M'thon trainin, on the fells?

[TheReverand]

Ive just entered Edinburgh marathon, on 23 may. Whats people opinions on doing long training runs for a marathon, off road? Say for example if all or most of my 2-3 hour runs were done on the moors or hills would this help or hinder my marathon prep? I prefer training off road, and as long as I do my speed work on the road do you reckon I'll be able to do the marathon without doing more than 1 or 2 'long' road runs? Thanks for any thoughts on this

[biara]

Did London using mostly offroad races and runs, did okayish, lacked the speed work to be honest.

[Feet in the Cowclaps]

I'm no expert, and it depends on what your goal is in the Edinburgh marathon, and I'm not really sure what the course profile is like at Edinburgh (is that the one with the long downhill at the start?), but I think there comes a time when your training needs to be 'race-specific'. I'd recommend doing more than 1 or 2 long road runs on the flat (the last 4 or 5 long runs?), as you need to get your legs used to pounding away on tarmac for several hours if nothing else.

[IainR]

I think you'll struggle. I generally train on the fells but do the odd long road race, 2 100K's last year, and a few marathons etc. I find that if I don't do the road miles my quads just get too damaged from the pounding. The fitness can be there but I reckon you need to condition your body to the pounding the road does to it.

[idler]

Don't say that! I've got a Half in 2 weeks - have barely run on the roads in ages ...mind you I reckon a Marathon is way more than twice a Half ;-)

[JohnK]

Ive just entered Edinburgh marathon, on 23 may. Whats people opinions on doing long training runs for a marathon, off road? Say for example if all or most of my 2-3 hour runs were done on the moors or hills would this help or hinder my marathon prep? I prefer training off road, and as long as I do my speed work on the road do you reckon I'll be able to do the marathon without doing more than 1 or 2 'long' road runs? Thanks for any thoughts on this

TBH i reckon it depends on your aspirations for the road marathon, if you want a good time then your training needs to be race speciefic.

From my own experience off road running/training, screwed up my road marathon times, didn`t matter though as i now find road running to be pretty uninspiring, and injury inducing.


Good luck.

[SteveS]

Worked okay for me last year in the build up to Nottingham, lots of LDWA style events at the weekends for my long runs, with a couple of short evening fell races each week as speed work.

On top of the above I was doing several lunch time runs on hard surfaces, up to about an hour. Nothing over an hour on the roads, but I do come from more of a road background so am used to being able to survive the pounding, and usually I would recommend a good amount of specific, ie road, training.

I remember getting nervous about not pushing myself on the roads at all, and did the Chesterfield 10 road race a fortnight before to settle those nerves. That went well, as did the marathon with a small PB. Whether I could have performed better on more road training who can say, but I know I enjoyed it a lot more and was more inclined to get out and do the training in the first place.

[TheReverand]

Well im hoping to put a decent time down, so ye im taking it seriously. Dont know a great deal about the course profile other than its 'flat and fast' apparently Im going to run the 3 peaks a month before hand and this I imagine will be my longest run, atleast time wise A couple of halfs in the spring and maybe a couple of tarmac 20 milers and I think that may just be it, aside from a few long moors runs and lots of speed work on the promenade, sub 2hr45 hopefully, we'll see how it goes

[The Courteener]

You'll find Andi Jones, Gaz Raven, Dave Norman and a fair few more sub 2.20 marathon guys do the majority of their training off road on moor land and fells. If its good enough for them boys then its good enough for me. Balance it out by doing some road races in the build up, a good half will help you adjust to the road.

[IainR]

You'll find Andi Jones, Gaz Raven, Dave Norman and a fair few more sub 2.20 marathon guys do the majority of their training off road on moor land and fells. If its good enough for them boys then its good enough for me. Balance it out by doing some road races in the build up, a good half will help you adjust to the road.

Yes, but I'd imagine they'd do more than 1 or 2 road runs, like the reverend is planning?

He could be Ok. TBH I think it'll affect him more afterwards as much as anything, with more conditioning from road running I don't think you get as smashed up.