I dive into the art and science of setting a realistic marathon goal time and the critical aspects of marathon training that many runners overlook. By shifting focus from arbitrary finish times to performance-based goals, you can take control of your marathon training and race day. Let's unravel the biggest marathon training mistakes and how to fix them with a scientific approach.
🔑 Key Steps for Effective Marathon Training:
Setting Realistic Goals: Avoid choosing arbitrary finish times. Focus on performance, not just the clock.
Understanding Physiological Demands: Recognize the importance of aerobic capacity, anaerobic threshold, and muscular conditioning in marathon running.
Long Run Mistakes to Avoid:
• Running too hard for aerobic capacity development.
• Making your long runs too lengthy for marathon pace efforts.
• Repeating these errors in consecutive runs.
• Personalized Training Plans: Implement a plan tailored to your threshold and training zones.
Threshold and Training Zones:
Conduct a 30min Time Trial (TT) or use recent race data.
Calculate threshold using the last 20min of your TT or 10km race.
Use my calculators to determine your specific zones.
https://drwilloconnor.com/running-training-zones-calculator/
Marathon Training Phases:
Base Phase (more than 12 weeks out): Focus on Zone 2 heart rate for long runs, aiming for 2 - 2:30 hours.
Build Phase (12-8 weeks out): Introduce Zone 3 efforts in long runs, combining heart rate and pace/power metrics.
Final Phase (8 weeks out): Progressive runs to establish marathon pace/power, culminating in a 20 mile (32km) run 3 weeks before the race.
General Build-Up Plan: Follow a structured plan for gradual improvement and pace consistency.
Threshold and Zones 'How-To' Guide: https://drwilloconnor.com/training-zones-how-to?video=SsGDXJQcdoM
LINKS
• My Amazon gear recommendations: https://amzn.to/42dcTLS
• Training Plans: https://drwilloconnor.com/
• Training Blog: https://runningheadfirst.substack.com/
• Podcast: https://podcasts.justcast.com/running-with-dr-will
• Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/21255251
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/drwilloconnor
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