Are you seeking how to sustain 4 30 marathon pace longer than your competition? I am glad you have made it here to rundreamachieve. I have been writing content here for runners such as you since 2011. In addition, have run 2:19:35 for the marathon. So, I do understand the amount of time you are dedicating to this goal. My goal is to ensure that you reach it. There are numerous resources located here that I hope you check out. One of the biggest mistakes I see runners making is not spending enough time training at or below 4 30 marathon pace.
Remember, the key is pace sustainment. How can we slow down less than our competition in our races? The faster you train the more efficient you are going to be when it comes to race. No, it isn't an easy process and it definitely takes time to get into great anaerobic shape. That being said, with some minor changes you can make some massive gains in your racing. I hope this post will provide some additional clues that you may have missed in the past.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR TRAINING PLANS4 Hour 30 Minute Marathon Pace
You will need to sustain 10:18 per mile or 6:24 per kilometer in order to run a marathon in 4:29:59. What percentage of your weekly mileage do you usually spend training at or below this pace? If the number is too small then we know some changes need to be made in order to break this barrier. A major mistake runners make is doubting themselves when they don't see results as fast as they would like. Remember, sub 4 30 marathon pace is a highly aggressive effort. In addition, it is also a very competitive marathon time.
What do the best marathoners do in training? They spend about 40 percent of their weekly volume training at or below goal marathon race pace. How was I able to hold 5:19 per mile or 3:18 per kilometer for the marathon distance? I spent a large percentage of my weekly training running between 4:30 to 5:30 mile pace. Of course, running in the 4:30s to 4:50s range was when I was doing speed workouts.
I train my athletes do to one vo2 max workout per week. The running courses and training plans that I have created here are comprised of the same workouts I was doing. Also, I ensure my athletes pay attention to their recovery days. I have trained with sub 2:10 marathoners who would jog with me at 9 to 10 minute mile pace. Remember, these are athletes who can hold 4:57 per mile pace for 26.2 miles. So, if they can run slow on recover days so can you and I.
Is 4 hours 30 a Good marathon Time?
Yes, it is a very good marathon time. That being said, you have to start running your long runs at faster pace in order to do it. Yes, you can still build a great deal of endurance by running slow. Of course, to run fast over 26.2 miles or 42.2 kilometers you have to train much faster than goal marathon race pace. I was able to lower my personal best from 2:43:36 to 2:19:35 for the marathon using this tactic. Success leaves clues.
What do I mean by faster long runs? Below are some examples of this types of workouts I was doing. Remember, my goal was to break 2:22:00 or hold 5:25 per mile pace for 26.2 miles. What I want you to do is to mimic this type of workout but to fit to your time goals. I have also created running courses and training plans here that will speed this process up…
- 2 mile warm-up, 4 miles@5:55 mile pace, 1 mile jog, 1 mile in 4:50, 4 miles@6:15 mile pace, 2 miles easy, 4 miles@5:35 mile pace, 1 mile jog cool-down
- 1 mile warm-up, 18 miles@160 beats per minute (about 85 percent of maximum heart rate), 1 mile cool-down
- 3 mile jog warm-up, 10 miles@5:40 mile pace, 2 mile jog, 1 mile at 5:00, 3 miles@6:05 mile pace, 2 mile jog cool-down
So, as you can see these are varied pace, long runs. I always would run the following weekend's long run relaxed and easy. Again, recovery is where all of the benefits of your hard work stem from. It is vital to jog on your easy days to get the highest return on your time investment.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PRIVATE, MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITYHow Do You Run a 4 30 Marathon?
I recommend spending about 4 weeks running easy, relaxed running first. Of course, you can add in strides twice per week. Strides are very short, 50 to 100 meter long sprints. These workouts are great for acceleration and working on your form. In addition, they teach you to also work on staying as relaxed as you can during high efforts. The great thing about strides is that they are too short to build up any significant lactic acid build up.
So, can do strides on top of your other weekly workouts without getting fatigued. Again, it is important to train at paces much faster than 4 30 marathon pace. Why? Well, it helps to make goal 4 hour 30 minute marathon pace to feel easier on you. Remember, you want to run more efficiently and successfully as your competition. A big mistake runners make is running far too anaerobic too soon in the early miles or kilometers of their races. It is important to work on running a negative split at your next marathon.
So, focus on going out no faster than 2:14 through the first half marathon and come back with a 2:15. The result would be a 4:29 marathon. Of course, it is still possible to run a positive split and still set a new PR. I hit the first half of my marathon PR of 2:19:35 in 1:07:06 and came back with a 1:12:26. So, it can be done. That being said, if you are going to run in this manner you just have the confidence to take the risk. It isn't always going to pan out. Remember, I, too had some bad races like any other runner.
How Hard is a Sub 4 Hour Marathon?
It is a highly competitive time that few runners around the world achieve each year. Sub 4 hour marathon pace comes out to 9:09 per mile 5:41 per kilometer. So, the paces are significantly faster than 4 30 marathon pace. Remember, sub 4:30 marathon pace is 10:18 per mile or 6:24 per kilometer. Can you do it? Yes. I never placed limits on myself so I will surely not place any limits on you. I created a running course called the Sub 4 Hour Marathon Mastery course you may want to check out.
It takes about 4 weeks for your body to adapt to the stress you are placing on it. So, I always stress to my athletes to focus on running easy 3 to 4 weeks before starting one of my 16-week marathon training plans. It will help strengthen the ligaments, joints and sinews of your body before moving into the marathon specific training phase. I am a big believer in doing longer tempo runs as well. A big mistake marathoners make is they spend too little time training at their anaerobic threshold. We race right around or slightly faster than our anaerobic threshold effort.
Your anaerobic threshold is the point where lactic acid starts to build up in your muscle tissue. Again, we want to improve your lactate tolerance. So, you sustain pace for a longer period of time and slow down less than your competition. In addition, train the body to burn fat at race pace and conserve carbohydrate. We have a great deal of fat storage versus carbohydrates. I also highly recommend subscribing to the RunDreamAchieve YouTube channel. I create new videos there each week to help runners like you get new personal bests.
Closing Thoughts
So, you want to have those carbohydrates to call on in the latter stages of your marathon. Also, to not have to experience the so-called “wall” we all hear about. I didn't hit a wall when I ran 2:19:35 at the 2007 California International Marathon (4th place, top American). In addition, I didn't hit one when I took 5th at the 2011 Monumental Indianapolis marathon in 2:26:43. Why? I taught myself in training to run at higher intensities for longer periods of time. Thus, was relying on fat storage and had that glycogen to call upon when I need it most.
I want you focusing also on mental training. The vast majority of your competition is only focused on physical training. I don't see many runners focusing on what the very best middle to long distance runners focus on and that is mental rehearsal. Greatness has to start in the mind first before it becomes a reality. So, visualize yourself 10 to 15 minutes each day performing at the level you are dreaming about. In this case, sub 4 30 marathon pace.
Lastly, pay attention to your muscle tension while you are running. Do the very best you can to stay as relaxed as you can. Also, do a 10-day rather than a 3-week taper. I set personal bests from 5K to the marathon using a 10-day taper. What I see runners doing is dropping their volume and intensity far too soon. The result is they go into their race feeling fatigued and not rested. Again, success leaves clues. So, start doing what runners who have dominated the time barrier you aim to achieve did to get their results.
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