accelerated training: can I run a sub 3 hour marathon with a 2 month program? (Read 231 times)

If those PBs are recent (like now), and you do marathon specific training between now and your race, and you run a smart race, I think sub 3 is definitely possible.   You have the speed. You just need the marathon specific training.    The key will be building up your long runs with some portion, preferably the later portion, of the run being at or slightly faster than 6:52 mpm.

Yes.  IF those PRs are semi-current, I definitely think you could do it.  But I wonder.....  4:35 but only 17:00??....  That tells me that you tend to be faster than stronger.  17:00 5k seems pretty soft for a 4:35 miler to me.  Your lack of longer-term mileage might therefore be a real limiting factor as your "strength" maybe has not developed as required to run a good marathon.   But like someone said, only 1 way to find out!

 

On the other hand, a 27:30 8k is pretty stout for someone with "only" a 17 min 5k.

yep! My 5k and mile records I would say are weak at the moment. I have not fully trained and raced a 5k since high school.

 

yep! My 5k and mile records I would say are weak at the moment. I have not fully trained and raced a 5k since high school.

Your 27:30 8K give a sub-2:43 though the McMillan calculator.  I'm not sure I could hit 27:30 right now and I just ran a comfortable 2:46.

That said, if your log is accurate I think sub-3 will be a stretch.  Number one, I'm not sure what you are referring to as a good base but your log does not reflect that..  You run very few miles and while the biking builds cardio it does not toughen your legs to handle a marathon at ~7min pace.  From your running history, your log, and your physical description (ie height/weight) you sound like a strength runner more attuned to shorter races at the moment.

You will find the marathon to be an entirely different animal.

Finally, you lack experience at the distance.  Very, very few people approach their physical potential in their first marathon.  There are simply too many ways to screw up and first timers typically don't know how to read the signs there body is giving them -- and there is little room for error.  My 2:46 was a win, but there were two guys there who were in better shape than me and could have won it if they'd done their pacing just a little differently.

I would recommend you really shift your focus off the bike and to running.  Get in a long run each weekend, and a second mid-long run mid-week with some marathon paced distance at the end.  If you can run a 13 mile long run now, start with that and increase over time to 18-20.  Start your mid-long run at 7-8 miles and work it up to 10-12.  You should run about 6 days a week.

When marathon day comes, stick to your goal pace or slightly slower at the stand and under no circumstances -- no matter how good you feel -- allow yourself to go faster than that.  If you feel great at 23 miles fine, speed up.  But if you feel like you are working much at all in a marathon you're probably going too fast, and most people go out too fast and blow up at the end.  Blowing up in a marathon is not something you want to experience your first time out (guilty).

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Any specific reason for the urgency to run a sub-3 marathon, instead of just running the marathon to see how you'll do?  I agree that your base is seriously lacking.  You're averaging 55 miles per month this year.  Lots of marathoners run that in a cutback week.  Does your two month program include a taper?  Because that would leave you with 5-6 weeks to actually train.

 

 

In that regard, there's only one thing I somewhat disagree with Spaniel's post. He said it's not good to blow up in your first marathon.  Sure, that would be ideal, but then the young geezers would think "what's the big deal?"  IMO, there's no better way to teach someone to respect the distance than for them to blow up and experience it first hand.

 

I just don't wish my first experience on anyone.  As a sub-16 5K runner who put in up to mid-50mpw I went out and was probably on pace for low-2:40s.  I ignored the growing effort at 12-13 miles, and by 16 I was slowing down.  I still kept pushing and completely cratered around 18.  We're talking 2-3 min/mile slowdown.

Despite being a sub-16 5Ker with 40-50+ mpw, doing all my long runs, and spending 3-4 months training for it, I bonked very early and ran a 2:53.

But like you said, I learned a valuable lesson and took 16 minutes off in my second attempt 7 months later.

There is nothing magical about a sub3 marathon.

Bullshit.

When I crossed the line my sweat turned into faerie dust and a bugle sprouted out of my ass to announce my achievement to the world.  I got a call from President Obama and a text from Ahmadinejad, which I believe translates to "Fuck yeah".  My mortgage rate dropped 0.5% and a Starbucks barista winked at me.

Don't listen to Jeff; Sub3 is nothing short of epic.

Unless you're trying to win or set a record, all numbers are arbitrary. But you have to have certain benchmarks, to give you something particular to shoot for, and it so happens that 3:00 makes a great benchmark. There's nothing wrong with picking that as a goal, to motivate your training, as opposed to just training to run as fast as you can.

You should be able to run sub 3 based on your 5K and 8K times but a sub 1:20 half would be a good indicator that you are ready.