marathon rook seeking advice

0/10. If you're going to troll, at least make your numbers/goals believable.

I was legitimately asking.... Is 2:30 unreasonable for someone who can run 10k at 4:54 pace? I know 26.2 miles is a long way but I feel like based on my previous training and the fact that I do better with longer distances that I can run a marathon at 5:43 pace. I regularly ran 10 mile tempos at 5:0x pace so is 2:30 seriously unreasonable?

That's Great!

mjh3493 wrote:

I was legitimately asking.... Is 2:30 unreasonable for someone who can run 10k at 4:54 pace? I know 26.2 miles is a long way but I feel like based on my previous training and the fact that I do better with longer distances that I can run a marathon at 5:43 pace. I regularly ran 10 mile tempos at 5:0x pace so is 2:30 seriously unreasonable?

You can't run 4:54 pace...you USED TO run 4:54 pace. Your recent performance of 16:50 says 2:30 is unrealistic. Your mileage of 40-50 a weekis too low for 2:30. You are years away from 2:30, not months.

Ran another 5k this weekend in 15:51. Obviously still have a bit to go but the fitness is starting to come back.... So is 2:30 still out of the question? I ran a consistent 90-100 mpw my junior and senior year of college, I was definitely more of a strength runner. Have a 10k in a few weeks and thinking about running a half sometime in mid-late october

If you go sub 3 don't crow about it.

Look for a course with the fewest number of turns possible. The more you can move in a straight line, the faster you will finish the race. Also, be sure to start near the front. Don't want many runners impeding your progress. You will be more powerful than most, but remember you don't have the ability to go over them.

mjh3493 wrote:

Ran another 5k this weekend in 15:51. Obviously still have a bit to go but the fitness is starting to come back.... So is 2:30 still out of the question? I ran a consistent 90-100 mpw my junior and senior year of college, I was definitely more of a strength runner. Have a 10k in a few weeks and thinking about running a half sometime in mid-late october

If you can drop a full minute off of a 16:50 5k on 40-50mpw with no workouts in a "recent" timeframe...and your college PR on 90-100mpw was only 45s faster than what you just 'ran' on 40-50mpw with no workouts, do you ever ask yourself..."what was it all for"?

Meh. At 40-50 weekly mileage your 5K times are useless in predicting your marathon finish time. You need to be consistently above 70 mpw and racing longer races to get a real handle on your marthon potential.

All that aside, the answer is no, you will not run a 2:30 marathon this year.

I never really figured it out until my senior year after I ran 24:21 for 8k xc and then went on to PR in the 5k indoors and 10k outdoors. I know I'm a little late to the game but I'm still hungry to race

You were still hungry to race when you figured everything out as a senior, but largely took the last two years off? Inconsistency abounds.

Troll Hunter wrote:

You were still hungry to race when you figured everything out as a senior, but largely took the last two years off? Inconsistency abounds.

Sometimes people on this site suck. Let's just assume the OP is being forthright.

Anyways, if you build up to ~65-75 mpw between now and the fall I would suggest shooting for 6:00 pace. If you still feel good at 30k, pick it up. Odds are, you won't. However sub-31 is no joke and you might surprise me/yourself.

Then, take a couple of "down" weeks and start training for a fast spring marathon. Get your mileage closer to an 85-90 mpw average. You may very well be able to run 2:30 within 9-10 months if you do this.

After that, do the same thing again (rest, then build up your mileage even more maybe approaching triple digits). With your 5k/8k/10k PRs, you could certainly be looking at low 2:20s within the next 2 years if you train properly and are well-suited to the distance.

Yeah, I think you can do it. Keep up the racing progression with 5 & 10 k's but I suggest skipping any halfs. Build up to a couple of 20-22 milers, ideally 6 if you had the time, but I think you'll feel fairly comfortable in the 5:45-6:00 pace range at a cool weather marathon. Your college times indicate you might have run lower mid 2:20's back then. You're not that far removed from that fitness, as you've seen so far, it comes back surprisingly quickly.

There are preparation details in the last few weeks, post prior to that with any questions.