A Marathon improvement question from a newbie

9 watchers

Pootle May 2012 1:46pm, 28 May 2012 8,914 posts	0 Pootle I'm sure someone will be along in a minute to tell you not to bother because your not ready, or that you are so slow you really shouldn't concern yourself with marathons. Personally, I wouldn't even dream of doing 75 miles a week, you run the risk of killing your legs before the big day. It should be about quality, not quantity :0) Speed work is more important for a good time than lots of miles or numerous long runs. Good luck!
Bazoaxe May 2012 1:47pm, 28 May 2012 4,389 posts	0 Bazoaxe RR - thats generally what I do....get my base mileage to a point higher than the start and maintain that.....
runner duck May 2012 1:53pm, 28 May 2012 8,202 posts	0 runner duck hello, rr well done on your first marathon i haven't done p&d but i can't see why you can't keep your long runs longer if you want to. you're already there, anyway, and if you have the time and inclination you may as well go with it. good luck with sub 4
Velociraptor May 2012 1:55pm, 28 May 2012 20,505 posts	0 Velociraptor I'm quietly impressed that you went from nothing to 55mpw in four months and didn't break, and wouldn't rush to push the mileage up any higher than that for now.
Fenland Runner May 2012 1:57pm, 28 May 2012 13,303 posts	0 Fenland Runner For the past few years (well since 2008) I've been slowly building base aerobic capacity and maybe getting close to attempting some proper training, and the P&D 55 miler looks a great schedule to me.
Son of a Pronator Man May 2012 2:01pm, 28 May 2012 6,441 posts	0 Son of a Pronator Man I'd stick to the up to 55 mile plan until you feel you have achieved what you can on it. I agree with what others have said about not increasing the mileage too quickly. I have run the up to 75 mpw plan for 3 maras and it has worked for me but the question you are left asking is "where did my life go" ? Running long runs on Tuesdays and THursdays doesn't leave a lot of time for much else if you have other comittments.
Jock Itch May 2012 2:14pm, 28 May 2012 9,816 posts	0 Jock Itch Def stick to the 55 mpw plan. I ran 2.40 off 55-60 miles a week. If you incorporate a interval session, long run, a few medium runs, Recovery run, a tempo run and odd rest day then that worked for me.
minardi. May 2012 3:44pm, 28 May 2012 1,257 posts	0 minardi. 55 mpw is something I can't begin to attain but then again I won't ever manage a sub 4.30 - let alone a sub 4 - I just wanted to say hello and welcome to fetch waves
Action Jen (formerly known as DPM) May 2012 4:41pm, 28 May 2012 101 posts	0 Action Jen (formerly known as DPM) whispers what's a P&D plan? I have googled it and I can't seem to find what it stands for (worried this is a really stupid question and will show me up for the beginner that I am
Fenland Runner May 2012 5:23pm, 28 May 2012 13,305 posts	0 Fenland Runner amazon.co.uk