SUB-3 Hour Marathon
New Life Goal. It is time to break away from long slow mountain trail runs and 100 mile races and work towards some speed. But not just standard speed but speed over a considerable distance such as 26.2 miles in under 3 hours. In my recent past I have ran well over a marathon distance but I have actually never completed a legitimate Marathon. What I mean by this is, I have ran multiple 50k races, trail marathons, 50 mile, and 100 mile races but each time I am always on trails or going way past 26.2 miles so when I cover the marathon distance it is at a conservative pace anticipating going much much further in total distance. I now want to see if I was to run a flat, road marathon how fast I could complete it. Right now I would guess that I am around a 3:30 marathoner but I have not tested this. The goal is to drop down to a sub 3 hour marathon over the next 2-3 months. The following will be a weekly training log (9 weeks total) leading up until my sub-3 hour marathon attempt.Skip down to week 9 to see how the race went if you are not interested in a bit of a detailed training log leading up to it.
After I have finished the second week of the programing I get the general gist of it. General trend is as follows:
Mondays: off days
Tuesdays: 40 minute easy runs with intervals at the end of it
Wednesdays: bigger effort workouts, tend to be longer and faster paced (Threshold, VO2 max, Tempo Runs)
Thursdays: 30 minutes recovery runs
Fridays: 40 minute easy runs with intervals at the end of it
Saturdays: 30 minutes recovery runs
Sundays: Big effort, Longest runs of week (Tempo, Threshold, LSD)
October 3-9, 2022 - WEEK 1 - Building
Monday - I had to do an indoor treadmill run because of the hurricane. The storm itself is not to bad but constant rain and 20+ mph winds around 50 degrees pushed me to run inside which I hate. There is not a planned run Monday so I just hoped on the treadmill and did 4 miles at 7mph.
Tuesday - This is still during hurricane rains and winds so indoor it is. This was a 40 minute easy run with some real fast 20 seconds strides at the end.
Wednesday - Still have residual rains and winds but I temped fate today and ran outdoors. Currently I am in Maryland and the landscape is different than that of Virginia Beach. It is hilly with essentially constant rolling hills. I found a loop around the hotel on a road and knocked out a Threshold workout. The workout is in the picture, easier to view it this way than describe it. It started off cold with a fine mist for the first 5 miles or so then it started raining on me. By the time I finished I was completely soaked and cold. The hills made hitting my paces quite difficult because I kept finding myself having to run fast and uphill at the same time.
Thursday - Just a 30 minute recovery run
Friday- Same workout as Tuesday. 40 minute easy run with strides
Saturday - Another 30 minute recovery run. This is intended as a recovery day with Sundays being my long run days.
Sunday- Scheduled as a 2.5 hour run at around a 7:40 min/mile pace. I averaged a 7:21 min/mile pace and covered 20.43 miles in 2.5 hours. During this extended effort I had no water and just 2 GU's. It felt pretty good to cover such a distance so quickly and helps build confidence in myself that I am not far from my goals already. I just need to cut my pace down just a bit and extend it out to 26.2 miles which I think is something I can accomplish over the next 2-3 months. I intentionally ran a negative split during this effort getting faster and faster as I went. Every 5 miles my average pace increased with my last 5 miles being my fastest. I plan on negative splitting the Marathon when I go to run it so I will practice this on my long runs.
Week 1 Reflections: This is going to be challenging. I have never tried to run this far this fast but I think it will be interesting to see how it goes.
In week 1 I ran 59.84 miles in 7:45:26 and an average pace of 7:47 min/mile for the week.
October 10- 16, 2022 - WEEK 2 - Building
Monday- No scheduled workout today but I will go run a bit over 3 miles just to get blood flow going to the legs and loosen everything up.
Tuesday - Same Tuesday 40 minute easy workout. 10 minute warm up, 40 minutes around an 8min/mile pace, then some interval sprints towards the end + 5 minutes cool down. In total these Tuesday workouts are 1 hour of running total with about 7.75 miles covered at an average pace of 7:47min/mile.
Wednesday - This workout was a VO2 Max workout. 10 minute warm up, then 40 minutes spent slow pace, then 4 minute sprints with 3 minute jog recovery x 5, then another 20 minutes of slow paced runs then 5 minute cool down. I looked at this run as the warmup and 40 minutes slow were just pre-exhausting the body so when it came to the sprints I was already fatigued but the sprints were the priority or the focus of the workout so give them full effort.
Thursday- 30 minutes recovery runs
Friday - 40 minute easy runs with intervals at the end of it
Saturday - 30 minute recovery run.
Sunday - At this point I'm feeling pretty confident in my abilities. I am supposed to do a 10 minute warm up, then 40 minutes at slower pace, then 1 hour 10 minutes at marathon pace, then 30 minutes at slower pace, followed by 5 minutes cool down for a total of 2 hours and 35 minutes of running. But the program I'm on is for a sub 3:15 finish time and I'm shooting for sub 3 so I need to be going a bit faster than the scheduled workouts. I think I'll try to just run the entire 2 hour 35 minutes at marathon pace (sub 6:50min/mile) and see how it goes. It will be the longest and fastest run I have done to date.
Things did not go exactly as planned. At first I started off strong. I had no set pace I was shooting for besides 6:50min/mile or faster but I have never gone fast and far at the same time so I was not sure what pace I could sustain for the distance. I started out and settled into a comfortable, maintainable pace and it was right around 6:30-6:35 min/mile. I felt good here and thought I could maintain it without overexerting myself. I ran strong for about 20 miles and was within the last 20 minutes of the scheduled duration for my workout total when I had to use the bathroom. Since I was just running laps around my neighborhood I stopped by my house and used the bathroom real quick. Once I resumed running though I began to have terrible side cramps. I stopped running and they went away quickly but as I began running they came right back. I decided to call the workout a bit short of the total duration as I did not see a benefit in trying to work through the cramps and it would have likely slowed my pace greatly. I think the cramps were side stitches due to a loss in pressure in my abdomen. After peeing and pooping I relieved a lot of pressure from my abdomen. When I resumed running without the pressure build up my obliques/abs activated more to erect my torso resulting in cramping. It is either that or a lack of water. I had only had 1 sip of water around mile 17 or so. Next time I will not use the bathroom and try to drink a bit more water.
Week 2 Reflections: Building mileage, pace, and confidence. I think after this weeks training I can see a sub 3 hour marathon in my future. I think I have the fitness, cardio capacity, and speed to make it happen I just need to peak in my plan to run a good marathon.
In total I ran 62.99 miles in 7:34:17 and an average pace of 7:13min/mile over the week.
October 17- 23, 2022 - WEEK 3 - Building
Monday- No scheduled workout today but I will go run a bit over 3 miles just to get blood flow going to the legs and loosen everything up. Pretty sore from Sundays workout. It had more of an impact on me than expected.
Tuesday - Same Tuesday 40 minute easy workout. 10 minute warm up, 40 minutes around an 8min/mile pace, then some interval sprints towards the end + 5 minutes cool down.
Wednesday - VO2 Max #2 - Started with standard 10 minute warm up, 20 minutes at around 8min/mile pace, then 40 minutes around 7:30 min/mile pace, then into the speed portions. The first set of 4 intervals were running for 4 minutes at a 6:00-6:26min/mile pace followed by a 3 minute jog for recovery. I was able to hit these speeds but it felt quick after hour and ten minutes of running I had already completed. After these interval were an additional 3 intervals that were 2 minutes of running at a 5:06-5:38min/mile pace with a 2 minute jog recovery. I normally can hit that speed (I am capable of going that fast) but was so exhausted with the running prior to this that I could not get up to full speed. The best I could muster was a 5:48min/mile pace for one of the sprints and the others were around 5:56min/mile pace. It is close to what I was needing but not quite there. This is first time I have truly been unable to hit the programed speeds which surprised me. Holding a 5min/mile pace after running for over an hour is a pretty tough feat of both endurance and speed.
Thursday- 30 minutes recovery runs
Friday - 40 minute easy runs with intervals at the end of it
Saturday - 30 minute recovery run.
Sunday -Workout is scheduled as a 2 hour 16 minute run. I adjusted the paces a bit faster than programed as the program is for a sub 3:15 marathon and I need to run faster than that. Essentially my "slow pace" was around 6:50 min/miles. This is the minimum required pace for my sub 3 hour marathon effort. My "fast pace" on the quicker interval sections I tried to keep to around 6:15-6:20min/mile paces.
Week 3 Reflections: I feel the fatigue building as the training builds. Next week is a scheduled deload or reduction in intensity and duration which is needed at this point.
This week I ran a total of 66.7 miles in 7:59:32 for an average weekly pace of 7:11 min/mile over the distance.
October 24- 30, 2022 - WEEK 4 - De-load
Monday: Scheduled off day but went for easy 3.41 mile run.
Tuesday: 40 minute easy runs with intervals at the end of it, total 8.31 miles.
Wednesday: This tends to be a bigger workout but on this deload week it was just a shorter threshold workout. 10 minute warm up, 15 minutes at 8:00min/mile pace, 15 minutes at 6:45 min/ mile pace, 10 minutes at 8:00min/mile pace, then 5 minute cool down. Overall low impact run.
Thursday: Scheduled off day but went for easy 3.41 mile run.
Friday: 40 minute easy runs with intervals at the end of it
Saturday: 30 minutes recovery run
Sunday:Supposed to just be a 90 minute run around 8:00 min/mile pace. I am modifying this to run a fast half marathon instead. I hope to run around 6:00 min/mile pace for the duration and set a new personal best half marathon. I will finish half marathon in under 90 minutes so I will just keep going till I get to the 90 minute mark.
The first three miles I kept under a 6 min/mile pace but realized rather quickly this was unsustainable for me. And the picture you can see the first 5 miles I came out pretty strong and then started fading after that. My legs did fine and I felt fine overall but I had side stitches that were affecting my breathing and ability and posture. I'm not sure what causes the side stitches and must look into it further. Slowing down and trying to regulate my breathing limited the stitches but once I got back up to pace moving again they came back. The stitches were definitely limiting my ability to push to my capacity which cost me to slow down quite a bit in the final segments. My last 3 miles were around 6:40 to 6:50 pace. Although I was not satisfied with my performance overall I did set a new personal desk in my half marathon time. I came in at 1:22:47 which averages out to about a 6:19 pace.
Week 4 Reflections: I ran a bit quicker than I probably should of as this is a deload week. I felt alright doing it though. The side stiches on Sunday worry me a bit. I tried breathing through them but could not make them go away and I do not want that interfering with my paces.
This week I ran a total of 49.32 miles in 5:49:18 for an average weekly pace of 7:05 min/mile over the distance.
October 31- November 6, 2022 - WEEK 5 -
Monday: Scheduled off day but went for easy 3.41 mile run.
Tuesday: Swapped Tuesday workout with Wednesdays due to work trip interrupting training. 12.88 miles total with progressive building pace through workout peaking at 10 minutes at 6:46min/ mile pace.
Wednesday: 50 minute easy runs with intervals at the end of it
Thursday: 30 minutes recovery runs
Friday: 50 minute easy runs with intervals at the end of it
Saturday: 30 minutes recovery run
Sunday: Here is my big workout. Scheduled this week as long slow distance I once again pushed quicker than I should have and ran 20.27 miles at an 6:44min/mile pace. It did not feel good, as in it was harder than I would have expected it to feel effort wise.Week 5 Reflections: I did not feel good this week. I had to travel, swap training runs around due to scheduling, running in unfamiliar areas, some back pain/tightness from other strength workouts, and a general lack of stretching/ foam rolling which I normally do when I'm home and consistency is high. The combination of all that plus overshooting my long Sunday run paces has left me a mess. I'll put myself back together as I re-normalize my routine and maybe take a few workouts extra easy. The fatigue has made tired, heavy legs, plantar fasciitis flaring up, and a dip in motivation. I can't have this just a month out from my race. Time to re-calibrate and move forward in a more comprehensive approach.
This week I ran a total of 58.04 miles in 6:58:59 for an average weekly pace of 7:13 min/mile over the distance.
November 7- 13, 2022 - WEEK 6 - Building
Monday: Schedule off day but went on 3.25 mile run with my dog.
Tuesday: 50 minute easy runs with intervals at the end of it
Wednesday: Threshold #4 - 10 minute warm up, 20 minutes at 8min/mile pace, then 3 sets of 4 minutes at sub 6:30min/mile pace followed by 3 minutes recovery. Then 2 sets 8 minutes at sub 7min/mile pace and 2 minutes recovery. I cut this workout short of what was scheduled as I was just not feeling it. Legs felt heavy and I don't want to increase fatigue at this point. Only did 10.13 miles at average 7:02 min/mile pace. Finished 1 hour and 11 minutes of the scheduled 1 hour 34 minutes workout.
Thursday: 30 minutes recovery runs. Taking this super conservatively and getting good stretching/ mobility session after
Friday: 50 minute easy runs with intervals at the end of it. Stretch/mobility work after. Full body, body weight training circuit.
Saturday: 30 minutes recovery runs. Stretch/mobility work after. Full body, body weight training circuit.
Sunday: I feel like a new man after taking the previous days easy, laying off the strength training in the gym and focusing efforts on recovery. I was supposed to run around race pace after a 10 minute warm up, 20 minutes of slower 8:00 min/mile pace, then 2 hours at race pace, then 10 minutes at slower 8:00 min/mile pace, followed by 5 minute cool down. Instead of following the prescribed workout I just went out for a 2 hour 45 minute run total at around race pace. The goal pace was between 6:40-7:00 min/mile with 6:50min/mile right in the middle as target pace for 3 hour marathon time. I finished 24.05 miles in 2 hours and 45 minutes with an average pace of 6:52 min/mile. Conditions sucked and it was far from ideal but I kept around my target pace regardless. Of the 2:45 I was running it rained for at least 2 hours of it, winds around 13mph sustained and it was around 54 degrees with wind chill around 50. Feet were soaked, ground wet and a bit slippery on sections of leaves/pine needles.
I stared out below pace intentionally trying to not go to fast right off the bat. I would have liked to have negative split the run getting progressively faster as I went. When it started raining after the first mile or 2 I was quite demoralized and contemplated quitting and my mental fortitude wavered. I know here I went a bit slower contemplating life decisions that had let me to running in a cold windy rain. At some point I was literally as wet as I could possibly get and it literally could not get any worse. I was already out training and had structured my previous workouts around this one to get the most out of it so I might as well finish it. I had a few lows, around mile 17 or so and 21 or so. I did not get side stitches or cramping and I think my energy was alright but it was just a harder section to push through. Once I got to around mile 22 I wanted to go a bit quicker and finish it out strong. I was surprised at the speed I had left in the tank (meaning I should have used a bit more of it earlier on). I got down to something around a 6:05min/mile pace at one point and my fastest mile was my last mile with second to last mile being second fastest. Towards the end I felt more tension in my hamstrings and glutes than normal but hey I had just ran the fastest 24 mile stretch of my life so its expected.
Week 6 Reflections: I started the week with quite a bit of fatigue. The shorter runs were not bad but by Wednesdays run I cut the workout short. I believe this is the first time in the programing I have done less than scheduled. I will take the next 3 days very conservative to recover/stretch/ mobility work and see how Sundays big run feel. If I feel better then then I will stay on program, of the workout is sub par and I'm still fatigued I'll program in 1 extra deload week to recover fully before going back into programming.
Since I felt better Sunday I think I will just honestly take my easy days easy as scheduled and stop pushing the pace. I do not do it intentionally, I just run by feel and end up going faster than I should be causing more stress on my body and preventing me from pushing myself on the hard workouts.
This week I ran a total of 59.05 miles in 7:02:35 for an average weekly pace of 7:09 min/mile over the distance.
November 14- 20, 2022 - WEEK 7 - Not PART OF PROGRAM, JUST A FILLER WEEK
Monday: Schedule off day but went on 3.43 mile easy run.
Tuesday: 50 minute easy runs with intervals at the end of it
Wednesday: Took an unscheduled off day due to MEPS in processing procedures
Friday: 50 minute easy runs with intervals at the end of it
Saturday: 30 minutes recovery run
Sunday: Supposed to be big effort day but was not feeling it. Scheduling got in the way this week and ended up only doing 5.63 miles at 6:38min/mile pace.This week I ran a total of 50.7 miles in 6:29:37 for an average weekly pace of 7:40 min/mile over the distance.
November 21- 27, 2022 - WEEK 8 - Maintain Fitness
Monday: Schedule off day but went on 5.61 mile easy run.
Tuesday: 50 minute easy runs with intervals at the end of it. Also did ruck run on the beach with my Marines. Had 46lbs ruck and went 5.25 miles. I went slow on the way out with the slower Marine then quickly on the return trying to catch the lead guy. At one point I went slightly below 8min/mile pace with average of 8:30 minute/mile pace on return.
Wednesday:Sore from yesterdays run+ ruck run but I think I can still hit splits. Threshold #5. Standard 10 minute warm up, 20 minutes at 8:00min/mile, then 4 intervals of 8 minutes on at around 6:30min/mile pace and 2 minute recovery, 10 minutes at 8:00min/mile then 5 minute cool down.
Thursday: 30 minutes recovery runs. Taking this super conservatively and getting good stretching/ mobility session after
Friday: 50 minute easy runs with intervals at the end of it. This is also the last day of strength training in the gym prior to race to allow full recovery for the Marathon. I will continue to do body weight circuits as they produce less systemic fatigue until about 2 days before the race.
Saturday: 30 minutes recovery runs. Stretch/mobility work after. Full body, body weight training circuit.
Sunday:Tempo Run #4 -10 minute warm up, then 2 rotations of 20 minutes at 7:15 min/mile pace followed by 30 minutes at 6:30min/mile pace, then finished with 30 minutes at 7:15 min/mile pace followed by 5 minute cool-down. The first half of the workout felt great, paces were easily being hit, did not feel as if I was overexerting myself but during the second set of 30 minutes at 6:30min/mile pace I got the dreaded side stitches again. I had to slow my pace in the last 10 minutes from around 6:30 to closer to 7:15 or so. After slowing down and keeping this pace for about .5-.75 miles the side stitches went away and I was able to pick the pace back up towards the end of that interval. I ate 2 Gu's and drank about 300ml of water in this effort.
We got to the start line and there was a combination of races all starting at the same time. There was a 50k, 100k, team 100k, and marathon all happening on the course at the same time. This made it difficult to know who was running what races and who was your real competition. Once the gun went off and we started thought it was immediately clear who my competition was. Right out of the gate there was a tall, lean runner that put himself at the front, I was in second, and everyone else was behind me. As we built up in distance the lead runner kept pulling further and further ahead and I know by mile 4 there was no hope of beating him so I needed to settle into a pace that would work for me. I could hear 2 runners not far behind me talking which I thought was pretty impressive at the paces we were running. It made me think they were going real conservative for themselves and would pass me up at some point as I do no think I could chit chat much at the pace I was running. 
Again at this turn around I saw my competition was not far behind. They were not letting up and I kept thinking one of these guys is trying to negative slip the marathon and will take off cruising past me at some point because they took the first half conservatively intentionally so they would have energy for the second half. From the turn around I hit the same section that was minimally manned and not many other runners out there. It was a bit difficult to keep running fast over 20 miles in and no one around for reference for paces or even aide stations for motivation. I just kept cruising on and once I got down to the final 3-4 miles I thought well I can just run now and do not have to worry about holding myself back. The miles ticked by and in no time I was finishing my first marathon in 2:52:30! I crossed the finish line exhausted and got my finisher awards, Boston marathon qualifying shirt and second place award. Within 2-4 minutes the third place guy came through the finish line. He had not let up much and and stayed within striking distance the entire way. 
