Training Plans & Runs | Loch Ness Marathon

I’m really pleased with how the training plan has gone. It was a huge success. Now is the time just to go and run. There’s no pressure from anyone, so don’t put any on yourself. Just go there with the confidence you are really well prepared to run a marathon.

Keep an eye on that early pace and if you can bank a few minutes down the hill then that will be great, but keep it easy. Pacing is the key element to a successful marathon.

If you have any pre race anxiety just remind yourself that for 13 miles this is likely to feel fairly easy. So you get to enjoy that first.

Also take one mile at a time. Don’t say things like I can’t run this pace for another 10 miles, just focus on the next mile. You’ll go through highs and lows and even if you feel terrible at mile 15, you might feel much better at mile 21. That does happen. So keep pushing, dig deep during those tough moments, this is what you’ve trained for.

Whatever happens you’ve done amazing to get yourself to this level where you can run a marathon and run it well. So be proud of yourself for all that hard work.

I wish you every success, I hope you enjoy the weekend away and come away with the time you hope for.

I have no doubt that you are capable of achieving your goals but understand marathons can go many different ways. I’ll be happy with whatever time you achieve when you cross that line.

Good luck Jo.

Coach Simon

FEEDBACK

7 ENJOYMENT

RPE

PACE

4:42 quite a way off target time underestimated the amount of hills felt good at start pace didn’t fly off but the hills in places killed the pace still a huge pb from my one and only other marathon and the views made up for the hills. Hope your not too disappointed I don’t think there’s anything I would of changed about the plan apart from maybe more hill work but just shows how the route can appear to be very downhill when it actually isn’t. A flat course probably for me would of seen a quicker time but at least I completed it😊🦕

Jo French

I’m not disappointed in the slightest. You ran a 2 hour PB. Not quite the 6.5 hour PB Jake had in his 100k race, but pretty impressive. From my experience of marathons myself and seeing others come unstuck, they take practice. 2,3, sometimes even 4 attempts to get it right. I still don’t feel like I’ve got one perfect yet and need more practice. So for this result in just your 2nd marathon and first in 2 years is very impressive. What makes me happiest as a coach is for my runners to complete the plan. Cos I know right now your health and fitness is in a great place. I think if you kept up a good level of training (not the high mileage) you can still achieve a lot more in the next 2-6 months. Whether that be 5k, 10k, half marathons or another marathon, you’re running great. I’ve seen it with several of the team of late who haven’t quite hit their time in the goal race but gone on to achieve some excellent results in the next 3-4 weeks. Kieran Price is a good example who was some way off his target at Battle, but has followed that up with 2 age cat wins in the last 8 days. So keep going, obviously take at least 7 days off, if not 14, but then pick up your training again and you might find your best results are just ahead of you. Don’t give up on that London dream either. I still feel like you have plenty more marathons in your legs yet, if that’s the route you want to take.