they move on to twice a day. Firstly you must be ready to run seven days a week, in other words don't jump straight in from a base of three or four days a week. Secondly, if you have established seven-days-a-week running, don't move to 14 sessions per week overnight. All new training loads have to be gradually introduced so that the body can adapt to the new level of effort. The concerns expressed by most people who start on this system are about losing leg speed. My own experience, and that of those who followed the training in 2004, is that you do not lose leg speed – it comes back quickly enough once 10K pace training is introduced – and most of the feeling of loss of speed is in fact due to your body adapting to the increased training load (mileage). The schedule is not rocket science – there are no 'magic' sessions that suddenly make you a faster runner. Its success is in following a systematic build-up and in straightforward hard work. The marathon is an endurance event that requires a long, steady build-up starting as early as possible. The early stages require a lot of mindless running of steady miles. It needs to be this way, but there is no harm in running a few races to keep short-term interest. However, it is important not to taper for every race, as you will never fully develop the base you need. In the early stages, you need to get used to training through your races. You have a ready-made excuse, for yourself or anyone questioning your performances: you're training for London. Looking back through my 1983 diary, between getting the Commonwealth Games bronze medal in October 1982 and winning London in April 1983 I had a number of relative disasters – finishing fifth in the Kent Cross-Country Championships, a long way down on the winner was one – but every now and again a good result in a cross-country relay or 10-mile road race would indicate all was okay. By March, results will start to come – in January 1983 I ran 48:32 for 10 miles on a flat course; by March I posted 47:11 on a hilly course. For interest, my training notes leading up to winning London in April 1983 are published on www.209events.com.

TRAINING NOTES

For those running once a day, the session that should be dropped is in brackets. Most of the training is expressed as time rather than distance – this is to accommodate slower runners who may not be able to run 20 miles in under 2 hrs 30 mins. Time on feet has been shown to be the best way of judging the level of training that prevents runners from overtraining – which would be the case for slower runners if the schedule suggested running 20 to 22 miles every Sunday and 15 miles midweek. There is no reason at all why slower runners can't follow the seven-day-a-week schedules, and running for time rather than distance keeps the duration of sessions at a level that enables recovery. But for quicker runners, if the time allocated is two hours this means a long run of 18-20 miles. An easy run listed as 30 to 40 minutes implies a distance of around 5 miles. Don't get paranoid about the distance run, however – endurance is not an exact science and everyone will handle mileage differently. The most important thing is the cumulative effect of all of your training and not whether you manage to run 20 to 22 miles every Sunday. I have expressed effort in two ways: a) percentage of maximum heart rate, and b) actual running speed. Steady runs will be at around 70-75 per cent effort and you will find that your steady pace will improve over the weeks. When running speeds are indicated, eg marathon pace, half-marathon pace, 10K pace, etc, you should use your projected pace – if your current PB for the marathon is 3:00 and you are aiming at 2:50, you should train at 2:50 pace. There is often confusion over the words 'threshold' and 'tempo' running. Here, 'threshold' running is equal to the speed you can maintain for one hour of exercise. For some, that will be around half-marathon pace, for others it may be closer to 10-mile pace or even 10K pace. 'Tempo' I use more loosely. It may have a target speed attached to it, or it may be simply a faster run typical of most club runs through the winter. There's a lot to be said for being non-specific and just going hell for leather around town with the pack – it is the way a lot of our best known athletes developed through clubs like Gateshead, Tipton, Coventry and my own club Invicta. Be careful, though, that every night isn't a club night! (Sessions to drop on once-a-day training level)

THE PROGRAMME

Dates build to the 2006 Flora London Marathon Sunday 6 Nov: am 2 hrs steady (70% max HR) Monday 7 Nov: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Tuesday 8 Nov: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Wednesday 9 Nov: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Thursday 10 Nov: am (30-40 mins easy), pm < 40 mins fartlek – completely free/go as you feel Friday 11 Nov: am (30-40 mins easy), pm <1hr steady Saturday 12 Nov: am XC Race or 40 mins Tempo run ( Sunday 13 Nov: am 2 hrs steady (70% max HR) Monday 14 Nov: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Tuesday 15 Nov: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Wednesday 16 Nov: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Thursday 17 Nov: am (30-40 mins easy), pm < 40 mins fartlek – completely free/go as you feel Friday 18 Nov: am (30-40 mins easy), pm <1hr steady Saturday 19 Nov: am XC Race or 40 mins Tempo run ( Sunday 20 Nov: am 2 hrs steady (70% max HR), pm (30 mins easy) Monday 21 Nov: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Tuesday 22 Nov: am (30-40 mins easy), pm <1 hr fartlek – go as you please Wednesday 23 Nov: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Thursday 24 Nov: am (30-40 mins), pm 1 hr steady Friday 25 Nov: am (30 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Saturday 26 Nov: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 40 mins Tempo Run (< marathon pace) Sunday 27 Nov: 2 hrs steady (70% may HR), pm (30-40 mins easy) Monday 28 Nov: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Tuesday 29 Nov: am (30-40 mins easy), pm < 1 hr fartlek – 10-12 efforts between 1 min and 5 mins. Wednesday 30 Nov: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Thursday 1 Dec: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Friday 2 Dec: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Saturday 3 Dec: am (30-40 mins easy), pm XC Race or 40 mins Temp run (marathon Sunday 4 Dec: am 2 hrs steady (70% max HR), pm (30 to 40 mins easy) Monday 5 Dec: am (30-40 mins easy), 1 hr steady Tuesday 6 Dec: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr fartlek – 12 to 15 efforts varying between 1 min and 5 mins Wednesday 7 Dec: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Thursday 8 Dec: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Friday 9 Dec: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Saturday 10 Dec: am 1 hr steady, pm 30 mins hill circuit (continuous run on 1km circuit with approx 500m shallow uphill, 500m downhill) Sunday 11 Dec: am 2 hrs steady (70% max HR), pm (30 to 40 mins easy) Monday 12 Dec: am (30-40 mins easy), 1 hr steady Tuesday 13 Dec: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr fartlek – 12 to 15 efforts varying between 1 min and 5 mins Wednesday 14 Dec: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Thursday 15 Dec: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Friday 16 Dec: am (30-40 mins easy), pm rest or 30 mins easy Saturday 17 Dec: am (1 hr steady), pm 30 mins hill circuit (continuous run on 1km circuit with approx 500m shallow uphill, 500m downhill) Sunday 18 Dec: am 2 hrs steady (70% max HR), pm (30 to 40 mins easy). Monday 19 Dec: am (30-40 mins easy), 1 hr steady Tuesday 20 Dec: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr fartlek – 12 to 15 efforts varying between 1 min and 5 mins Wednesday 21 Dec: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Thursday 22 Dec: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Friday 23 Dec: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 1 hr steady Saturday 24 Dec: am 2 hr steady (70% MAX hr), pm 30 mins hill circuit (continuous run on 1km circuit with approx 500m shallow uphill, 500m downhill) Sun 25 Dec: am 1 hr steady – Xmas Day – try out new trainers, T-shirt, GPS system! Lots of pud and Champagne. Mon 26 Dec: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 1 hr steady Tues 27 Dec: am (30-50 mins), pm Tempo Run – 40 mins @ half marathon pace, 10 mins warm up/10 mins cool off jogs. Wed 28 Dec: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 1 hr steady. Thu 29 Dec: am (30-40 mins), pm 30 mins hill circuits – 10 mins warm up/cool down jog Fri 30 Dec: am (30-40 min) pm 1 hr steady Sat 31 Dec: am 45 mins fartlek (aim at approx 12 efforts between 45 sec and 4 mins) pm (30-40 mins easy) Sun 1 Jan: am 2hrs 30mins steady, pm (30-40 mins easy) Mon 2 Jan: (am 30-40 mins steady), pm 40 mins Tempo Run (85% MaxHR – 15 min warm-up & cool-down) Tue 3 Jan: (am 30-40 mins steady), pm 1 hr steady Wed 4 Jan: (am 30-40 mins steady), pm 1hr 30 mins steady. Thu 5 Jan: (am 30-40 mins steady), pm 40 mins hill circuits – 10 mins warm-up/cool down. Fri 6 Jan: (am 30-40 mins steady), pm 1 hr steady. Sat 7 Jan: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 40 min at projected marathon pace (10 mins warm-up/cool down), or, eg, County Cross-Country. Sun 8 Jan: am 2hrs 30 mins steady, pm (30-40 mins easy), or 15 miles steady, rising to fast. Mon 9 Jan: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 1 hr steady Tue 10 Jan: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 30 mins Tempo run (85% MaxHR – 15 mins warm-up/cool down). Wed 11 Jan: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 1 hr 30 mins steady, or 1 hr steady. Thu 12 Jan: am (30-40 mins steady), Hill session – 10 x 2 mins up moderately steep hill (not too steep as it alters your leg action) with jog back recovery, or 45 mins fartlek. Fri 13 Jan: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 1 hr steady, or rest. Sat 14 Jan am (30-40 mins steady), pm < 1 hr steady. Sun 15 Jan: am: 2 to 2 .30 steady, pm (30 mins easy) Mon 16 Jan: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 1 hr steady Tue 17 Jan: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 30 mins Tempo run (85% MaxHR – 15 mins warm up/cool down) Wed 18 Jan: am (30-40 mins steady) pm 1 hr 30 mins steady. Thu 19 Jan: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 12 x 2 mins up moderately steep hill, jog back recovery – long warm up/down. Fri 20 Jan: am (30-40 min steady), pm <1 hr easy. Sat 21 Jan: am (30-40 mins steady), pm < 1 hr steady. Sun 22 Jan: am: 2 to 2 .30 steady, pm (30 mins easy) Mon 23 Jan: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 1 hr steady Tue 24 Jan: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 30 mins Tempo run (85% MaxHR – 15 mins warm up/cool down) Wed 25 Jan: am (30-40 mins steady) pm 1 hr 30 mins steady. Thu 26 Jan: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 14 x 2 mins up moderately steep hill, jog back recovery – long warm up/down. Fri 27 Jan: am (30-40 min steady), pm <1 hr easy. Sat 28 Jan: am (30-40 mins steady), pm < 1 hr steady. (eg Area XC Champs) Sun 29 Jan: am: 2 to 2 .30 steady, pm (30 mins easy) Mon 30 Jan: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 1 hr including 30 mins Tempo Run (Marathon speed). Tue 31 Jan: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 1 hr fartlek – 15 efforts of around 400mts. Wed 1 Feb: am (30-40 mins steady) pm 1 hr 30 mins steady. Thu 2 Feb: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 15 x 2 mins up moderately steep hill, jog back recovery – long warm up/down. Fri 3 Feb: am (30-40 min steady), pm <1 hr easy. Sat 4 Feb: am (30-40 mins steady), pm < 1 hr steady. Sun 5 Feb: am 2 hrs steady. Mon 6 Feb: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 1 hr steady. Tue 7 Feb: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 1 hr steady. Wed 8 Feb: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 1 hr seady. Thu 9 Feb: am (30-40 mins), pm 45min<1 hr fartlek – 10-15 efforts between 1 & 2 mins. Fri 10 Feb: am (30-40 mins), pm (30-40 mins steady) Sat 11 Feb: <1hr steady. Sun 12 Feb: am <2hrs 30 mins (if not racing), pm (30-40 min easy) Mon 13 Feb: am (30-40 mins easy), pm <1 hr steady. Tue 14 Feb: am (30-40 mins steady), pm <1hr Tempo run (marathon pace Wed 15 Feb: am (30-40 mins steady), pm <1hr 30 mins steady. Thu 16 Feb: am (30-40 mins steady), pm <1hr Fartlek (15 to 20 efforts between 1 min & 2 mins duration). Fri 17 Feb: am (30-40 mins steady), pm 1 hr steady. Sat 18 Feb: am Hill circuits 6 to 8 x 1km, hill length approx 4 mins duration & hold rhythm on the downhill section, pm 45 mins easy. Sun 19 Feb: am 2hrs 30mn<3hrs, pm (30 mins easy). Mon 20 Feb: am (30-40 mins easy), pm <75 mins steady. Tue 21 Feb: am (30-40 mins), pm < Tempo Wed 22 Feb: am (30-40 mins), pm <90 mins steady Thu 23 Feb: am (30-40 mins, pm <75 mins steady. Fri 24 Feb: am (30-40 mins), pm <1 hr steady Sat 25 Feb: am (30-40 mins), pm <1hr steady (Possible half-marathon race ) Sun 26 Feb: am <2 hrs 30 min, pm (30 mins easy) Mon 27 Feb: am (30-40 mins easy), <1 hr Tempo run Tue 28 Feb: am (30-40 Mins steady), pm warm up – 15 to 20 x 400m @ 10km pace, 100m jog recovery. Wed 1 Mar: am (30-40 mins steady), pm <90 mins steady. Thu 2 Mar: am (30-40 mins steady), pm <1 hr steady Fri 3 Mar: am (30-40 mins steady), pm <1 hr steady Sat 4 Mar : am warm up, 6 x 1000m at 10km pace, 2 mins recovery, warm down, pm (30-40 min easy). Sun 5 Mar: am 2hrs steady, pm rest Mon 6 Mar: am rest (or 30-40 mins easy), pm <1hr tempo. Tue 7 Mar: am rest (or 30-40 mins steady), pm warm up, <20 x 200m at 5km pace, 100m jog rec., long cool down. Wed 8 Mar: am rest (or 30-40 mins steady), pm 90 mins steady. Thu 9 Mar: am rest (or 30-40 mins steady), pm <1 hr steady. Fri 10 Mar: am rest (or 30-40 mins steady), pm <1 hr steady. Sat 11 Mar: am <30 mins, pm 6 x 1km at 10km pace, 2 mins jog recovery. Sun 12 Mar: am <2hrs 30 mins, pm (30-40 mins easy) Mon 13 Mar: am (30-40 mins), pm < 1 hr tempo run Tue 14 Mar: am (30-40 mins), pm warm-up, <20 x 400m/100m jog recovery, cool down. Wed 15 Mar: am (30-40 mins), pm < 1 hr steady to fast, but not as much as threshold level. Thu 16 Mar: am (30-40 mins), pm warm-up, 8 x 1000m, 2 mins rec., cool down Fri 17 Mar: am (30-40 mins), pm <1 hr steady Sat 18 Mar: am 8 miles, alternating miles at marathon pace & steady pace – approx. 40-sec differential in pace. (Possible half-marathon race). Sun 19 Mar: am 30km, first 10km easy, next 10km quicker, last 10km at marathon pace, pm rest. Mon 20 Mar: (am 30 mins steady), pm 1 hr good pace (up to Marathon pace but cooling off for the last 10 mins). Tue 21 Mar: (am 30 mins steady), pm 12 x 400m, 3km pace, 2 mins recovery. Wed 22 Mar: 90 mins steady. Thu 23 Mar: (am 30 mins steady), pm 5 x 1km, 5km pace, 2 mins recovery. Fri 24 Mar: 2 x 45 mins steady. Sat 25 Mar: (am 30 mins steady), pm 8 miles alternating miles at half-marathon and marathon pace. Sun 26 Mar: 20 miles pushing last 5 miles at marathon pace. pm rest. Mon 27 Mar: 10 miles steady. Tue 28 Mar: am (30-40 mins easy), pm 12 x 400 at 5km pace, 2 min recovery. Wed 29 Mar: am (30-40 min easy), 15 miles steady. Thu 30 Mar: am (30-40 mins easy), 5 x 1km at 5km pace, 3 mins recovery. Fri 31 Mar: am (30-40 min easy), pm <1 hr steady. Sat 1 Apr: 8 miles alternating miles at marathon pace & half-marathon pace. Sun 2 Apr: am 20/22 miles, pm rest Mon 3 Apr: am (30 mins easy), pm 45 mins steady Tue 4 Apr: am (30 mins easy), pm 12 x 400 @ 3km pace, 200 jog rec. Wed 5 APr: am (30 mins easy), pm 10 miles – picking up pace. Thu 6 Apr: am (30 mins easy), pm 8 x 1km @ 10km pace, 2 mins recovery. Fri 7 Apr: am (30 mins easy), pm 10 miles steady. Sat 8 Apr: am (30 mins easy), pm 10 miles steady. Sun 9 Apr: am 20 miles, pm rest (or 10km race) Mon 10 Apr: am (30 mins easy), pm 10 miles steady Tue 11 Apr Mar: am (30 mins easy), pm 10 x 400 @ mile speed, 200 jog rec. Wed 12 Apr: am (30 mins easy), 10 miles steady Thu 13 Apr: am rest, pm Marathon pace fartlek run – hold efforts of up to 5 mins at marathon pace, interspersed with recovery at steady pace (relaxed fartlek style <10 miles) Fri 14 APR: am rest, pm 45 mins steady Sat 15 Apr: Short race or threshold run <40 mins Sun 16 Apr: <12 miles steady Mon 17 Apr: <10 miles steady Tue 18 Apr: 10 x 200m hard strides in racing flats, 200 jog rec. Wed 19 Apr: <45 mins steady Thu 20 Apr: <45 mins steady – start carbo loading with pm meal. Fri 21 Apr: Rest or 20 mins easy – highest carbo intake on this day, high water intake Sat 22Apr: 20 mins easy – reduce food intake after 6pm, high water intake