Going from 400m runner to marathon runner in less than a week

Please post results.

I went for a 5 mile run this morning in like 40 minutes. Really sweaty and exhausted afterwards. Going to go for another this evening.

400m runner wrote:

Ok, so let me start off by saying that I have never ran distance in my life. I'm really more of a speedster and I've ran a low 22 200m and 47 400m at a D2 university. Last night, I got pretty smashed with some of my buddies and one of them bet me that I wouldn't run a marathon in 3:20 for $100. So, I signed up for the Birch Bay Ghost marathon which is this Saturday. Going all in. I'm 20 years old and the last time I ran a mile was in gym class my sophomore year, where I think I ran 6:20 something. Anyways, even though I probably have little endurance, I'm currently in great shape at the moment and will be starting indoor track soon. Does anyone have advice for completing the marathon?

You have the same or similar 200/400 speed Rod Dixon had in 1970's. Make us low mileage guys proud!

My plan is to go on a really long slow jog tomorrow like 15-20 miles. Take a few hours.

400m runner wrote:

My plan is to go on a really long slow jog tomorrow like 15-20 miles. Take a few hours.

No way. You won't gain anything from that and you could spend the rest of the week sore. Just go out for a walk/run/hike for 45 minutes to an hour. Or less. The only thing you can hope to do now is stave off a little of the impending soreness.

Ran for about 40 minutes in the morning, then a little while ago had a mile time trial on the track where I ran 5:36. I'm 5'10" and 180 lbs.

I know you're 20, but doing this for $100 is ridiculous. This is at least a $500 wager for all the effort and possible pain you'll be in after this.

If I were your coach and you run 3:20 this weekend, you'd be an 800/1500 runner as of Monday.

I ran the 4x800 relay sometimes in hs and I think I ran like 2:06.

Sorry to say, but it is unlikely that you will run 3h20 Marathon with a 5:36 mile time trial, and no mileage at all.

47s for the 400m and 5:36 for the mile shows that you are really a speed oriented runner.

This looks like it will be ugly.

What are your times?

You should be able to easily do it in less then a week. A few hours maybe. After your 400m continue for 41.795km.

ahhahaha oh your poor feet lol

Id say run a nice 1k and just find your rhythm early don't try and go to fast, it will all come down to how well you settle in an easy pace early. defo wear some calf guards or something lol

interested to see how this goes

I hope you suffer as much as you deserve to suffer for this stupid bet.

It will help if you don't think of it as 26.2 miles. Instead, think of it as 105x400m. Keep the recovery between reps short, preferably less than one second.

Just give the guy his $100 and quit getting hammered.

I was a sprinter 2 years back running 11.65s 100m, 22.5s 200m and 51.2s 400m. Now my HM PB is 1:24. Haven't run a FM but sub3 is the target by next year. The thing is most people run 80km/week to hit 1:24, I was able to do it over 40km/week.

Am I the only one who thinks he has this. 7:37 mile? The key is you need to stick to that pace religiously. It will feel really easy at first, but you should start at 7:45 pace for the first 3 miles, then just settle in to 7:35 pace. Carry 5 GUs with you; you'll take one at the start and every 10k after. If it's windy, tuck in behind a group, but resist the urge to go with them if they're running faster than your pace. Don't over dress. If you're warm at the start then you have too many clothes on. If it's really cold, layer your clothing so you can toss stuff if you need to. It's a loop course so you can get stuff later, or have someone to hand it to. You'll need more cushioned shoes than you would for sprinting. If you can borrow a pair of 4% in your size then try them in a practice run and if they feel good use them. Run every tangent. If the road curves, don't follow the outside curve of the road. Run the straightest line to the apex of the next turn. This can save you and extra 1/4 mile plus on some courses. If your friend is out there "cheering" for you, don't surge. Save the pure hate for the last 3 miles. It also looks really easy to skip a lap, but resist the urge. You got this.

tl;dr: I can't stress this enough, NO miles below 7:35 pace till the last 3 miles.