Leonie and Petrina marathon efforts
Posted by on 18 November 2019
Leonie Dyar was our top female finisher in the 2019 Dublin City Marathon. Her time improved by a whopping 23 minute form her previous best time in 2017.
"Improvements in running times came from new training plans, better nutrition and knowing when to rest. Increased weekly training from approximately 3 to 4 days in previous years to 6 days this year. Ran between 30 to 50 miles per week over a 20 week period incorporating threshold, steady and easy miles each week. Took one, two or even three days of rest when sick or even just feeling tired and came back training stronger and completely recharged. Ditched protein bars. Ate frequent, smaller, healthier meals with plenty of fruit and veg and found increasing water and gel block consumption helped with recovery after running for longer periods.
Petrina Kennedy Edwards was another of our female runners who made good progress this year. She put the disappointment of her Boston run behind her to set a new pb in Berlin and go close in Dublin.
She attributed her improvements to changes in how she trained. She was introduced to a training plan by colleague Andrew Revington which put the emphasis on achieving specific goal times. The tempo and speed sessions were more focused than previously. When she ran Berlin on 29 September it all fell into place for her and she was delighted to knock 10 minutes off her previous best when crossing the line in 3h28. A month later she took on the Dublin Marathon and surprised herself by finishing in 3h30 despite the short recovery time and the more challenging terrain. She now has her sight set on Tokyo in 2020 as she looks to complete the Marathon Majors.
