Running

[an tha]

20 mile race done 

 

Nailed it.

 

I was targeting getting round in 2:40:00 which is dead on 8 min a mile pace.

 

Managed 2:34:29 which is 7.43 per mile.

 

Made up with that.

 

Puts me well on track to go sub 3:30 for marathon.

 

It was flat though which always helps - but still happy with this.

 

 

 

[GR10 LFC]

Managed to complete my first ever marathon this week in Manchester!!
My main aim was to finish the actual race, especially as I was raising money for charity, but I had also been eyeing up a sub 4 hour time. Absolutely delighted to not only finish, but also get the sub 4 hour with 3:58:10. Also had the added bonus of raising just over £3000 for The Marina Dalglish Appeal.
Oh, and also managed to keep my running streak going before (and since - just!) the marathon (now at 1185 days)!
Some pics and further information here.

[Bruce Spanner]

Looking for a bit of advice from those who know far more about this.

 

My brother has always been a distance runner, pretty decent as well, but dropped out during his twenties and picked it back up a few years back.

 

He started training for marathons and can knock out 20 miles with ease and is on for around 2:30/2:40 finish times, but...

 

After about twenty miles he gets severe cramps and has to walk/jog the rest of the marathon in pain, this has happened twice now and he's really downbeat about it as nothing at all happens in the training build up.

 

Any ideas, he thinks it's salt depletion?

[an tha]

On 17/04/2024 at 16:03, GR10 LFC said:

Managed to complete my first ever marathon this week in Manchester!!
My main aim was to finish the actual race, especially as I was raising money for charity, but I had also been eyeing up a sub 4 hour time. Absolutely delighted to not only finish, but also get the sub 4 hour with 3:58:10. Also had the added bonus of raising just over £3000 for The Marina Dalglish Appeal.
Oh, and also managed to keep my running streak going before (and since - just!) the marathon (now at 1185 days)!
Some pics and further information here.

Nice one. Good work.

[an tha]

1 hour ago, Bruce Spanner said:

Looking for a bit of advice from those who know far more about this.

 

My brother has always been a distance runner, pretty decent as well, but dropped out during his twenties and picked it back up a few years back.

 

He started training for marathons and can knock out 20 miles with ease and is on for around 2:30/2:40 finish times, but...

 

After about twenty miles he gets severe cramps and has to walk/jog the rest of the marathon in pain, this has happened twice now and he's really downbeat about it as nothing at all happens in the training build up.

 

Any ideas, he thinks it's salt depletion?

Most likely it is linked to dehydration but can also be a result of poor stretching or insufficient carbohydrate intake.

 

It can also be down to an imbalance/weakness - every stride we take places unbelievable forces through the leg muscles when we get tired our form tends to break down and any imbalance/weakness is exposed.

 

It is very tricky to pinpoint but i'd be looking at hydration, carb intake and seeing if there is any work that could do to strengthen the hamstrings and calves as well as working on stretching before and after runs - inc making sure do good cool downs.

 

 

 

 

[Scooby Dudek]

I'd agree with @an tha above but also check the pace of these runs. Long Slow runs are meant to be that, slow, they put the miles in tbe legs but not the stress/effort. You need to recover to improve and running too quickly is a very common mistake, especially for ex runners who still believe they are 20 years younger.