The Sub 3:15 Marathon Thread

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Jun 2017
10:40pm, 25 Jun 2017
2,199 posts
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K5 Gus
I'd really recommend getting the book, it's very well written and laid out. As well as loads of variations on the plans, and how to do each session, it also explains why all the different types of sessions are included. As well as covering other stuff - nutrition, strength training, tapering, etc

Helps to commit to a plan if you understand why as well as how.

Only £15 delivered from Amazon ( or £7.80 used ) - given the hundreds of hours we put into this, plus money we spend on shoes, gels, etc, etc, then seems pretty good value.
Jun 2017
10:21am, 26 Jun 2017
26,811 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
It's a really good book, I'd agree with Gus.

Well done Cam at Lairig Ghru race. Great time and nice to read such a positive post. Larks, great park running, must be bril to cross the line first. Lou, great that you're running strong. Don't overdo it though, obv! Stoosh, mileage building nicely.

Bazo, not great for parkrunning up here with wind at weekend. Tell you what though, that wind didn't half make the West Highland Way tough for the competitors (and even for their poor support crews a bit too!) Felt like about 1 or 2C with 50+ mph winds and sleety, squally showers across the Rannoch Moor to Glen Coe and the Lairig Mor into Fort William. Ouch. My runner did great to complete and in a decent time, though not quite what he was looking for. Nearly 29 miles run (well, a lot of it march walking but you know) and several 000ft of climb. So I'll count it as "long running". :-) G
Jun 2017
10:48am, 26 Jun 2017
4,519 posts
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chunkywizard
I bought a copy! The print copy is on a 1-2 month delivery apparently so I got the Kindle version. Here's the link if anyone else wants a copy: amazon.co.uk
Jun 2017
11:03am, 28 Jun 2017
26,814 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
Gosh, you lot must all be training too hard to chat!

Moving house gets in way of training shocker! My wife keeps dragging me to look at houses. Last night was supposed to be short run and bit of gym work to ease out the West Highland Way pains. I didn't mind missing Monday night gym work, but missing Tue too, including a run. Argh! I don't even want to move! (This should be on the Things You Want To Say But Can't thread!)

Anyhoo, gentle club run tonight, then hopefully a parkrun on Sat to set a baseline (20 odd mins?) for future speed work?

Hope all the autumn mara training (or base building, if you do base then a 12 week plan) is going well. :-) G
Jun 2017
12:51pm, 28 Jun 2017
11,494 posts
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Bazoaxe
Will you be at Cramond on Saturday G ? I will be for the last time before Chester as my plan starts next week.

Dipped my toes in with a 5 mile tempo in a 10 miler today. Sadly the pace (and effort) was more like MP. Although there was wind I am starting to wonder if I am seeing the start of age related slowing down :-(
Jun 2017
1:23pm, 28 Jun 2017
1,651 posts
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jdarun
Bazo,aren't you younger than me? I'm 48 and planning on getting quicker for a few more years yet. WAVA suggests little change below 50.
Jun 2017
1:27pm, 28 Jun 2017
11,495 posts
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Bazoaxe
A bit older jda. Move up to mv50 later this year.
Jun 2017
1:52pm, 28 Jun 2017
2,203 posts
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K5 Gus
Know how you feel Baz, think my days of pbs on the road may be over ( I'm almost 53 ), can't seem to get anywhere near the times I was doing 2 or 3 years ago anymore. Hence why I'm doing more trail and hill stuff these days.
Jun 2017
2:43pm, 28 Jun 2017
1,652 posts
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jdarun
Well yeah ok don't want to be too much of a downer but someone around 50 who has been roughly on a plateau for a few years may find it hard to generate new gains. But you only have 38 secs to find, can't be right to rule that out yet :-) Must be a marginal gain to be picked up somewhere. Either way I don't really think you could expect to see a clear slowdown so markedly just through gradually getting older.

At roughly 5 mins per year improvement (marathon) I'm hoping that cumulative training will win over age for me for a little while yet...having managed to avoid injury and illness the summer of fun (mostly cycling, a few fell races and parkruns) is going well so far.

And vet placings certainly get easier with age - I wasn't in the top ten for V40 but I think only two V50s or older beat me in Manchester.
Jun 2017
2:49pm, 28 Jun 2017
11,496 posts
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Bazoaxe
I am not writing it off yet, but I definitely have felt that its been much harder this year than it was. I did have good years from 47-49 with a raft of PBs and bettering times from my early 40s.

Oddly it was at shorter distances that I found good times back in the spring but which I cannot replicate now.

And re placings, the are plenty fast oldies here and I find as many 50+ as 40-49 ahead of me in races including a 60-65 guy who finishes like a train and beats me at parkrun if I am around the mid 19s.

I think you were a bit later in starting running than me and so still on the upward curve and you also have endurance background from other sports which helps.

About This Thread

Maintained by Windsor Wool
For those who want to go sub 3.15 in a marathon and/or those that have already done it and want to give advice. Share your journey or help someone else's! here.

2024 declarations:

Milan 7/4: Charles
Manchester 14/4: allmatthew, Fergus
Rotterdam 14/4: Akie
Christchurch NZ 21/4: Mark J
London 21/4: KS, larkim
Boston UK 28/4: SJA
Copenhagen 5/5: bowman

-----------------------------
2023 sub 3:15s:

Bowman: 3:06:57 (Växjö), 3:09 (Jönköping)
charlesvdw: 3:03:33 (Berlin), 3:07:55 (London)
chrismean: 3:12:45 (London)
FergusG: 3:13:41 (Manchester)
JDA: 2:52:48 (Manchester)
larkim: 3:09:30 (London)
Rossco: 3:05:15 (NYC)
WW: 3:05:45 (Manchester)

Other very notable 2023 performances:

allmatthew: 3:17:40 (Manchester)
Clare: 3:16:59 (London)
KS: 3:35:13 (London)
tipsku: 3:29:36 (Leipzig)

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  • marathon
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