The results are in. Fourteen plans written, each eighteen week’s long. Only one and a half weeks were lost through injury, and that was due to a pre-existing problem. All the runners knew their training paces and the benefits of gentle conversational running. With the volume of running gradually increasing and no run over two and a half hours in length, the seven new recruits to the Lydiard system all ran personal bests. Two of these were first time marathoners.
James Roberts started the ball rolling at the Boston Marathon, in Lincolnshire, improving his PB by 19mins to 3hours 19mins. Claire Abel of Maldwyn Harriers dreamed of a ‘good for age’ time in order to secure a place in next year’s London Marathon. She achieved this with a time of 3 hours 47mins at Edinburgh, her first time under four hours.
Of the seven that had run on a programme before, two gained PBs whilst the others survived the heat that was the London Marathon by adjusting their pace accordingly.
The weather was slightly cooler for Karen Foreman at the Liverpool Marathon. Her target was sub 4hrs 30mins and with incredible even pace running, learnt with weeks on the track on a Tuesday evening, she completed her run in 4 hours 26 mins a 13min PB.
Coaching came to a conclusion last weekend when Andrew Weaver finished the crazy Ultra that is The Convergence in 41st place claiming his silver medal for running 35 miles to Hope!
Now time to think about the Autumn half and full marathons.