Will getting faster at short distances mean a faster marathon?

[Cheryl Keith]

I was wondering if you spend time getting faster at short distances, such as the 400 or 800 meter distances, and you then train for a marathon, will that extra speed at the short distances translate into running faster in a marathon?

[Bonnie]

Yes.  Speed in the marathon depends on your overall leg speed at all distances - although there a few notable folks who can run a marathon faster than they can run other distances (Dick Beardsley was one) -- most people have to be able to run 5K,10Ks and 1/2s at speeds that then translate into the marathon.  That said, even after you have developed leg speed you still have to train for the marathon to run a good marathon. 

[Sasha Pachev]

Cheryl:

See the Quality X discussion. It depends on how you got faster at those distances. If you do it via fast twitch fiber mass increase, or by switching your metabolism to release more glycogen per second at any cost and with no regard for efficiency, you will actually get slower in the marathon. If you get faster by increasing your slow twitch strength or through improved muscle coordination, it will carry to the marathon. I am still trying to solve this mystery as to how to get faster in those distances the right way. The only thing I have concluded so far is that the conventional 400/800 meter training should not be used in large quantities or at the expense of the base mileage or marathon-specific training. When used, it should be relatively mild and focus on learning how to relax when running fast, not on anaerobic tolerance (being able to run through having a feeling of lead in your legs). So something like 4-6x400 with full rest at the fastest possible speed where you still feel smooth. For you I would make a wild guess of about 1:40, but if it feels wrong, you should adjust.

Some non-running exercises could help as well by rebooting your brain, but I have not had much luck with those. If you think you've found something, try this - do your 4x400 workout after those exercises and see how it affected you. If it is a certain stretch, you can evaluate its quality by doing it in between the repeats.