Marathon Training - unattached style

2010 had by all accounts been a great year for running, with new Marathon and Half Marathon PB's.  The two 10k's I did were both slower than their respective events the year before, but I felt I unlocked the secrets to succeeding in endurance events in 2010.   The key ingredients I would say are:

• Focussing on being able to push on tired legs.  
• After a hill session push on the run back to base - typically 7k at Marathon Pace
• Very long "warm ups" before interval sesssions - 15k warm up at Marathon pace, then say 8 x 3 minutes.
• Any Marathon Training plan for me typically starts with a 24 - 26 mile run with no water and little nutrition.  Very difficult involving hitting the wall and coming through the other side.  I would say you need to be able to run 13 miles comfortably first, but if you do manage to do it then all other training sessions are easier.
• Mileage counts.  If your restricted on time you can go faster with certain structured sessions, however if you can do high mileage and your body remains injury free then you will get faster and fitter as a result.
• Running slower after a hard day / week is expected, but doesn't mean you shouldn't get out anyway.
• If you train your legs and feet (and don't shock them) the majority of your training could be done in flats.
• See a physio with niggles straight away. (lucky if you have free medical coverage for them)

Some targets for London training this time around:

• Be a little more structured in my planning.  Rather than seeing what session can be achieved in the time remaining in the day, plan the day around the training.
• Focus on longer faster tempo runs, the second half must be faster than the second.
• Have a purpose for each run and be realistic about what is achievable.  I start each run with the intention of feeling like I could run a PB during it, even after a hard run the previous day.
• Long run must be prepared for.  Saturday night kit must be laid out, garmin charged, hydration and nutrition sorted.  Long run must start at sunrise or sooner.
• Make use of the Saturday morning park runs as a benchmark for speed. 
• Running with no water and nutrition should be the default for the early weeks of training.
• Don't get injured

Questions to be answered:

• Would joining the club be a positive or negative thing ?
• Should I use the free gels provided on course or bring my own ?
• How much advanced training planning is beneficial ?
• What is the right Marathon weight  ?
• Am I suited to flat Marathons ?

Looking forward to being on the starting line..