Marathons next year

[Sweder]

Hey SP, just read your post about +18 milers and you are bang on.
I got 4 x 20 milers in during Feb/ March this year, and though my FLM pace was hardly quicker than 2003 my ability to recover from bad patches on the day was greatly enhanced.

I'm also a big fan of track work. Again, didn't do much (for me) by way of increased pace, but weekly sessions at Withdean Stadium (Tuesday nights, 7.30 start) proved excellent for improving recovery time. Typical session (in a right mixed bag of runners) would be

- warm up (2 lopes around track)
3 x 200 metres
3 x 300 metres
1 x 1000 metres
Repeat
End with one mile

The idea is to run the final mile on knackered legs. Apparently this is where the benefit comes in. WARNING: I met two runners who claim that track work caused prolonged injuries, although I suspect they were doing too much. The track at Withdean is quite 'springy' and you can develop shin splints or worse.

Anyone wanting to know more drop me a line.
Ash