No idea what's been happening to me during the last couple of weeks - I haven't done anything. Work got pretty manic again - but that's no excuse. Furthermore I haven't got anything in the schedule. The last thing I did was the Poppy Half and now am in some serious need of motivation. Not only that I am starting eating some real junk again. I was doing so well - but now it has all gone to crock!
So what to do. Buck your ideas up Kumar.
Question: How many weeks till the Marathon?
Answer: No idea ... let me calculate it on excel. Second thoughts ... my blog has a countdown. I'll just flick screens and see what it says: Okay 141 days 16 hours. Lets round that up to 142 days.
142 / 7 = 20.28 weeks. Okay, assume we start on Monday as I have another heavy weekend - what we need is a 20 week plan. During this time, I need to go from an overweight accountant to somebody who can stagger 26.2 miles.
No Kumar - this is the wrong attitude again. Let's aim to do at least something over the weekend even if it's not on the plan.
Right onto the main subject of doing this post - and that's to find a training plan. So the main requirements are:
- As you can see from the picture, I did find a training plan but that looks way too hardcore. To start with it's called advance which I am certainly not.
- I do want to mix my training up, and do some cycling or spinning at least once a week
- If I do need to do longer runs every week, then I would rather do them on a Satruday. This means not going out on Fridays - but at least you can then enjoy Saturday
- I want to keep doing the Clapham Chasers Social Run on Monday
Okay ... those are the requirements now onto the World Wide Web to see what we can find:
1. Guardian Website
Found an article on training for the London Marathon: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/oct/05/how-to-train-for-marathon
I do like point 5 on that list which is don't do weekly long runs! Okay, I won't! However what about point 2, have a goal. My goal was get to the finish line but apparently that's not good enough.
So what should my goal be? Let's see. I currently do half marathon in 2:10. But I have done one in 2:02 - but that was a few years ago when I was much fitter. Come April I will be three years older then I was then.
So what's a realistic goal. I would love to do 4 hours - but realistically I think I am long way of that at the moment, and considering it is my first marathon, I guess let's take my current half marathon pace of 2:10 and multiply it by 2.
Okay ... so that's it - my goal time is 4:20. But I still don't have a plan.
2. Sports Fitness Advisor
Okay some more googling and come across this site:
According to this I am definitely a beginner as I don't satisfy any of the following criteria:
"If you haven't run a marathon before, or you're not currently running 20 miles plus per week, this is the place to start ..."
Okay - let's see what this plan is:
Oh no! This is a 26 week plan. I guess I could miss a few weeks out and start on week 7 (or is it week 6 - we can work that out later).But this plan goes against the Guardian article - as in there is one long run every week!
3. FIRST Three Day a week Marathon Schedule
The main ethos seems to be around: "Train Less, Run Faster". I like it already!
The other good thing is that it seems to begin 16 weeks before the Marathon, so I am not behind the curve.
4, About.com
- A beginners programme for 20 weeks.
- Allows for cross training - i.e. spinning a couple of times per week
5. Runners World
I think the target of 4:30 may now be a bit optimistic:
A 4:30 marathon is approximately 10:00 per mile. To break 4:30, you should eventually be capable of a sub-2:00 half-marathon (9:00 per mile) and sub-53:00 10K (8:30 per mile). Right now, you should be used to running around 20 miles each week and do around four runs a week.
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Sub 2 hours half marathon! Hmm!
It is a 16 week schedule:
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/racing/rws-vlm-garmin-ready-marathon-schedule-sub-430/2490.html
6. The Fitness Motivator
http://www.the-fitness-motivator.com/first-marathon.html
A 20 week schedule with Cross Training
7. Belfast City Marathon Schedule
http://www.belfastcitymarathon.com/opencontent/default.asp?itemid=81§ion=GET+TRAINING
Another 20 week schedule
8. Hal Higdon
http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/MaraNovice1.html
http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/novice2.htm
18 Week Schedule with some cross
Confused
Lots of information out there but nothing obvious which ticked all my criteria. I will make my own schedule based on a few of the above knowing what I have got coming up. I'll do this over the next 30 mins or so and then post it on a separate tab above. Lets see if I can keep it up!
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