Sub 2h30 Spring Marathon - The Quest For Amateur Glory Rides Again!

Hello hello! - I've crept on this thread the past year or so and finally feel like jumping in, although I'm not quite ready for sub 2:30 this cycle (hopefully next fall!). Thanks Tyler for getting it started up again!

A bit of background: I'm a 30 year old guy who got back into running competitively in fall 2018 after 10+ years off from any structured training (i.e. since high school). Ran 2:43 at Providence in spring 2019 and 2:36:50 at Indy Monumental this past November in my first two marathons. Training was similar for both with a slight increase in volume for Indy: averaged about 85 mpw for Providence and 95 mpw for Indy apart from backing off every 4th week to something like 65-70 miles. Lots of long slow workouts like 4 x 2 mile, 15K tempo, 20 mile long runs with last 10 miles at 10-15 seconds slower than marathon pace. Usually two workouts per week, including the long run.

Targeting sub 2:33 for Fargo this spring because: a) perfectly flat and could be fast and b) I wanted to really race a marathon instead of doing a glorified time trial with a bunch of other people around, and Fargo has an elite field that I might just be competitive in and will definitely have company/targets along the way. Will be upping the volume a little bit to peak at around 110 mpw in a few weeks and then will bring it back down to 100 until taper time. I really want to focus a bit more on faster workouts this time around since speed/turnover have definitely been my weakness in that marathon pace never felt really comfortable the past two cycles (as opposed to endurance - split 1:21:41/1:21:38 and 1:18:00/1:18:50 at Providence and Indy, respectively, so feel like endurance has been a strong point).

Anyhow, looking forward to seeing who else jumps in and following along/sharing training/getting advice from everyone!

Going for it in London. Hoped to do it last fall but when race time came around I didnt feel like I was ready.

I ran 4 marathons so far: 4:10, 3:30, 2:50, 2:33. Hopefully the next one will be sub 2:30

@PowSloke - Welcome to the thread! I haven't heard about the Fargo Marathon, but after looking at the course and the results from the past two years, it seems like it could be a good one. What attracted to you to that marathon for this attempt?

@DietBacon - That is an incredible progression! You'll smash that goal in London, no doubt.

Was a part of the last two threads under runthenight. Felt like using the name I used for everything else.

Background:

Ran in college and grad school with PRs of 25:42 for XC and 9:24 in the steeple. I stopped running competitively after finishing grad school and ran my first marathon in 2:41:02 with a 4-minute negative split. Ran Boston this past spring for my second one and despite not much running due to injury, I ran a 2:34:45. Columbus was my third and I got injured and lost almost the entire month of August. Off a shorter buildup, I ran it controlled and negative split finishing in 2:30:25.

The target race is Boston this year. Finally got on a structured training plan for Columbus and we are working on making sure we stay healthy through this build-up. The goal is for 2:25-27 and top 50. I should be at 70 miles this week. Thankfully we haven't had much snow since I've back from vacation so I'm hoping it stays that way for a little longer.

Anyone else doing Boston?

@beersandmiles - Hopefully I didn't step on any toes by starting this version of the thread. I noticed the last one kicked off around this time last year, so I went ahead with it.

Boston is under consideration for me. I am already registered but need to make up my mind if I am actually going to race it and not choose a secondary option (Fargo, Illinois, etc.)

DietBacon wrote:

Going for it in London. Hoped to do it last fall but when race time came around I didnt feel like I was ready.

I ran 4 marathons so far: 4:10, 3:30, 2:50, 2:33. Hopefully the next one will be sub 2:30

Wow! in the 2:50 camp now and want to be a 2:33 runner - can you discuss how much MPW you ran to get the 2:50 and your progression to the 2:33?

powsloke...I'm getting some red flag vibes from your post. only been back running for year or two...running 100 mpw or more...wanting to do more speedwork...

basically it seems like you might be biting off a bit more than most people would recommend. 95 mpw seems like a lot already for somebody who never ran in college and took ten years off. what if you stuck around that mileage but just adjusted the workouts a bit?

anyway...so it doesn't seem like I just showed up to crush people's dreams...

I actually started the 2:30 thread a couple years ago before Boston '18 but ended up running 2:39 in the cold/wind/rain which wasn't horrible but not was I was hoping for. The only other serious marathon I've done was a 2:32 at CIM in 2016, which at the time was the best race of my life.

I was probably in 2:28-2:29 shape last spring while training for trail ultras (50k and 50mi). ran a 71min half early in the buildup then ran a 15:31 5k a week before my 50 miler. Right after the 50 miler I was going to train for a marathon but had a swollen foot for months from the ultra. Since then, I got back to probably 2:32 shape again last fall while training for a mix of XC and more ultras. then in November I developed a knee injury caused by overpronation that I'm still dealing with.

So right now, my longest run has been 7.2 miles (this morning) since before Thanksgiving and my usual runs are 4 miles, 5 days a week. Doing some PT at home most days for maybe 30min. I was originally going to try for a 2:29 this spring but now am pushing it back, maybe to Eugene in May if I can get back in shape by March.

Mileage has been nonexistent...260 miles for both September and October but then 154 miles in November and 34 miles in December. Ran 23 miles last week though and expecting to be low 30s this week. If things go well I'll add about ten miles per week until I hit 60 then I'll take it slower. Might try out a low mileage marathon plan, like 70-80 mpw but with either more quality or faster easy runs.

runnerchef wrote:

DietBacon wrote:

Going for it in London. Hoped to do it last fall but when race time came around I didnt feel like I was ready.

I ran 4 marathons so far: 4:10, 3:30, 2:50, 2:33. Hopefully the next one will be sub 2:30

Wow! in the 2:50 camp now and want to be a 2:33 runner - can you discuss how much MPW you ran to get the 2:50 and your progression to the 2:33?

chef - don't worry too much about what it took for somebody who once ran 2:50 to get to 2:33...unless that person was running ~2:50 for multiple marathons before making another jump. I went from 2:54 to 2:32 but my training was basically the same...I just had more years of training under my belt.

I'd agree for the most part with this. Consistent, quality training blocks will get your time down.

Reed: yeah, I definitely am being a bit ambitious, but I'd rather try it and adjust the volume down if my legs start feeling overworked than not try it at all. I think adding volume really helped me go from 2:43 to 2:36, so I'd like to keep adding at least a little if at all possible. Sorry about the injury, too - seemed like you were absolutely crushing ultra training up until then. Hope it doesn't linger too much longer!

Tyler: I was just kinda looking around listings to find something that was fast and that I could be semi-competitive in, and Fargo more or less fit the bill. Was also considering Illinois like you are. Why aren't you sure about Boston?... I guess you have lots of time to decide which of those you will go for since they are all within a few weeks of one another.

@PowSloke - I live in New Orleans and we have no semblance of hills down here outside of a few bridges, so training for Boston's challenging terrain is next to impossible. That's what crushed me last year as I went out well enough, but folded in the Newton Hills and finished in 2:41:51. If I stay with Boston, I need to devote two hours every other weekend to driving an hour or so north to an area where I know there is a good road with hills.

Illinois has a few good things going for it: (1) It is the same week as Boston ... (2) It would be $350-$400 cheaper, all told ... (3) I have elite entry there, if I want to use it.

I assume I could get the same in Fargo, too, or wherever I chose other than Boston, if I choose not to go to Boston.

It's just a matter of deciding if I want to put the effort in to make sure I don't suffer the same fate I did last year in Boston and want to push to that sub-2:30:00 there.

Tyler_Runs_Lifts wrote:

This turned out to be a fantastic thread over the past few years!

Why not create one for the fast approaching spring marathon season?

With that being said...

Who is taking their crack at a sub-2:30:00 marathon this spring?

Share your thoughts, workouts & more!

@ Tyler

Thanks for getting this thread going man. I'm shooting for sub 2:30 this spring. Had a few bad races (heavy traffic and weather issues) but I think I'm going to take an honest shot at it. I pray this year is going to be the year. I'v been consistent over the last few years. My shape is pretty good right now. Just recently ran a 90min mid range long run with the last 15km between 3:35km-3:40km. (rolling terrain.) Felt pretty smooth and comfortable. Been averaging 95-100 miles a week with a tempo but I treat all my Long runs sort of like workouts. Good steady pace. Every 2 weeks or so the pace keeps dropping so we'll see if I'm on to something and how it goes.

Good luck to everyone else.

@Tyler_Runs_Lifts - yeah, you should definitely be able to get elite entry at Fargo. Would be fun to see you pulling away for the first mile or three!

PowSloke wrote:

Reed: yeah, I definitely am being a bit ambitious, but I'd rather try it and adjust the volume down if my legs start feeling overworked than not try it at all. I think adding volume really helped me go from 2:43 to 2:36, so I'd like to keep adding at least a little if at all possible.

if you just started back up running again in 2018, your progress from 2:43 to 2:36 was more likely just due to consistent training...though of course the mileage helps. you probably have another year or so of constant improvement if you just run about the same mileage and don't get hurt.

the years I improved the most were 2012-2014 when I basically ran about 70mi/week all year. ever since then I can peak to a bit better shape but then I get hurt or sick and my average mileage ends up being less. the goal for the year is 3500 miles (70 mpw average) which I've come close to hitting but have always missed. been more like 2800 the last few years

Not quite down at the 2.30 bracket but hoping to get there eventually with consistent training.

I’m a 30 year old who started back running in August after 14 years away from the sport and running my first marathon in March. Ran the Manchester half marathon in October in 1.18 and my next race is the Barcelona marathon on the 15th of March. I’ve also ran 17.10 for 5k and 36.16 for 10k on a tough hilly course, not great times I know but should take a good bit of time of both this year.

Was averaging about 40 miles a week for the half and have gradually built it up to about 65 mpw just now and hoping to keep it there until it’s time to taper, not wanting to go to high to soon and end up injured. Been doing 2 workouts a week plus a long run of roughly 2 hours.

Let’s see how it goes!

@Markrunner - Great to have you in the thread. Keep putting in the work and you'll see the results! This thread is a great source of motivation when it gets rolling along.

This is just me skimming threads- but damn, I went to NOLA For vacation with my family this summer and runs were so damn hard, the humidity combine with the heat is killer. Walked back into the hotel every morning basically soaked in sweat and gross stench

That's a bit how it is in Columbus. We don't really have hilly routes like I did back in CA but I found that the downhill is really the key there. I screwed up my hamstring chopping my stride in the first couple miles. Plus you have many more people to run with. At Columbus I didn't have much of a pack to run with and the guy who got 5th was like 6 minutes ahead of me.

The cheaper option is solid though. I'm staying up in Portland for the days before to visit breweries and vacation like I did last year and may be staying with a buddy while I'm in town to cut costs. The good thing is you'll have people to run with. That's why I'll be doing Chicago in the fall.

@runthenight - Great to see you pop in this thread! You have been a solid contributor in all of the others and provide such great insight into racing and training.

Are you doing the Eugene Marathon? That’s the only one I can think of that’s in the spring and how Portland would come into play. I heard great things about it and truly considered doing it this year if I could land elite status.

Would you opt for Illinois if you were in my shoes? I am so torn and looking for opinions. I want revenge on the Boston course, but I definitely don’t want to waste the shape I’m in right now.