Question for the marathoners

GoingForIt wrote:

I know it's just one run, but do I have reason to feel pretty confident if I am still 6 months out from goal race and hitting runs like this during base building?

Yeah, probably. I'd say the same if you halved your goal race to 3 months and that was a marathon pace workout.

So would you say you are even more confident based on the fact that its 2x that far away?

Yeah. Maybe run a half or something.

I think it's a very good sign but please be cautious. Don't start banging out long marathon goal pace runs because you'll get stale and likely burn out or peak too soon. Maybe focus on a half marathon for the fall, take a breather for a couple of weeks and just run easy, and then ramp back up for the marathon.

Yes, I am still base building for now. Only doing a steady state every other week and will cap at 8 miles. I am highly motivated right now as I am seeking to knock 25 minutes off PR and qualify for Boston.

Good luck. Pick a good training program, follow it, and read up on how to pace yourself realistically and fuel for the marathon.

GoingForIt wrote:

I did an 11 miler this morning with 6 of them at goal marathon pace. Felt very comfortable and was getting faster every mile. Could have held pace for another 6+ miles with no trouble.

I would be inclined to reevaluate the marathon goal. Your current goal pace may be too conservative if you truly can easily maintain it for 12 miles in Texas heat and humidity ... with six months of training still ahead of you. How did you determine your goal time?

On the other hand, beware becoming overconfident -- pushing the training too aggressively -- and getting injured.

I also agree with the idea of having an intermediate goal, like a half marathon.

Yes. I think a 10k or half targeted for late summer/early fall would be a good test for him and will break up his running to avoid stressing out about the marathon for 6 months

GoingForIt wrote:

I did an 11 miler this morning with 6 of them at goal marathon pace. Felt very comfortable and was getting faster every mile. Could have held pace for another 6+ miles with no trouble. This is in spite of being in the middle of the biggest mileage I've run in years and i live in Texas where the temp and humidity made it "feel like" 90 degrees when I finished at 7am.

I know it's just one run, but do I have reason to feel pretty confident if I am still 6 months out from goal race and hitting runs like this during base building?

Might also depend on what "the middle of the biggest mileage I've run in years" means. Are we talking 40mpw or 80mpw?

You're definitely on the right track. Learning how and when to fuel is going to be crucial to your success in the marathon.

Good luck!

Hey OP, because you stated that your PR is 25 minutes or so from Boston, can I ask, why do you run these marathons? The duration of the entire run is much longer at 3hrs 20 mins than, per say, a 2hr 20 min marathoner. That complicates things as the other, faster person could continue running at their pace while the other person one hour behind has to worry more about not overheating and hydration. Why not improve to a sub 16 5k and then work up to the marathon so you can run more around 2:40-2:50 rather than just grinding out 7 minute miles?

PeteMesquite89 wrote:

Learning how and when to fuel is going to be crucial to your success in the marathon.

Yes, that's a key component these days, but not so long ago, marathoners ingested only water during the race. So a key training component was getting the body's energy system to be efficient at switching from glycogen to fat-burning, as I understood it at the time. I used to fast before long runs in order to force fat-burning a little sooner.

Nowadays I drink carbohydrate drinks and take gu packets like everyone else in the races. No difficulties doing it, so I don't practice in training. Still only water on long runs, but I eat my typical pre-race "meal" beforehand: white bread toast with jam.

I'm running about 55 miles a week right now. Before my PR (3:32) I only averaged 30 miles per week for the year. I have had years of more mileage than that, but that was several years ago now. This is my biggest and most sustained milaged push in 8-10 years (I'm 34).

Thank you. This has actually been an issue for me in the past.

Judge Dredd wrote:

Yes. I think a 10k or half targeted for late summer/early fall would be a good test for him and will break up his running to avoid stressing out about the marathon for 6 months

This.

I don't think you know what your fitness level is currently if you are improving and running at a higher level than the past. When you are closer to the marathon do a race and then recalculate your goals. I usually don't dial in my exact marathon pace until 2 months before the race. Racing a half during the cycle helps a lot.

I'm less than 12 weeks out from my goal race and mustering more than about 6 at true marathon pace would be an accomplishment in the summer heat and humidity.

Your mileage is low. Get that up into the 80-90 range and you will see significant results, especially if you throw in some good quality. Lots of folks on here including yours truly like the Daniels approach. I highly recommend his book.

I would caution against running 80-90 mile weeks for your next marathon. Keep it around where you are now with maybe a peak week or two at 70 if you think you can handle it. Frankly, you don't know enough about yourself to know how much mileage you can handle.

I would also advise against following Daniels right now. There is nothing wrong with Daniels' training philosophies (well maybe a few things) but I would not suggest a newer runner like you follow his marathon plans. His plans aren't progressive enough and I would worry a newer runner would get burnt out or injured very quickly. If you're going to follow a pace based approach go with McMillan. Brad Hudson also has an excellent book. Both use progressive, non-linear approaches to marathon training that I think would benefit you most right now.

Judge Dredd wrote:

His plans aren't progressive enough

What does this mean?