Sub 2:20 Marathon- Can I run it off 90-100 MPW ?

Scott Evil,

Thanks,

Yeah, I ran that 5k 14:57 once 7 years ago indoors.I have ran 5k Road races in 15:11-15:25 constant. quickest being 15:11 this past September. I have more endurance power then speed.

Yes, I did it. Ran 2:19 with average of 90 miles per week, but I did 90 per week every winter and summer for years. I was very, very consistent with building my base in winter and summer off seasons. I only went over 100 miles in a week one time, but I ran 12-14 miles per day on one run a day every day during base building. I came down to around 70 per week for Fall and Spring racing seasons. A lot of people made 2:20 their marathon goal as they wanted to hit the A standard for Olympic Trials Marathon. Be aware, that the trials standard is now faster - I believe the B standard is like sub 2:18 or something. Good luck.

Yes, The B standard is 2:18, I am not going for that right now, as I am just trying to get under 2:20, with hindset of eventually runninf sub 2:18.

A guy I know in a similar situation went under 2hr 20 in a similar situation told me the difference maker for him was adding a very hard 20 mile run (I think primarily on grass) every other week.

Thanks a lot for sharing your sample schedule, MPR. I run around the low 2:40 range and would like to integrate many of your core principles for my next marathon in May.

Would you suggest modifying the frequency of workouts for slower runners or would you keep it at the same level.

As an aside, I run around 80-90 mpw and generally include a short double over lunch on most days.

little bump for MPR reply.

Here's a blog I saw on here couple weeks ago from guy ran who 216 debut off 90-100mpw;

http://craigohopkins.blogspot.com/

One of the first things I'd want to know is when and where you ran the 2:20:56. If, for example, you ran it at the 2011 Boston marathon, then you should recognize that sub-2:20 on a record-quality course is a significant leap from anything you've done up until now, and your consistent 2:23 to 2:25 marathons along with your consistent mileage for many years suggest pretty strongly that you need a significantly different training stimulus to drop three or four minutes.

My peak years of running came during a very demanding professional schedule, and for me, training was largely a matter of time management and injury prevention while seeking to maximize training volume and a solid level of intensity. One thing that I consider to be a big deterrent to achieving peak marathon performance for someone with a very busy schedule outside of running is regular racing, which is generally a big time sink as well as a constant disruption of efforts to increase training stimulus beyond what you've done before. I gather that you're running five to eight marathons a year, and also racing shorter distances between marathons. That's fine if it fulfills other goals that you have in running and the rest of life, but I don't think it's optimal for someone whose main goal is to make a substantial leap in performance from where he's been stuck for a while.

As for specifics, I'd concentrate on getting peak mileage solidly above 100 miles per week. Yes, there have been many people who have run sub-2:20 on lower mileage, but your marathon history, frequent racing, and relatively slow times at shorter distances suggest that you may not turn out to be one of them. Also, it's a mistake to assume that running less than 100 mpw is an easier route to faster marathon times for someone with regular daily job and family commitments. If you're going to improve on less than 100 mpw, then you're probably going to need to modulate your training more from day to day, because a steady diet of seven- to eight-mile runs isn't likely to get you there, but your work and family commitments may make it difficult to vary your training more during the work week.

I believe that figuring out a way to add fifteen or twenty miles per week is still one of the most surefire ways to improve marathon performance for someone who isn't already bumping up against his body's capacity to handle higher volume. And getting away from frequent racing should allow you to handle higher overall training volume and push beyond previous levels of training stimulus while freeing up time in your schedule.

By the way, I think that treadmill running can be great marathon training, but moderately paced seven-mile treadmill runs generally aren't getting the most benefit from a treadmill. I think that treadmill sessions using steep inclines (for me, probably not less than a 12 percent grade), either as interval workouts or steady runs, can be very beneficial, since they allow a high level of cardiovascular and aerobic stress while minimizing many stresses on bone and connective tissue. I also think that treadmills are great for progression runs of up to about an hour, when you're really working hard to maintain pace and form toward the end.

40th Running wrote:

I have ran 5k Road races in 15:11-15:25 constant. quickest being 15:11 this past September. I have more endurance power then speed.

Endurance power is your strength, yet you are only running

90 or less a week. What does that tell you?

Canova would say what is the linkage between what you are

doing and where you want to get to. How is running 200's

relevant to running a marathon?

You would be better off doing longer runs at 5:15/5:20 pace,

and then getting a couple of days of easy recovery.

If you had talent you would already be below 2:20 on less mileage, sorry to say.

ClubNWrunner wrote:

Here's a blog I saw on here couple weeks ago from guy ran who 216 debut off 90-100mpw;

http://craigohopkins.blogspot.com/

Interesting read. Thanks.