2:45 would be great. Remember the first time I broke it, by about 30 seconds I think, which was the goal for that day. It's an amazing feeling.. you'll know what that's all about soon I'm sure!
How is this only the first video I've seen?! As soon as I'm done my finals I'm literally going to binge watch everything you've ever posted :D! Keep it up!
Just started following you recently and love your videos and insight. I am more focused on Ironman but to get to Kona I need to improve my marathon about 20 min yet. I only started running 4 years ago and am 35 years old now. I believe I can get to a sub 3 hour. Watching you run that fast is mind boggling. Your pace is my one mile all out pace :)
Great tips! Yes, I highly recommend resistance bands! My running coach educated me about how helpful they are with your stride and running form. Excited to watch your future videos!
Brilliant video Ben. Your best yet. Thanks for sharing all the advice. I think we all think there’s a hidden secret to achieving what you achieved but you’ve just proved otherwise. It’s the simple things done consistently well. Thanks again! 👍🏼
Thank you. I guess it's human nature to look for short cuts and quick wins.. but rarely is that the answer with running... especially the marathon. Really nice message to get, thank you!
I was waiting to see how you went on. The signs were there when you were puking in the park - i thought that guy has some balls to continue a session after that - Brilliant Run. Chapeau!!!!
Great recap video, like the reflective, breakdown nature of this one. It would be good to see some videos with you running with others and sharing your tips and thoughts on different aspects of running with each other, whether that be when and where to run, how it fits around life, your approaches to diet, your approaches to racing, how you mentally prepare - which I imagine is very important when it’s marathon distance - and then how you tackle the race itself. There’s so much to learn from others who are passionate about the same thing, you’ve obviously got a lot of great traits, tendencies, approaches, and it’d be great to see that compared to and shared with other runners around the same ability. Keep up the great work Ben - any (cheeky) Christmas deals on the caps??!
Ben Parkes brilliant, nice one. Very glad to have subscribed, you’re producing great material here. And inspiring stuff. Smashing your PB by that much is f%#@&n obscene
Excellent vlog. Really enjoyed it watched it all in 2 days. Great advise to at the end. Did a 2.52 in Frankfurt this year and will definetly incorporate some off your sessions into next marathon.
Congratulations on your well earned PB! I am doing the Hamburg Marathon at the end of April 2019. The last marathon I did was Paris 2016 and I got 3hr28m50 (PB) but I think I am capable of beating that! It's really helpful to hear how you achieved your goal. I need to really focus on diet/nutrition as well as making sure I stay positive and determined as I become more and more tired during training. (I sometimes struggle with this!) I have 4 months to prepare and I already have an OK fitness base to work from this time around. So, fingers crossed!
Congrats Ben! Really amazing achievement! I follow your journey through instagram and youtube and really insprires me your discipline and consistency to this amazing achievement! Wish you all the best for the future dude! Keep running! Cheers from Greece!!!
The Greg Brookhouse haha.. that’s what happens when you record someone then realise you don’t have any clips of running just outside London! The actual clip was from Chamonix though..
Thoroughly enjoyed this series of videos...-MOTIVATION!!! You are such a talented runner to get your time to 2:25- CONGRATS! My dream 5k race would be achieve anyone of your 5k spilt times. After a 25 year absence from running, I started running again in late July so I have my work cut out for me to get to a realistic sub 23:00. Cheers, from Canada.
Hey! Thank you for the message.. and welcome back to running after 25 years away. I bet the world is quite different now, but the basics and principles are exactly the same. Good luck with your sub 23 minute plan for 2019.. Happy running and all the best!
i love to see that ultramarathon runners can also be super fast marathon runners !!! In 2019 i plan on race the valencia marathon and hope to achieve my sub 3h goal :D
@@BenParkes everything Good! The dry season(summer) just started so it's easier to go for a run. If you come to 🇨🇷 someday let me know so we can go for a run 🏃🇨🇷🏴 so I can learn more from you 💪
FAB CHANNEL ! thanks for this !! ... Im vegan so all plant foods for nutrition.. and its good to see someone else who doesnt really do track or gym sessions, I cracked a 2:52 marathon this year and looking to drop a few minutes off that in 2019...... bravo on your 2:25 thats amazing
Thank you! I will be doing some more gym work for sure coming up as need to strengthen up for trails, but yeah.. didn't really do much for this marathon. Well done on your 2:52! That's great!!
Another great video Ben. Thanks for sharing your tips. Already looking forward to the next series to learn about your future projects. Your right to feel proud of this fantastic achievement. Are you wearing Stance socks in one of the clips? I've been told there decent so I've just ordered some. Sick of getting holes in my socks and loosing them of course!
I'm so happy to have found your channel with the Peg Turbo review a few months ago. Such a positive mindset! 2:25 is amazing !Congrats! I would like to hear about base building between specific marathon programs. I had an average of 100km per week on my 16 weeks program with few weeks at around 130. What should be my goal during base builing? We're talking about a 12 weeks base phase. I ran my first marathon in 2:56 and have a half PR of 1:19 if it's matter. 2:4X is my goal for my spring marathon. Thank you! Cheers
Hi Ben, just discovered your videos, love them. I'm a keen runner myself, not in your high standards though. I did alot of XC at school, done about 15 Half's, 1:34 is my best time but that was a few years ago. Did the Reykjavik marathon in 2013 in 3:46. I would love to do another marathon this year and aim to get 3:30. Think I've lost pace though. Can I email you for some advice, not sure if it's a full coaching element. Cheers, Keith.
Thank you Kiran. The next big race is in Gran Canaria in February, it's 128KM. I have a half marathon in London in early February, so there will be some content about these two coming up!
Great job! I also finished valencia in 2:59 - it was an absolutely awesome competition, everything was perfect. how did you like it the whole event/organization? I love your videos! Best wishes from austria
It's probably my second favourite marathon in the world.. nothing will be London, that's always number 1!! Thought the event was superb, really really good... Well done on your 2:59!!
+Ben Parkes thank you but a training run pace for you :-D i hope i can manage it to run in london someday, but it's pretty hard for foreigners to get a bib without travel agencies.
I train like mad every day, I can't even reach 5km in 20 min. But I can't really go much above 200 bpm during my runs, so I guess I won't get any better. I wish i had your skills
Super work Ben in Valencia awesome running! Your videos are so helpful and motivating! Quick question on cadence. I'm trying to get my cadence up to the 180 standard. Is this something that you had to work on? My cadence only seems to be in the 170-180 bracket when I'm going at 5k pace but I see other runners and they run at 180 even when they are doing easy/recovery runs.
My cadence has always been quite high. The best thing to do is download a metronome app on your phone and set it to 180. Then you can listen in and try to run to the beat. Practice it on all your runs. That's what has helped me!
Ben - Love your channel Ben. Great time. Just looking at your stride length, I know you have a sub 2:20 in you very shortly. Oh btw, I've never run a marathon and I have no idea how easy it is to increase stride length :) I'd love to see you go for it. I'm hoping to run my first marathon in Sept 2019. I pretty much have 8 months to get ready. I ran 2 half marathons in 2018 so figured I'd build up my aerobic fitness between now and the end of March then commence a 5 month marathon specific training program. Does that make sense?
Nice video. I was at the same race and managed a PB too. Not as quick as yours mind, but a significant score for my ageing body. My methods were similar but not in the same volume and I only picked up the scent from about 11 weeks out, courtesy of a great friend of mine that has your common sense. So, what's your next target race?
Hi Mark! Congratulations on the PB, well done! The next race in Trans Gran Canaria, well the that's the next one I'm taking seriously. I have a 1/2 marathon in London in early Feb, but that will just be for fun! All the best and happy running!
Looking at Strava you have had high mileage all year - how did you define your training blocks. Did you have 2 peaks in the year and did you have a well defined base period when you only did Aerobic Training?
Hi Craig! I was training for a couple of Ultras throughout the summer (neither of which went very well) but did a lot of aerobic base building there getting ready for those. After the NDW 100 mile, I took a week of very low mileage recovery and then started this block the following week. This is the first race where I've trained specifically for one race, over a set block.. In the past I've just ran multiple marathons week after week and always been racing, which wasn't good and I've reduced that down now to try and peak for this race. So I guess the latter part of the year I'd have followed the traditional model of athletes who race in two big events, peaking twice. Hope that makes some sense.. if not, feel free to come back to me!
Thanks Ben - So - in an ideal build up - how close would you be to a classic 6 months Lydiard periodisation which would be 16 weeks Aerobic; 4 weeks Hills and then 6weeks specific conditioning aka 2 to 3 anaerbic sessions per week. I think he would have recommend one peak for a world record attempt ( or sub 2.18 for you?)so the Aerobic phase would be 32 weeks; Hills 4 and 16 weeks race conditioning
Yet another great video. I’m still having issues with my Piriformis, been to see physio and been given some stretches but still struggling to run pain free 😔. Getting frustrated now as been 2 months since i ran Chicago and desperate to get more miles run. Any tips on what I should do next or what you would do if in similar situation?
If it was me I'd be using something like this.. www.gym-stuff.co.uk/products/pro-tone®-lacrosse-ball-for-trigger-point-massage-rehab-physiotherapy?variant=12557025017917&gclid=CjwKCAiA9K3gBRA4EiwACEhFe7DqrmeX26sfO-f-cF1liN5pMB94HfgiMsnhg5BsGTvDHK65xy05wBoCzqAQAvD_BwE and basically just sit on it and move the area over it. Just to get in and really give it a good massage. Hope it improves soon!
Hi Simon. I had a lot of marathon pace work combined into long runs.. so maybe 3x 5k chunks at Goal Marathon Pace.. mixed into a 30k run. The longest continuous goal marathon pace run I did was a half marathon (in training, not a race).. where I ran it in 1:12:56 I think. www.strava.com/activities/1858703797
Thanks for the reply Ben! I did 2x 40 mins at mara pace last week- 3:32s. How many quality sessions did you do a week? Would love to go 2:30 at London.
Thanks Jordan. Would love to make a cook book at some point in the future. If you're looking for some plant based recipes then check out the happy pear on youtube. They are my go to channel for good cooking!
Hey Kate.. I just meant to try to really limit processed food.. but it's impossible to avoid it all together. I like Tofu.. add it to Stir fry's (sorry if that's not spelt right) and in curry too. I do have some of the meat replacement options now and again, like Quorn.. but probably once a week really. Hope you're running is good.. all the best!
Usually go to the Surrey Hills.. around Peaslake / Leith Hill. Sometimes Box Hill and run along the North Downs Way. Or Wendover Woods is another option we sometimes head to!
Interesting that in your Mile and K repeats you did 1 Mile and 1 K recovery in between so time wise that is something like 40% on and 60% off. Presumably that was a conscious decision rather than the more commonly recommended 50/50? Thoughts?
Hey. On my mile repeats, I took a 2 minute standing rest between reps. But, yes, on my KM repeats I jogged for a KM after each one. It's purely a personal thing, in that I like to keep things moving for my recoveries as find my form is a lot better when I haven't stopped and stood around for a while. It keeps me focused for the upcoming rep. It's just how my mind operates and I do what's needed to get the most out of it.
Hey Jonas. Box Hill is ok to get to from London. Train to Westhumble. Or you get get on the North Downs Way near Reigate. Epping Forest has some really nice trails and is on the central line. Or head out towards the Chilterns and Wendover Woods. Hope that helps!
Hey Matthew.. I do quite a bit of both combined.. So session like 3k Easy, 3k Threshold, 3k Easy, 3k Threshold, 10k Easy, 3k Threshold, 5k Easy.. for a 30k long run session. I don't tend to do threshold runs as stand alone events, just the occasional Parkrun that's quick. Hope that makes sense!
Hello Julia. The main reason was because there are SO many very fast runners in Valencia. In the UK my time would have probably been close to winning most marathon (apart from London obviously!) but in Valencia I came about 70th. So I knew there would be a lot of very good quality runners to run with. Plus the weather is always perfect, the organisation is very very good, the course is super flat and interesting, plus the Spanish population are so friendly!
The oranges were SO lovely. Such a nice change from the usual sweets and chocolate you get at the end of races. I have some friends running in Sevilla next year, but I'll be getting ready to run Trans Gran Canaria. Maybe Sevilla in 2020!
