Are you seeking pro fitness strategies to run a faster 5K to marathon race? If you are you have come to the right place. It is always important to find a mentor to help you achieve your pro fitness goals.
I've been a marathoner since 2002 and been an endurance athlete since 1992. Running is my specialty and my aim here at rundreamachieve is to help athletes achieve their fitness goals. Rundreamachieve was created in 2011 and this site contains mostly free content that is aimed to get you results.
Are you seeking to learn how to break the 3 hour marathon? Are you interested in knowing how to run a marathon? Do you have as your goal to lose weight? There are many strategies here that do not cost a cent to start following. What is the best way to run faster in this new year and in future years?
Pro Fitness Strategies Used By A 2:19 Marathoner
I can only write on my own experience so it doesn't make it right nor does it make it wrong.
What it is, is exactly that, my experience. That being said, the pro fitness strategies I used here are universal for all athletes. It doesn't matter if you are preparing to run your first 5K are seeking to break the 2:30 marathon barrier. These strategies work.
The biggest reason I was able to lower my marathon personal best from 2:43:36 to 2:19:35 was a change in mindset and training strategy. Below are a few strategies you can use to run faster this year.
- Focus on Your Long Run
There is no other pro fitness strategy that has brought me faster results than this. The problem for many runners seeking to run faster is they run too many miles too slow. There is certainly a time and a place for running long, slow easy miles.
That being said, keep in mind that long, slow running makes for long, slow runners. If you are seeking pro fitness tips it already tells me you are highly driven. You are not seeking mediocrity nor normalcy. The key to run faster for the 5K to marathon distance is to increase the paces at which you conduct your long run.
Now, that doesn't mean run fast every weekend. The long run should be the hardest workout you do but not every weekend. Therefore, you need to alternate one weekend of a planned, highly aggressive long run followed by a very easy, long run to recover. The best runners know how to back off to allow themselves to recover.
Surround Yourself With Positivity
2. Get rid of all negativity
The average American is wasting 5 to 6 hours of their day watching television. You read that correctly. The average American is watching 5 to 6 hours of television per day. Can you imagine the level of non-sense strong people are allowing to be placed into their subconscious mind on a daily basis?
One of the smartest things you can do to achieve greater results in this new year is to get rid of the negativity. Ask yourself this question. When was the last time CNN put any money into my bank account? When was the last time Fox News helped me lose weight or run a faster 5K? The answer is never yet we waste time watching talking heads who get paid to talk about non-sense.
Replace the talking heads with audiobooks, your favorite podcast or some relaxing music. The focus is to recover from workouts and get prepared for the next. The best way to do this is to be in an environment of positivity. Be cognizant of the words you use and your attitude. You are always control of them both.
Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
3. Focus on your goal race pace
The key here is to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Be willing to do the things most people are unwilling to do. Do the the necessary work now so you can reap the rewards later. The idea of any pro fitness tip is to implement a strategy that will yield you real results.
The problem for most runners seeking a specific time is they are not training specifically enough. If you have as a your goal to break the 3 hour marathon you have to get fully comfortable with 6:52 per mile pace. If you are running 90 percent of your mileage each week at 7:45 pace what will occur on race day?
Yes, you may be able to hold 3 hour marathon pace for 15 miles or so but will you for 26.2 miles? Have you ever heard another athlete say,
I was on sub 4 hour marathon pace for 17 miles but….
The excuses don't bring you pro fitness. You either did or you did not, period. Furthermore, practice your goal race pace often. The goal is to train at or below your goal race pace. What this does it makes race pace feel more manageable. What do you do not want is to get a few miles into your race and feel fatigued.
Focus On Self-Development
4. Invest in yourself
I have invested several thousands of dollars over the years specifically on runner courses and 5k to marathon training plans. My goal has always been on improving as an athlete and as a professional fitness consultant. Runners and athletes in general are already highly motivated people as it is.
The point is to never stop learning and be willing to invest in yourself. If you are a runner and want to continue to learn how to get faster definitely consider our RunDreamAchieve Academy. This is a new resource here at RunDreamAchieve for athletes. We will be continuing to add new courses to this resource to help you reach your pro fitness goals.
5. Train on all surfaces
Sometimes you have to get off the road and track and consider treadmill training. There are a wide variety of treadmills you can train on. My personal favorite is the curved treadmill because you have to do all the work. This is a treadmill that does not run on electricity. You move the belt yourself. In addition, you also burn more calories and are forced to run more economically on a curved treadmill.
There are other options to choose from as well such as:
Lastly, you can even rent a treadmill. Think outside of the box especially if you are in an area that has rough winters. Just because it is snowing outside doesn't mean you don't have options. Make use of these treadmill options. You can either invest in one yourself, choose a rent to own treadmill or just go to the gym as a last resort.
Train at Aggressive Paces
6. Train at paces that far exceed what you plan on racing at. The point isn't just to get accustomed to racing at race pace but to get what it feels like to run at sprint speeds. There are many physiological benefits to training at sprint speeds. The body recruits more fast twitch muscle fibers. This helps you to run at a more economical pace and with less effort.
The Kenyans I was competing against in the 2007 California International Marathon tried everything to break me in the race. I was leading much of the race that day up until mile 21 before the last two remaining Kenyans pulled away. They both ended up running 2:14:30 and 2:14:58 for 1st and 2nd, respectfully.
I finished 4th overall and top American with a time of 2:19:35. I also went through the first half-marathon in 1:07:09. My best time for the half-marathon to this day is 1:07:06 so was I running a bit more aggressive then I should have? Perhaps but sometimes you have to take chances when you are in pro fitness.
Think At A Higher Level
My previous best for the marathon prior to that morning was 2:40:02 so running 2:19:35 was a massive personal best. What was the reason I was able to drop so much time? I spent a large percentage of my training at speeds that far exceeded what I had planned on racing at for the marathon. There is no secret to making massive leaps. That being said, there is a massive difference between interest versus commitment.
Commitment asks far more out of you than interest ever will. Elite fitness doesn't come about my half assing it. You have to be all in, fully committed. I was almost fanatical about breaking my pro fitness goal. My goal was to break the sub-2:22:00 marathon barrier. In 2008, this was the USA Olympic Trials “B” standard time.
Additionally, it was a time I needed to run to be a legitimate member of the US Army World Class Athlete Program. I came to the elite unit in 2007 with “only” a 51:52 10-mile personal best and having qualified for one world Armed Forces cross-country championships. What I did not have was an Olympic Trials standard.
I was brought to the unit on “conditional” status which brings me to my next pro fitness tip.
Be Urgent About Success
7. Have a sense of urgency
If you have a burning desire to succeed you are going to succeed. If all you do is wake up and go to bed thinking about your goal you have a high likelihood to achieve it. Additionally, if your actions back up the faith that you have it will dramatically increase your chances of success.
It has to be a white hot desire where all your heart and energy is poured into making it a reality. You also have to see your goal in your mind being achieved before it becomes a reality in real life. I envisioned breaking the sub-2:22:00 marathon barrier for 5 years. It took me from 2002 to the end of 2007 to achieve this result.
You have to be incredibly persistent. In addition to that, you have to lose no enthusiasm despite any setbacks along the way. People that are seeking pro fitness results are not interested in being interested. They already know that they are either going to be all in or they are not going to do it at all.
In addition to that, they fully realize the size of effort they are going to have to put up in order to get what they want. Pro fitness doesn't come about my tip-toeing through the tulips. Steve Harvey puts what I am describing here in this short, 6 minute brief. Listen to his comments about staying on the cliff or deciding to jump.
No Action – No Results
8. Get out of your comfort zone
If that wasn't enough to get you into the pro fitness mindset I have failed you in this post. We have to continue to be pushed out of our comfort zones to achieve the highest levels in fitness. These actions spread into our personal lives. What we allow in our lives, whether positive or negative, will dictate the exact results.
Furthermore, far too many runners are second guess themselves because they are not achieving results fast enough. What is missing is a different method of training. I built 5K to marathon training plans that are specifically built around race pace training. The best way to maximize and gain leverage in your racing is to train at or below the paces you wish to race at.
Additionally, there are many resources here for runners and fitness-minded professionals. The committed will make use of them and listen to the advice. Are you coachable? Do you desire to take your fitness and running to the next level? I would highly recommend scheduling a call with me. Is it an investment? Absolutely but it will not be a waste of your time and investment.
I've worked with athletes for the past 27 years and know what it takes to get to the elite level in endurance sport. One of the best investments you can make is in an athlete consultant. Someone who has done what you wish to do and can help you make corrections to maximize results.
Observe The Masses And Do The Opposite
9. Be willing to do what the masses will not
Why is there such a small percentage of people that can run a marathon under 3 hours? Is it a lack of talent? I don't believe so. The biggest difference between those who achieve pro fitness results and those who do not is tenacity.
How long are you willing to persist to make your dreams a reality? You really have to believe in delayed gratification. The amount of hard work that it takes to rise above the rest is very often misunderstood. I have known many runners over the years who wanted to break the 2:20 marathon barrier.
What is the difference between those that want to do something and those that are not intimidated by what is required? Tenacity and perhaps a small amount of talent. If you have talent and do not work don't expect to remain competitive. You cannot rely on your talent alone. Why? Someone without it who is willing to put up enormous amounts of work in may just beat you.
Get Beyond Your Fears
10. Find your WHY
What is your real reason for seeking out pro fitness results? Those that produce world-class results are not in a hurry. They will win due to the fact that they are patient. They will outwork and outsmart those that may have more talent but aren't as patient. Their persistence and “stickability” will prevail.
Your WHY has to be strong and steadfast, far above the average. I've lost count of the amount of people that wanted to make more money and run faster. The real problem often times is people don't know where to start. They let fear stop them. The unknowns keep them from taking action. That being said, you can overcome this.
Do you desire to make more money? There are resources here to do that.
Do you want to break the 3 hour marathon? Sign up for the Sub 3 Hour Marathon Pro course which is designed specially for that very reason.
We all have fears. The “What Ifs” of life but we also have a choice to let them take control of us or we take control of them. I've had this website for over 7 years and just started making videos because I was in fear. The fear of not sounding as eloquent as other people and wondering if what I had to say would truly impact others.
I took action and created the RunDreamAchieve Youtube channel in early 2019. Again, your faith has to equal your actions. Do you desire to produce pro fitness results? Do away with the fears you may have and take action anyway. Get beyond what is holding you back.
Can Anyone Achieve Pro Fitness?
That depends. Pro fitness results are going to come about by enormous work ethic. You have to be thinking on a higher level and your actions have to follow suit. You cannot be just lukewarm about this.
I see people creating full-time incomes online. I have always been fascinated by people that make more residually in a month then trained Physicians make in a year. Did you know that 78 percent of the American population are living paycheck to paycheck in supposedly the richest country in the world? How can so many people be hurting financially in this country?
The supposed “Land of Opportunity”? Could it be a school system that is broken? Perhaps being associated with like-minded people that have followed a broken philosophy? Is training like everyone else the root cause as to why so few achieve pro fitness levels?
Invest in Personal Development Courses
I think it is a combination of them all. Don't be afraid to invest in yourself. I invested in social media course called Pinterest Avalanche for this specific reason. I wanted to learn some new strategies to build RunDreamAchieve. If someone is making 6-figures per month residually I take notice of that.
If someone has run a marathon in 2:19:35 I take notice in their online course if a sub 3 hour marathon is what I seek. It is as simple as that. You either take action or you choose not to. Most people, respectfully, simply choose not to. Television and entertainment is the norm for most people here in America and around the world.
11. Make The Commitment
If you truly desire to achieve a pro fitness result make the commitment to do so. Don't expect world-class results with half-hearted effort. It simply isn't going to happen. You have to have extraordinary focus, attitude and drive to make this happen. There are many resources here at RunDreamAchieve.
Lastly, if this is the first time visiting this site make use of our archives page. Visit our shop if you have a 5K or marathon in mind coming up. The 5K to marathon training schedules I built there helped me lower my marathon PR from 2:43:36 to 2:19:35. In addition, the strategies you'll be following also helped me lower my half-marathon from 1:10:29 to 1:07:06.
Focus On The Fundamentals
They work. The fundamentals I teach were first taught to me by some of the world's top distance running coaches. Jack Hazen (2012 USA Olympic assistant track and field coach). Dr. Joe Vigil (one of the world's most respected exercise physiologists and endurance coach) and Lisa Rainsberger (1985 Boston Marathon champion).
Pro fitness only comes from valuing the process. Often times, all we see is the result. What people fail to see is the massive work involved to achieve success in any endeavor. People may be naturally gifted to run fast but if they rely on their talent and do nothing else they will get beat. I am proof of this. I never had a lot of talent. My best mile as a freshman in high school was “only” 5:09.
How does a 5:09 miler become a 2:19:35 marathoner? Is that not 5:19 mile pace for 26.2 miles? How does that pro fitness result occur in reality? Commitment. I hope this article has been helpful to you.
Feel free to leave a comment below, subscribe to the RunDreamAchieve YouTube channel, visit our shop and check back regularly to the RunDreamAchieve Academy as we add new fitness courses. It is all about continuing to learn, find out how people achieve what you desire to do. This is how pro fitness comes about. Non-stop learning, endless hard work and a white hot desire to excel.
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