Are you seeking to sustain 4 hour 30 minute marathon pace? If so, you are not alone. The goal is to hold 10.18 per mile pace for 26.2 miles. I train athletes here at rundreamachieve of all capabilities. The methods I teach are those I followed for the past 28 years of competing.
If you have not broken a 4.30 marathon yet be patient. It will happen. In addition, it isn't a matter of if but when you do it. The biggest problem I have seen with athletes over the years is too many of their miles are run too slow.
Easy running is still very important especially to recover from hard road and track workouts.
That being said, racing a marathon and running one are not the same. It takes stamina and strength to race a marathon and general endurance to run one. A 4:30 marathon takes proper planning and mental toughness. It is a fast marathon time, one that you will achieve in due time.
You are going after a very competitive time. Athletes that can sustain 4 hour 30 minute marathon pace over 26.2 miles must be in supreme shape.
How To Sustain 4HR 30 Minute Marathon Pace
- Increase the pace of your long run. Yes, easier said than done. That being said, I recommend doing your long runs at 160 beats per minute. This is approximately 83 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. Now, what I don't want you doing is a hard long run every weekend. This would be foolish. You need to allow your body time to adapt to the harder paced efforts
- Train at paces that are 1 to 2 minutes faster than your goal 4 hour 30 minute marathon pace. So, this means doing mile repeats faster than 9.18 mile pace on the track or roads. Additionally, you want to train more at your 5K to 10K race pace for repeat 800m and 1200m repetitions. The goal is always to make 4hr 30 minute marathon pace feel easy.
- Focus on speed. These are aerobic capacity workouts such as repeat 100m, 200m, 300m and 400m repetitions with short recovery. Be patient early on with your training. The body doesn't respond to hard anaerobic efforts overnight. In addition, it takes approximately 21 days or 3 weeks for your body to adapt to the training and stresses you are placing upon it. So, the physiological adaptations from the training you do today will be seen weeks from now.
- Implement strides into your routine. Strides are short, very fast sprints that are too short to build up any lactic acid. That being said, they will do wonders for you. Sprinting helps develop motor unit recruitment. The more fast twitch muscle fibers you can recruit the more efficient you are going to race.
Closing Thoughts
So, continue to focus on building a strong base of mileage. Then, plan your work and work your plan. I have built a course specifically for athletes at your level called the Sub 4 Hour Marathon Mastery course. If you would like to know more about it visit the RunDreamAchieve University.
4 hour 30 minute marathon pace is very doable. If you have had issues with sustaining that pace in the past all it will take is some minor changes. I am certain I can help you not only break 4.30 but sub-4 hours for the distance.
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