What's easier, sub-3 for 1 km or sub-3 for the marathon?

George213 wrote:

He actually said he "can't hit those times FOR INTERVELS."

*INTERVLES

If you train for it, a sub 3 marathon is so much easier. So much. Whole other level.

But there are probably more people that can run a sub 3 km if you ask them to do it RIGHT NOW.

I'm 42 and can shuffle along at 6:5x pace forever but the thought of a 3 min k makes my hair turn (more) gray. 20 + years ago? Hungover interval pace.

Master shuffler wrote:

I'm 42 and can shuffle along at 6:5x pace forever but the thought of a 3 min k makes my hair turn (more) gray. 20 + years ago? Hungover interval pace.

That's because you shuffle all the time. If you were on the track all the time you'd be prepared to run a fast K.

the sub 3 1km is much harder. My best 1K is 3:10 and I have done sub 3 marathons and several around 3:01/3:02s. I don't think I have ever managed to do a sub 70sec 400m (for sub 3 1k, you have to do 400s at 72 sec for two and half times)

How often do you run all out 400s? How often do you plod around at 7 minute pace?

shohohe wrote:

If you train for it, a sub 3 marathon is so much easier. So much. Whole other level.

But there are probably more people that can run a sub 3 km if you ask them to do it RIGHT NOW.

Truth. I've run sub-3 in the marathon, never come close to a sub-3 K. Though I've primarily trained for ultras.

Uh.....Nope. wrote:

Dingler wrote:

This. In HS I could do 6x1k sub-3 as a workout but doubt I could have run sub-3 hr marathon if I'd tried (not enough total mileage; considered 12 miles a long run). Now in 30's and can't hit anywhere near those times for intervals but 2:30s for marathon.

WHAT!!! You're telling me you can run a 2:30 'thon but can't run a 3 min 1000? I have a hard time believing that.

I wouldn't believe it either except that's not what he wrote. He said he no longer does 6x 1000m workouts at that pace.

A sub-3 thon can be done by lots of middle schoolers too, if they even bother.

I'm not on the track all the time but I do make an appearance weekly. Probably if I got more sessions in and did some shorter intervals + more regular strides & hills I could get there. Or maybe I just need to drink more beer the night before a workout. It worked back then. Right now 3:05 would be a big effort.

old guy here wrote:

old guy here wrote:

Agreed. Old guy here. Sub-3 marathon for me. Ran in the high 2:50s several times. Sub-3 1K would seem almost impossible. I have no high-end speed.

Unless of course, I ran the 1K downhill in the middle of the night at Cal Berkeley. ;-)

Tip of the hat to one of the greatest threads in letsrun history.

big wave dave!

Master shuffler wrote:

I'm not on the track all the time but I do make an appearance weekly. Probably if I got more sessions in and did some shorter intervals + more regular strides & hills I could get there. Or maybe I just need to drink more beer the night before a workout. It worked back then. Right now 3:05 would be a big effort.

That's my point. If you spent as much time training for the 1k as you are currently spending training for the marathon, then you would be singing a different tune.

I'm not convinced the beer volume isn't a factor. I'll work on both this year.

McMillan Calculator wrote:

2:59 1000m equals 2:50:57 marathon.

2:59:59 marathon equals 3:08:05 1000m.

SUb-3 marathon is easier.

This calculator assumes the runner did the training needed to complete the marathon. I think what makes this topic debatable is the number of non-distance runners who can break a 3 mins in a 1k, but will never adequately train for a marathon.

I should have mentioned I've never spent any amount time training for a marathon (never done one) so I'm not sure what tune I'm singing right now. Maybe this year I'll try to do both, see how they feel.

At my peak fitness in recent years (I'm 39), I could probably run right around 3:00 for 1k. But my best marathon is 3:2x.

Dial it back 20 years and it's no contest. The 3:00 1k would be a cakewalk, and the marathon impossible.

Now, can't run either.

Back in the day, though, 6x1K at 2:45 was every Tuesday, and the remainder of my time was mostly 6 minute pace 10 milers. Never ran a marathon.

Sub 3 for a 1k is way easier

8th grade me could go under 3 for a kilo

8th grade me never ran more than 5 miles at that point in my life

The county I live in, which consists of around 40 high school teams, had 102 HS boys and 3 HS girls go sub 3:00 in the 1k this winter.

It ain't all that hard.