Training Plans & Runs | London Marathon

So exciting. Here we are. You’ve done well to earn this but also to prepare so well. I still think the 3:30 pacer group is the best shout and then reassess at 20 miles. If you can pick up the pace a little in those last 10k you’re going to be overtaking 100s of runners which would be pretty cool. Very best of luck and have a great race.

Target Time: 3:28:00 Target Pace: 5:00 (for 20 miles)

Coach Simon

FEEDBACK

10 ENJOYMENT

8 RPE

PACE

Thanks for everything Simon. I was so well prepared. I felt I was managing my pace well the first few miles. Miles three and four shocked me when they came in at 7’37” and 7’31” but that was the downhill section and I wasn’t using any more effort. I kept a fairly steady 7’50” pace until mile ten when I went over eight minutes for the first time. It was crowded in that part of Rotherhithe but still I felt I was pushing a bit harder than before to do the next mile in 7’50”. After Tower Bridge every mile was over eight minutes, sometime just by a few seconds but after mile twenty I slowed to 8’20”. In total I ran 26.54 miles so half a km over the distance. That’s because I was always seeking the shadier side of the rode to keep out of the sun. I felt fairly comfortable all the way round. I had a stitch in the middle section and my hamstring threatened to derail me with cramp two miles from the finish. I have put my effort expended as eight out of ten because I was so consciously aware that I should be conserving energy all the way. Mental effort was closer to ten but physically I was always trying not to push. It was such an enjoyable day I feel like doing two marathons next year, perhaps Seville in February and then Berlin in September. I can’t see a good for age application area for Berlin so it might be luck getting in. If I can’t get in I’d apply for Valencia in December 2026. Hopefully I can run some good park run times over the summer and maybe do a faster half marathon in the autumn. I’ve got the 62k Fox ultra in four weeks time but I’ll take that easy and just get round without hurrying. As I said yesterday I felt very weak after the run because I sat in a sunny place with no breeze for about an hour. I was fine when I got somewhere cool. Today I feel fine. I’ve been at my desk all day so walking up and downstairs a few times is all the exercise I’ve done. Tomorrow will be the same. Feeling really good…and think I have good chance of a marathon PB next year.

Conal Tracey

You are awesome Conal. To run such a strong marathon in those conditions is a brilliant achievement and I put the slightly slower time purely down to that. So many runners I follow, including the really strong ones were miles of their targets. I feel like this has been an excellent training block where we’ve reigned in the miles a little from last year, but had that quality in there. To be running close to your very best at both 5k and marathon distance takes some doing. I love the ambition going forward too. To run some of these big marathons is super exciting and ultimately what motivates me as a runner and a coach, so I can’t wait to get stuck in to the next few plans. Again, superb running and it was so good to watch you glide past looking strong at mile 13, giving me a lot of confidence you were going to run a strong race, which proved the case. Rest up this week, then we’ll ease back into a bit with the Fox in mind. Then once we’ve got that ticked off, back into full training to get that quicker 5k and perhaps 10k time leading into the Autumn.