Marathons completed?
22 Marathons. 5 of the big 6 done so just Tokyo to do.
PB Marathon time?
Belfast in 2002 – 3hrs 29 mins and 9 seconds.
Favourite marathon and why?
Think I’ve enjoyed them all – similar to child birth in that you seem to remember the best bits and forget the rest…! First one was London in 1989 and the crowds were unreal. It was a great achievement and pretty special. Loved Elgin marathon for pacing a friend to get a PB and enjoyed it for being so low key. Disney marathon was also special. Did it for my last big birthday and did the Goofy challenge. I was chuffed to do the second half of the Mickey Mouse marathon quicker than the first half and of the Donald Duck half marathon the previous day!
Worst marathon memory and why?
Loved and hated Snowdonia marathon. It was the toughest and slowest of all my marathons but completed it. I have never been so cold and wet in a marathon with all of weathers including sleet!
Marathon plan 80:20, Pfitz, Hal Higdon or other?
The training plans I have used have been from Runners World magazine or passed to me from friends. These usually consist of starting off from a good basis then 16 weeks with maximum long run of 22/23 miles 3 weeks before the marathon and speed training once a week.
Hydration & Nutrition snack of choice on long runs?
For runs 10 miles or longer I take gels. The latest ones I use are SIS as I find they are to easy digest during the runs. I take an isotonic drink before I start then just water during the run. Always important to hydrate after the run so I take isotonic drinks again and also find it important to eat as soon as you can after any long run to aid recovery.
Shoes – minimal or maximal ?
I’ve been using the Asics Gel 2000 series for most of my running career. I have tried different ones but these are the ones I always come back to even though I could get off with less support.
Terrain – trail, track or tarmac?
I love running off road by the side of the river or around the local parks but for my longer marathon runs I try to do these mainly on tarmac as I find it best to train on the marathon terrain.
Top tip for #project345 ?
It would be good if I could listen to my own advice! When training for a marathon my times improved when I got the longer 22/23 mile runs done and weekly speed sessions on joining Metro also really helped to get my times down. My main tip would be not to get too hung up on training schedules as there are times when things get in the way such as illness but if the training has been going well an you don’t loose too much time you should still be able to achieve your goals. PS Good Luck!
Massive thanks to Izzie, WOW 22 marathons some amazing experiences and the Disney runs sound fantastic