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Minimum weekly mileage for sub 3 marathon
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OK - final update after getting to 50 miles a week in training.
I've run the marathon now. First 7 miles at 6:50 per mile pace, half way in 1:31, got a real can't be bothered feeling by mile 17, brief stop for toilet break, think of stopping but decide I would still have to walk back, jog onwards, stomach cramps at 20 mile drink station so two short walks to get over it, dragged my aching body over the line in 3:20:08, a new pb, but not really plan 'A'!
Now going to start a new thread on 'setting realistic targets/ choosing the correct pace for a marathon'!
Thanks for all your comments and help on this thread.
🙂
Ric - For sure the pace was too fast. I should have aimed at 7:00-7:15 min miles this time. Got over confident after the 20 mile run and with the thought of 3 hour marathon glory (I also need blinkers to stop chasing after people). Next step is a summer of pace running for 5k/ 10k while keeping some of the distance up at the weekend. Hopefully I will get the balance right and come back faster and wiser.
As a note I have been doing 8 mile pace runs during the week (~7 min mile) and park runs (~6 min mile), but shelved any longer pace runs when not racing, so you may have a point on that. I also think serious hill work was missing, as the course had a few lumps that I made a meal of.
Ive found great similarities between myself and your efforts Rob. I had grand ideas of achieving a sub 3 hour marathon at the first attempt last year. I was around the 39/40 min mark for a 10k and my training was quite similar to yours. I'd done a 20 mile slow run in 2.20 and felt quite comfortable so went into with it with cautious optimism.
I went through half way in 1.27 but at the 19 mile mark the wheels came off spectacularly and i pretty much crawled over the line in 3.30. That nearly put me off running for life. ha ha.
I then decided to enter my first official 10k race in march and ran 36.16 and have just done my second one in 34.47. I'm now getting grand ideas of a sub 3 hour again but wondering if i should keep on aiming to better my 10k or aim for a marathon. (my 10k training seems to be setting off out and if i feel good, i go for it.)
Anybody know if my 10k time would suffer if i decided to do a marathon or would they complement each other?
*long run not slow.
With a sub 35 minute 10k you definately now have the speed. If you can whip up some sort of endurance to go with it sub 3 would definately be a realistic goal!
Peter other than making Mo sound like an Irish politician, you are right.
5k, 10k are the distances you should concentrate on. Once your getting under 18 and 35 minutes respectively your ready for the marathon.
Of course if you just want to run it thats a different matter, but to get under 3 hours you got to get that endurance stamina speed balance.
Somoene I know is an FLM Ever-Present and has done them all under 3 hours (quickest was 2.28, I think, he did around 2.51 this year, aged 53). He has never trained more than 40 miles a week (although he races ultra and ran from West to East Coast of the US recently) BUT has been running consistently for so many years - well, decades - that he has built up a huge bank of miles. And he is as tough as old boots. If you don't have that mileage bank, and you haven't the natural speed to get by on relatively little training, I'd think you have to do a fair amount of mileage to get under 3 hrs.
I just did a marathon in sub 3 (2:56) with doing no more than 49 miles in a week, I did between 13 (taper)-49 per week (ave = 34miles over a 13 week period)...Trained 5/6 days per week...
I thought i would bump this thread as i am aiming for a sub 3hr marathon but only have a pb10k of 38 mins and pb half of 1:28 and pb marathon 3:13.
however these have been off a 30-35 mpw base. I training in heavy cushioned running shoes but race in light running shoes. Do you sub 3 guys train in racing or training shoes?
any words of advice ?
More miles !
It's about staying injury-free as well, so wear what feels comfortable. I do virtually all my training in heavy shoes, including intervals, tempo runs, etc. I'll make an exception when I'm getting closer to a key race, maybe for a target marathon-pace run or two, although this is as much to get a feel for the shoes as anything else.
Gradually increasing your mileage from 30-35 to 45-50/wk could well get you there, but there are a number of variables, without knowing what your training looks like. Your 10k/HM PBs are a little out of whack; getting your HM PB down to something like 1:23 would be a good indicator.
Cheers Phil,
I am also for staying injury free as it is a bit of a problem of mine always getting niggles.
I have only been running 2 years and aim to get 10k time down to 37 ish minutes and half down to 1:25 ish. New traing plan i have devised as follows
Monday 6 miles steady (7 min miles)
Tuesday 6 miles (easy)
Wednesday 10 miles (sub 7 mins)
Thursday 6 miles (easy)
Saturday long run 16 -22 miles (7 min miles at the end)
All i used to do was a 6,5 and 14-18 mile runs. so a drastic increase
do I need racing shorts as well Phill?
I've nothing to contribute... but just to say that this is one of the best threads on here. I've certainly taken some encouragement from reading some experiences on it.
Interesting. Making me think about skipping a marathon next Autumn, and have a summer focussing on 10K
Is the OP still around? Anyone know if he's edged closer to the 3hr mark?
Wenty - yeah, big baggy shorts for training, barely legal for racing.
Plan looks pretty good. You could use the Wednesday run to mix up different tempo paces, just for a bit of variety, e.g. 4 miles threshold, 5/6 miles @ HMP, or just 10 miles progressive, that sort of thing.
I got up to 70 pw before London this year and still didn't make it. What happens on the day can blow any plan. I was on the p d plan.
think I may have done better running fewer faster in training, maybe 50 but doing them faster.
this is interesting old son, as I guess I presumed you were part of the MG thread's "wear light shoes with no heel and don't change them for 2,000 miles" mentality...
Wenty my OH has run 6 sub 3hr marathons on about 30ish miles a week but his 10k and half times are a good bit faster than yours. I've finally got him running around 50 miles a week so hopefully he'll drop a good chunk of time.
marathons on 30miles a week wow.
What would the week look like? 2x5 and 1x20? Not great balance!
SG - Nah, I've only got as far as weaning myself off support shoes designed for moderate overpronation, into neutral or lightish-support but normal training shoes. Actually I jogged home in my Fastwitch after the club 5,000 last night cos I couldn't be bothered changing back into the Brooks Sofas or whatever they're called, but I can't imagine they'd last 1,000 miles so I'd rather keep them for race day.
He'd run about 3 times a week, one of those would be a club interval session so max 6 miles including warm-up. Then 2 longish but under 20 mile runs. How he managed to get the times he did I don't know.
Cheers Phil - My misses thinks my shorts should be illegal as it is so not much to be gained there unless I wear a thong!
I liked the ideas on getting 10k times down before attempting a marathon as i have sort of been doing it in reverse and running more marathons to get my 10k time down!
Vello - what were his 10k and half times? - would be good to use as reference.
Stevie G - thats all i currently have done a 6 miles, 5 miles and a long run at the weekend. It got me to 3:13 but not sure it could get me much faster - unless i loose some weight as i am a bit overweight still (12.5 stone 5'9")
Perhaps i could knock 8-10 minutes off loosing a stone and another 3 minutes in lighter shoes???? Or am i being lazy?
10k 35 mins, half 76:xx, he's also very lean and although he started running late he's always been very active and fit.
OMG - er yes his times are slightly better than mine
I should hope he is running sub 3's with those times. I will never get close to those times whatever i do even if i run 100mpw!!!!
Just my experience here, no judgement on what anyone else posted.
My first marathon was after 18 months of consistent running. Trained up to 55mpw with a 10k PB of 37:12 and ran 3:05 (poor pacing a a big bonk at 21). Next cycle was up to 65mpw, 36:03 10k and ran 2:52 with good pacing. Most long runs and midweek med/long runs were run at around 8:00 min/mile apart from the ones that included marathon pace miles. I have done very little real speedwork - probably 3 or 4 sets of intervals during each training cycle. All recovery (2 or 3 a week) runs have been done at 8:30 or ofter slower depending on how tired I've felt. I have run no doubles.
I'm sure most people will say I'm running everything too slow in training but it seems to work for me
Cheers Ryan, yes you do seem to run quite slow in training compared to your excellent race times - especially 10k times.
I seem to be better on the endurance and would hope to do a sub 3hr marathon with a 10k time of 37 min - but then if it was your first and poor pacing and a bonk then I guess you could have.
Like you say - if it works for you ! But - what might you achieve if you stepped the pace up I training?
Injury would be my guess as I feel close to the limit during peak mileage. All my training paces are taken from the slower end of the ranges suggested by Pfitzinger and Douglas training plans.
I'm racing a hilly marathon this weekend off similar paces with 70mpw as a max so we shall see if the slow and steady approach continues to make me improve
fair play - you probably are right - thats why i dont step the mileage up, but do run my lower mileage at a slightly higher pace! I guess you cant do both too much as you will run into trouble.
Best of luck with your marathon this weekend! - let us know how you get on!