Marathon Races Near Me | PR with RDA NOW

Are you searching for if there are marathon races near me? If so, it already tells me that you care about your fitness and health. I am glad you have made it here to rundreamachieve.com. I founded this website in November of 2011 to help runner like you get better results by working smarter, not necessarily harder. The marathon is a highly aerobic event. So, you have to work on your speed development. More importantly, strength, endurance and stamina.

A common mistake many runners make is running too much of their mileage too aerobically. Of course, you can still run a great half marathon time off of base mileage. That being said, the faster you are seeking to run over 42.2 kilometers or 26.2 miles the more specific your training will need to be. In addition, you have to also pay attention to your pacing in the race as well. It is very easy to get caught up in the hype of that first 10k of the race and loose tough with your competition in the second half of the race.

It is a much wiser move to get out aggressive but not too anaerobic in that first 13.1 miles of the race. So, hold off to make your move until you get to that first half of the race and then attack in that last 10k. I ran my personal best of 1:07:06 at the Philadelphia Half Marathon using this tactic and was able to maintain and even pick up my pace in the last 5K of the race.

How Long Do You Need to Train for a Marathon?

I would advise giving yourself at least 12 week and optimally, 16 weeks to prepare adequately. The average athlete can run a marathon between 4 to 5 and half hours for the marathon event, respectfully. My goal with this post is to share with you some strategies you can use in order to get a new personal best. The first step is to focus on building 3 to 4 weeks of easy base mileage before starting. I have 8, 12 and 16-week training plans located here at rundreamachieve.com. So, you have a lot of options when it comes to deciding the length of time you want to train for.

Yes, you may be seeking if there are marathon races near me. Of course, this is the first step, finding the best race and a competitive one at that. Perhaps you just want to run your first marathon and are not interested in running a specific time. We all have different goals in this sport. The vast majority of athletes I have come across always seem to have specific time they want to run over 26.2 miles or 42.2 kilometers. So, times will vary from athlete to athlete. There are runners who can run under 3 hours for the marathon and others seeking to run under 6 hours for their marathon.

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What is a Good Marathon Time?

A good marathon time will be different for each individual athlete. I think anyone who can run under 4 hours for this distance is an extremely fast athlete. I also have equal admiration for athletes seeking to run their first marathon or training for their 5K as well. It takes time, effort and patience to run a legitimate marathon time. I wanted to break the university record for 5,000m at my alma mater which was 13:52 when I was in college. Of course, I didn't even come close in college running a 15:19. That being said, I found later that my best running event was the marathon ultimately running 2:19:35 for the distance.

What is the Fastest Marathon Time?

The world record for marathon is now 2:01:39 for men and 2:14:06 for women, respectfully. So, clearly the human body can do some truly incredible things. Why do the top athletes make it look so easy? Well, they have trained a higher percentage of their weekly training volume at or below their goal race pace. In fact, they run about 40 percent of their weekly mileage at these types of intensities.

As mentioned above, the marathon world record is now 2:01:39 and the man who did it even broke 2 hours running 1:59:40. Of course, the latter time does not count as a world record. The reason being is Eliud Kipchoge had pace setters and people handing him fluids during his incredible run. Yes, he is extremely genetically talented. That being said, runners that run these types of athletic efforts have stressed the energy systems of their body adequately.

The same goes for you. Below are some key areas I focus on with the athletes that I coach online. I have running courses, online monthly coaching as well as training plans for those seeking to take their training to the next level.

Key Tips to Improve your Marathon Performances

Focus on running longer, long runs i.e. 16-24 miles in length
Vary the pace of your long runs. So, don't just run long and slow every single weekend
Alternate one, faster paced long run with an easy, relaxed long run the following week
Jog on easy days. Remember, the benefits of your training is going to come from within the rest period
Do not try to run through an injury. Try pool running for a couple week if you have to. There is not impact on the joints or ligaments. Yes, it is boring but also equivalent to land running thanks to the water resistance.
Focus on your speed development. Yes, speed is still needed even in the marathon and will make goal marathon pace km feel easier, with time.
Mentally rehearse breaking your marathon goal time. It has to become real in your mind first before it will become a reality outside the mind.
Lengthen your tempo runs from 7 miles at the start of your training to around 10 miles or more. Be patient, it takes 3 to 4 weeks for the body to adapt to any stress load you are placing on it.
Do strides of 50m to 100m in length 2 to 3 times a week during your 3-4 week base building phase of your training plan. I have these built into all of my running courses and training plans to help set you up for success.

Is 3 Months Enough Time to Train for a Marathon?

Yes, 12 weeks and preferably 16 weeks is the best length to train for your next marathon. Of course, you can still run a marathon with only 8 weeks of training. That being said, for the best chances of success focus on a longer build up. Remember, don't start your taper until 10 days out from your big race. A major mistake I see runners making is that they start to drop their volume and intensity too far out from their main race.

What usually happens is the athlete feels more tired than energized. Yes, you can still set a new personal best with a 3-week taper. It doesn't always work for some athletes though. I sent personal bests from the 5K to the marathon using a 10-day taper. So, I preach this mindset and tactic in the training plans that I have created here as well as in the running courses available here at rundreamachieve.com

Marathon Races Near Me 2022

If you are searching for if there are marathon races near me always seek out a course that is flat. In addition, one that will provide you with some competition to help pull you along in the race. The marathon distance is definitely fun to run and will be over before you know it. So, watch your pacing in those first few miles of the race so you don't go too anaerobic and go into oxygen debt. The longer distances provide the athlete more time to adjust to mistakes unlike the 5k or 10k.

A major mistake too many runners make is going into oxygen debt too early in this race. So, get out aggressive the first mile of the race and then settle in. Also, follow a legitimate marathon training plan built specifically to help run under your specific goal race time. It makes it much easier to take the guesswork out of your training by doing so. You will know what workouts you need to be doing each day, week and month.

Conduct Your Long Run At A Higher Heart Rate

One of the best methods to run a faster marathon is start doing faster long runs. I am a big believer in varied pace long runs. For example, spending 40 to 50 percent of your long run at around 88% of your maximum heart rate. The reason for this is to improve your body's lactate tolerance. Remember, the key is to slow down less than your competition. I lowered my marathon best from 2:43:36 to 2:19:35 using this strategy.

In addition, I also lowered my half-marathon PR from 1:13:10 to 1:07:06 using this tactic. No, faster long runs by themselves are not a guarantee you will succeed and improve. That being said, you will have a much higher chance of it. The reason is you are teaching the body to burn what it has more of and that is fat storage. In addition, you are conserving what you have much less of, carbohydrates (glycogen). So, you want to make sure you can call on those carbs in the latter stages of your race.

How Do You Find Running Races?

Below are some of the best ways to find running races if you are wondering if there are marathon races near me. Also, these are the same ways I found races myself when I was competing as a professional.

Google search
Seek out your local running stores
Google search
Seek out your local running stores
Reach out to your running friends on your social media outlets
Visit letsrun.com message boards and find running
Check out upcoming races in the back of Runnersworld magazine

How Far is a Marathon?

26.2 miles or 42.2 kilometers. So, focus first on building your base mileage. You want to build that foundational mileage first before starting a 8, 12 or 16-week training plan. I started getting new personal bests in every distance from 5K to the marathon after I made the change to doing faster long runs. If you have never considered training with a heart rate monitor I highly recommend start utilizing them in your marathon training. There are many people seeking if there are marathon races near me. The plan now is to prepare optimally to set a new personal best.

Why? It takes the stress off the athlete worrying about mile or kilometer splits. In addition, you can focus 100 percent on the heart rate zone instead. Remember, as you get fitter your heart will not have to work as hard. In addition, your pace per kilometer or mile will decrease as well.

Closing Thoughts

Additionally, training at a higher heart rate means you are stressing the anaerobic system of the body. The problem is far too many runners are running too slow and fail to meet their running goals. They are unable to sustain their goal marathon race pace and start to second guess themselves after their races.

Remember, spend a higher percentage of your weekly volume running at, near or far below your goal 5k race pace. You will have a higher chance of success if you do so. So, are you seeking if there are marathon races near me? I hope this post was helpful in getting you prepped for your next big race. Make sure to check out the RunDreamAchieve YouTube channel. I create new running videos each week to help runners like you meet their training and racing objectives.

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