The Elusive Sub 3 Hour Marathon Goal
One of the most common goals athletes come to me with is breaking 3 hours in a marathon. On paper it seems so easy but in reality it can take several years and several tries to finally accomplish that goal. When I was training for mine I spent a lot of time on the track and the road in all weather conditions dialing in my pace and strategy. Mental toughness came easily to me but that was one of the other big factors in achieving that goal. I can remember running several marathons and being 1-3 minutes off a sub 3 and after many tries I finally got my 3 hour marathon. The marathon I chose was actually 26.4 miles so technically I broke 3 hours but as results show I missed it by 16 seconds. Being a mountain athlete I decided that was enough for me. It is fascinating to me that in a trail race it seems like you can lose 20 minutes and then make up 40 while in a road marathon if you lose just a couple of seconds you may never get them back.
Race day is always a mystery. You never know what the weather will be or how your body will decide to feel race morning. Race day nerves can throw off your plan and derail your whole race. For some people the large races such as the Boston Marathon help with performance, for others (myself included) it can create so much anxiety that it can make for a challenging day. I always did better at small races that you show up and run. The first step to achieving your sub 3 hour marathon goal is accepting what type of race is going to be the least stressful. If big races light you up, pick one of those. If the races with very few runners and spectators bring you joy pick that. Once you have decided on what type of race is best for your emotional well being it is then time to start trainingl
People often talk about race weight and there is some truth to that. The other piece is you cannot perform your best without fuel so you need to eat plenty of food. If you are worried about your weight focus on macros and eat lots of lean protein, high quality carbs and small amounts of healthy fats. You need to eat all 3 macros to build muscle and endurance. Your size and weight don’t matter as much as your strength to weight ratio. The stronger you are the faster you can move! Endurance athletes will not get bulky but will instead gain lean muscle which is important for running fast. It is also important to remember that you should consider your future and depriving yourself of important nutrients can cause long term physical and mental health issues that can take years to manage. If you struggle with food find a nutritionist that understands athletes and helps you choose the right foods to achieve your goals. Find a nutritionist that is willing to work with your dietary choices such as being a carnivore, vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, etc. They should be understanding of your personal dietary choices and be educated in how to ensure you are getting the macros and nutrients you need by working with your food choices.
The next step is coming up with a training plan. Most athletes need a solid running base of 2-3 years to begin to train for a sub 3 hour marathon. This isn’t what most people want to hear but as a coach, this seems to be the magic number. Your first 2 years of running should slowly increase mileage with some short speed sessions sprinkled in. I have found that many athletes struggle with injuries in the first 1-3 years of their sport because they progress too quickly. You can reduce this time by using a bike to cross train and build on speed and endurance without the impact of running.
Incorporating strength and mobility into your routine will help you become more durable and the most important pieces to the training puzzle are sleep and stress management. If you are under a lot of stress and struggle to get quality sleep you will be more likely to get chronic injuries. If you are feeling like you are overwhelmed with life it is worth exploring ways to reduce stress and improve sleep. You can achieve this through self help books, a therapist or life coach, mindfulness, journaling, meditation and more. When you are not stressed your body will recover from your workouts leaving you feeling strong and motivated.
Once you have established a solid base and have not had twinges or injuries in a few months you can start to incorporate speed work into your training. It is very important to have easy recovery runs sandwiched in between harder efforts and you should include one rest day every week. When your speed session doesn’t leave you feeling sore for a couple of days you can incorporate a harder long run into your schedule. Progression runs and fast finish runs are awesome ways to work on your end of the race kick and are best done on your longer weekend run. These runs build mental fortitude and don’t need to show an increase in pace at the end, but instead an increase in effort. These runs help you gain the mental fortitude to dig deep at the end of the race. Planning a long recovery run the day after is good for teaching your body to run on tired legs and you can run/walk if you need to. Your body knows what you need so honor it. Your shorter mid week speed session can be a playful track workout and a favorite with my athletes is the ladder run. I like to alternate the mid week speed session between hill work and flat work. This will help you be prepared for any terrain that comes your way!
Training is a great place to make mistakes. Practice your pre run eating to see what feels best, play around with gels, chews, etc on your runs. Train in bad weather (if you are able to stay safe). You can use a track to practice running in tough weather conditions and use your car as an aid station full of all you need to warm up, cool down, etc. If you are training for a sub 3 marathon you should ditch the water bottle and bring no more than 3-4 gels with you. The faster you run the harder it is for your body to digest food so only eat what you need. Running with a pack or water bottle can throw off your gait slightly on race day and slow you down. Most races use water and Gatorade so practice some of your longer fast runs by drinking gatorade and water and eating gels. If you are used to what is offered on race day you won’t have to deal with getting sick because you don’t train with what they have. I am not a huge fan of how sweet Gatorade is but, it is important to be able to tolerate it so that you don’t have to worry on race day. My first marathon I wanted to bring 8 gels and a water bottle. I was horrified when my coach said 2 gels and no hand held. I snuck 3 gels with me and ended up only eating 2. Lesson learned.
Pick some shorter races to use as race prep. You can run a 5k or 10k and run a few miles before the race and use it as a fast finish. Pick a half marathon and work on getting in a sub 1:30 race time. Use these races to dial in nutrition, pacing and your mindset. If you are new to the sub 3 hour goal, pick a marathon to practice your strategy and after your race write down what worked and what you need to work on. This will help you adjust your training appropriately. Practicing racing is an important part of achieving a stout goal.
Most importantly, have fun! The more fun you are having at your race the better you will perform. Sometimes having fun at a race involves not looking at your watch. You can put tape over the face of it or put it in a pocket. Seeing your pace or heart rate can derail your race. Instead use how you are feeling to determine your effort. Treat the race as a progression run and allow yourself 5 minutes to settle into your race effort. As you get to the half way point begin to put a bit more effort into your run. When you only have 5 miles to go, remember, you can dig very deep. Think of all the short training runs you have done. You always have more to give, even when you don’t think you do. I can remember digging so deep that my legs were numb and all I could hear was my labored breathing and footsteps. I did my best to maintain my form and turned off all of the pain. I asked myself how bad to I want this an with tears in my eyes, I ran as hard as I could until I broke that tape.
You always have more to give. Use your training to work on your mental game. Your mental game will give you that extra boost to help you hold on tight to that pace. Use visualization leading up to your race and see yourself accomplishing your goal. See it so many times that you actually believe it. If you rehearse success in your mind you will be more likely to achieve your goal.
Most of all, don’t be upset if you don’t get that sub 3. You may need to try several times. Each time you miss it write down what you did well and what you could improve on. This is going to help you make little tweaks each time you race and one day you will catch that elusive sub 3 hour goal. Believe, have fun, dig deep. <3
If you are looking for help working towards this goal, reach out! I can help you set realistic expectations and guide you on your sub 3 hour marathon journey. It may take a few tries, but it is possible. Anything is possible with the right recipe.
