2:45 marathon target with 1:17 half?

If this is your first marathon I would recommend going for sub2:50 max.. A 2:45 with 1:17 half seems a stretch... And with the sub2:50 maybe you can pick it up at the end.. Remember to get some decent training with gels/liquids.

I don't think sub-2:45 is a stretch at all with a 1:17-low half. You could see someone run low-2:40s off of that. Was the half point to point and/or downhill? It's a good bit stronger than your other marks. Given the mileage, I think it's reasonable to go out at 6:20-6:30 pace through 10k and then try to run as many 6:15-6:20 miles as you can from there to the finish. Better to run like that, less of a chance at a bigger blow up. You should be able to go well under 2:50 & PR by a lot.

This will be my 3rd marathon. I ran 2:58 in my second one and felt strong in the last 10k (due to good fueling) and ran a 2 minute negative split.

It was a flat loop course but it was quite windy in the first half

It would be touch and go in my opinion. But I'd certainly go for it. My plan would be to run a 1 minute negative split. I've always found a good indicator workout to be running 24 miles in whatever my goal time is for the marathon which I'd do around 6 weeks out.

You def can run 2:45 or around that, if you pace it right and get in enough calories/fluids.

for context I ran a 2:46 in 2019, and I think my half PR at the time was 1:18. I was putting in a lot of miles, running doubles and quality workouts.
fast forward to February 2020(before the world shut down) I threw down a 1:17 half, closing in like 17min high for the final 5k.
for the full, it’s gonna depend how hard the terrain is, how warm/humid it is and just pacing it properly. It’s totally doable tho.
good luck

Hi OP, sorry I answered too quickly.. Somehow I multiplied 1:17 and got to 2:44.. With 1:17 you can definitely go 2:45 just as long as you have your long runs in consistently, which it seems that you have.

Best of luck!

Definitely doable. Your times are almost identical to mine way back when. I ran a 1:17 half and then a 2:45 (at Austin, TX). The key workout for me was doing several of my 20-milers around 6:45 pace. So not hard enough to beat you up too bad but definitely in the fat-burning range. These were key to my running several times around 2:45. I am super-fast twitch so that I got down to 2:45 was pretty decent for me.

You should be able to run 2;42 or better off of that.

I ran a 1:19 half in 2018, aimed for sub-2:50 marathon debut later that year, adjusted very badly to the increase in mileage, and got sick and worn out and ultimately dropped out of the marathon.

Really wish I had set a more manageable goal (sub-3:10?) for my first. The 2XHM+10 minute rule is fine if you’re equally good at all distances.
OTOH you’ve already run a marathon so maybe you can set a more aggressive goal.

good luck,

very similar here.

I ran 2:45 in decemeber and ran 1:18 flat 40 days out. marathon was 6:12 pace through 20 and proceded to run 6:30/40s to the finish. I ran my 20 & 22 mile lrs at 6:45 pace avg (7:30 progressing down to 6flat for a couple, then cool down) im fast twitch as well so my goal was just sub 2:50 and i suprised myself.

I find the formula that works pretty accurately for a 1:10-1:20 half marathon runner when converting from a half to a full (as long as you’ve been getting in marathon quality training) is double your half time and add 10-12 min. Predicting a 2:44-2:46 for you based off that. All the best!

2:45 no problem. You got this.

Provided you're properly training for a marathon (i.e., mileage, long runs, and long tempos corresponding with what the race requires), then I think you can run a marathon 20-25 seconds per mile slower than your half. If you ran your half at 5:54 / mile, then you're looking at 6:14-6:19 per mile for the marathon. A 2:45 marathon is 6:17, so I think it's a realistic goal.

I'll add that a 13- or 14-minute PR at the marathon is pretty massive, especially when your starting point is sub 3:00. When did you run 2:58, and how does your training compare? How long were your long runs during your 10K training block? I think the limiting factor here will be how well conditioned your legs are to handle 6:17 pace from miles 20-26.2.

I think that it is a realistic "A" goal. The 1:17 is a better mark compared to your other times, which suggests that the marathon training is going well. Your mileage is reasonably good. It probably makes sense to set 2:45 as "A" Goal, sub 2:50 as a "B" goal and PR as "C" goal if the conditions are atrocious on race day. Since you are shooting for a 13 minutes PR, I would follow the suggestion of NERunner03533 to go out at around 2:47-2:48 pace and pick it up if you feel good, as you'll be in uncharted territory.

You've gotten plenty of feedback but for yet another example. I ran my HM PR in Spring'18 in 1:18:00 then 2:47 full that fall and a 2:43 fall'21 without bettering the HM PR. Similar 5k time as well. I was doing a bit more mileage. I would do as NERunner03533 suggested pace-wise.

My experience is the opposite of what others are saying. Ran the half marathon in just under 1:16 twice in tough conditions and my marathon PR is only 2:56. Basically I have gone on too fast on net downhill courses (destroyed the quads and had to walk) and didn't fuel properly in hot conditions. Maybe the marathon isn't my race, but I find it completely different than the half marathon and my shorter distance times to not correlate well.

Your marathon time also will be highly dependent on the course difficulty and the weather conditions that day. Yea, if you have great conditions for Chicago or CIM, you might set a lifetime PR that day. But if you run Boston with the wind your face the whole time, good luck with 2:45.

So. I say pace yourself for a 2:50 and then pick it up after 20 miles if you are feeling good. Even if you are feeling fine at mile 16 or 17 that might be too early. Basically you have to hold back until 30k-35k and then you can go for it.

I ran 2:58 last year in October and ran about 55 mpw on average during that block. During the 10k my long runs were typically 14-16 miles but I was also doing 2 workouts a week to work on my speed. My training block for this race has been a lot better and I'm able to hit much faster paces on training runs.