Marathon Training - Week 13

Another enforced break from blogging due to busy weekends.

Since the last blog I have completed three long runs of 20 miles, 20 miles and 22 miles. I had struggled in the 20 mile long run previous to these which I put down to a lack of sleep and possible jet lag so I was worried that I would continue to struggle. Fortunately this wasn't the case. I learnt my lesson and made sure that I had a good night's sleep before each of my runs. Rest is an extremely important aspect of marathon training and one which I have taken to heart, making sure I get at least 7 hours the night before any run.

The first 20 mile run took me down to the Thames and along the path towards Teddington where I crossed the river and came back towards Ealing via Hounslow. I wasn't familiar with the route so used Google Maps and Streetview to help me recognise landmarks where I had to change direction. On this occasion I knew I had to turn where Streetview said there was a pub called the Horse and Groom. Unfortunately since the photo was taken the pub had closed down and been turned into a Tesco Express so I managed to completely miss it. It was lucky I had a general sense of where I was and managed to make it back to the A4 which leads back to Ealing. The upside of this was that I was so concerned with trying to find my way back that I ate up the miles without really noticing and before I knew it I had completed my run! Here's the route as recorded by my Garmin (by the way the turning I missed was the A314, you can see that I ran straight across it!):




The next 20 miler I stayed on more familiar ground and ran through northwest London down towards Paddington then turned round at Baker Street and back along the Uxbridge Road to Ealing. This time I didn't get lost but did run into a bit of trouble trying to find a toilet! Without going into too much detail running does have a habit of moving things about inside. On this occasion I realised after 3 miles that I would need to stop off for a toilet break. Could I find a toilet at 7am on the Harrow Road? Could I hell! I tried petrol stations and supermarkets and had no joy. Usually when this happens I look for a hotel but there wasn't a single one, not a Premier Inn or Holiday Express anywhere! It wasn't until another 8 miles when I got to Paddington that I managed to stop at the Hilton Metropole. A rather posh place to stop but any port in a storm etc. etc. My run back to Ealing was rather less eventful and I managed to finish in a quicker time than the week before. Here's the route:




My final long run, a 22 miler, was to be the longest run I will do before the marathon and I was looking forward to it for a couple of reasons. The first being that it would be the best test of my fitness and would let me know what sort of form I was in for the marathon. The second reason was that I would do a route that I did 18 months ago when training for the Brighton marathon. It would take me down Hyde Park, past Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, across the Thames to the London Eye, over Blackfriar's Bridge and back via Hammersmith. This time I didn't get lost and I didn't have to look for any hotels for an unscheduled stop! It seems odd to enjoy a 22 mile run but I really did. I managed to finish strong and pushed my heart rate up a bit more than I was happy with but I figured this was because I don't take any water with me on training runs so was becoming a bit dehydrated towards the end. I do take a couple of gels though so I can practice my fuelling strategy. I reckon I will need to take 3 gels on the day of the marathon, taking one every 10km. I may take an extra one just in case I'm flagging at the end. Here's the route:




Again, I managed to increase my pace compared to the previous week so this is promising.

There is a rule of thumb that says that a 22 mile training run takes about as long as the marathon when run at race pace. If so then I'd be ecstatic since it would give me a qualifying time for the Boston marathon, although I think it might be a bit ambitious. Finishing under 3:30 would be brilliant and just to get under 4 hours would be pleasing.

Anyway, that's caught up with what's happened in the last three weeks and now I enter the three week taper period before the marathon where I reduce the mileage bit by bit although I maintain the intensity. Next week I will run an 18 mile long run which is pretty much the only long run I've got left to do before the marathon on the 9th October. Finger's crossed that I don't pick up any injuries over the next 21 days.