What does the model look like in the base phase, while building up to the threshold?
I was reading this thread about K. Ingebrigtsen's training, , 3Q + a long run seems to be a bit much at lower mileage (40mpw). Is it needed? Would another easy run work instad? How should the model be adjusted for that mileage?
How is this new? It seems like to me that #1 thing is still to run high mileage and get a base before you do anything else!
I think you are getting confused with what high mileage is. Or what it is relative to guys of the same ability. Around 105km a week for a 2:24 marathon is definitely not high mileage in my book, not even close.
There's also a guy who if you see the Strava group who just ran 2:29 at grandmas. Almost certainly used/copied/coached the marathon version of this for even less milage than sirpoc himself.
The key is this thread unlocks the ability to increase mileage a little bit more. Something that seemingly for the hundreds of people who have shared their stories, seems difficult with other training methods.
I think you are getting confused with what high mileage is. Or what it is relative to guys of the same ability. Around 105km a week for a 2:24 marathon is definitely not high mileage in my book, not even close.
There's also a guy who if you see the Strava group who just ran 2:29 at grandmas. Almost certainly used/copied/coached the marathon version of this for even less milage than sirpoc himself.
The key is this thread unlocks the ability to increase mileage a little bit more. Something that seemingly for the hundreds of people who have shared their stories, seems difficult with other training methods.
I think I saw the guy you are talking about who ran grandmas in 2:29.
If he's here. I have questions. Firstly, amazing time on a truly rough day.
Secondly, as the poster above says it looks like you have been doing the sirpoc method for a while and this was almost a 1:1 top up to the marathon? I've sent sirpoc and this guy post on each others pages so I can only imagine it's the case.
Have you run a marathon before? Milage? How did the training compare? Feel? I believe you are a coach yourself so I would have to guess you would have understood the positives and drawbacks of this method.
I realise there is a very good chance this person doesn't even post here but on the off chance they do, it could help a ton of us. I think we all knew sirpoc wasn't a fluke marathon.
Now we have two guys sub 2:30 on very limited mileage in comparison to most of their direct rivals in a very unconventional way. But perhaps as time goes on more and more genuinely is the best hobby jogging way.
Thanks everyone for your feedback. In the end, I opted for the HalfM because I sent a 5k in my early 40s but hamstring protested. With no time @ 5k pace yet to test my legs, I dIdn't want to risk getting sidelined for months by a mishap (consistently above all else....). I'll try some mile repeats @5k pace first. So, HM pace range felt safer for now, despite distances. All indications were that 7min/mile was the best I could pull off, so I treated this run like conservative info gathering, ran @7:30/mile, HR averaged ~155. Ran last mile @ 6:50, definitely had gas left. So, indeed, paces closer to 7min/mile would have pushed HR to the low 160s, w/LTHR ~ 170. Fitness level affirmed over distance on my first HM, with no negative surprises. Back to the grind, see where this goes over the coming months. I'm thrilled with the method - never expected this. Very curious to see whether I plateau....
Question though: Are there any workouts within the NSM method that help bridge the gap from 6 x 6mins at HM pace to holding that pace for a full 90 minutes? Maybe that's just a mental cliff I need to jump off, but there's a "discomfort X time" element to familiarize myself with. Perhaps occasionally embed 5 miles at HM pace within the long run? That's no longer <70%maxHR but would develop my feel for it.....
Having read all of your posts here, I believe you about your easy pace and I think you're sandbagging your subT. Right now you've got a training load that you've determined is not too hard for you. So you're supposed to increase the training load and find out where your limit is. The pace calculators give you an estimate to get you started. Ultimately you have to experiment for yourself to find the right training load and then do your best to increase it appropriately as you get fitter.
I'd slowly increase your workout paces until you find that you're a little bit fatigued going into some workouts, causing you to have an off day here or there. Don't force yourself to run aggressive paces when you're fatigued - let the paces be slower that day so you can recover. Through this process you can figure out exactly how fast you can run these workouts without accumulating fatigue. And those are the paces you should be running. As you get fitter, go faster.
HR zones can vary a lot from individual to individual but yours are very unusual. I have a similar max HR and similar easy pace HR. I will hit about 170 at the end of the middle reps of a workout and if I'm feeling good I may hit low 170's up to 175 or so at the end of the last reps. Sirpoc is similar afaik.
As for learning how to race: I think you should just race more. Or do solo time trials if racing is inconvenient. Racing is so much harder than training. I think you need to learn how much discomfort you can endure, so I'd actually suggest you choose a pace and hold it for as long as you can rather than attempt to race a certain distance. You should get quite uncomfortable not very long into it, and then sink through greater and greater levels of discomfort while you keep trying to hold the pace for 1 more mile, 1 more minute, 1 more step... You may also not be warmed up enough. In that case you might get quite uncomfortable at the start but if you push through it you'll eventually get more comfortable. Whatever distance and time you end up running, you can plug that into a calculator and get estimates of your race paces.
But if your reason for wanting to run a good race is to turn around and plug that time into the calculators to update your training paces, that's silly. You've already been doing the method since January. As I said, increase the paces and learn for yourself what the right paces are for you right now.
Not running a 5k for fear of a hamstring injury is a can of worms someone else can fully address if they want to... Eventually you've got to make yourself more resilient somehow if you want to race hard. Sirpoc is known for no sprinting, strides, strength work, etc, but some other people need supplementary work to stay comfortable and healthy. Do what you gotta do but ease into it if you're currently not doing anything.
I'm surprised Sirpoc doesn't do hills either. That's a huge strength booster.
How is this new? It seems like to me that #1 thing is still to run high mileage and get a base before you do anything else!
I think you are getting confused with what high mileage is. Or what it is relative to guys of the same ability. Around 105km a week for a 2:24 marathon is definitely not high mileage in my book, not even close.
There's also a guy who if you see the Strava group who just ran 2:29 at grandmas. Almost certainly used/copied/coached the marathon version of this for even less milage than sirpoc himself.
The key is this thread unlocks the ability to increase mileage a little bit more. Something that seemingly for the hundreds of people who have shared their stories, seems difficult with other training methods.
Hopefully he posts his marathon build on reddit/r/artc or r/advancedrunning. I'm curious how much the HM or M variation on the classic sirpoc 3-3-1 deviates.
I think you are getting confused with what high mileage is. Or what it is relative to guys of the same ability. Around 105km a week for a 2:24 marathon is definitely not high mileage in my book, not even close.
There's also a guy who if you see the Strava group who just ran 2:29 at grandmas. Almost certainly used/copied/coached the marathon version of this for even less milage than sirpoc himself.
The key is this thread unlocks the ability to increase mileage a little bit more. Something that seemingly for the hundreds of people who have shared their stories, seems difficult with other training methods.
I think I saw the guy you are talking about who ran grandmas in 2:29.
If he's here. I have questions. Firstly, amazing time on a truly rough day.
Secondly, as the poster above says it looks like you have been doing the sirpoc method for a while and this was almost a 1:1 top up to the marathon? I've sent sirpoc and this guy post on each others pages so I can only imagine it's the case.
Have you run a marathon before? Milage? How did the training compare? Feel? I believe you are a coach yourself so I would have to guess you would have understood the positives and drawbacks of this method.
I realise there is a very good chance this person doesn't even post here but on the off chance they do, it could help a ton of us. I think we all knew sirpoc wasn't a fluke marathon.
Now we have two guys sub 2:30 on very limited mileage in comparison to most of their direct rivals in a very unconventional way. But perhaps as time goes on more and more genuinely is the best hobby jogging way.
The LRC and some of these running pages are a bit obscure so it is very possible 2:29 guy may not even be aware of what LRC is or reddit/r/advancedrunning is. It could be a random hobby jogger who found the strava group and did his own thing out of curiosity--even sirpoc said he only stumbled here to chime in w/his training, and he thought the thread would die out under all the other crap here lol
this training is not well-known yet to the public, my run club has never heard of Jakob or Norwegian doubles or singles, etc.
The LRC and some of these running pages are a bit obscure so it is very possible 2:29 guy may not even be aware of what LRC is or reddit/r/advancedrunning is. It could be a random hobby jogger who found the strava group and did his own thing out of curiosity--even sirpoc said he only stumbled here to chime in w/his training, and he thought the thread would die out under all the other crap here lol
this training is not well-known yet to the public, my run club has never heard of Jakob or Norwegian doubles or singles, etc.
Could be, but looks very much like other posters say it's a sirpoc inspired/ maybe even guided plan, very much in line with the sirpoc special block. If anyone knows the guy , maybe tell him we would like to hear all about it. Not that I ever would doubt sirpoc at this point, he's clearly ahead of the game, but nice to see others basically using it for success.
I think you are getting confused with what high mileage is. Or what it is relative to guys of the same ability. Around 105km a week for a 2:24 marathon is definitely not high mileage in my book, not even close.
There's also a guy who if you see the Strava group who just ran 2:29 at grandmas. Almost certainly used/copied/coached the marathon version of this for even less milage than sirpoc himself.
The key is this thread unlocks the ability to increase mileage a little bit more. Something that seemingly for the hundreds of people who have shared their stories, seems difficult with other training methods.
Hopefully he posts his marathon build on reddit/r/artc or r/advancedrunning. I'm curious how much the HM or M variation on the classic sirpoc 3-3-1 deviates.
The guys training is all on Strava. His account is open and anyone can view. There are a few runs with comments by Sirpoc so maybe he has been on the subT train for a while? I think his PB was about 2:40 prior to this block
Here is a quick overview of his build from 10th March onwards - I didnt have a lot of time so hopefully everything is here
Week of 10/03/2025 – Mileage: 104.9, Long run: 26.11km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 17/03/2025 – Mileage: 101.3, Long run: 22.7km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 24/03/2025 – Mileage: 100.4, Long run: 24.32km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 3 x 2k, 10k race (31:59) Week of 31/03/2025 – Mileage: 108.6, Long run: 22.07km, Workouts: 4 x 3k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 07/04/2025 – Mileage: 101.6, Long run: 26.07km, Workouts: 4 x 3k, 5 x 2k Week of 14/04/2025 – Mileage: 108.8, Long run: 27.09km, Workouts: 4 x 3.2k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 21/04/2025 – Mileage: 100.9, Long run: 27.44km, Workouts: 3 x 3.2k, 10 x 1k Week of 28/04/2025 – Mileage: 110.2, Long run: 27.51km, Workouts: 3 x 5k, 6 x 1.6k Week of 05/05/2025 – Mileage: 111.1, Long run: 27.39km, Workouts: 4 x 5k, 6 x 1k, 4-mile race (20:14) Week of 12/05/2025 – Mileage: 113.2, Long run: 32.25km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 3 x 5k, 3 x 3k Week of 19/05/2025 – Mileage: 101.2, Long run: 31.38km, Workouts: 5 x 7min, 6 x 1k, 5 x 5k (in long run) Week of 26/05/2025 – Mileage: 105.4, Long run: 25.02km, Workouts: 10k @ MP, 3 x 5k Week of 02/06/2025 – Mileage: 105.0, Long run: 25.09km, Workouts: 3 x 5k, 5 x 2k, 10k @ MP (in long run) Week of 09/06/2025 – Mileage: 93.3, Long run: 28.7km, Workouts: 24k progression (8k @ 92% MP, 8k @ 93% MP, 8k @ MP), 8 x 1k, 3 x 3k (in 22k run) Week of 16/06/2025 – Mileage: 82.1, Long run: 42.35km, Workouts: 1 x 5k, 1 x 5k, Grandma’s Marathon
Apparently original goal was 2:25 potentially 2:22 but not great conditions
Hopefully he posts his marathon build on reddit/r/artc or r/advancedrunning. I'm curious how much the HM or M variation on the classic sirpoc 3-3-1 deviates.
The guys training is all on Strava. His account is open and anyone can view. There are a few runs with comments by Sirpoc so maybe he has been on the subT train for a while? I think his PB was about 2:40 prior to this block
Here is a quick overview of his build from 10th March onwards - I didnt have a lot of time so hopefully everything is here
Week of 10/03/2025 – Mileage: 104.9, Long run: 26.11km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 17/03/2025 – Mileage: 101.3, Long run: 22.7km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 24/03/2025 – Mileage: 100.4, Long run: 24.32km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 3 x 2k, 10k race (31:59) Week of 31/03/2025 – Mileage: 108.6, Long run: 22.07km, Workouts: 4 x 3k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 07/04/2025 – Mileage: 101.6, Long run: 26.07km, Workouts: 4 x 3k, 5 x 2k Week of 14/04/2025 – Mileage: 108.8, Long run: 27.09km, Workouts: 4 x 3.2k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 21/04/2025 – Mileage: 100.9, Long run: 27.44km, Workouts: 3 x 3.2k, 10 x 1k Week of 28/04/2025 – Mileage: 110.2, Long run: 27.51km, Workouts: 3 x 5k, 6 x 1.6k Week of 05/05/2025 – Mileage: 111.1, Long run: 27.39km, Workouts: 4 x 5k, 6 x 1k, 4-mile race (20:14) Week of 12/05/2025 – Mileage: 113.2, Long run: 32.25km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 3 x 5k, 3 x 3k Week of 19/05/2025 – Mileage: 101.2, Long run: 31.38km, Workouts: 5 x 7min, 6 x 1k, 5 x 5k (in long run) Week of 26/05/2025 – Mileage: 105.4, Long run: 25.02km, Workouts: 10k @ MP, 3 x 5k Week of 02/06/2025 – Mileage: 105.0, Long run: 25.09km, Workouts: 3 x 5k, 5 x 2k, 10k @ MP (in long run) Week of 09/06/2025 – Mileage: 93.3, Long run: 28.7km, Workouts: 24k progression (8k @ 92% MP, 8k @ 93% MP, 8k @ MP), 8 x 1k, 3 x 3k (in 22k run) Week of 16/06/2025 – Mileage: 82.1, Long run: 42.35km, Workouts: 1 x 5k, 1 x 5k, Grandma’s Marathon
Apparently original goal was 2:25 potentially 2:22 but not great conditions
wow, thank you for doing that! (the guy might not even know what LRC is lol). So many have no idea...
It appears it is similar to the baseline 3-3-1 but with more MP work, of course (3x5k, 3x3k), etc.
The guys training is all on Strava. His account is open and anyone can view. There are a few runs with comments by Sirpoc so maybe he has been on the subT train for a while? I think his PB was about 2:40 prior to this block
Here is a quick overview of his build from 10th March onwards - I didnt have a lot of time so hopefully everything is here
Week of 10/03/2025 – Mileage: 104.9, Long run: 26.11km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 17/03/2025 – Mileage: 101.3, Long run: 22.7km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 24/03/2025 – Mileage: 100.4, Long run: 24.32km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 3 x 2k, 10k race (31:59) Week of 31/03/2025 – Mileage: 108.6, Long run: 22.07km, Workouts: 4 x 3k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 07/04/2025 – Mileage: 101.6, Long run: 26.07km, Workouts: 4 x 3k, 5 x 2k Week of 14/04/2025 – Mileage: 108.8, Long run: 27.09km, Workouts: 4 x 3.2k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 21/04/2025 – Mileage: 100.9, Long run: 27.44km, Workouts: 3 x 3.2k, 10 x 1k Week of 28/04/2025 – Mileage: 110.2, Long run: 27.51km, Workouts: 3 x 5k, 6 x 1.6k Week of 05/05/2025 – Mileage: 111.1, Long run: 27.39km, Workouts: 4 x 5k, 6 x 1k, 4-mile race (20:14) Week of 12/05/2025 – Mileage: 113.2, Long run: 32.25km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 3 x 5k, 3 x 3k Week of 19/05/2025 – Mileage: 101.2, Long run: 31.38km, Workouts: 5 x 7min, 6 x 1k, 5 x 5k (in long run) Week of 26/05/2025 – Mileage: 105.4, Long run: 25.02km, Workouts: 10k @ MP, 3 x 5k Week of 02/06/2025 – Mileage: 105.0, Long run: 25.09km, Workouts: 3 x 5k, 5 x 2k, 10k @ MP (in long run) Week of 09/06/2025 – Mileage: 93.3, Long run: 28.7km, Workouts: 24k progression (8k @ 92% MP, 8k @ 93% MP, 8k @ MP), 8 x 1k, 3 x 3k (in 22k run) Week of 16/06/2025 – Mileage: 82.1, Long run: 42.35km, Workouts: 1 x 5k, 1 x 5k, Grandma’s Marathon
Apparently original goal was 2:25 potentially 2:22 but not great conditions
This is pure sirpoc, right up to the 8+8+8 , even the taper week. Only thing missing is the HM really as a litmus test? Even has the 10k in there.
Hopefully the dude sees this. We really would love to know what he thought of the adaptation and the "sirpoc" special block and if he felt good or bad, lacking in the lead up. If the goal was 2:25 and he ran 2:29 in those shocking Grandma conditions, I'm impressed!
What was the pacing like on the race? The one thing that absolutely amazes me with sirpoc marathon was the HR plot. If there is anything I would love to hear more on not just from this guy's marathon , but from sirpoc, it's pacing!
Hopefully he posts his marathon build on reddit/r/artc or r/advancedrunning. I'm curious how much the HM or M variation on the classic sirpoc 3-3-1 deviates.
The guys training is all on Strava. His account is open and anyone can view. There are a few runs with comments by Sirpoc so maybe he has been on the subT train for a while? I think his PB was about 2:40 prior to this block
Here is a quick overview of his build from 10th March onwards - I didnt have a lot of time so hopefully everything is here
Week of 10/03/2025 – Mileage: 104.9, Long run: 26.11km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 17/03/2025 – Mileage: 101.3, Long run: 22.7km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 24/03/2025 – Mileage: 100.4, Long run: 24.32km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 3 x 2k, 10k race (31:59) Week of 31/03/2025 – Mileage: 108.6, Long run: 22.07km, Workouts: 4 x 3k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 07/04/2025 – Mileage: 101.6, Long run: 26.07km, Workouts: 4 x 3k, 5 x 2k Week of 14/04/2025 – Mileage: 108.8, Long run: 27.09km, Workouts: 4 x 3.2k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 21/04/2025 – Mileage: 100.9, Long run: 27.44km, Workouts: 3 x 3.2k, 10 x 1k Week of 28/04/2025 – Mileage: 110.2, Long run: 27.51km, Workouts: 3 x 5k, 6 x 1.6k Week of 05/05/2025 – Mileage: 111.1, Long run: 27.39km, Workouts: 4 x 5k, 6 x 1k, 4-mile race (20:14) Week of 12/05/2025 – Mileage: 113.2, Long run: 32.25km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 3 x 5k, 3 x 3k Week of 19/05/2025 – Mileage: 101.2, Long run: 31.38km, Workouts: 5 x 7min, 6 x 1k, 5 x 5k (in long run) Week of 26/05/2025 – Mileage: 105.4, Long run: 25.02km, Workouts: 10k @ MP, 3 x 5k Week of 02/06/2025 – Mileage: 105.0, Long run: 25.09km, Workouts: 3 x 5k, 5 x 2k, 10k @ MP (in long run) Week of 09/06/2025 – Mileage: 93.3, Long run: 28.7km, Workouts: 24k progression (8k @ 92% MP, 8k @ 93% MP, 8k @ MP), 8 x 1k, 3 x 3k (in 22k run) Week of 16/06/2025 – Mileage: 82.1, Long run: 42.35km, Workouts: 1 x 5k, 1 x 5k, Grandma’s Marathon
Apparently original goal was 2:25 potentially 2:22 but not great conditions
I'm not gonna spend forever looking through his Strava either but fyi he posts that he's starting the method (and refers to this thread) on October 16, 2024. He races a HM in 1:11:05 on Nov 24, 2024 and he races a 5k in 15:22 on February 8, 2025. If you look at some of his first subt workouts in late 2024 and compare to May 2025, there's a huge progression. And yeah, Grandma's conditions were really tough this year, so I think it's clear he had the fitness to go faster. It'd be nice to hear his perspective on the training.
The guys training is all on Strava. His account is open and anyone can view. There are a few runs with comments by Sirpoc so maybe he has been on the subT train for a while? I think his PB was about 2:40 prior to this block
Here is a quick overview of his build from 10th March onwards - I didnt have a lot of time so hopefully everything is here
Week of 10/03/2025 – Mileage: 104.9, Long run: 26.11km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 17/03/2025 – Mileage: 101.3, Long run: 22.7km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 24/03/2025 – Mileage: 100.4, Long run: 24.32km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 3 x 2k, 10k race (31:59) Week of 31/03/2025 – Mileage: 108.6, Long run: 22.07km, Workouts: 4 x 3k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 07/04/2025 – Mileage: 101.6, Long run: 26.07km, Workouts: 4 x 3k, 5 x 2k Week of 14/04/2025 – Mileage: 108.8, Long run: 27.09km, Workouts: 4 x 3.2k, 5 x 2k, 10 x 1k Week of 21/04/2025 – Mileage: 100.9, Long run: 27.44km, Workouts: 3 x 3.2k, 10 x 1k Week of 28/04/2025 – Mileage: 110.2, Long run: 27.51km, Workouts: 3 x 5k, 6 x 1.6k Week of 05/05/2025 – Mileage: 111.1, Long run: 27.39km, Workouts: 4 x 5k, 6 x 1k, 4-mile race (20:14) Week of 12/05/2025 – Mileage: 113.2, Long run: 32.25km, Workouts: 3 x 3k, 3 x 5k, 3 x 3k Week of 19/05/2025 – Mileage: 101.2, Long run: 31.38km, Workouts: 5 x 7min, 6 x 1k, 5 x 5k (in long run) Week of 26/05/2025 – Mileage: 105.4, Long run: 25.02km, Workouts: 10k @ MP, 3 x 5k Week of 02/06/2025 – Mileage: 105.0, Long run: 25.09km, Workouts: 3 x 5k, 5 x 2k, 10k @ MP (in long run) Week of 09/06/2025 – Mileage: 93.3, Long run: 28.7km, Workouts: 24k progression (8k @ 92% MP, 8k @ 93% MP, 8k @ MP), 8 x 1k, 3 x 3k (in 22k run) Week of 16/06/2025 – Mileage: 82.1, Long run: 42.35km, Workouts: 1 x 5k, 1 x 5k, Grandma’s Marathon
Apparently original goal was 2:25 potentially 2:22 but not great conditions
I'm not gonna spend forever looking through his Strava either but fyi he posts that he's starting the method (and refers to this thread) on October 16, 2024. He races a HM in 1:11:05 on Nov 24, 2024 and he races a 5k in 15:22 on February 8, 2025. If you look at some of his first subt workouts in late 2024 and compare to May 2025, there's a huge progression. And yeah, Grandma's conditions were really tough this year, so I think it's clear he had the fitness to go faster. It'd be nice to hear his perspective on the training.
TY again, you don't have to worry about more, I get the idea and you were helpful!
As an aside, I'd be curious if he has been running awhile, and what his fitness was before even doing NSM. To clarify, was the Grandma Guy™ a random dude who, like Sirpoc, went from 18:xx 5k a year or a few years ago to a 2:29:xx 26.2 and equivalents from 5k-13.1? Or even slower, if he was in the 22-23 range, trained this way, brought his 5k-13.1 times down using classic NSM and then attempted 26.2.
If more and more realize this training works, regardless of speed/talent, it could go viral. You could have C25k beginners going from say, a 35-min. 5k to 22-23-min. 5k in 10 mos. to a year or so (not the best example but whatever), using the same scale-up principles, in addition to the lactrace calendar, intervals.icu and other tools.
"Grandma's Guy" ran sub-15 in the 5k and sub-30 in the 10k in college. He ran very well at Grandma's given the conditions and he destroyed a lot of much faster runners (many guys behind him have hit OTQ) but he definitely is not some random hobby jogger.
I'm not gonna spend forever looking through his Strava either but fyi he posts that he's starting the method (and refers to this thread) on October 16, 2024. He races a HM in 1:11:05 on Nov 24, 2024 and he races a 5k in 15:22 on February 8, 2025. If you look at some of his first subt workouts in late 2024 and compare to May 2025, there's a huge progression. And yeah, Grandma's conditions were really tough this year, so I think it's clear he had the fitness to go faster. It'd be nice to hear his perspective on the training.
TY again, you don't have to worry about more, I get the idea and you were helpful!
As an aside, I'd be curious if he has been running awhile, and what his fitness was before even doing NSM. To clarify, was the Grandma Guy™ a random dude who, like Sirpoc, went from 18:xx 5k a year or a few years ago to a 2:29:xx 26.2 and equivalents from 5k-13.1? Or even slower, if he was in the 22-23 range, trained this way, brought his 5k-13.1 times down using classic NSM and then attempted 26.2.
If more and more realize this training works, regardless of speed/talent, it could go viral. You could have C25k beginners going from say, a 35-min. 5k to 22-23-min. 5k in 10 mos. to a year or so (not the best example but whatever), using the same scale-up principles, in addition to the lactrace calendar, intervals.icu and other tools.
Looks like a former collegiate runner that has gotten back into good fitness with the sweetspot method, so the talent was there to run a fast marathon.