Dons_1988 Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 4 hours ago, Iminavest said: Bit of a novice question, I'm toying with the idea of the Loch Ness marathon at the end of September. I can run 5-10K fairly comfortably at an okay pace currently. Is it worth increasing distances this early on or waiting until closer to the time? Start slowly increasing distance, but just at an easy/steady pace would be my advice. Get used to running those sorts of distances. It might help you make your mind up on actually doing the marathon. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morrison Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 4 hours ago, Iminavest said: Bit of a novice question, I'm toying with the idea of the Loch Ness marathon at the end of September. I can run 5-10K fairly comfortably at an okay pace currently. Is it worth increasing distances this early on or waiting until closer to the time? Yeah, I'd agree with @Dons_1988. Ideally, you'd take it really easy as you get to distances for the first time. It should feel slow to you. The time on feet is really valuable if you decide to commit to it, and it should mean your legs aren't trashed to the point you can't run for half the following week! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iminavest Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 Taken the plunge and booked it, f**k it! All advice welcomed 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dons_1988 Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 11 hours ago, Iminavest said: Taken the plunge and booked it, f**k it! All advice welcomed 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutz_the_Squirrel Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 22 hours ago, Iminavest said: Taken the plunge and booked it, f**k it! All advice welcomed Well done. Random thoughts: You might want to build up to a half marathon now over the next couple of months and maybe book into a race? This will give you an experience of a massive event that you’ll replicate for your marathon. Starting a 12-16 week marathon block from a position of being able to run 13 miles is a good starting point. Run your long runs really slow. It’s you versus ego. You should not be running at marathon race pace as a rule. Get a plan and stick to it. Hal Higdon; Running World; Ben Parkes amongst 10 million others out there. You will miss some runs occasionally due to life. Try to prioritise your long runs- these are the important ones. I subscribe to the view that you should run 80% of your runs easy and 20% hard. Others don’t. Watch some YouTube vids on 80:20 and make your own mind up. Don’t forget speedwork- it helps. An interval session a week is good for you. Strength training is proven to help improve runners’ performance and reduce injury risk. One or two gym sessions a week helps. Lift heavy with little reps. It’s boring though. Find your ‘why’. You’re going to have tough days. You need to remember why you’re putting yourself through this shit. Hills are your friend. Training on a flat road or treadmills with no incline is good, but incorporating some elevation into your long runs will make your marathon a lot easier. Practice your nutrition now. You might want gels e.g. Hi-5; SIS; Maurten; or similar. You might want a drink mix like Active Root or tailwind. You might want water only with some sweets e.g. haribo or jelly babies. You might want more solid energy foods like Voom Bars or Clif blocks. Try as many as you can during your long runs. Rest days are for rest. Feet up. Such a cliche but the marathon is split up into 2 parts- the first 20 miles then the last 10k. Sometimes helpful to occasionally do a long run on a Saturday, followed by a sharper paced run on the Sunday. Running on tired legs is good training for body and brain. Your primary objective is to get to the start line with no injuries. You are better to be underprepared for a marathon than being the fittest runner on the physio table. Enjoy the process. The discipline of a training block brings lots of benefits to your mental health. Get your family involved. You’ll be sacrificing time with them, so make sure they know what’s ahead. Try to find a group or club- company can be a great motivator. PM if needed. Good luck and enjoy. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iminavest Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 Longest run of the year so far at a slower pace, just over 6 miles in just under 57 minutes. Not feeling awful but the thought of another 20 on top is quite something! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross. Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 14 hours ago, Iminavest said: Longest run of the year so far at a slower pace, just over 6 miles in just under 57 minutes. Not feeling awful but the thought of another 20 on top is quite something! You have plenty of time to build it up. Just add a wee bit at a time and see how you feel after. I used to run 3 to 4x a week usually doing between 10-20k each run, could never manage to get over HM distance, ironically, taking a few years out and doing a lot of exercise that isn’t running, when I go out on my longer runs I feel much better than I ever did when I was doing much more overall. The approach is the same though, just add a wee bit more every week and listen to your body when you do it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossi1990 Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 On 26/02/2024 at 21:35, Iminavest said: Taken the plunge and booked it, f**k it! All advice welcomed I done Loch Ness marathon a few years back. Really enjoyed it. Quite an undulating course and a decent hill at 20 miles. The way into Inverness after is great too. Totally agree with all advice above. Build it up slowly as the months go by then start to taper before too. In terms of nutrition I’m a SIS blackcurrant gels runner and my snacks which helped me on devil o the highlands last year was flapjacks, salt and vinegar crisps and Banana Soreen (that’s my fave) good luck and hope all goes well 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Central Belt Caley Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 Last did Falkirk Parkrun on the 3rd Feb and today I managed to knock off over a minute from that time Nice when you can see the work you’re putting in start to pay off 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross. Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 18 to 22 was fucking tough today. After that I felt fine. I reckon I could manage 30k at this pace, after that I guess I’ll just need to wait and see. I think I’ll knock a bit of the distance next weekend and head up the hills for 10-15k instead. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iminavest Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 Any recommendations on watches? Is cheap and cheerful sufficient or is it worth spending a bit? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutz_the_Squirrel Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 19 minutes ago, Iminavest said: Any recommendations on watches? Is cheap and cheerful sufficient or is it worth spending a bit? Depends on what you want it to do. I’ve got one that cost a few hundred quid because I need it to last for 15+ hours for ultras. Otherwise I’d be going for a pretty low spec Garmin tbh for under £100. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Central Belt Caley Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 16 minutes ago, Iminavest said: Any recommendations on watches? Is cheap and cheerful sufficient or is it worth spending a bit? Garmin have a full range from more basic to solar charging watches. I’ve got a forerunner 235 and had it since 2017 and it’s not missed a beat, becoming a bit like Triggers broom with the amount of replacement straps I’ve put on it though Mine can sometimes lose you a bit when in trees so your route on the app can look a bit skew whiff, whereas my brother in law has a Forerunner 955 and that’s more accurate in these instances I seen a video of a guy using a Coros watch but I think they’re pretty pricey. All depends on what you’ll be using it for really, give the features a check and see what’ll work for you 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 (edited) 4 hours ago, Iminavest said: Any recommendations on watches? Is cheap and cheerful sufficient or is it worth spending a bit? I've got a Garmin Forerunner 55 and it's fine - will give you the sort of info like in the Strava screenshot in the post before yours as well as a few other things like heart rate, recovery time (not that I bother with that) etc. That's all I need it for but it probably has other bells and whistles too - same with the Garmin vivoactive HR I had before that. If you're only after the essentials and not all the super statty stuff you'll be fine with that - you could probably save a bit of cash and order an older model and save a few quid as it'll do the same stuff. Edited March 3 by Stu 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iminavest Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 Cheers for the suggestions! Asked a couple of pals too and Garmin around the 100 quid mark seems to be the common theme. Anybody use bone conduction headphones? Event says these are okay but not other types. Had been toying with these for swimming anyway so maybe a fine excuse to get! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Central Belt Caley Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 1 hour ago, Iminavest said: Anybody use bone conduction headphones? Event says these are okay but not other types. Had been toying with these for swimming anyway so maybe a fine excuse to get! I just got a pair this week by coincidence, Garmin had an offer if you ran so much during February you got 15% off at Shokz. Only had them out for 3 runs so far but they’re pretty good. I went for the Openrun’s: https://uk.shokz.com/products/openrun There is a bit of sound leak if you have them up high but half volume was perfect for me and plenty loud enough 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutz_the_Squirrel Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 Shokz are best for this. Do NOT go cheap and get the Openmove. They are not waterproof at all. Go for Openrun. They are waterproof so you can use them in the rain. Be wary- the Openrun Pro claim to have better sound quality but are actually less waterproof than Openrun. Buy these brand new because they come with a 2 year warranty. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 (edited) I had Air by AfterShokz (as they were then called) and they were ideal, got four years out of them before they decided to stop charging for some reason and that was that. By that point I'd had a pair of Shokz Openrun sitting in a box for a year - there had been some post on Facebook about claiming a pair which incredibly wasn't a scam aside from getting me on their mailing list for eternity - and they're fine too. I only listen to podcasts and they do the job. Next up on the kit advice - anyone know a decent pair of running shorts that have zip pockets? I wear karrimor ones which have a pocket on the back big enough for my keys and not much else. I'm needing to carry a couple of gels on my longer runs ahead of a marathon and could do with proper pockets with a zip to ensure they don't fall out (happened on the London Marathon!). These seem to be about the limit of what I'd like to spend, anyone used them or got any other recommendations? https://tca.fit/products/mens-elite-tech-shorts-colour-asphalt?variant=32910255292459 Edited March 4 by Stu 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iminavest Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 10km pace down below 9 min mile without pushing too hard, which I'm fairly chuffed with having only started again a month ago! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross. Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 Stuck to the plan. Half the distance, three times the elevation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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