Moving Up to Marathon Group Spring 2022
May 08, 2022
by Martin Lawrence
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The Moving Up to Marathon group helped Redway Runners complete Rome, Manchester, Brighton and Milton Keynes marathons this spring. With some runners completing more than one.
The 16-week programme followed the Garmin intermediate marathon plan which we adapted slightly to fit with the Tuesday Interval sessions from Kingston.
These coached sessions, along with a Long Easy Run on a Sunday provided the backbone for the plan, which introduced runners to different running activities, including easy, tempo, threshold, fartlek, intervals, trails and those dreaded hills.
With Christmas on our heels and Covid in full flight, we started the group still really unsure if we would be running virtual marathons or the full-blown events but we had to try. We were glad we did as it turned out we were able to run the real thing with the true marathon experience.
Some runners elected to follow the plan remotely and kept in touch through our Facebook group, others attended sessions where they could. Whichever method they chose, the group sessions were there for them and we were happy to see them each time.
In addition to new group members, we invited back graduates from our previous groups in the hope that they would help us support the new runners within the group. This proved to be a real positive with the graduates all showing what can be achieved when supporting each other through a challenging training plan. Some even encouraging new members to the group and others using the sessions to help train towards their first Ultra-Marathons.
As always, there were a variety of paces within the group but we are used to that with faster and steadier runners proving inspirational in their own ways. The programme being generally time-based allows us to run together with our traditional loopbacks on our long-runs and intervals being run around the ponds at Glebe Farm, so no one got left behind.
Everyone’s marathon stories are different and this group were no different. Some found the training seemingly easy with others less so but in reality, it is never easy. We would like to congratulate all the runners firstly for starting the group, it’s a brave step. Those who started but couldn’t complete the course, often to circumstances beyond their control and most of all to those that realised their dreams of completing their first marathons.
This year, we were joined by two new run leads. Dee Mendez, a long-standing club member and run lead also Peter Bennett, who as a returning graduate and new run lead was working towards his CiRF qualifications which he passed with no problem. Having a larger coaching team proved essential, allowing us to support the runners throughout and each other when Covid finally caught hold. So, congratulations to Peter and thank you to you both for all your hard work.
On MK Marathon day, Dee (as well as running Brighton) was supporting the runners through mile 16 and Peter and myself running with the group during the marathon. It was a great moment to enter the stadium, hearing the cheers of the group members who had already finished along with those of previous group members.
We start again in around 10 weeks aiming at October Marathons