#286 Run a sub 3:30 marathon
There are a number of running challenges prevalent here on the list, some of which I’ve been a bit slow to start chalking off! I’ve always run for fun and never given too much thought, or for that matter applied any structure to the running I’ve done. The normal training plan generally involves entering a race (normally after being challenged to do so) and then simply cramming as much running in as possible before the date of judgement and arrival on the starting line. Race strategies have generally been based on trying run a first sub 5 minute mile fuelled by adrenaline before hanging on for the remaining miles at a decidedly slower and more realistic pace. It is a strategy that has seen me conquer 10k to marathon in respectable times, but alas one that has always left me with a sense of what if?!
A few weeks back an email landed in my ‘inbox’ from Runners World prompting me to….‘Apply now for our ultimate training experience’. Having read with interest previous features and finding myself with a quiet moment to complete the required entry form, I briskly typed out my application and hit submit thinking no more of it. That was until the phone rang inviting me to ‘Bootcamp’ as part of the selected 50! So, last Friday the alarm rang early and I was soon Birmingham bound ready to be put through my paces by Runners World for the 2014 ASICS 26.2 campaign and a place on the team for Paris.
It’s not everyday you get to meet an Olympian with the opportunity to pick her brains on the ‘ins and outs’ of a successful strategy for conquering the myriad of marathon mishaps. A pace session followed with the chance to stretch the legs on track with my sub 3:30 category. Some ‘ASICS gait analysis’ confirmed the legs and feet to be mechanically sound leaving me in neutral ready to go through the gears in the 5k speed session back out on track. The day was polished off with a physio talk enlightening me that pain isn’t just weakness leaving the body, but perhaps a more sinister sign of posture issues, fatigue and over training!!
So I’ve been to Bootcamp and now I’m inspired to conquer this one! With a 1:29 under my belt for the half the distance, it’s time to double up again and go the extra mile (or thirteen) to chase down #286. It can’t just be a distant dream and 2014 is to be the year of the sub 3:30 marathon and a new personal best.
Good luck to the selected 5 and thanks to both ASICS and Runners World for the experience. Now, did I hear someone mention a Manchester Marathon 🙂
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