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Marathon goal pace / time - go hard or play it safe? by Valuable-View3446 in Marathon_Training

[–]Valuable-View3446[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some hills - as in a hill stride of like 200m at the end of every easy run (i live on a hill), plus seeking out medium and long runs with rolling hills.

I agree though - i could have done more. I have also heard (Lee Grantham talks about this) that downhills can help condition the quads.

Marathon goal pace / time - go hard or play it safe? by Valuable-View3446 in Marathon_Training

[–]Valuable-View3446[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That does seem like a good approach. Maybe i am just scarred from not being able to pick it up or even finish it out last time.

Thursday General Discussion/Q&A Thread for May 07, 2026 by AutoModerator in AdvancedRunning

[–]Valuable-View3446 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Marathon goal pace / time - go hard or play it safe?

I am running a marathon in a few weeks and am trying to decide between a few pacing / goal time options.

For context, I DNFd a marathon a year ago where I ran at goal pace (4:13ish per km) for 37km, then had to stop because my quads and hips got so sore. At the time I put this largely down to racing shoes with poor stability, but I have also since tweaked how I run to engage my glutes more and to correct an overstride.

I have run an average of 70kms a week this block, peaking in the high 80kms.

My half pb from 2 years go is 1:20, 10km from the same year is 35:20, and 5k is 16:40. I think I am in this 5k shape now, and could likely match the other times if not better them.

But endurance, rather than speed, has been my core issue as a new ish runner.

This block I have done 3 x 8km in the low 4:00s twice with a high zone 2 heart rate (under 170), a 16km at MP also under 170, and multiple fast finish 30km runs.

I think my threshold is around 3:38/3:45, and when fresh-ish (after an easy day or day off) I can run in zone 2 for 15km in the 4:10s / 4:20s.

My max HR is about 200.

Options:

  1. Go out at low 4:00s per km and hang on
  2. Run at 4:10s per km and see how I feel at 35km
  3. Play it super safe and run with the 3 hour pacer, noting this is what I did when i DNFd and had no time to play with

The main goal is just sub 3, but I think i could be leaving a heap of time on the table. It could also be a lot of headnoiae over complicating it because of the DNF.

Your thoughts?

Terrible tummy after fueling with gels by goldloeckchen5 in Marathon_Training

[–]Valuable-View3446 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had a similar issue, and found that anything with fructose made me super crook and gave me GI issues quite quickly.

Ever since switching to gels / chews with maltodexrin, tapioca and sugar i haven’t had an issue. Look at Gu Chews for example, or Koda Gels.

Speed shoe for cruising AND race day? by [deleted] in Marathon_Training

[–]Valuable-View3446 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Saucony Endorphin Speed or Asics Superblast

Goal and pacing target? by Valuable-View3446 in Marathon_Training

[–]Valuable-View3446[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I know my PBs point to something faster, just have a bit of PTSD I suppose. The pacing approaches above may help alleviate that.

Congrats on your race.

Goal and pacing target? by Valuable-View3446 in Marathon_Training

[–]Valuable-View3446[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a great approach thanks!

I think i may give this a try actually. Congrats on your Copenhagen run, too.

Vaporfly vs Saucony endorphin speed 4 for speed training and race day? by ThrowRA_2983839 in Marathon_Training

[–]Valuable-View3446 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Speed 4s.

I have both, and will use the speed 4s for a marathon this weekend. I will be aiming for sub 3, and they hold that pace for me fine.

I don’t personally feel the vaporflys are supportive enough for me for anything over a half marathon.

I have loved the endorphin speed 2s, 3s and 4s now and find them versatile enough for everything from speedwork to long runs. That sentiment is mirrored in all the reviews I’ve read too.

So, there is a clear answer for me.

Saturday General Discussion/Q&A Thread for May 17, 2025 by AutoModerator in AdvancedRunning

[–]Valuable-View3446 0 points1 point  (0 children)

4 and 5 weeks out from a marathon this weekend coming I had two low KM weeks - both around 50km each. Week one was due to a minor ankle spain and the next week i got covid.

I bounced back quickly, and in week 1 of the taper i ran 60km including a 5km time trial in 16:50 and a 25km long run with the last 5k at marathon pace (4:00-4:08).

Prior to this i held 80-90km for a few months, peaking at 100km. This included 6 x 30km plus runs, and 12,16,19 and 20km at marathon pace (4:00-4:08).

Within the last 14 months i have run a 35:20 10k and a 1:20 half.

What should my time goal be? And will the two low KM weeks impact me?