Are you seeking a new strategy leading into the marine corps marathon 2022 event? If so, I am happy you have arrived here to RunDreamAchieve, the home of running tips. The 2022 marine corps marathon is going to be a great event for sure. The race staff along with the united States marines which will be out volunteering always is a special day. The race weather is usually good although some years it can be hot. That being said, if you prepare well for the event there is nothing that is going to stop you. My goal with this post is to share with you some tips and strategies to help you get the result you are looking for.
The marine corps marathon is a rolling course but it does have flat sections as well. So, practicing on the proper terrain is essential to ensure you are set up for success. I have run 2:19:35 for the marathon distance. So, I certainly understand how complex this race distance is. In addition, I have about 30 years of experience and have been taught by some of the world's top distance running coaches. My goal here is to help you to start using leverage. Leverage simply means doing more with less. We all know how to work hard. That being said, do the hardest working people always get the results? Do you know any highly educated people who are broke? How come there are other people who dropped out of high school having no financial issues? Someone is using leverage while someone is following how to work hard.
Can Anyone Run the Marine Corps Marathon?
Yes, anyone can run the marathon corps marathon. You don't have to be a military member to participate. There are thousands of people, both military and civilian, who compete each year at this event. The marine corps marathon 2022 event will be no different. One major change I want you to start implementing in 2022 is faster, varied paced long runs. I talk about this strategy at the RunDreamAchieve YouTube Channel often. It helped me lower my marathon personal best from 2:43:36 to 2:19:35. No, it was not easy to go from 6:14 mile pace to 5:19 mile pace over 26.2 miles. That being said, I was always training far below my goal marathon race pace.
Remember, the key to running a great time at the Marine Corps Marathon is improving your lactate tolerance. There are far too many runners going too fast too early in the race. The result is they slow and then start to doubt themselves when they don't hit the times they were aiming for. So, proper pacing in your race is absolutely critical. What percentage of your weekly mileage are you running at, near or far below your goal race pace? The issue I see with a lot of runners is far too many of their mileage is spent at far too aerobic efforts. Yes, it is still important to run slow to ensure recovery. That being said, we are aiming to run faster for longer. Easy running does not produce this adaptation within the body. Fast running does.
How Hard is the MC Marathon?
The marine corps marathon is not what I would consider a fast course. The reason being is it is not flat the whole way. That being said, it still does have some flat sections and there have been fast times that have been run on it. Again, it all comes down to how prepared you are. In addition, how your mindset going into the race. Remember, one of the biggest impacts you can make on your preparation is faster paced long runs. I teach this in my running courses as well as training plans here at RunDreamAchieve. The vast majority of runners are still running too slow on their long runs. In addition, running far too fast on their easy, recovery days.
These two changes can be made in your preparation and will make enormous impacts on your race performance. I also highly recommend aiming to run a negative split in your marathon. So, aim to run the second half of your marathon faster than your first half. Of course, many runners still hit personal bests going out faster the first half. So, if you do this you will have some buffer time in the second half of the race. For example, when I ran 2:19:35 I hit 1:07:09 through the first half and came back with a 1:12:26. You will need to be in great anaerobic shape to do this but it most certainly can be done. The wiser way to run is be less aggressive in the early part of the race. In addition, attack especially in the last 10 kilometers of the race.
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It is currently ranked the 211th fastest marathon in the united States of America and second fastest in Washington D.C. Remember, courses aren't ‘fast' unless the athlete is in perfect shape. You make the course fast based on your fitness level. Yes, if a course has very little hills it will most certainly set you up for success. That being said, flat courses aren't always a guarantee you will run super fast. I ran my PR of 2:19:35 on a rolling course at the California International Marathon. A race course that I do not consider fast. In fact, I ran many other marathons on pancake flat courses like Columbus and Chicago and didn't come close to breaking 2:20:00 on. My second fastest marathon time (2:26:43) I ran at the 2011 Monumental Indianapolis Marathon.
The best way to prepare for the Marine Corps Marathon 2022 event is train over hillier terrain. I would recommend this even if you were training for a flat marathon. The reason being is it is going to help you regarding your race pace. So, training over hills will only make you better prepared to handle a course that is flat. Also, most certainly for one that has hills located throughout. How to run a faster marathon takes time, patience and determination. One of the traits I have seen with the world-class athletes I have trained with is this, delayed gratification. They do not spend too much time on past poor performances. So, they learn from their mistakes and continue to put in the work.
Is the Marine Corp Marathon Hilly?
Yes, there are some significant hills on the early miles of the race. So, it can mess with people's race plans early on. The course tends to flatten out in the middle to late stages of the event. Again, if you train properly you will have no problem with this course. There have been very fast times run on it. So, you can most certainly still get a new personal best on it if you patient in the early stages of the race. How often are you training mentally for your races? I ask that because a lot of athletes disregard mental training altogether, respectfully. We all know how to train physically for our races. One of the top tactics I was taught by some of the world's top distance running coaches is mental visualization. You need to see yourself performing at the level you are aspiring to constantly.
So, take 10 to 15 minutes each day and mentally rehearse yourself performing at a very high level. It has to happen in the mind first before it will ever become a reality. Also, start moving your tempo runs out from 4 to 5 miles to around 10 to 14 miles. No, you will not do this quickly. Yes, it can be done. Again, it takes about 3 to 4 weeks for your body to adapt to any stress load you place on it. I train my athletes in my running courses and training plans to focus on periodization. You cannot rush the process of getting in better anaerobic shape.
Closing Thoughts
I am looking forward to hearing how your marine corps marathon 2022 event went. Make sure to keep me posted on your training at the RunDreamAchieve YouTube channel. You can subscribe by watching the video I attached above. I create new videos each week to help runners such as yourself get to the next level. Also, check out our running courses and training plans. They are built to help speed up the process. Also, to ensure you know the proper workouts you need to be doing in order to get the best possible results.
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