Marathon Training Seminars

Serpentine has run several seminars offering training advice for marathon runners. Details are below, in date order, with the most recent seminars listed first.

2022

7 September 2022, 8pm Seymour Leisure Centre (after the cub run)

Club members and non members such as family, friends, or friends of friends are invited to meet fellow marathoners and hear advice from some of our more experienced runners and coaches. Topics will include:

  • Preparation in the week/days leading up to London marathon (i.e. tapering, eating, sleeping, nutrition, kit preparation).
  • What to expect on race day and preparation such as when to arrive at the start, what to pack, kit requirements, race nutrition/drinking etc.

No sign up required unless you are a non member email running@serpentine.org.uk so we can give you access to the club rooms.

 

Previous seminars

 

2019

16th January 2019, 7pm, Seymour Centre

We are pleased to announce that Beverley Gibbs, a Registered Nutritional Therapist, will be giving a talk about nutrition, which is aimed specifically at female endurance runners targeting a half or full marathon. Given the sensitive nature of this subject and the need for open discussion we would like to restrict this to women club members only. We hope to put on more talks and seminars covering other topics, including on nutrition, in the near future.

Presentation

Slides

21st January 2019, 7pm, Seymour Centre

A session with coach David Chalfen to help guide your current and future marathon preparation and racing. 

Presentation

Slides

2018

A Q&A / informal talk with Jonathan Poole, Christine Kennedy and David Chalfen. (No slides.)

2017

We will be holding two marathon seminars early in 2017 that will be aimed at those targeting a spring marathon.

Seminar 1 – with David Chalfen

A session to help guide your current and future marathon preparation and racing. It will thoroughly cover what you would expect a marathon coach to cover. It should be of use to anyone in a range of 2:20 to sub 3:30 and has been presented on behalf of England Athletics to groups of coaches/runners in that sort of range. It won't focus much on what you would expect to see a physio, physician or nutritionist for.

Presenter will be Serpentine Coach David Chalfen. He has been coaching for over 14 years, is a Level 4 performance coach and was an England Athletics Area Coach mentor in Endurance from 2009 to 2014. He has coached hundreds of runners from international standard down to modest recreational level, with a focus on the longer distances up to marathon. He is author of Improve Your Marathon and Half Marathon Running, which is on England Athletics' recommended reading list for endurance runners and coaches. As a runner he ran 20 marathons with a PB of 2:32.

Presentation

Seminar 2 – with Andrew Reeves

A seminar aimed at those preparing for their first marathon, or for more experienced marathoners aiming to finish in between 2:45 to 4:00. Whilst there will be some overlaps with the first seminar, the aim of this seminar is to develop a clear understanding of the fundamentals behind successful marathon training and how the training sessions on offer at the club can help with this.

Presenter will be Andrew Reeves. He is a UK Athletics Coach Level 2 (Endurance) and holds an ITEC Diploma in Holistic Massage and a VTCT Diploma in Sports Massage. Andrew has coached with Serpentine for many years, and presented at several earlier marathon seminars. He races regularly across the range of distances, and has a marathon PB of 2:41.

2016

A session to help guide your current and future marathon preparation and racing, thoroughly covering what you would expect a marathon coach to cover and of use to anyone in a range of 2:20 to sub 4:00. It has been presented on behalf of England Athletics to groups of coaches/runners in that sort of range. It doesn’t focus much on what you would expect to see a physio, physician or nutritionist for.

Presenter: Serpentine Coach David Chalfen. He has been coaching for 15 years, is a Level 4 performance coach and was an England Athletics Area Coach mentor in Endurance from 2009 to 2014. He has coached hundreds of runners from international standard down to modest recreational level, with a focus on the longer distances up to marathon. He is author of Improve Your Marathon and Half Marathon Running, which is on England Athletics’ recommended reading list for endurance runners and coaches. As a runner he ran 20 marathons with a PB of 2:32.

Presentation

2015

The Club is organising a series of marathon seminars for those running a marathon in 2015. The first seminar took place in November and covered target setting, training schedules and key sessions. The second seminar took place in February and covered injury prevention and treatment and nutrition.

Presentations

Slides from the first seminar (Andrew Reeves)

Slides from the second seminar (Tom Dekkers)

Slides from the second seminar (Roberto Ciurleo)

Slides from the second seminar (Jane Nodder: part 1 and part 2)

2011

Over 30 Serpies attended the Spring Marathon Training Seminar held at the Civil Services Sports Club in Westminster on February 14th  2011 to glean what hints, tips and motivation they could from fellow members and coaches.

UKA Level 2 coaches Andrew Reeves and John Cullinane, as well as high-mileage exponent Greg Stevens, presented their personal experiences and technical training advice in a two and a half hour session.

Thanks to Urban Bettag and Malcolm French for organising.

The presentation given at the seminar is available below and video footage, taken by Urban, will be available soon.

Presentation

2010

Over 40 Serpies attended the Spring Marathon Training Seminar held at the Civil Services Sports Club in Westminster on February 1st 2010 to glean what hints, tips and motivation they could from fellow members and coaches.

UKA Level 2 coaches Andrew Reeves and John Cullinane presented their personal experiences and technical training advice in a two and a half hour session.

Thanks to Jen Marzullo and Malcolm French for organising.

The presentation given at the seminar is available below.

Presentation

2008

Q&A with Bud Baldaro. Available to read here

2006

Over 75 Serpies showed up to the inaugural Spring Marathon Training Seminar on 9th January 2006 to glean what hints, tips and motivation they could from fellow members and coaches.

First time marathoner Andrew Reeves and recent pb annihilator Julie Cameron-Doe provided personal accounts of how they achieved their goals; while Level II coaches Karen Hancock and Jasyn Savage, along with sports lecturer Sarah Edmunds, provided technical training advice.

Copies of the presentations given at the seminar are be available below.

Presentations