Bret

Bret, don't know how true this is, but on an Irish site they're saying that NYC marathon is off. Might be worth checking out. If it's still on, sorry for causing any alarm.

Sky news now reporting it's off. Have you got a 'B' race/plan?

Thanks Bam. I happened to be at the airport in eating dinner next to my gate when I looked at the television and saw the breaking news. Then my phone started getting pinged with text messages. Stunned at this late hour that they made this decision - Fine with what they decided of course as I was conflicted about it anyway, but now just kinda disappointed.

Spent the last hour canceling my flight/hotel etc. And finding a "plan B" as you said.

Was thinking about Philly for Nov 18 but their registration is closed. Lots of smaller low-key races in the next couple of weeks. May run up to Huntington WV for the Marshall University marathon next week. My neice went to school there and my wife has family in WV. Although it is a hilly state, this course is supposed to be flat.

On Sunday there is a half marathon right down the street from my house. I may jump in that ... Need the night to sleep on things and sort out a plan.

There's always London in the Spring...

For what it's worth, here are my thoughts:

you have clocked some serious miles over the last 5 months, with a little bit of hill work and a sprinkling of speed.

I think the speed work took the wind out of your sails (it did the same to me). That said, both of us are a lot fitter than we were 5 months back and I think we have good foundations to build on.

I know you can't do the same amount of training that I can, because of work etc, but I think if you were to approach London differently you would run in the 2:30's - without beating yourself up.

I'd do a sharpener session early in the week and then do the half; then build for London - with confidence.

There's no 5k/3k speed work in my build up - I haven't the time. It's pretty simple, but I think it'll be very effective. It's based around some of Canova's ideas for guys running 2:15-2:45. It's not as hard as most people think. There's no 15 miles at pmp etc - the hardest session is 3x7k @ 102% of pmp and 22 miles at 95% of pmp.

Everything, apart from recovery runs operates within 80%-110% of pmp. In fact, apart from one session, everything operates between 80%-105% of pmp. The 110% session is the very first session you do:20x400m off 200 jog rec - not too taxing.

For the first half of the plan, you work on 9 day blocks: stress/rec/rec repeat. The stress sessions are a long run 2.5 hrs at 80% of pmp - you start to increase the pace as it goes on. The recovery runs are up to you (I'm doing 2x8 miles with a hill sprint session on the second recovery day - the hills are not taxing at all). The second stress is a marathon type speed session, starting with the aforementioned 400's, building to 10x1mile @ 103% of pmp. The third stress is hill circuits. These begin with 3 efforts of 1km with a 600m jog rec and you build them until you are doing 10 of them. The hill circuit session is awesome.

After that you go into a very simple weekly routine, which channels everything towards pmp. But I'll save it and see what you think.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck.

Thanks - I would be interested in seeing the whole plan and will consider it. It is true that the my body did not respond well to the speed sessions, ofter requiring a lot more recovery than I had been previously used to when doing them. Not sure if that is age or the cummulative effect of the high mileage.

Anyway, I am trying to be conservative in deciding what to do in the short term (which may include not doing another race) - while there are a number of low key alternative races - in the next couple of weeks, my "head" is not yet in the right place to make that call just yet.

Andrea and I were talking last night about what we would do in this situation - your goal race getting cancelled at the last minute... I think the toughest part would just be the mindset - changing the focus. You put so much into one day w/ the marathon buildups... that's what is awesome about it, and also what's a bummer about it when something goes wrong. I don't know what I'd do! Its such a tough call.