Brighton Marathon Training Update ~ Strava Art!!!

How cool does this look!! All 73 training runs in preparation for the Brighton marathon laid out side by side. That's 570 miles since November. Purple and blue are the longest runs, with red and orange being the shortest with lots in between.

That's it! I just thought I'd share :-)

3 in 3 Marathon Challenge ~ Training Update #1

This is the first of my training updates with just 3 weeks to go now until the 2018 Brighton Marathon on the 15th of April. The first of the '3 in 3' marathon challenge. 

My previous post here explains about the challenge. You can donate here

It's Friday evening and I'm just sitting down recovering from my final long run of this training campaign. 23 miles running with two friends in Milton Keynes. The company was very welcome indeed. This completes five successive long runs over the last five weekends. I won't lie... this morning's run was a tough one! We set the pace early and ran consistently at between 7 minutes and 7:15 mile pace for the first 17 miles. By 18 miles I was really starting to feel it plus I was running in a fasted state skipping breakfast and only drinking water, and yesterday I also reduced my carbohydrate intake. I think this was a clear lesson to fuel well when running at this pace in the actual race. I'm not a big fan of gels or energy drinks but I'm not going to be fussy come race day. Today showed me that I really need to fuel well. Lesson learned.

So as this is the first update on my training for the 3 in 3 marathon challenge I thought I would highlight how my training has gone so far in terms of the volume of miles covered since November. I consciously took a decision early on to keep a lid on the total miles that I run per week, so this has certainly been my lowest volume marathon training campaign. Much lower than is normally touted in most marathon training schedules. However I'm confident that for me this is the right approach especially as I'm targeting three marathons this year so I'm not just training for Brighton, but using this race as a stepping stone to continue training for Warsaw in September and then Snowdonia a month later in October. 

Below is my weekly mileage between November 2017 and March 2018.

Training Miles

November

Week 1 ~ 16 (Long run 9 miles)

Week 2 ~ 24 (Long run 7 miles)

Week 3 ~ 20 (Long run 10 miles)

Week 4 ~ 33 (Long run 13 miles ~ 1:30 Half Marathon)

December

Week 5 ~ 13 (Long run N/A)

Week 6 ~ 21 (Long run 10 miles)

Week 7 ~ 0   (Long run N/A)

Week 8 ~ 20 (Long run 14 miles)

Week 9 ~ 11 (Long run N/A)

January

Week 10 ~ 25 (Long run 13 miles)

Week 11 ~ 31 (Long run 13 miles ~ 1:29 Half Marathon)

Week 12 ~ 32 (Long run 12 miles)

Week 13 ~ 42 (Long run 17 and 18 miles)

February

Week 14 ~ 37 (Long run 14 miles)

Week 15 ~ 27 (Long run 12 miles)

Week 16 ~ 21 (Long run 13 miles ~ 1:26 MK Winter Half Marathon)

Week 17 ~ 29 (Long run 22 miles)

March

Week 18 ~ 40 (Long run 17 miles ~ Treadmill)

Week 19 ~ 45 (Long run 20 miles)

Week 20 ~ 40 (Long run 20 miles)

Week 21 ~ 44 (Long run 23 miles)

Total ~ 570 miles

So my average weekly mileage works out at just 27 miles per week since November which has increased to 35 mile per week since February and 40+ miles per week in March. This average mileage will be considered very low for anyone trying to run a marathon let alone someone shooting for a sub 3 marathon.

As far as each week has looked I have always tried to include 3 core runs ~ a tempo run at 5k pace miles either on the track or focusing on a progressive run out on the road; one double-digit mid-week run at an honest pace; and a long run again at a decent pace with some marathon pace miles thrown in as well.

So I'm 12 weeks into the 2018 campaign and I've certainly seen lots of improvement in my overall running, pace and endurance. With just 3 weeks to go until the first of my 3 in 3 marathons we are now into that classic marathon taper period where I will back off the long runs but keep the focus on speed and intensity. My sub 3 target is a HUGE ask based on the above training mileage but I believe that I have given myself the best chance within the time I have had to train. Balancing marathon training with work and family is not easy and I'm very pleased to be were I am at this stage.

Remember I doing this to raise money for the #goodshepherdcommunitybusproject

My previous post here explains about the project. You can donate here

3 in 3 ~ Marathon Challenge 2018

Hi there! I've been absent for a while but I'm back, and more importantly I'm back running too :-) I'm turning 40 this year and wanted to mark this milestone by doing one of my challenges and supporting two key causes at the same time.

The '3 in 3 Marathon Challenge' will see me seek to complete 3 marathons all in under 3 hours. Things kick off in Brighton, England in April, before heading to Warsaw, Poland in September with the finale in Snowdonia, Wales in October. Each marathon presents its own challenges and Brighton is just 4 weeks away. EEK! My training miles have averaged some 30 miles per week (which is low!) after an extended break from running. So its fair to say that I'm some way off being in prime marathon fitness but I'm getting there and believe that anything is possible in life if you work for it. Snowdonia is not known for being a PB course as it's a little lumpy!!! :-D To run a sub 3 hour marathon in Snowdonia would be 50 minutes quicker than my time in 2017 and put me in the Top 1% finishers. So rest assured this Challenge is no walk [or run] in the park. I've got some serious work ahead of me.

I'm tying in my challenge with two fundraising campaigns #runforgarai and #goodshepherdcommunitybusproject and I would really appreciate your support, and you can also get involved in the challenge too! Keep reading if you want to know more.

I will provide regular updates on my '3 in 3 marathon challenge' and how training is going on my blog page.

My good friend Idai Makaya lost his brother Garai in a skydiving accident last year. Garai inspired many in the skydiving world to dream big and push themselves. #runforgarai ties in with the 2018 Longest Ride Challenge #rideforgarai where Idai will be attempting to ride his ElliptiGO stand up bike 1,700-miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats and back in under 14 days (Double End-to-End!) and in doing so set a new Guinness World Record. Idai is inviting other cyclists and ElliptiGO riders to join him too, whilst also encouraging riders to complete their longest ride in 2018. For more information about the 2018 Longest Ride Challenge click here.

With my heart already set on the marathon this year I don't have the time to train for the longest ride challenge but I wanted to support my friend. Hence my own challenge and fundraiser. Both the #rideforgarai and #runforgarai campaigns are seeking to raise funds to produce a professional sports documentary about Garai's life, his passions and the people he touched through sport which will seek to inspire and push others to perform in life.

I'd therefore like you to join me and #runforgarai by setting your own personal running goal for 2018. What would you like to achieve in 2018? Is it to run further than you have before? Is it to run a new PB over 5K, 10K, half marathon, full marathon or even further! Whatever your goal or dream why not set your sights on it today and start doing something about it. That's exactly what I am doing inspired by Idai and his brother Garai.

Simply post a comment on this blog if you are going to join me. Let me know what your running or cycling goal is for 2018.

If you would like to donate to the #runforgarai fundraising campaign you can do so here.

The second project I'm supporting is a local community initiative #goodshepherdcommunitybusproject. I live in your typical housing estate that lacks community amenities and provision especially for the youth but also for young families and the elderly for whom loneliness and lack of support is a big deal. 

The #goodshepherdcommunitybusproject is an initiative led by my Church to provide for our community on the Sandhills estate in Leighton Buzzard. The project is in its infancy and we are scoping out the exact nature of the provision needed. We hope it will include a dedicated youth community support officer to serve the estate and help knit the whole community together. Another central theme of the project is the potential provision of a mission bus to serve the community. At this early stage we can not commit to a single guaranteed solution but I can guarantee that your donation will make a huge difference in our community. 

If you would like to donate to the #goodshepherdcommunitybusproject fundraising campaign you can do so here.

Thanks!!