Should I skip this year's marathon since I know I am not ready for sub 3?

Negativesplitter wrote:

I don't get the concern about your wife, which to be honest sounds like an excuse. She won't let you have an hour or two a day to yourself? Running is such efficient exercise and so easy to integrate into a busy life. But you have to want it and I can understand how you might not.

Go for it and good luck!

Thanks. Good luck to you, too. My wife is very supportive of my running. I'd like to keep it that way :-)

whats going on wrote:

You've got some huge mileage in your legs for the type of performance you're expecting...do you think you're training effectively? Getting in a few workouts per week? I'm surprised that on a 2,200 mi year you're going to come in a 3:15....

Are you carrying a lot of weight?

Hi WGO -

I am not sure what you mean... as if I should be running faster given my miles or if I should run more miles to reach 3:15:00?

In my short 4 years of running and biking, I have done a lot of slow, long endurance events. I mean truely the first year was simply getting in shape and FINISHING a marathon. Year two was heavily focused on biking and year 3 was strictly triathlon training. This year (4) and next year I am focused 100% on running. As others have posted, I need to work on speed this winter/spring, so maybe that is why my times seem slow to you.

Anyway, to answer your question, I weigh 162 lbs and raced the 1:30:00 half at 162 lbs. I have dropped to 155 lbs in the past twice, once for Everesting and once for a hilly triathlon. I plan to get down to 155 lbs for next year's 2:59:59 attempt. 6'0" even.

As for am I training effectively, this is the first season where I followed a real plan. I have been following a plan from the Advanced Marathoning book.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

TinaInCali wrote:

Female here and I ran a 241. I would highly advise you to run this marathon. My first marathon was a 252. I knew I wanted to set a goal of under 242. I was in a similar situation as you, I knew I wasn’t in 242 shape ...but I knew I was in better shape than when I ran 252. So I raced it and ran a 246. This gave me tons of confidence for my next marathon where I was able to hit the goal time.

thank you

sorry if this is answered above, maybe i missed it

how many stand-alone marathons have you done? saw the mention of one in an IM?

i highly recommend doing the local marathon - experience is the best teacher

i've done 49 marathons and slept in my own bed the night before one of them (and drove 2 stressful hours in the morning)

25timer wrote:

sorry if this is answered above, maybe i missed it

how many stand-alone marathons have you done? saw the mention of one in an IM?

i highly recommend doing the local marathon - experience is the best teacher

i've done 49 marathons and slept in my own bed the night before one of them (and drove 2 stressful hours in the morning)

thanks. I will race it next month for sure. I was not going to but I am glad I made the post and got lots of advice to run it.

for # of marathons,

2016 - 1 flat (race)

2017 - 1 rolling hills (solo)

2018 - 1 mountains (solo), 1 flat IM (race)

2019 - 1 big mountains (solo), 1 big mountains (50k race) - both early in year

should i wrote:

thanks. I will race it next month for sure. I was not going to but I am glad I made the post and got lots of advice to run it.

for # of marathons,

2016 - 1 flat (race)

2017 - 1 rolling hills (solo)

2018 - 1 mountains (solo), 1 flat IM (race)

2019 - 1 big mountains (solo), 1 big mountains (50k race) - both early in year

good luck!

i'll offer one piece of training/pace advice.

every time i went under 3:00, in the late stages of training, 6:45-6:50 pace was a very comfortable gear i could switch into... i did long repeats: 1.5 - 2 miles at that pace and just got it programmed into my body

I have a similar background - did my first sprint tri in 2014 and was predominantly tri based from 2014-2018...2019 has been more running. Running years have been

65, 500, 800, 1200, 1200--this year on pace for 2,000.

the main difference between us is that I started short and stayed short (have done sprints, Olympics and one HIM) - you went long.

Likely, you got into the routine of "slogging out" a lot of runs to get the distance in vs. I did a lot more shorter stuff. My HM PR is 1:22 (first HM in 2015 was a 1:40) with just "running" - no workouts...and now am prepping for my first marathon and started actually studying how people train - indicators suggesting low 2:50s at this point.

my point is - I think that to get better at long, you should go short - skip the marathon in november and do a half - try to get your half under 1:25 and then 1:20 over the next year or so - you seem athletic, have good build / weight. Once you get that down, revisit the marathon and go for a 2:50.

marathons are draining to train for and race (i've been told) - half marathons are not. Get fast (by local standards) - get some ego boost, and then go back to the marathon.

Skip the marathon. Forget about it for 18 months.

whats going on wrote:

...and now am prepping for my first marathon and started actually studying how people train - indicators suggesting low 2:50s at this point.

my point is - I think that to get better at long, you should go short - skip the marathon in november and do a half

marathons are draining to train for and race (i've been told) - half marathons are not. Get fast (by local standards) - get some ego boost, and then go back to the marathon.

Skip the marathon. Forget about it for 18 months.

so if I read this thread correctly - the OP went from couch potato to multiple marathons, everested, 300 mile bike rides, and a full Ironman in less than 4 years...everyone gave him honest sound advice, then you come in here... never even have gone the marathon distance before... and you are telling him he has been doing it wrong the past 4 years?

what the hell is wrong with you?

Allen1959 wrote:

Back in the 1970s and 80s, though, runners were more likely to jump into multiple marathons each year. Bill Rodgers raced five marathons in 1976, and six marathons in 1977!

Funny you mention Boston Billy. A guy I used to run with used to say : " nobody should do more than 3 or 4 marathons a year, you know, one every season" Of course I mentioned Bill Rodgers to him and his reply was: "Rodgers is a running freak, a freak of nature, God made him different, he is above all us, can't compare"

He was right.

Grenio wrote:

If it were me, I'd do it. Go out hard, at 2:55 pace. Blow up, bonk, consider dropping out, finish anyways in 3:30, reconsider running and all my life choices I've ever made, reconsider my future, don't run for 9 days, do a lot of emotional eating, and then wake up one morning and drink some strong coffee and have a poop and go for a run.

But that's me.

I am actually seriously considering this, just follow the 3:00:00 pace group as long as I can until I blow up. Then use it as a benchmark for next year.

Was that you? I could tell that you were slowing down - but I guess I was in the same boat. Never did catch up to you!