The training critique

The training critique

Training Good Points

• Long run and park run - running a half marathon then going all out for 5k definitely got me stronger and my legs used to running tired.
• Long runs - I ran two full marathons, 1 x 40k and 9 runs over 30k.   These definitely helped on race day and my confidence going in to race day.  I also managed to run one marathon under 3 hours in training, which was a pivotal point in my training.  If I managed to run a hilly 3 hour marathon untapered,  then I should reassess my goals for London ?  It didnt take much out of me even though I was definitely pushing in the second half. 
• Mileage - I managed to churn out big 100 miles week without any niggles and found time in the week to do it.
• Struggling pace improved - Going into my training when I was having a bad day I would be doing 5 minute km's in my runs.  At the end of the training when I was having a bad run (for whatever reason) and even in the last 6 miles of the marathon I was able to hold just under 4:30 minute km's.   So while its never enjoyable to struggle, its better to feel awful and still be running faster.
• Future - I didn't get to the point where I felt I had plateaued, I got some good experience during this training and I know there is more to come.  The average age of sub 2:45 Marathon runners is 38, so in theory I have 7 years of training before I reach my peak!
• Outcome - The training produced an ok race. 

Training Bad Points

• Objective - At the outset of the training I didn't have a concrete objective.   Thinking back to January I was hoping to go under 3 hours with under 2:55 on a good day.   The running calculators said that I should have been able to run 2:50:35 based on my 1/2 marathon in December.  I should have made sub 2:50 my objective at the start.  The importance of setting this is that my tempo sessions etc could have been paced with this objective. 
• Races - I didn't do enough of them and the ones I did do were poorly planned.  The 10km in the week before the race was a good confidence builder but it was too late.  The 20 miler I did was poorly planned  and I was lucky to get a number swap the week before the race.   I did no half marathon, which would have given a better indication of Marathon speed.
• Lack of tempo runs.  Its too hilly to do tempo runs from home but there are plenty of canals to run along from work.   The tempo runs I did do were at an assumed 3 hour marathon pace.   Tempo runs hurt, but thats no excuse!!
• Focus.  In hindsight I was too focused on getting out there and churning out miles rather than quality sessions.  More tempo and hill sessions would have been better instead of churning out my medium / long runs.    I also lost one weeks decent training due to sickness and another due to travel and other home drama. 
• Schedule.  On numerous occasions it would get to the point of the day where I could only fit in session x in the time I had.  I should have set the sessions in advance and beter planned them with quality in mind.
• Weight.  This is the big, huge failure.  I started at 76kg after christmas excesses, with the reasonably realistic target of getting under 70kg.  I failed miserably, weighing in 71.5 on Marathon day and the lowest I reached was 70.8.  I have been 67kg before, so why not again?

Overall

7 out of 10.  I'm not a proffesional athlete and don't have natural elite talent, but I maximised the time I had and got into shape to do a sub 2:50 marathon.   My first race in 2004 after 6 months running was a 45 minute 10k,  got it down to 40:49 in 2006, 38:04 in 2008, 36:53 in 2009 and set my pb of 36:07 a week before London.