Are you seeking more information to sustain 10 minute mile marathon pace more efficiently? If so, welcome to RunDreamAchieve.com. I am glad you have made it here. What is 10 min mile marathon pace? Well, if you hold that pace for the entire distance of the marathon you will run 4:22.13. The pace per kilometer is 6:17 which you will need to sustain for 42.2 straight kilometers. My goal with this post is to help you do it more effectively.
Remember, you run a 4:22 marathon by training smarter, not necessarily harder. There are far too many runners who get caught up with the amount of mileage they are putting in. Is higher mileage a guarantee you will this fast of a marathon. No. Yes, you will be very strong endurance-wise when you run consistent mileage. That being said, the goal is to improve your body’s lactate tolerance. Again, you want to slow down less than your competition.
So, it is an art form that takes practice and patience in order to achieve. The tips you’ll learn in this post are just a few brief examples of tactics I used to eventually run 2:19:35 for the marathon. I want you using them as you prepare to sustain 10 minute mile marathon pace over 26.2 miles. Yes, just about any runner can hold this pace for a number of miles or kilometers. That being said, it is something else to hold it for the entire marathon distance.
Is a 10 Minute Mile Good for a Marathon?
Yes, you are going to have to be in overall good shape in order to hold 10 minutes per mile for the marathon. Again, anyone can run easy for a number of minutes. It is an art form to sustain this type of pace over the 26.2 mile or 42.2 kilometer distance. I do have a course that I created for runner who are seeking to break the 4 hour marathon barrier. Of course, this is 9:09 per mile pace, slightly faster than what you may be aiming for.
That being said, it isn’t that far away from the goal. The running course is called the Sub 4 Hour Marathon Mastery course. I teach the exact strategies I used to lower my marathon best from 2:43:36 to 2:19:35. Yes, the workouts are catered to mastering sub 4 hour marathon pace. In addition, I also have created a training plan specifically for athlete seeking to run from 2:30 to the 5 hour marathon. So, that is another option you have here as well. Are you seeking a coach? I do coach online monthly so be sure to consider that as well.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR TRAINING PLANSWhat is 10 Minute Mile Pace?
10 minute mile marathon pace comes out to around 6 miles per hour. What percentage of your weekly volume have you been training at or below 10 minute mile pace? 10 percent? 15? 20%? The best middle to long distance runners train closer to 40 percent of their weekly volume, anaerobically. So, they make it look easy for a reason. It isn’t just because they are Kenyan or Ethiopian. I have outrun world-class runners from these countries and I am just your average joe.
My work ethic matched and often times surpassed theirs. Yes, they may have had more talent than I. That being said, I was very persistent with the way I trained. So, they same goes for you. Furthermore, you need to focus on both mental as well as physical training. My recommendation is to start visualizing yourself getting across that finish line in a time faster than 4:22.10.
Spend 10 to 15 minutes each day doing this. It could be when you first get up in the morning or when you go to bed at night. In addition, get away from the distractions of electronic devices too. The worlds’ best distance runners realize the importance of mental training.
Is a 10-Minute Mile Running or Jogging?
It depends on the athlete you are asking. As someone who has held 5:19 mile pace for a marathon, it is jogging to me. That being said, it may be race pace to someone else, respectfully. Of course, I still need to be in good shape to go out and run at 10 minute mile marathon pace. It is not slow and we know it is not walking pace which is closer to 15 to 20 minute mile pace.
So, how do we get you to sustain this pace for entire distance. I believe one of the best ways is faster, varied paced long runs. A major mistake runners make is running too slow for too many of their miles or kilometers. The pace of your long runs needs to be increased. Remember, I am not saying you need to run faster every single weekend. My philosophy is to alternate a faster long run followed the next week by an easier, relaxed long run.
It takes the body between 3 to 4 weeks in order to adapt. So, you have to first adapt to what a 14 miler feels like before you can move to a 19 miler. Make sense? Also, you have to adapt to running at faster efforts over longer durations as well.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PRIVATE, MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITYLong Run Examples
Below are some examples of faster, varied paced long runs I would recommend to an athlete seeking to run 4:22.10 or faster. Remember, 4:22.10 comes out to 10 minute mile marathon pace.
- 2 mile jog warm-up, 5 miles@9:45 mile pace, 2 miles easy, 2 miles@9:20 mile pace, 1 mile easy, 2 mile in 9:00, 5 miles@10:40 mile pace (19 miles)
- 1 mile jog warm-up, 10 miles@9:30 mile pace, 3 miles easy, 2 miles@10:00 mile pace, 1 mile easy, 1 mile in 9:00, 4 miles@10:20 mile pace, 2 mile cool-down jog (24 miles)
The following long run after these types of long run will always be relaxed and easy. So, you stress the body and then allot sufficient time in order for results and adaptation to take place. No, these long runs will not occur in the first few weeks of your build up but later on. I recommend a minimum of 12 and preferably 16 to 20 weeks to prepare properly for the marathon.
Again, the focus here is to get 10 minute mile marathon pace to feel more like a tempo run. It should not feel like 5K or 10K race pace. So, the only way to do that is to train significantly faster than goal marathon race pace.
How Long Would it Take to Run a Marathon with a 10 Minute Mile?
It would take the athlete about 3 hour and 40 minutes to put in a 21-mile long run at this effort. The athlete that can do this should be able to run well below 4:22.10 for the marathon. Again, it all comes down to the strategy and tactics you are using. You also have to pay attention to your nutrition and hydration as well. A major mistake marathoners make is not taking in enough fluid and calories during their races.
So, start dropping your water bottles out every 3 miles along your long run route. Also, practice drinking rather than sipping during these runs. Have you ever watched world-class marathoners when they are racing on television? They are drinking, not sipping. Remember, your body desperately needs that nutrition during the race. Have you had problems in the past during your marathons holding it all together? One of the big reasons marathoners fail meeting their race time goals is poor nutrition and hydration during the race. So, don’t make that same mistake in your next sub 4:22.13 marathon attempt.
Longer Tempo Runs
How long have your tempo runs been in the past? 4 miles? 6? I recommend doing tempo runs out around 8 to 14 miles in length. No, you won’t do this in the first few weeks of a build up. Remember, start off at 3 to 4 miles first. Adapt and the gradually start extending the amount of time you are running at your anaerobic threshold. Remember, we race our marathons right around our tempo run effort. So, it is essential you spend more time running at these efforts in training.
Again, it takes the body about 3 to 4 weeks to adapt to any stress load you are placing on it. So, be patient with yourself and focus first on 3 to 4 mile tempo runs before moving to longer efforts. I believe a major reason marathons have problems sustaining race pace is not having run far enough at higher intensities.
Sure, you can run 100 miles a week at 12 to 13 minute mile pace. How will this help you hold 10 minute mile marathon pace? Yes, you need easy running and endurance work. That being said, you must also work on your speed development, strength and stamina too. I have seen runners running 30 miles a week break this 4:22.13 time barrier. In addition, I have seen others running closer to 100 miles a week who do not. Why? Strategy and smart training.
Speed Work
You should be doing 1, vo2 max workout per week. We can only run a few seconds to minutes at these types of efforts. Again, the key focus here is to improve your lactate tolerance. So, you want to teach the body to clear lactic acid faster than it is building up. The best runners make it look easy for a reason. One, they have spent a large percentage of their weekly volume training at very high speeds. Secondly, they jog slow enough on easy days to ensure they are 100 percent recovered.
In addition, they focus on training at efforts that make their marathon race pace to feel easy. Examples of the types of workouts I would be focusing on if I were aiming to run a sub 4:22.13 marathon (10 minute mile marathon pace) us as follows:
- 1 mile warm-up jog, 6x1mile on the track in 8:25-8:45 (faster when very fit, slower when not as fit), 3 minutes rest when not as fit, 60 seconds rest when very fit, 1 mile jog cool-down
- 2 mile jog warm-up, 10x800m on the track in 4:07-4:20 (same tactics as above), 2 minute rest when not as fit, 45 seconds between reps when very fit, 2 mile jog cool-down
- 1 mile warm-up, 16x400m on track at 1:58-2:15 (same tactics) with 2 minutes rest when not very fit, 45-60 seconds rest when very fit, 2 mile jog cool-down
Closing Thoughts
Remember, 10 minute mile marathon pace can only be sustained if you train adequately far below it. Yes, you still need to make sure you run slow on those recovery days. Again, those hard days are going to challenge you both mentally and physically. So, make sure you are allotting enough time between those hard effort to get the most out of your body. Furthermore, there is only so many times you can stress the body before you get diminished returns.
Do the best you can to do things right the first time. I hope this brief post has been helpful to you. Make sure to visit and subscribe to the RunDreamAchieve YouTube channel. I create new videos there each week to help runners such as yourself get to the next level in their training and racing. Lastly, check out the resources we have here as well. My hope is that they will help you surpass what you currently think you are capable of.
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