Week 34: Quadriceps and race plans

The first run of the week was a family run around the local reservoir.  The kids ran well and didn't complain, so there is hope that they can come with us more often.  After one circuit of 3.5 km I climbed into the hills and then back down to return home.  The next day I went for a 6 hour walk in the mountains with 1000m of altitude.  My knees suffered a lot especially on the descent.  This is a bit worrying as my run in August has a cumulative descent of 4000m.
I researched some quadricep exercises on the internet in the hope that the root cause of my knee problems is weak quadriceps.  It seems that squats and lunges are the best exercises, so I will try and do some every morning and evening in the hope that things get better before the big race.
On my next run I strapped my left knee (the weaker of the two) to see if this would help.  I did a relatively short run, 10km but pushed myself to run a little faster.   The strapping seemed to help.
At the weekend, I watched and listened to commentary of the London Marathon.  One 88 year old lady advised comfortable shoes and clothes, with a slow as possible start and building up from there.  I am sure that this is true as sometimes I start fast and suffer later, then other times I start slowly and manage to finish faster and with less pain.  There was also an interview with a sport psychologist, she explained that runners need a race plan.  So I started looking at the profile of my race in August, trying to estimate where I will be at certain moments, based on distance and altitude.  The race starts at 10 am and the race book suggests 6 hours to finish the 47km.  I think I will aim for 7- 8 hours based on my performances so far and the terrain.  However I plan to recon sections of the race this summer so should have a better idea later.