Maybe I'll Blog, Maybe I Won't

Hey, we are a lot alike in that I also am a miler at heart who dabbles in the marathon world. Only you run faster than I do, but I am improving quickly. As for marathon training advice, mileage is key to finish and loads of tempo and marathon pace work is key to going fast. Mix tempo and marathon pace work into your long and medium long runs (but always take a recovery day before going hard again). Also a VO2max workout once a week helps. Buy daniels running formula if you don't already have it. Also read once a runner (great fictional book about a miler)if have haven't already.

Oh hey Joe! That's cool that you found the blog! I was going to tell you but I didn't remember. Anyway, I'm ready to run again now. Took a long break over the weekend and I feel great! But I won't be doing much this week since it's state. Are you going up for state?

Oh and nice mileage today! We'll get some of that going after state! See ya monday!

Joe - welcome to the blog. With proper training a sub-3 hour marathon for somebody with your speed is a jog, especially on the St. George course. You should be looking to run 2:30 - 2:35 this year, and eventually work your way under 2:20.

I suggest that you do the following:

a) get out 6 days a week, no excuses, make the time to run the miles no matter what.

b) run easy pace. Do not do any speed until you get up to 70 miles a week. Do not push base building runs. This one should be in red and in bold capitals for emphasis. Many ambitious college-age runners get injured or overtrain by running 6:30 pace or faster in most of their runs when they cannot even race a marathon at that pace. If you cannot hold a certain pace for a marathon, it is too fast for base building. Keep it down to 7:20, no faster, but go longer if you feel extra energy, that is the whole purpose of slowing the run down.

c) Run no less than 8 miles every day to start with. If you feel good, go more. If you feel bad, go slower.

d) Go to bed on time. Girls can wait. Date the ones that will ride a bike along with you or maybe even run in the morning. The added benefit of that is that you will end up with a wife that supports your running goals.

e) Do not eat junk. Up to a certain age X determined by genetics and life-time activity level your body can get rid of the junk you eat and you do not notice it. But overtime you exhaust this clean-up resource and then it hits you like a ton of bricks. All of a sudden your speed is gone, your endurance is gone, your motivation is gone. If people did not eat junk the master's age would be 45 or maybe 47, and we would not have age divisions between 18 and 45.

Welcome to the blog! I agree with almost everything Sasha has said. Make sure you run most runs easy. If it is killing you to do slower than 7:20 EVERY run, then I think it would be ok to throw in a moderate tempo run once a week so long you don't kill yourself. The keys to good marathon pace tempo is that there should be no real risk of failure (giving up on the workout). Make sure you don't increase your miles too quickly (10% increase per week, but carefully listening to your body and cutting back some weeks when your body tells you to). I did my first marathon last year, worked up from 20 miles/wk in April to 70 in the late summer. I think it is rather unrealistic to decide at this point a real time goal for St. George. I would sign up for the Hobble Creek 1/2 marathon asap (they fill up very fast) and do some 1/2 marathons in the summer and based off those races and your summer training you'll be able to pinpoint your first marathon goals. Well, I guess I've written enough. You asked for tips, there's some :)