Pudsey Pacers

If your parkruns are social runs, then run them slower as your "days off" when you realize you have to run the Fridays anyway. At the peak of your training 5 km runs round a park are rest days

Alcohol intake, hmmm, depends on the individual. The more miles, the fitter you'll be and able to drink more anyway, but never drink too much that you would have to miss the next day's training.

Can't bring myself to advise you to just stop drinking. It's against my nature.

John Pop wrote:
Cheers John. Any idea why I can't upload a file?

One thing that can happen in training for a marathon is that you become 'one paced'. Therefore I consider that a 5k Parkrun is a great idea. Suggest you incorporate a warm-up and warm down at slower than marathon target pace, maybe with the 5k after about 45 mins. The great thing about knocking out some relatively fast runs is that your marathon pace then seems easy. Go for it Andy, that's my opinion anyway.

I never really cracked the distance, managing to hit 'the wall' at about 18 miles on all four occasions. My training schedules varied, but the last time - London 2006 - I followed a 3 runs a week schedule, with no detriment to my finishing time. I seem to remember that the one long run per week was 30/45 seconds slower than target pace, with a couple of shorter (one hour ish) tempo runs and a bit of cross-training.

i've looked at your plan and the only thing I would add (which I wish i'd done) is a 24 mile run about a month before VLM. You need to know what your going to feel when you go beyond 22+ miles.

Other than that, stay fit and dont worry about drinking, I stopped for a month before VLM 2010 and couldn't drink for 3 months after!

Ive got a 22 in there for four weeks b4 the big day. Could always up this to 24.

I agree with Jim in relation to Parkrun. I use it approx once a month through marathon training for two reasons. Firstly as a 3mile effort in the middle of a slow run there and back. Secondly as a measure if there has been any improvement in times.
Unfortunatley I have set two 5k PBs just before a marathon only, like Jim ,to have the wheels fall off in the race. So while they gave me an indication of form it wasn't everything.

The distance of the longest training run is open to a lot of debate in terms of distance and pace. I have tried different methods and again like Jim never mastered the race yet.
Chris Corcoran, my physio, says go longer than 20ml if your not struggling with 20.

My best advice would be not to getted bogged down with a target time. Do what Dave Lighten did this year. trained hard,then on race day went and enjoyed running the actual race at pace within himself.