If you can't run a sub-3 marathon after 12 months of running then you haven't trained properly

Classic Flagpole. Everything that needed to be said was done in the earlier post, but he jumps in to say basically the same thing.

Well done, I'm sure you feel proud of yourself.

Flagpole.. do you have a google alert set up for every mention of your name on this message board?

Citizen Runner wrote:

Presuming we're limiting "you" to young males, but including "couch to marathon" types, I have more issue with "12 months" than "sub-3". Starting with someone who hasn't been running to a marathon in a year isn't a person who is "trained properly" in my mind.

As for why this sort of post comes up repeatedly, I attribute it to a "everyone faster than me is doping/more genetically gifted everyone who is slower than me doesn't train hard enough" worldview. That is, I've earned my place in life, everyone else is either lucky or lazy.

That and the OP is probably a young runner that is always surrounded by teammates and other runners that can easily run 14 - 16 minute 5Ks. It is easy for them so it must be easy for everyone. His views will change as he grows up and gains more life experience.

The is a very unfair statement. Not everyone of us is BORN with the talent to run an UNDER THREE HOUR MARATHON.

Many of us relatively faster joggers transition to other events like trail running (technical), ultramarathoning because its less focus on speed and more on the experience

If you ran sub 3, good for you then but really who gives a fvck? You are not an elite!

The reason the op wrote this is probably because he runs sub2:50 therefore he must diminish the sub 3:00 crowd to make his group worthy of something and take a big chunk of other runners out of his elite group.

I dont agree. If you dont factor in age you're premise is flawed right from the start. And if you're talking about someone that has never run in his/her life and weighs 300 lbs and has 12 months to do it, I would think for those that feat would categorize as a miracle.

Precious Roy wrote:

I know a guy who can run a 1:19 half but cannot get anywhere close to 3 hours in the marathon.

Same for me. I´ve run 33,10 for 10k road, 1,19 for the half but I´ve never been near sub-3. My most serious attempt was in Berlin a few years ago. I prepared for 5 months. I averaged around 120 km/w and did everything else in training by the book, but it didn´t help. I crashed after 29 km.

eh,. wrote:

Precious Roy wrote:

I know a guy who can run a 1:19 half but cannot get anywhere close to 3 hours in the marathon.

Same for me. I´ve run 33,10 for 10k road, 1,19 for the half but I´ve never been near sub-3. My most serious attempt was in Berlin a few years ago. I prepared for 5 months. I averaged around 120 km/w and did everything else in training by the book, but it didn´t help. I crashed after 29 km.

This is where our genius OP gets to say that you still did not "train properly" and he is proven correct.

If you'd said that 75% of men aged 20-30 who survived the training could run a sub-three hour marathon in two years then I would still think you were wrong, but that's getting closer.

One year is nowhere near enough to train someone from scratch. You'd need to be running at least 40 miles per week (ignoring the occasional freak of nature who can do it all with one long run on the weekend) and probably more like 50-60. Building up to that is going to take time and may not be possible for everyone. Injuries happen.

6:50/mile is *blazingly* fast for most people. I don't think you realize how hard it is.

Salt Lake City man wrote:

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

Hence the train properly comment. You make do with what you have available. Nothing wrong with that as you have a life outside of running. But if one devoted 12 months to training and training only I would expect most would do faster than 3 hours.

Who on earth devotes a year of their life to training? I mean honestly, no one with any kind of a life does.

in my late 30s i can still run in the high 17s for 5K, but i can't get under 3 for the mary because i have no idea how to get 60+ mpw and still work hard, be an actual father, and get 6 hrs sleep. i need another hour or two each day.

Galen Rupp et all have devoted more than a year of their lives to training.

Why can't you hobby joggers understand the OP is not talking about you people.

joho wrote:

gashdfhrd wrote:

true if they are: 1. young (under 40) 2. not overweight with at least a modicum of fitness. 3. if they are willing to do the training. 4. male

Agreed. I work with a bunch of 'runners' that run 13 - 15 minute pace for 5Ks. No way you are getting them down to 6:52 pace in 12 months.

Dude, if you're running a 13 minute 5k and can't break 3 hours in the marathon, you aren't just training wrong, you're some sort of freak of nature.

what % of people that have broken 3 hrs for the marathon can't break 2:00 for the 800 or even a minute for the quater.

Oh good Lord, the OP's doing that troll thing again. Blah. Blah. Blah-bitty. Blah.

Henry Cooper wrote:

I think this is a statement we can all agree on?

No, we can not agree on that. I estimate that less than 10% of men in their prime can break 3:00. It's worth about a 18:00 min 5k.

Nope

I started jogging March 15,1969 looking for a cheap sport. By June, I did the Holyoke Mar. in 4:22, in Sept Atlantic City in 3:39, by Feb of 1970

Cherry Tree in 2:57 and then In April Boston in 2:53 all while smoking a pack a day. So it can be done even by the less intelligent with little talent.

It depends on the natural ability of the runner, how they feel on race day and the conditions (hilly, hot, windy, etc). Also race strategy, if the runner goes out too fast they will hit the wall with miles to go. There are a lot of things that can go wrong in a 26.2 mile race even if you are properly trained!

If one of your parents have run a sub 3 hour marathon and you were not born with any noticeable disabilities then I would assume this would be true.

I'd give up alcohol for a year, maybe even 2, to be able to run a sub 3. I would be absolutely ecstatic to be able to run a sub 3 one day.

My best is 3:40 and change off of 40 miles/week. I haven't run a marathon in several years. I'm fairly certain I could do one faster than 3:40 nowhere but no where close to sub 3.

I run 70 to 80 miles per week. My most recent race was a summer 10k at 43 minutes and change.

I'm more than willing to be a guinea pig and train 1 year, if someone thinks they can train me to a sub 3! I'm more than willing to put in the miles. I've never run more than 80 miles/week. I've never had any serious injuries but have several nagging ones.

Any takers?