Sub 2h30 Fall Marathon

I ended up post ponding the 4x3200 for next week and did instead a shorter workout with a friend.

1600 (5.09), 400m jog

1000 (3.10) 2 min

600 (1.51) 1.30 min

400 (1.12) 1.15 min

400 (1.12) 1.30 min

600 (1.47) 2 min

1000 (3.05) 400m jog

1600 (5.05)

Total was 7.2 km, very doable and was feeling great in the end.

Friday will try to do a 10 miles in solid but controlled effort, maybe a 58

Another travel between saturday and monday but will find a way to go long on sunday and jog on monday before picking up again next week.

Hardest thing is to keep the mileage up. Last week ran only 56 and will hardly run more this week.

Should be able to pick it up for the 70s range for the next two weeks though (before another trip to China...).

Looks like i'm the only one still here, hope the others will be back!!

Yesterday I did the 4 x 3200m, jogged a lap between each rep (2.30).

Finished in 10.43 / 10.47 / 10.52 / 10.48

It was hard but i still had something left in the end. Granted i was fresh as i had rested on Monday and ran easy on Tuesday.

Friday had a good tempo running a controlled 10 miles in 58.30.

I believe I am very close if not already inside Half Marathon PR shape (71.53).

The downside is the mileage. I averaged only 60 mpw for the last 5 weeks, with lows of 50 and highs of 70. Maybe solid for a 1h11 Half but does not seem enough for a 2h29 full.

Am planning high mileage for next week, hopefully a 80+.

Good luck to all sub2h30 contenders!

That's a really good workout, and a really good sign that you are in the kind of shape that will give you a shot at sub 2:30.

I had a down week last week - work was crazy, I had a family trip to the beach, where the weather was extra hot, and I saw my physical therapist for the posterior tibial tendonitis that knocked me out of Boston this year and is starting to creep back in. Totaled 60 miles combined on the roads and elliptical.

On the flipside, that left me fresh for this week, and I was finally able to get in a good long run workout combo.

I went 2 miles up, 4 x 1 mile on the treadmill (5:36, 5:33, 5:30, 5:30) with one minute rest, then moved outside for 8 miles easy, 15:00 at tempo effort (5:32 average), cool down to 20 miles total. I never felt like I was redlining, even during the outdoor portion (it was in the upper 80s and near 100% humidity, but no sun and the threat of showers and a breeze kept things feeling cooler than usual for this area at this time of year).

That workout is still probably off by about 8-10 seconds per mile as compared to similar workouts from other cycles, but finally getting it in, and getting it in at the paces that I had planned (hoped for?) going into the workout, without feeling like I was redlining, was really encouraging.

Still lots of work for me to do over the next 5.5 weeks until my taper, but if I can get in 3 or 4 more long run workouts like that, I will feel really good about where I am.

I'll hop in. Sub 2:30 may be a bit of a stretch for me, but I'm hoping to get close in Chicago. My pr is 2:32:58 from fall 2016, and my half is 1:12:35 from last summer. Training is going fairly well with the last four weeks averaging 75 mi.

Typical weeks have included one threshold workout totaling 6-8 miles around HMP (mid-low 5:30s) and a long run of about 20-25% of my weekly mileage with 4-5 miles near HMP, or an extended portion at MP (about 5:50 pace).

My last long run this past Saturday was 8 easy, 10 in 58:25, 2 easy. I had one session of 5 x 1.5 mi/0.5 mi "float" averaging 5:37 on the "on" portion and 6:30s for the float this past Wednesday. Tomorrow I'm going for 15 mi around 5:50 pace...we'll see how it goes!

I'm still hanging out here as well. I've got this plus the weekly training threads on my radar so I'm at least reading every post.

I've been getting consistent miles along with some short 3K-5K stuff and mid-week 16 milers with marathon pace quality. No killer workouts that would indicate a breakthrough, but also no relief from the weather yet. I've got some confidence that I'll be able to run a lot of volume at 5:20-5:30 pace when it starts to cool off.

Good to see you guys back!

question for you: what are the shoes that you use for training and the one you will use at your sub 2h30 attempt?

I do my long runs with a Pegasus 34, tempos usually with the Saucony Kinvara 8 and for the track it depends, usually the Skechers GoMeb. Easy runs usually the Pegasus as well, sometimes the Kinvara.

All my last races I have done with the Nike Flyknit Racer, but I can't find these anymore and I've logged to many miles with it.

This weekend I bought two new pairs. The Nike Pegasus 35 Turbo and the Asics Tartherzeal 6.

I have used an Asics Tarther in the past and loved it, ran track workouts with it until I got it destroyed. So the choice for the Tartherzeal 6 makes sense.

The same for the Pegasus, has been my long run shoes since the 31 and I had to give the "Turbo" a try.

Still not sure which will be my Marathon shoes though... we'll see.

this will be a big week for me and i hope to bring my mileage up again. Managed only 57 miles this last week.

depending on how it goes I might try something special on Wednesday, a 3 x 5 km with 5' jog between each and try to break 17:00 in all 3.

good luck to you all !

My three prior marathons have all been run in the Adidas Adios. In fact, I have worn those in every race I have run since maybe 2012, with three or four exceptions - I wore a free pair of Saucony flats for one race to try them out and I wore the Vaporflys for two races - a 4 mile race run at tempo effort to see how they felt, and then the USATF 15k Road Championships in Jacksonville. I will be wearing the Vaporflys in Chicago.

Historically, I have always been a "train heavy, race light" kind of runner and used my trainers for all of my workouts, with a rare exception for my long marathon paced runs when I wanted to simulate race day more. Because I am a heavy heel striker with some pronation issues, I train in a heavier stability shoe. I used to wear the Adidas Sequence, but that was replaced not too long ago with the Supernova ST. The ST is fine, but the heel counter in back is actually split and the middle portion is just fabric, without any hard plastic. As a result, there have been times in workouts when I felt like I was going to run out of the shoe. One option was to find a different trainer with a more conventional heel counter, but I couldn't find anything that I liked better after working through some Brooks and Mizuno options, so I went back to the ST and decided to use different shoes fro some of my workouts.

I still do some of my hard days in my trainers, but I usually switch to the Adidas Tempos for workouts now - they are based on the Adios and the Bostons, with the same upper as those two shoes, but a more substantial midsole. The tempo is basically a variant of the Boston with an added stability feature.

The end result is a decent compromise for me - it allows me to have the comfort of the heavy and plush trainer, but to do workouts in something that I am able to actually run hard in, but since it is a stability shoe, it ends up being a couple of ounces heavier than the Adios.

On a training specific note, I took a bit of a beating in a local 5k on Saturday - 16:35. An ugly time on its face, but in the context of things, I am not going to let it bother me. It was the hottest day of the year in Central Florida, and I trained through the race with that big workout on Monday, an easy 6 miles on Tuesday, and then 70 minutes or more of aerobic work on each of Wednesday through Friday. I have had some dogs of races during other training cycles (I ran 16:15 or so just a month before I ran 2:30 in Chicago in 2015, and struggled to break 27:00 in a 5 mile race a few weeks before my first Marathon in NYC in 2014), so I am going to add this one to the list and just move on.

I'll jump into the fray. Haven't really followed each page, but I'm also aiming for a sub 230 at Chicago. Most of my training is Sunday long runs of 17-21 with the last 7-9 at 5:45-50 pace (not every week), a 13-15 mid-week, and some tempo HMP efforts sprinkled in.

It's tough this summer with the humidity in NC, and this is the first fall marathon for me (6th overall).

This week the plan is:

M - 9-10 easy

T- same

W- 5 x 1200m 5k pace with 400-600m recovery

Th - 15 progressive (avg 6:30-40)

F - 10 easy

S - 7-8 easy

S - 19-20 with 12 at MP (5:40-45)

I've been at mid 70s avg last 4 weeks, planning on getting to upper 80s in the next 2 weeks.

PR 2:33 (solo effort last year), did 1:10 half in Nov 2017.

I'm looking forward to a fast course and plenty of company in Chicago.

Did the 1:10 get you into the American Development Corral? If so, we should try to find each other and see if we can put some work in together. I should have another guy or two in that corral targeting the same time.

Yeah, I'm in the ADP corral. I think we'll have a decent crew around that time, as well as some 2nd tier elite women.

Agree - I need to figure out the women part of it as they tend to be pretty good about pacing and sometimes even have other people unofficially pacing them. I will share my bib number on this thread once I get it and we can meet up in the ADP Corral if you have an interest.

Looks like you guys are rolling and definitely ready for a great Chicago. Last year I remember struggling in August and then totally ready in October. So just keep it up and have a bit of faith.

Enjoying following along with you guys and will be in Chicago as well.. Following you on Strava also Smoove, keep at it . My block hit a bit of a speed bump last week, humidity didn't help, but IT band/hammy flaring up a touch, so took a couple easy days. Only 50 miles last week, but 60-70s weeks priors. Only averaged 57 leading up to a 2:35 in Philly two years ago and that's probably a few miles inflated as that was before I used a gps watch. Won't be taking a swing at 2:30, but will be happy with a 2:33ish.

Keep on, keepin' on.

Just found this thread - am not terribly active on this site but excited there is a community of 2:30 Chicago runners, will begin posting weekly here as well. Also shooting for 2:30 at Chicago and Smoove has been kind enough to coach me this cycle and give me my workouts. I'll be in Corral A so hopefully I can catch up to you guys if you form a 2:30 pack.

Pretty solid week with 98 miles and long singles of >12M every day. First workout this week was 8@MP (~5:40) on road and 2X2 @ T (~5:30) on dirt/hilly trail. MP felt harder than I think it should have been but at least I nailed the pace and could have gone longer and was happy that my legs could still nail the tempo portion at the end.

Progression run this week went much better - was supposed to be 22 steady but my legs kept picking up the pace and 6:00 felt really easy and comfortable and by the end I got excited and picked it up to MP averaging just about 5:38 for the last 5. Did about 5:58 average for the 22. So my endurance is solid right now so just need to improve the LT/tempo pace I think so that those fast tempos feel easier.

Solid workouts mikemike, that sub 6:00 22-miler is stellar.

I capped off my highest week this cycle (87 miles) with a 20 mile long run yesterday with 15 miles at 5:41 pace. It was the longest stretch of MP work I've ever done, and I never felt like I was really redlining at any point. Maybe 2:30 is within the realm of possibility for me.

Nice Mike, I'm in coral A also, but don't think I'm ready to try and hang with you guys. Will be nice to be aware though.

I'll hop in as well: Couple workouts I got in the past couple weeks; 3x2 mile with a lap jog 3:00 minutes, 1114, 1108, 1107. And the other was a 2 x 3 mile, 16:59 and 16:53.

I've been running in New Balance shoes since I started running and I've loved the 1400s. Unfortunately the call of Vaporfly 4% was too much to resist so I've bought a pair for this cycle (still unworn).

I wanted to get used to the Nike fit so I also bought a pair of Pegasus and the Streak 6 and I've got to say I'm really happy. I will probably race several Fall tune-ups including Chicago in the Streak and switch into the Vaporfly 4%s for a 5K, a half marathon, and my goal race.

On the training front I ignored the weather on Saturday and went for one of my harder long runs. I like to do this a few times per year where I'll run 2 w/u, 4 @ 135-140bpm, 4 @ 140-145bpm, 4 @ 145-150bpm, 4 @ 150-155bpm, 2 c/d. The first half was under control and I was happy to see paces in the low 6s at a relatively easy heart rate but in the second half I was unable to control the effort. Ended up running 20.5 with 14.5 fast: 6:15, 6:18, 6:21, 6:21, 6:08, 6:06, 6:02, 6:10, 6:01, 5:56, 5:57, 5:56, 5:44, 5:53, 5:50. 84 degrees, 71 dew point by the end of it.

I also ran 4x1k at a moderate pace on Monday and 10x5 minutes on the treadmill Wednesday, covering something like 10.5 @ 5:50 including recovery. 101 miles for the week with a short Sunday. I had a lot of trouble recovering from Saturday's run.

This week I'm shooting for 130-140 miles of easy running. The dew point has dipped down to 65 degrees and it should stick around through Friday.

@tpearson42, I'm also shooting for 2:33 give or take in Chicago. I'm not sure how realistic it would be for us coordinate given the different corrals, but I won't go out hard for the first mile so we may be able to find each other.

immunorunner wrote:

I'll hop in. Sub 2:30 may be a bit of a stretch for me, but I'm hoping to get close in Chicago. My pr is 2:32:58 from fall 2016, and my half is 1:12:35 from last summer. Training is going fairly well with the last four weeks averaging 75 mi.

Typical weeks have included one threshold workout totaling 6-8 miles around HMP (mid-low 5:30s) and a long run of about 20-25% of my weekly mileage with 4-5 miles near HMP, or an extended portion at MP (about 5:50 pace).

My last long run this past Saturday was 8 easy, 10 in 58:25, 2 easy. I had one session of 5 x 1.5 mi/0.5 mi "float" averaging 5:37 on the "on" portion and 6:30s for the float this past Wednesday. Tomorrow I'm going for 15 mi around 5:50 pace...we'll see how it goes!

immunorunner, curious what your PBs are for other distances, just because I have the same marathon PB from December 2016 Cal Int. Mar.

I am signed up for CIM this year and just requested a free sub elite entry for Houston. I've had ITBS since Boston and it just recently seems to have cleared up. I've basically been a cyclist since May (it feels like). Now up to 40 mpw with about 100 miles of cycling too, which is a good volume of training, maybe similar to 65 mpw.

I've been doing workouts and a couple races even, but the fitness is way way way behind schedule for a 2:30 by December. It turns out that 20 miles a week for several months doesn't make you fit.

on July 21st I did a 6mi race at about 5:40 pace, but point to point and not on the smoothest of roads, so maybe worth 5:37s or so. this past weekend I did a 4mi XC race in Santa Cruz. the pace isn't that important as it was a very hilly race, but Strava said I was running a grade-adjusted pace of about 5:20 for the two uphill miles, which is solid. on a dirt/gravel road I'm pretty happy with it.

I'm racing a flatter 3.4 mile XC race this weekend in Santa Rosa, CA. hopefully it will give me a better idea of my actual fitness. I'd guess that I could run around 16:40 for a 5k right now. I hope that with maybe 4 weeks with 40-50 mpw I can get into around 16:20 shape before the marathon training begins in earnest.

I will bail on the marathon if I don't think that 2:32 or faster is possible. In that case I'll run club nats for xc in spokane, and maybe do houston marathon if I suddenly get really fit.

Anyway, I'll post more as I get into better shape. I'm in the easy gains period for now due to a long period of low mileage, so it should be exciting to see the progress.

I'm a slow twitch guy through and through, with prs of 4:42 (mile), 16:00, and 33:42. 2:32 may be feasible for you by December. I took most of this winter off and after bringing my mileage up to around 50-65 a week, ran 16:40 in April. That was roughly four months ago and I would bet that I am in or very near 2:32 shape now. I realize you have slightly less time than that before CIM, but given our similar abilities (and time off) I wouldn't be surprised if you could make it happen.