Tom Bezance – 3:36:27 to 3:18:13 Edinburgh marathon

Having been referred by a training plan client, Tom got in touch to get some guidance to the Edinburgh marathon, his first marathon in 14 years. 

With his PB of 3:36:27 from the 2008 London marathon, and his last running of the marathon distance being over 4 hours, the goal was to run under 4 hours, but with the hope that the months of training would allow a time closer to 3 hrs 30. 

Tom’s pre-plan 10k test run had given him a projection of 3:34 for the marathon, but we hit a snag early on, with the speedwork section immediately aggravating Tom’s sciatica which had been a factor in the past for him. 

We changed tactic, and began using his projected marathon pace, which would be close to his current half marathon pace. This would still improve his fitness, whilst managing the training stresses changes to strength training from CrossFit to more running specific exercises. With the Great Yarmouth half marathon in March as a benchmark of progress, and a target of under 1 hour 40, Tom nailed it, running 1:36 for a PB of over 10 minutes. 

With a continuing enthusiasm and plenty of hard work, we kept nudging the paces forward and varying the sessions to find the right level whilst navigating the small aches that inevitably arise when pushing for a big PB. 

Throughout the plan Tom made adjustments to his nutrition, both during his runs as well as in daily life, healthily losing 1.5 stone over 5 months. There’s no doubt this helped Tom’s race performance, aiding in a brilliant time of 3:18:13 at the Edinburgh marathon, a full 12 minutes ahead of his original A goal, and a huge 18-minute PB.