The Plan Of Attack For The Abingdon Marathon (22nd October 2006)

So, having trained for and run The Flora London Marathon, throughout which I said I'd never do another one as the training was hell, I have decided to take the plunge and have entered the Abingdon Marathon.

This marathon is held every October just outside Oxford, it normally attracts a field of 1,000 runners, and is acknowledged as being one of the fastest and flattest marathons in the country.

Having read numerous books on running and training over the last 18 months I have chosen to follow a training plan from the book "Running Formula" by Jack Daniels Phd. This plan will take me up to the 70 mile a week mark, including some 22 mile training runs!

Should I steer clear of injury this plan could lead to me completing this course inside 3 hours 30 mins, setting me up nicely for a second attempt at London next April.

To compliment my training I will also be looking to include 2 core stability sessions per week, as well as trying to discipline myself to complete a thorough stretching session after each and every run. This should all help to keep me free from injury.

For this training plan I have had to consult a chart in the book, this chart tells me what my current VDOT rating is based on race performances.

Going on my current VDOT rating, the paces for my training runs will be as follows:

Easy Runs, known as "E" = 8.49 m/m
Marathon Paced Runs, "M" = 7.32 m/m
Tempo Paced Runs, "T" = 7.02 m/m
Interval Paced Runs, "I" = 4.03 m/km
Repetition Efforts, "R" = 90 Seconds per 400m
Long Runs, "L" = 8.17 - 9.02 m/m

And so, LET THE TRAINING BEGIN!