Goal of Sub-3 Hour Marathon (Read 15845 times)

This is the same workout on the same course (doing 3.2 mile laps around a lake where it's pretty flat, using my garmin to mark off 1000 meter reps and 2 minute recoveries).

This is giving me an excuse to buy a Garmin. I do not live close enough to any track. And I'd prefer the road for that's where we race anyhow. Once I thought about one cause I wished to have the ability to see what pace I was maintaining. Do you use that function, and how well does it work?

Do you use that function, and how well does it work?

I display "lap pace" during long intervals--this tells you your average pace for the current lap up to that point. It works well. I pretty much only use it for intervals.

Put me down. Jim, you were one those who responded when I was all full of piss and vinegar after finding this site following the collapse of the coolrunning (and, like an idiot, I was clueless to the fact that it was established.) So I'm glad you're doing this. Anyway, I posted a question wondering if I could beat 3. I'd PR'd and knocked off a buncha time on my first return marathon after years off, qualified for Boston and thought, heck, w/ better training, I can beat 3 at Boston. Your words (nowhere near enough mileage, primarily) echoed in my head during much of my training and in Boston as the goal slipped away. Better training got me about five minutes off. Another 7 and change to go yet. Now, I've got a LOT more mileage, but realize it still may not be enough. I need to train better. I just pick marathon training skeds, run the mileage and long runs and do some races. MUST MUST MUST do tempos and that stuff. But what the hey, I'll be aiming for <3 @ boston in 2009. @="" boston="" in=""></3 @ boston in 2009.>

Jim, if that' hopefuls' list get's much longer it may be usefull to sort it by attempted marathon date as opposed to alphabetically. Nice to keep track of the attempts as they come up.

If you've been running for several years you might be able to jump right into some 16’s and 18’s with no problem. As far as cut back weeks I’d rather take them as needed rather schedule them. With your base you might have to take some risks if you want to be ready by December. What kind of mileage were you doing before last year’s Rocket City?

pRED, I agree with Jim you could jump right into 16's or 18's. I also don't plan cutbacks. This summer I built up by running a distance all easy the first time, then with some kind of tempo or progression the 2nd time. If I need an easier week, I just do the long run at an easy pace. An 18 mile progression run can be a much harder workout than a 20 or even 22 mile run all at an easy pace.

Hey guys, let me float a question out there to you: I did 5x1600m tempo intervals today--what's the amount of recovery you'd take on these puppies... On an aside, my footspeed has gone to crap...funny how quickly that can disappear.