London Marathon is arguably the biggest marathon in the world and so we’ve put together our tips and advice for it and how on-the-day elements can affect your pacing such as the weather, course elevation, and in the case of the London Marathon the sheer number of people taking part. If you’re not fueled correctly before you head out then you’re asking for trouble and risk ‘hitting the wall’ or ‘bonking’. On your long training runs and on your actual marathon you will want to ensure you’re fueled correctly to ensure your glycogen stores are topped up. We’ve written ‘ 10 tips to help you complete a marathon ‘ with advice and tips for the mental challenge of pushing on when your brain is telling you to stop. My last 1.5 hour half marathon was 8 years ago, but maybe, just maybe, I could do a half marathon in 1. Running a marathon is never easy and if you’re aiming for a time like sub 5 hour 30 minutes then you may encounter some mental challenges as you aim to cross that finish line, especially after spending five and a half hours on your feet. Since I probably will never be able to do a sub 3 hour marathon again, I thought I would adjust my goal to do a half marathon at sub 3 hour marathon pace a 1.5 hour half marathon.

Ultimately your long training runs will help you dictate what your estimated finish time will be so check out the pacing charts to see where your half marathon and 20 mile runs aline with a predicted full marathon finish time.

As you will be on for feet for a long time during these long runs, building up endurance, both physical and mental, will be key.

Download pace for 5 hour marathon