How to knock 7 minutes off my marathon time? (Read 778 times)

Base of 50 mpw & no prior speedwork. Choose one of the following options: A. Increase mileage to 60-70 mpw B. Incorporate fartleks/1-2 mile intervals while maintaining 50 mpw C. Combination of A & B

Run faster

I can let you know in 6 days I ran in Hyannis in February and came up 8 minutes short of my goal; described the results and symptoms here. If you look at my log the most significant change from February til now was to boost the weekly mileage. I basically eliminated speedwork but changed some of my 'what used to be regular runs at the saem old pace' to a little longer ones, but as tempo runs. My target is 6 days from now. Have felt terrible during taper, so I am expecting great things....

E. Hills

Base of 50 mpw & no prior speedwork. Choose one of the following options: A. Increase mileage to 60-70 mpw B. Incorporate fartleks/1-2 mile intervals while maintaining 50 mpw C. Combination of A & B

That depends upon how long you have until your marathon that you want to cut time off. If you have a full training schedule, then I'd bump up your mileage for a month or two, and then start integrating hills or fartleks (along w/maintaining 60-70 or going back down into the 50s depending upon how you feel.) If you don't have more than a month or two until your race, I'd just integrate the hills & fartleks at your current mileage. In either case, I'd concentrate on extending the long run. I'd get more detailed, but you don't have a public log to peek at.