How much can I improve my marathon time?

Training Advice/Discussion Marathon

7 years ago 03/29/2017 12:47pm EDT

I recently ran my second marathon in 3:32, and am wondering how much I might be able to improve further.

Training background â€“ 35F. Never ran with any consistency or volume until August 2015 (was nearly 100% sedentary in the 7-8 years prior). Ran ~15-20 mph until March 2016; March 2016 to present, Iâ€™ve been running at least 40 mph, up to 55 mph for several peak weeks in marathon training. Last training cycle, I did two runs of 22 miles, three 20-milers, and 2 18 milers. Been very consistent in my training, though should probably incorporate more speed work as well as recovery-pace runs.

My first marathon, October 2016, had a terrible day/stomach issues and ran 4:14 (not a fair indication of my effort). Shorter races I ran in 2016 are fairly consistent with my marathon time â€“ 21:39 (5k), 44:49 (10k), 1:16:19 (10M), 1:41:29 (Half).

So, what should I be shooting for now? I have a couple shorter races later this spring, and another marathon in November.

7 years ago 03/29/2017 1:18pm EDT

re: yoda123

yoda123 wrote:
Iâ€™ve been running at least 40 mph, up to 55 mph

At 55 mph you should have finished the marathon in under and hour.

7 years ago 03/29/2017 3:08pm EDT

re: Hairless Btchs

Hairless Btchs wrote:
yoda123 wrote:
Iâ€™ve been running at least 40 mph, up to 55 mph
At 55 mph you should have finished the marathon in under and hour.

Lol yes; thank you for your valuable advice, I guess I should focus more on race day execution.

7 years ago 03/29/2017 3:25pm EDT

re: yoda123

You seem to be on the right track. I would gradually incorporate mile repeats. You can do this one of several ways, or mix it up. Here are some of those suggested ways for your mile repeats:

1- after a 2-3 mile easy run, (If using a GPS) start picking up the pace and run a goal of about 10-15 seconds faster mile than your goal pace for the mile. then easy 1/2 jog, and repeat.

2- (my favorite) Find a local school/college outdoor track. jog 2-3 miles to the track, or drive to the track and warm up 2-3 miles. Get on the track, begin mile repeats with a 400m to 800m jog between. The pace is typically a little faster than mile goal pace for the marathon.

I would suggest at least 4x mile to start and work up to 8x mile by October with only a 1/4 mile recovery jog.

If you begin to improve at this workout while maintaining your weekly mileage, you will be able to toe the start line with some confidence.

My final suggestion is to find a running partner to do the workouts with or your long runs with. It may require a drive , but it's worth it if it helps break up the monotony.

Best of luck!

7 years ago 03/29/2017 3:34pm EDT

re: G54

This is sound advice, but I would vary it just a touch. Instead of active rest, I would take passive rest between the mile repeats. I would also cut the rest down from 400-800 jog (2 to 5 minutes) to 1 minute for every 5 minutes of work, or about :75-:90 for you. This will prevent the lactic acid that builds up during the intervals from clearing as much during the recovery periods, and thus improving the adaptation to lactic acid buildup (which is the point of these workouts). While it sounds tough, if you start with less volume (4 x 1 mile) and then build up over time (eventually maybe to 3-4 x 2 miles), it will be manageable. A subtle change, but I think it will get you a lot more bang for your buck.

7 years ago 03/29/2017 3:46pm EDT

re: yoda123

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