How do you increase your time?
Options
simmoner4
Posts: 132 Member
Goal: cut 5 minutes from marathon time by next June (yes a year from now).
How do you train to increase your time?
How do you train to increase your time?
0
Replies
-
That really depends on your experience and training history...
How long have you been running? Weekly mileage? What plan/mileage have you done in the past? Do you have some weight to cut?
I believe I remember you saying this was your first marathon in another thread.0 -
The_Enginerd wrote: »That really depends on your experience and training history...
How long have you been running? Weekly mileage? What plan/mileage have you done in the past? Do you have some weight to cut?
I believe I remember you saying this was your first marathon in another thread.
You are right, it was my first marathon but I have ran long before. I don't have any weight to cut and I followed Hal Higdons intermediate program when training. It ranged from about 25/30-50 miles per week I believe. I'm new to racing so anything helps.0 -
Build a consistent base of training of at least 30-35 miles per week of mostly easy running before your next training cycle with maybe one day per week of a faster paced run. Then, when you are ready to start your next training cycle, you'll be able to take greater advantage of the training cycle. Also, experiment with fueling during your longer runs. I used Fitzgerald's recommendations to adapt a fueling plan for a marathon. Mine is pretty simple, but it works.0
-
@simmoner4 - I believe you said in another thread that your first marathon time was in the 3:30 range, am I correct? If you were able to get that kind of time with 30-50 miles per week, I think you should have absolutely no problem shaving 5 minutes off of your next marathon just by consistently running more miles. I like to do one run a week at tempo pace and one run a week with intervals or hill repeats just to help develop my speed, but the base miles is really where it's at. Also, try making some of your long runs fast finishes, where your last 2-3 miles are at your goal race pace or faster. That run has been a huge help for me in the past.1
-
The_Enginerd wrote: »That really depends on your experience and training history...
How long have you been running? Weekly mileage? What plan/mileage have you done in the past? Do you have some weight to cut?
I believe I remember you saying this was your first marathon in another thread.
You are right, it was my first marathon but I have ran long before. I don't have any weight to cut and I followed Hal Higdons intermediate program when training. It ranged from about 25/30-50 miles per week I believe. I'm new to racing so anything helps.
That is the same plan I have been using for the past year. What has your training/running base looked like in the past? Do you have any predictions from shorter races that show room for improvement?
The reason I ask is because this tells me where you are in terms of making improvements. If you are a relatively new runner, than more time at higher mileage and another cycle of the Intermediate Program to continue building your aerobic performance will probably get you there. If you've been running and been at high mileage for a while, that aerobic capacity is already built, and moving up to a more advanced program will pay dividends.
For reference, I had been running for about 2 years, and was around 20 MPW before I started moving my mileage up to around 40 MPW before heading into my first marathon training cycle. Over past year, I have been through 3 cycles of Hal Higdon's Intermediate 2 Program, although I kept my base at around 35-40 MPW and usually jumped in around week 5 or 7 of the plan when entering into subsequent training cycles. I have improved my marathon time from a 3:32 to a 3:10 in that time.0 -
lporter229 wrote: »@simmoner4 - I believe you said in another thread that your first marathon time was in the 3:30 range, am I correct? If you were able to get that kind of time with 30-50 miles per week, I think you should have absolutely no problem shaving 5 minutes off of your next marathon just by consistently running more miles. I like to do one run a week at tempo pace and one run a week with intervals or hill repeats just to help develop my speed, but the base miles is really where it's at. Also, try making some of your long runs fast finishes, where your last 2-3 miles are at your goal race pace or faster. That run has been a huge help for me in the past.
This is solid advice. I was stuck in this range, many years ago, and simply added in some half mile intervals (.5 fast, .25 easy) until I could do 10 at about 6:10 or 6:15 pace. I did that one day per week and then ran a 17 minute PR. Adding the tempo run and running with a group got me under 3:00.0
