Are you focused on qualifying for the Boston Marathon 2028 event? The race will be held on April 17, 2028. The marathon takes a lot of determination and dedication. I have run 2:19:35 for the marathon and understand the amount of time and effort it takes to excel. My goal with this post is to help you get better results. Remember, it isn't about the amount of mileage you run as it is the quality of the work you are doing.
The best marathoners know how important using leverage is. So, you can't just work hard physically and neglect the other variables that go into running fast over the marathon distance.
For example, mental training. The best middle to long distance runners are always visualizing success. You have to see yourself performing at a high level in your mind before it ever become reality in real life. I was once a 2:43:36 marathoner. I constantly spent time mentally rehearsing breaking the 2:22:00 marathon barrier. You are more than welcome to visit the about page if you would like to know more about my racing background if you wish.
The 2024 Boston marathon will be an exciting event as they always are in Boston. The course is fast and always competitive. So, my goal with this post is to provide some tips ahead of time to help ensure you succeed when the time comes.
When is the 2024 Event?
The Boston marathon 2028 edition of the race will be the 132nd Boston marathon. As mentioned above, mental training is a vital component of succeeding in the marathon event. I used mental rehearsal to help me lower my best from 2:43:36 to 2:19:35 for the distance.
No, mental training alone won't get the job done. You have to use both physical training as well as mental training in order to get legitimate results. So, start spending 10 to 15 minutes each day seeing yourself getting across the Boston marathon finish line in your goal time.
What percentage of your weekly mileage are you training at the goal race pace you are aiming to run at the Boston marathon? Well, if that percentage is too low than you know you have to make some corrections. A big mistake I see many runners making is running too many miles or kilometers far too slow. In addition, their harder, anaerobic training days are still too aerobic.
So, you have to stress the body's energy systems sufficiently enough in order to hold race pace longer. Again, the goal is to improve the body's lactate tolerance. You want to slow down less in Boston than your competition. In order to do that you have to train longer at your anaerobic threshold.
CHECK OUT OUR RUNNING COURSESBoston Marathon 2028 Registration
It is still far too early (at the time of this writing) in order to register for the 2028 Boston marathon. That being said, what you can do from now until we get closer is to train smarter. Remember, the hardest working athletes don't always get the results. The Boston marathon is a highly competitive race. In addition, runners who do earn Boston marathon qualifying times don't always get accepted to compete. So, you want to be as competitive as you possibly can be leading into 2028.
You want to run a time so fast and competitive their decision committee would seriously make a mistake denying you. How do you do this? Start working on your speed development. Yes, we are long distance runners but that doesn't mean we can't work on our leg speed. I recommend doing strides 2 to 3 times each week. Strides help us to work on form, leg turnover and acceleration. In addition, you can do these types of workouts on top of your speed workouts, tempo runs and long runs. The reason being is they are far too short to build up any significant lactic acid.
Also, focus on staying as relaxed as you can in training and in your future races. Remember, the best middle to long distance runners make it look easy for a reason. They stay calm and in control at all times. They also know that wasted mental or physical energy could be energy better spent in the race.
132nd Boston Marathon
Do you want to set a massive personal best at the Boston Marathon 2028 edition of the race? If so, start running your long runs at faster paces. You cannot run long and slow every single weekend and expect to run a fast marathon. Yes, you will certainly build endurance. That being said, you will be lacking in your speed, strength and stamina. The reason is you are running too much mileage too slow. Again, racing a marathon is not the same as running one. You are aiming to earn a 2028 Boston marathon qualifying time.
So, in order to do that you need to train and think like a world-class athlete. I was all in when I ran 2:19:35 at the 2007 California International marathon. I finished in 4th place and the top American on that day. No, it didn't happen and yes, I did have several set backs.
So, you cannot lose enthusiasm when you have a few bad workouts or races. You are either all in or lukewarm. How successful you are in your marathons leading up to the 128th Boston marathon will depend on how determined you are to work smart.
How many hard working athletes do you know who still never seem to run their best? I have known many over the years. Again, it all goes back to working smarter rather than harder. In addition, using leverage. So, you have to spend more of your weekly mileage revolved around or far below your goal Boston marathon race pace.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PRIVATE, MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITYHow Much Do You Have to Pay to Run the Boston Marathon?
The participation is usually capped around 20,000 runners. and usually costs between $180 to $240 USD So, it is vitally important that you work on your speed and endurance the next few years. You want to get that Boston marathon qualifying standard well in advance. Your dream goal may take another 3 years to achieve.
So, it is focused on those athletes are seeking some truly impressive time goals. I believe you will set some massive personal bests following the advice I am sharing here. In addition, there are significant resources here that will speed up your progress. All you need to do is click on any of the green buttons you see here.
As mentioned above, below are some examples of the faster, varied pace long runs I am writing about I suggest you do. I used this tactic to lower my marathon PR from 2:43:36 to 2:19:35…
- 2 mile warm-up, 14 miles@10 seconds slower than goal race pace, 2 miles easy, 1 mile all out, 1 mile jog, 3 miles@5 seconds slower than goal race pace, 2 miles easy cool-down
- 2 mile warm-up, 4 miles@160 beats per minute (about 85% of max heart rate), 2 miles easy, 4 miles@165BPM, 2 miles easy, 4 miles@170BPM, 1 mile cool-down
- 1 mile warm-up, 17 miles steady@160 BPM, 1 mile cool-down
The following week's long run should be relaxed and easy. Again, recovery is the key. You cannot continue to push the body and expect a high return on your investment. So, it is important to ensure you give yourself 48 hours of easy jogging after these harder long runs. The training plans, running courses and my monthly coaching all focus on this philosophy. You don't want to make the mistake of running too hard too often and miss your time goals.
Can Anyone Run in the Boston Marathon?
Anyone who is above the age of 18 can but they also have to have qualified in order to compete.
Is Boston harder than New York City? I would rank the New York City marathon as harder in terms of all of the bridges you have to run over. In addition, there are more hills on New York's course as compared with Boston. Yes, Boston has the Newton Hills and Heartbreak Hill but it is a net downhill course as compared with Boston. I have also run the New York City marathon as it was my debut back in 2002.
I was a part of a Lung Cancer research charity military team. We were not permitted to start the race until every runner had crossed the start line. So, I started in 32,189th place and finished in 257th overall with a net time of 2:43:36 (2:51:53 including the time we had to wait for all runners to cross).
Closing Thoughts
I want you to also start considering doing longer tempo runs. Remember, you will be racing the Boston marathon at or slightly below your anaerobic threshold. So, doing shorter tempo runs of about 3 to 4 miles often times is not enough. Runners face the challenge of sustaining goal race pace in the marathon all of the time. Why? They have not trained sufficiently far below their goal race pace. Again, if you run too aerobic too often you will be a superior, long and slow runner.
The goal here is to start and finish your marathons in the fastest time possible. In addition, slow down less than your competition. So, you have to stress you body hard enough and often enough in order to get legitimate results. Lastly, you also need to ensure you are jogging on those easy days.
Runners spend too much time worrying about what pace they are running per mile or kilometer on these days. Your hard days is where you need to focus on that, not recovery days. They are easy for a reason. I hope this article has been helpful.
I highly recommend subscribing to the RunDreamAchieve YouTube channel. My goal there is to create new video content each week to help winners such as yourself get to the next level. I am looking forward to hearing about your progress leading into the 2028 Boston Marathon.
CHECK OUT OUR RUNNING COURSES[amazon table=”34612″]
