For a more detailed, written version, check out my blog post here: www.runningcafe.online/post/howtorunasub3hourmarathon All of the gear I use for running, and to make my videos, is linked in the description. 👟 🎥 Is running a faster marathon one of your running goals? What time are you aiming for? Let me know!
Goal Sub 3:30. Ran my first marathon this week at 54 yrs old at Boston (charity bib) with a 4:12 but I was not ready for all the downhills (as much as I thought I had prepared!)
Hey man, congrats on running sub 3 and thanks for the super helpful tips. I am running my first marathon in November and trying to run sub 3...although I might be way too ambitious with that target lol. I've been running and doing triathlons for a few years so have a good base but definitely need to work on increasing my mileage. I was wondering how long you were running 100km weeks before you ran sub 3? I am currently doing around 40 miles per week but my body definitely struggles with the higher mileage and I have had a few injuries in the past so trying to be smart about it. Ultimately I know however that I need to get that mileage up if I stand a change of going sub 3 or getting close to it.
@@thru_and_thru Thanks very much! It's good that you have a decent base of fitness as getting that is often the hardest thing. Building on that will put you in a great position for a sub 3. I was doing 60 mile/100km weeks for roughly 2 and a half months before I ran my sub 3 marathon. I did have a good base of fitness before this, but my weekly mileage was no where near this 60 mile a week figure. If you're struggling with increasing weekly mileage, and are worried about injury risk, I'd recommend breaking up your weekly runs into more sessions. You could go once in the morning and once in the evening on several days, for shorter runs. Also, you could try running at a much more relaxed pace to reduce the stress on your body and get it up to a higher level of fitness gradually which is the approach I take (80/20 principle of training). Good luck, you got this!
top stuff...I went from 3:54 (2017) for a first one to 3:07 for a second one with serious training (2018), 3:09 the following year (was fitter than previous year but a knee twinge derailed things) ...then Covid happened / loss of motivation..... given a free place last minute in 2021, 3:45 without training but that revived some fire in me..... and finally 2:58 last spring !!!
All excellent advice. I ran a 2:51 marathon back in 2001 and I would say that weekly mileage - I was running around 60 miles a week building up to the marathon - and the 80:20 rule are the golden bits of advice here.
Experienced runner here, though on shorter distances for now. First off, congrats on that marathon time! Second, even if I knew about the advice given in this video, I thought the editing job and the overall writing made it very easy to understand and memorize for viewers, good job on that as well!
Hey man, thanks very much for the comment and great to hear from an experienced runner! My main goal is to help other runners to achieve their goals and succeed, so I'm really grateful for that feedback. Happy running!
I think the best line I may have ever heard in any running/fitness video is 4:00 “don’t underestimate the benefits of sleep, it’s completely free” wow, never thought of it like that!
I have been doing exact the same however still can’t win my demons, bad diet, alcohol -reason I’m still overweight. Sober 4 months hoping to get better result this year. Thank you for your video.
I hear you, my diet sucked before I started a plan and held myself accountable to calorie and macronutrient goals. I love food too much 🤣 One of my friends always says 'you can't outrun a bad diet' and I've tried sticking to that motto when I feel like breaking and going for some chocolate or some other rubbish. You got this my friend keep going 🙏
Maybe join a running club? You'll find lots of people there who have been where you've been and most likely battling with the same things. But also making an effort to be healthy. Finding good people to spend time with is super important.
This gives me so much hope! I ran my first marathon a little faster than your first marathon time, but when I add up what I’ve been doing during my 12 week prep and during the race, I now know that I made SO MANY mistakes and that I could have been faster. I worked myself up to have an average pace of around 5:35 through trial and error and a plan that I got myself from a runner’s world magazine. I had no idea what I was doing, I just blindly ran what I saw in that plan that I was supposed to run. That plan didn’t even include any notes to specify what a easy run or zone 1,2 or 5 even are. I had not watch until 3 weeks before the marathon either. I ate whatever I thought was right, my sleep was abysmal as usual. During the marathon itself I got carried away and started with a pace of 4:20 so way too fast. Unsurprisingly, I bonked. To top it of, I managed to 27.8 miles so I turned my race into an ultra marathon without knowing it. lol The only things that I am proud of are the fact that I never stopped to walk once, I ran through the wall, that I had the mental strength to speed up a little at the end and that I finished. I felt so disheartened, disappointed and sad about my performance. I dream of qualifying for NYC and Boston, that seems so unattainable to me atm, but your video really did give me a lot of motivation to improve and keep fighting! And maybe I should look for a coach too
Laying off alcohol makes a massive difference, that's a good point. I only drank alcohol 3 times up to this point for the whole year and defo had a role in fitness and recovery.
Ran Berlin marathon 2022 in 3:40:00 Just ran Berlin half in 1:27:05 The plan after the full was to do sub 3:10:00 and thought that was ambitious.. But, after how i felt in the half, I'm thinking sub 3 or sub 2:55 for Berlin full 2023 😁
Haha thanks so much! I completely agree, many of the high school superstars that I knew now don't do any sport at all which is a shame as they'd definitely be smashing it. Oh well, now we can be the superstars! Glad to have you on board
I think consistency in training is implied by me running 60 miles a week for several months, as shown by the Strava screenshot in the video. Consistency is very important, combined with running more miles each week.
Nice video and congrats on the sub-3 hour marathon! I made the same discovery about the weekly distance. I ramped up slowly to about 45/50 miles per week and my times and effort in races and weekly speed work started improving. As you said, combine that with proper nutrition and rest and I think you have the magic formula.
Thank you very much for sharing this sir! I ran my first marathon this month in 4hrs8mins and the plan for next year is at least lower the time to 3hrs30mins. Hopefully with the training all go according to plan 🤙🏼
Great vid just ran my first official marathon sub 4hr and wanted to see how far I can push it, aiming for my next one to be sub 3:30 then move towards sub 3
I love to hear that almost all of what I’m currently doing in my training regimen is what was mentioned here. The only difference is I’m a novice runner (about 3 months in running 4-5 days a week) and I’m currently at merely 35 miles weekly mileage. Slowly and steadily bumping up the weekly mileage to eventually get to 50-60 mpw.
Great to hear! 35 miles per week after only 3 months in is not mere at all, sounds like you're smashing it with your training at the minute. Also, upping weekly mileage gradually is essential for minimising the risk of injury so you're doing that right also. Best of luck with your training!
@@runningcafe1 thanks , RC! Here’s my progression. Jan: 7 runs , 27 miles 11’57” mi avg. Feb: 19 runs, 57 miles, 10’49” mi avg. March: 20 runs , 83 miles 10’22” mi avg. so far in April I have 17 runs, 72 miles 10’01” mi avg. Big goals ahead and the biggest goal is doing it injury free. Thank you for the suggestions in the video! P.s. marathon prediction software has me clocked at 4 hour marathon. I am signing up for my first marathon in November ‘23 and hoping to pace under 3:15 by then.
This tracks with a lot of what I've seen in similar videos. Increasing mileage, increasing sleep, 80/20 training split. I managed to get to 50 miles in my peak week in the last training block. 60 miles is a lot, especially with a young family. Not sure I really believe you when you said you weren't targeting 3 hours. Hard to see how you can put that much work in without having a target and a pace plan. Anyway, nice video!
Hiya, when I say I wasn't targeting 3 hours I meant it. I was training for a 100 mile ultra marathon at the time, and I booked this race literally 5 days before in a spontaneous moment. I had no actual race plan to run a sub 3 hour marathon just wanted to see how fast I could go but when I got to the halfway point, I just said screw it. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the insight and tips , and congrats for super effort and first sub -3 Marathon 🙌🏻. I however disagree with the fact of counting calories. Skinng or less weight does not equal fast running. Strong = fast running .
Thanks for the comment. That's absolutely fine regarding the counting calories. Like I say in the video, this is just what worked for me and I'm not advocating anything just sharing what worked. Cheers for watching!
Great video, thanks for going to the effort. Not sure I agree with the distance per week, that's just setting you up for injuries for the more injury prone/older runners. Train smarter, not longer.
Thanks for the comment. I did say in the video that the approach I used was the 80/20 principle which is all about gradually building fitness and minimising the risk of injury by doing most runs at a comfortable/easy pace. This allowed me to run more whilst minimising the likelihood of injury. I know plenty of older runners that adopt the 80/20 principle who run quite a lot each week and who are fit/fast for their age. Of course, this is just my opinion from what I've read and my experience from my own running and I'm not a professional coach.
Congrats Craig! That Southampton course probably isn't the easiest one for a sub 3 either. Managed a 1.26 half last year on that course but not sure I'd be able to get a sub 3. I'm racing it again next year so will see 🤷
Congratulations! I would love to hit sub-3:00, but my main goal is to qualify for Boston. I’ve been improving my nutrition and sleep, but I’ll need to really key in on them in these last four weeks (the race is May 13th). What’s your next race?
Cheers man! Best of luck for the 13th May, you got this. Boston is one of the dreams for sure! My next race is the Thames Path 100, which is a 100 mile ultramarathon, on 6th May. Should be a gooden 👌
@@runningcafe1 3:35:44. My big aim was 3:30. At 30k I was about a minute off. Usually in half marathons I speed up in the last 5k so was hopeful of repeating this. As it turned out, I went the other way. I just didn’t have the leg strength. Couldn’t get into zone 5 heart rate cos I simply couldn’t move the legs quickly enough to elevate my heart rate. Looks like I might need to consider leg strength work. But I hate the gym 😂
@@conradburdekin722 That's a fantastic time Conrad, bet you're pleased with that! I hear you on the gym haha, nowhere near as fun as running is it? You could consider hill repeats up a steep hill to increase your leg strength, that could be worth a shot. Well done for your time!
@@runningcafe1 thanks Craig that’s very kind of you. I was super pleased with my time. And, in fact, I’ve recently started doing hill repeats - maybe 4x in last 6 weeks? Quite enjoy the agony of a 400m sprint uphill 😂. But no - the gym is not nearly as fun as running. In other news, some very good runners I follow have been unable to achieve sub 3 this weekend. Your Southampton marathon just looks better and better. And you looked so fresh at the end! A truly brilliant run
Hi I'm Donovan from Malta I'm 25 yrs old , 3 yrs and 10 months into running I'm aiming for sub 3 next march in Barcelona for my first marathon , thanks for sharing your insights and journey , I'm on week 3 of the block and I'm already improving my performance since upping my load 🙌🫡💥✅🇲🇹🦁🏋️
Hey hows it going running cafe, my name is Trey and i have been running and distance running since 2017. As a former powerlifter when i first started in 2017 i was way SLOWER my first marathon was in 2017 myrtle beach i did in 4 hours and 36 min.......then i did charlotte in november 2017 and got my time down to 4 14 on a COLD charlotte morning. Im way better in the cold by the way...then in March 2019 i ran my fastest marathon in 4 hours 1 min just missing sub 4....in 70 degree weather that year.....i thought i was on my way to big gains after that but in march 2022 myrtle beach when i ran marathon i struggled and barely ran a 4 16 marathon no where near sub 4........and now just yesterday myrtle beach marathon in the high humidity i struggled once again and barely got under 4 20..........i feel like i have went BACKWARDS. I was wondering if u you had any advice on what i would need do in more of my long runs and training....i mostly train my long runs at lower heart rate slower pace 9 min paces.....do u think i need to start doing more tempo long runs? like try getting more 8 min paces in my long runs mostly? i started out conservative yesterday 9 min paces and fell apart after mile 19, prabably was humdity. Anyway it has been very very frustrating as runner who gets up 6 and 7 am EVERY weekend to run 18-20 milers and put in all mileage i do and never see results....do u think i just need to start focusing on getting faster at shorter distances like the half marathon? my best half marathon is around 1 44, but all out effort. I also do strength training 5x5 bench pressing and squats every week. Any advice on how i could blast past this marathon plateau in future? Thanks Trey
@Running Cafe Thanks. If you haven't already, maybe an ep on how you improved your sleep? I managed to get a 3.49 in Manchester on zero sleep. Have a 1.31 half pb and have a couple of 20 mile training runs in around 2.30. My sleep is just dreadful.
@@Gavinfunk69 Have you seen a medical professional? If it's a chronic issue that's affecting you over long term it may well be worth booking an appointment. It's a great idea to do a video on sleep for athletic performance and running, I don't think it's talked about enough yet it's the foundation of everything in life. Thanks for the suggestion 👌 They're great performances by the way
Thanks! I think it really depends on your baseline levels of fitness before you start smashing out 100km weeks. As long as you've gradually built up your fitness via increasing weekly mileage over time, I'd say it's definitely possible. Also 100km is just what worked for me. Some may need less or more a week to achieve a sub 3. Thanks for watching!
The marathon world record in 1908 was 2hr 55min. Mate, you are 1908 world class material...ain't that something?! Today the record is 1:59.40, under 2hrs...
So I read the 80/20 running book and am aiming for a sub 3. My question to you is, when you determined your caloric intake needs, how did you account for number of calories on days where you were burning more or fewer calories. Did you go by MyFittnessPals metric where it uses your base needs and adds on calories to consume based on your exercise? I know my macronutrient ratio, but I struggle with trying to figure out how much to eat on different days where I’m doing different levels of activity (long run/speed run/moderate run/days where I strength train). How did you manage that? Also thanks for the video. It’s really comprehensive and cool to see your accomplishment.
Hey, I'm currently reading the 80/20 book. I'm enjoying it so far, hope you got some value out of it. In terms of calculating my daily calorie needs, I used an online calorie estimator for my base goal where I input my body weight and height then some information about my daily energy expenditure to get a rough goal. This was 2400 calories. However, some days I run much, much more than 'average' and I burn a lot more calories. I use my Garmin watch as a rough guide on the number of calories i'm burning and I adjust my eating on that day to account for that. I try to not go into a surplus but try not to go 200 calories under. If I'm too heavy or too skinny, for whatever reason, I eat more or less to gain/lose weight. Hope this helps. Thanks for the comment!
100km a week is pretty big commitment. It means that after work it's pretty much the only thing you are going to do, besides chores. Considering you will also take a shower after and you will be totally drained.
It is a big commitment for sure and does take up quite a bit of time. Personally, I go to bed early and tend to run before work and get it out of the way so I can focus on the rest of the day without having to worry about needing to run in the evening. Also, 100km is just what I did. Some may need to run less to achieve a similiar result.
Fully agree with you. Thank you for your sharing. May I ask you if you sometimes run for over 21 miles (approx 35 km) on a single session or do you split that in two or more? There are a lot of plans that suggest to do long runs. What do you think?
Thank you! Sometimes I do run over 21 in training but that is very rare. I much prefer to break up my training into smaller intervals. The problem with running 20 miles or more is that it makes the run more complicated as you need to bring more supplies and you're also more likely to injure yourself the further you go. I think long runs are good every now and then but I definitely wouldn't do them more than once a week
I recently did 2 half marathon (1:29 and 1:28), was running 50-60k weekly. Do you think a sub 3 hour marathon is possible for me if I start building for the next 20-24 weeks?
Great video, thanks! Curious what sort of macro split you used for your tracking in the MFP app. Currently, I do a 60% carbs/20% fat /20% protein, hoping I'm not too far off.
Thank you! I'm also building lean muscle at the moment in the gym, so my split is quite protein heavy. My split is currently 35% protein, 20% fat, and 45% carbohydrates. If I wasn't building muscle, and was just focusing on running, I'd decrease the protein and increase the carbs.
Curious to know if 80/20 applies if you only run 3x a week with longest run at 90mins? Im talking about for half marathon. I dont think 80/20 works for time crunch athlete. If you have plenty of hours then its one of the best approach.
There's an interesting study by the university of Verona which tests the 80/20 rule in athletes training for roughly 3 and a half hours a week for 8 weeks. The results for both groups were comparable at the end, with the 'fast training' runners only slightly outperforming the '80/20' runners in a time trial by a small margin. From what I've read, the 80/20 rule clearly benefits runners that clock up big mileage weeks the most e.g., marathon runners, and ultra runners, but it still has comparable results to running fast all the time in the lower weekly mileage range. If I was running lower weekly mileage, I'd probably adjust my ratio to be more like a 65 slow/35 fast split. If I was short on time and wasn't worried about injuries, I might increase the ratio of speedwork
Really insightful video. What do you take from my situation? I just ran my 30th marathon yesterday. I ran a personal worst of 4.37. My PB is 3.17! But I feel like I've burnt my endurance out by running 30 marathons in 15 years. I used to run a 1.28 half now I run a 1.52 half. I haven't changed anything in my training and nutrition, if anything I train and eat better now. I just feel EXHAUSTED. I ran my 30th marathon slower than my first! You think it's just exhaustion?
Thanks very much for that and for sharing your story. Wow, 30 marathons is incredible. Big respect for that. Hmm, I'm really not sure to be honest. Training and nutrition are extremely important parts to the puzzle but there's also so many other things that influence race day results including the course elevation, the terrain of the course, weather on the day, sleep, race day nutrition, race day strategy etc. It's really hard to say to be honest without knowing all of the above. Has anything in particular changed in your routine? Don't think it's down to getting older as I know some people who have run faster marathons now than what they were running 25 years ago lol. Anyway, fingers crossed it's just one of those slumps we all get every now and then. Best of luck for whatever you have planned for the future!
Craig, those easy runs you showed were roughly 8 minute mile pace. So would that be your zone 2/3? Cos that’s a 3:30 marathon at that pace which still seems speedy to me!
Yeah that's about an easy pace for me. It can vary day to day. I do check my heart rate occasionally to make sure I'm not straying into zone 4 too much, and as long as I'm not breathing ridiculously heavy I know I'm good!
Cheers! I do go to the gym, but to be honest my leg workouts are not very consistent compared to upper body. I definitely need to improve that aspect of my training. I do a fair bit of elevation running wise, so the hills probably had a helping hand to play!
How many runs do you spread your weekly mileage over? Would running 5 days a week with double sessions on some days ok? And how did u manage to increase mileage without injuries
I do roughly 6-9 runs a week. Sometimes I do double days where I run in the morning and again in the evening. The way I prevented injuries was by following the 80/20 rule like I explained in the video. By doing most runs at a comfortable easy pace, you're able to increase mileage whilst minimising the risk of injuries
I take it very simple. Typically I'll do 5-10 sets of 1km at like a 6.20 - 6.40 minutes per mile pace. Sometimes, I do track intervals with my running club so I might do 400 metres very fast then 400 metres very relaxed as recovery and then repeating. Usually, I do intervals at least once sometimes twice a week. My biggest focus, though, is on building the volume of mileage in a slow and relaxed way
Well done on a superb performance! I hear you re increased mileage. Can you please provide a specific breakdown of what you were doing (and the general results) and then what you switched to and over what time period? E.g. miles per day breakdown over i think you may have said about 2x months? Cheers
Thanks Tim! Before, my main approach to training was just to run fast every run and I'd always feel knackered and my times weren't getting any better. Also, running so hard all the time made me need more recovery and I couldn't run as much per week. I started doing more ultra marathons, and that's where I learned about the 80/20 principle for training and I honestly believe that has been the biggest game changer for me. Before I implemented that approach, I'd struggle with 30 or so miles a week but now it's much easier to run further and get fitter because the majority of the runs are easier and more fun. Biggest tip I can give, from my experience, is to increase weekly mileage but run the majority of your runs at an easy comfortable pace. Thanks again!
@@runningcafe1 previously i have really struggled with this silly concept of zone 2 training but you've inspired me to give it a go. How long would you recommend I give it a go for. 2, 3, 4 or more months? And 80-100km per week is it?
@@timshields8720 If you wanna give it a shot, I'd recommend at least 2 months to see how the body adjusts and how you're getting on with it. I know what you mean about the zones. I was skeptical at first as running slow in a low heart rate zone to get fitter didn't make any sense to me but I have noticed big changes. To monitor the HR zones, I set one of my run watch screens on my Garmin to heart rate with the zones so I can quickly see with a glance if I'm in 2 or 3 which is the goal. Yes, 80-100km a week would be good! Be sure to up the mileage gradually to that distance mark 👍 Give it a shot and see what you think!
Hiya, no problem. I typically didn't have any rest days at the time. I know that's not for everyone, but I found running everyday really helpful for building momentum and getting my body used to the stresses come race day.
@@runningcafe1 thanks! That makes a lot of sense to me. I was doing the same thing - but was told over and over again that I had to rest at least one maybe two days per week. I’m still figuring out my exact formula. Thanks for answering
@@runningcafe1 totally love my training,,,aiming to run marathon under 4 hrs when 60 yrs then do tri Athlon ,,,maybe even iron man ,5 yrs to go ,in gymn everyday love it ,then 8 hrs kitchen work,,really good place physically for 55yrs ,(I 🧐 think)
Can i get in touch with you mate ..i have recently started running ..current status 5k in 23 min 15k-1.2 hr 21k- 1.55 hr seeking your help and guidance
Hello Craig Im an amateur runner, my first marathon was in 3 hours 41 and I was happy with the result caused I only prepared for 3 months but intensively. I'm curious about how you split your training in terms of days. How many days at an easy pace and how many dans in mp. Hope you can reply 😅
Hello! Congrats on your first marathon, that's a great time and much faster than my first marathon. In terms of my training now, I run every single day at the moment. I typically run 6-9 times a week, and do a second run in the evening on some days. Roughly, Monday-Friday mornings is easy runs (roughly 5-9 miles per run) and Sunday run is easy as well. Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings I tend to do an interval session or a 5k at a very fast pace. Hope this helps!
@@runningcafe1 I see it definitely helps I was training 6 times per week. easy runs on week days and sarurday long runs. During the week days there were 2 days I used to do intervals in a fast pace (plan sent by my coach) however that training used to made me feel more tired than normal, maybe because the “easy” runs I used to do it in half pace.
First ever attempt was the time in the thumbnail and they got better and better over time. Came within 5 minutes or so of a sub 3 doing the Paris marathon in 2021 which was the last marathon I did before this sub 3. In total, i've done about 4 or 5 marathons.
@@runningcafe1 thank you for the info. Just ran my second marathon at 3:52 and hoping to get to sub 3 one day as well. The tips and inspiration go a long way !
I know how you feel. I also have insomnia, unfortunately, and it has troubled my life for years. I should make a video or two on tips for runners with insomnia. In addition to the day to day, I find it nearly impossible to sleep the day before races, but I have developed some strategies so maybe this will help others in a similiar situation... Head up my friend, we are better than our insomnia!
Not all of us use miles. Most runners I know measure in km. I imagine it's because we drive with miles per hour speedometers in our cars and all of the road signs are marked by mile distances.
@@runningcafe1 learned something new sir!! I didn't realize Brits use mph when driving. I am in Canada we use kph -- but most treadmills are in mph so thats where I get my mph experience =D
I agree about the age part to an extent. I'm sure it will be harder if you are older, I know several runners in their 50s who achieved sub 3 hour marathons in the last few weeks alone (at London and Manchester). Luckily, weight can be changed
I understand that you wanna celebrate your achievement I like to see people succeed That being said ., the video is useless for the common runner aspiring to reach those heights All of you are not elaborating on increase milage How do u increase it, listening to your body every single day with regard to it How to balance your speed workouts with increase milage . And more All of this points are not talk about .. U hadda come better than that It have men or females out here will take your info as it is and will burnout or get injured
I'm not going to go into every single point in one video on how to increase mileage safely etc. Maybe I'll make a video on that one day, but that information is literally a Google search/TH-cam search away. Don't forget that I was an average runner who could barely run a sub 4 marathon before but I managed it. My hope with this video is to inspire runners that it can be done, and to then make it happen by whatever means.
For a more detailed, written version, check out my blog post here: www.runningcafe.online/post/howtorunasub3hourmarathon
All of the gear I use for running, and to make my videos, is linked in the description. 👟 🎥
Is running a faster marathon one of your running goals? What time are you aiming for? Let me know!
Sub 3:04!!
Goal Sub 3:30. Ran my first marathon this week at 54 yrs old at Boston (charity bib) with a 4:12 but I was not ready for all the downhills (as much as I thought I had prepared!)
Hey man, congrats on running sub 3 and thanks for the super helpful tips. I am running my first marathon in November and trying to run sub 3...although I might be way too ambitious with that target lol. I've been running and doing triathlons for a few years so have a good base but definitely need to work on increasing my mileage. I was wondering how long you were running 100km weeks before you ran sub 3? I am currently doing around 40 miles per week but my body definitely struggles with the higher mileage and I have had a few injuries in the past so trying to be smart about it. Ultimately I know however that I need to get that mileage up if I stand a change of going sub 3 or getting close to it.
@@thru_and_thru Thanks very much! It's good that you have a decent base of fitness as getting that is often the hardest thing. Building on that will put you in a great position for a sub 3.
I was doing 60 mile/100km weeks for roughly 2 and a half months before I ran my sub 3 marathon. I did have a good base of fitness before this, but my weekly mileage was no where near this 60 mile a week figure.
If you're struggling with increasing weekly mileage, and are worried about injury risk, I'd recommend breaking up your weekly runs into more sessions. You could go once in the morning and once in the evening on several days, for shorter runs. Also, you could try running at a much more relaxed pace to reduce the stress on your body and get it up to a higher level of fitness gradually which is the approach I take (80/20 principle of training).
Good luck, you got this!
@@runningcafe1 Thanks so much dude, this is super helpful. I appreciate the insight. I think breaking up the runs is great idea for sure. : )
top stuff...I went from 3:54 (2017) for a first one to 3:07 for a second one with serious training (2018), 3:09 the following year (was fitter than previous year but a knee twinge derailed things) ...then Covid happened / loss of motivation..... given a free place last minute in 2021, 3:45 without training but that revived some fire in me..... and finally 2:58 last spring !!!
All excellent advice. I ran a 2:51 marathon back in 2001 and I would say that weekly mileage - I was running around 60 miles a week building up to the marathon - and the 80:20 rule are the golden bits of advice here.
Experienced runner here, though on shorter distances for now.
First off, congrats on that marathon time!
Second, even if I knew about the advice given in this video, I thought the editing job and the overall writing made it very easy to understand and memorize for viewers, good job on that as well!
Hey man, thanks very much for the comment and great to hear from an experienced runner!
My main goal is to help other runners to achieve their goals and succeed, so I'm really grateful for that feedback.
Happy running!
I think the best line I may have ever heard in any running/fitness video is 4:00 “don’t underestimate the benefits of sleep, it’s completely free” wow, never thought of it like that!
Thanks very much! It's absolutely true, sleep can make a massive impact and it doesn't cost anything :)
I have been doing exact the same however still can’t win my demons, bad diet, alcohol -reason I’m still overweight. Sober 4 months hoping to get better result this year. Thank you for your video.
I hear you, my diet sucked before I started a plan and held myself accountable to calorie and macronutrient goals. I love food too much 🤣
One of my friends always says 'you can't outrun a bad diet' and I've tried sticking to that motto when I feel like breaking and going for some chocolate or some other rubbish. You got this my friend keep going 🙏
you got this!
Maybe join a running club? You'll find lots of people there who have been where you've been and most likely battling with the same things. But also making an effort to be healthy. Finding good people to spend time with is super important.
This gives me so much hope!
I ran my first marathon a little faster than your first marathon time, but when I add up what I’ve been doing during my 12 week prep and during the race, I now know that I made SO MANY mistakes and that I could have been faster.
I worked myself up to have an average pace of around 5:35 through trial and error and a plan that I got myself from a runner’s world magazine. I had no idea what I was doing, I just blindly ran what I saw in that plan that I was supposed to run. That plan didn’t even include any notes to specify what a easy run or zone 1,2 or 5 even are. I had not watch until 3 weeks before the marathon either.
I ate whatever I thought was right, my sleep was abysmal as usual.
During the marathon itself I got carried away and started with a pace of 4:20 so way too fast.
Unsurprisingly, I bonked.
To top it of, I managed to 27.8 miles so I turned my race into an ultra marathon without knowing it. lol
The only things that I am proud of are the fact that I never stopped to walk once, I ran through the wall, that I had the mental strength to speed up a little at the end and that I finished.
I felt so disheartened, disappointed and sad about my performance. I dream of qualifying for NYC and Boston, that seems so unattainable to me atm, but your video really did give me a lot of motivation to improve and keep fighting!
And maybe I should look for a coach too
Not drinking a drop of booze has helped me. I'm more hydrated and better rested now, and I recover quickly.
Laying off alcohol makes a massive difference, that's a good point. I only drank alcohol 3 times up to this point for the whole year and defo had a role in fitness and recovery.
@runningcafe1 great video BTW, and good luck in your running!!!
Yeah whenever I drink my sleep is shit 😢
I will follow your advice and I hope to finish the marathon in SUB 3.30. Thank you Craig.
Best of luck my friend, you will smash it!
Ran Berlin marathon 2022 in 3:40:00
Just ran Berlin half in 1:27:05
The plan after the full was to do sub 3:10:00 and thought that was ambitious..
But, after how i felt in the half, I'm thinking sub 3 or sub 2:55 for Berlin full 2023 😁
How did it go?
Fair play to you, that truly is a hell of life achievement and something few will get close. Great content and respect to you. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👏👏
You won my sub at "never won anything at school and was always last"! Same! But now I do marathons, and the winner kids have stopped doing sports 😉
Haha thanks so much! I completely agree, many of the high school superstars that I knew now don't do any sport at all which is a shame as they'd definitely be smashing it. Oh well, now we can be the superstars! Glad to have you on board
my guy just broke it all down! kudos bro
Cheers man!
Also don't forget consistency in your training! This was the most important aspect in me getting faster alongside everything mentioned here.
I think consistency in training is implied by me running 60 miles a week for several months, as shown by the Strava screenshot in the video. Consistency is very important, combined with running more miles each week.
Nice video and congrats on the sub-3 hour marathon! I made the same discovery about the weekly distance. I ramped up slowly to about 45/50 miles per week and my times and effort in races and weekly speed work started improving. As you said, combine that with proper nutrition and rest and I think you have the magic formula.
Thank you very much for sharing this sir!
I ran my first marathon this month in 4hrs8mins and the plan for next year is at least lower the time to 3hrs30mins. Hopefully with the training all go according to plan 🤙🏼
Also, the general sleep recommendations can vastly vary between individuals. So don't worry if you need to sleep more than 8h or 9h.
Agreed. Sleep varies between individuals, a minimum of 7 hours is what's generally recommended but if you need more then do what's best for you
Yes, yes, and yes. This says it all in one concise video. Well said.
Thank you Tony!
Great vid just ran my first official marathon sub 4hr and wanted to see how far I can push it, aiming for my next one to be sub 3:30 then move towards sub 3
Good luck my friend, you got this
Congratulations! You belong now 2% under 3hour marathoner 🏃💪.
Wow. Makes me realize I can do this . Awesome video . Kudos
Thanks very much! You got this 🙏
Congrats mate 👊💪
Very nice video, quick and concise to the point.
I love to hear that almost all of what I’m currently doing in my training regimen is what was mentioned here. The only difference is I’m a novice runner (about 3 months in running 4-5 days a week) and I’m currently at merely 35 miles weekly mileage. Slowly and steadily bumping up the weekly mileage to eventually get to 50-60 mpw.
Great to hear! 35 miles per week after only 3 months in is not mere at all, sounds like you're smashing it with your training at the minute. Also, upping weekly mileage gradually is essential for minimising the risk of injury so you're doing that right also. Best of luck with your training!
@@runningcafe1 thanks , RC! Here’s my progression. Jan: 7 runs , 27 miles 11’57” mi avg. Feb: 19 runs, 57 miles, 10’49” mi avg. March: 20 runs , 83 miles 10’22” mi avg. so far in April I have 17 runs, 72 miles 10’01” mi avg. Big goals ahead and the biggest goal is doing it injury free. Thank you for the suggestions in the video!
P.s. marathon prediction software has me clocked at 4 hour marathon. I am signing up for my first marathon in November ‘23 and hoping to pace under 3:15 by then.
Yea, I would say in about half a year you could say " I did a 3:00 marathon" Plus or minus 30 min... who cares
This tracks with a lot of what I've seen in similar videos. Increasing mileage, increasing sleep, 80/20 training split. I managed to get to 50 miles in my peak week in the last training block. 60 miles is a lot, especially with a young family. Not sure I really believe you when you said you weren't targeting 3 hours. Hard to see how you can put that much work in without having a target and a pace plan. Anyway, nice video!
Hiya, when I say I wasn't targeting 3 hours I meant it. I was training for a 100 mile ultra marathon at the time, and I booked this race literally 5 days before in a spontaneous moment. I had no actual race plan to run a sub 3 hour marathon just wanted to see how fast I could go but when I got to the halfway point, I just said screw it. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the insight and tips , and congrats for super effort and first sub -3 Marathon 🙌🏻. I however disagree with the fact of counting calories. Skinng or less weight does not equal fast running. Strong = fast running .
Thanks for the comment. That's absolutely fine regarding the counting calories. Like I say in the video, this is just what worked for me and I'm not advocating anything just sharing what worked. Cheers for watching!
Really good pointers I am glad following almost all, just to notch the numbers up for the sub 3 I guess
Thanks a lot. This is really helpful!
Happy to help!
Great video, thanks for going to the effort. Not sure I agree with the distance per week, that's just setting you up for injuries for the more injury prone/older runners. Train smarter, not longer.
Thanks for the comment. I did say in the video that the approach I used was the 80/20 principle which is all about gradually building fitness and minimising the risk of injury by doing most runs at a comfortable/easy pace. This allowed me to run more whilst minimising the likelihood of injury. I know plenty of older runners that adopt the 80/20 principle who run quite a lot each week and who are fit/fast for their age.
Of course, this is just my opinion from what I've read and my experience from my own running and I'm not a professional coach.
Great video, thank you
Nicely concise and simple 👍
Thanks!
Clear and informative contents. Thank you.
Cant wait to race my first marathon, but I need to ramp up my training for a couple years at least
1. No alcohol
2. Slow, slow weekly 150k weekly mileage before starting your training block (lowers injury risks for harsld workouts)
Congrats Craig! That Southampton course probably isn't the easiest one for a sub 3 either. Managed a 1.26 half last year on that course but not sure I'd be able to get a sub 3. I'm racing it again next year so will see 🤷
Thank you and good luck!
Congratulations! I would love to hit sub-3:00, but my main goal is to qualify for Boston. I’ve been improving my nutrition and sleep, but I’ll need to really key in on them in these last four weeks (the race is May 13th).
What’s your next race?
Cheers man! Best of luck for the 13th May, you got this. Boston is one of the dreams for sure!
My next race is the Thames Path 100, which is a 100 mile ultramarathon, on 6th May. Should be a gooden 👌
Great video, man. Very informative and to the point! Pretty much sums up about 20+ videos I've seen on the subject into one! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the kind words. My aim is to inspire and help runners to achieve their goals, so that's great to hear!
Was brilliant to see you go sub 3!
Thanks so much mate, let me know how you got on at Manchester 👌
@@runningcafe1 3:35:44. My big aim was 3:30. At 30k I was about a minute off. Usually in half marathons I speed up in the last 5k so was hopeful of repeating this. As it turned out, I went the other way. I just didn’t have the leg strength. Couldn’t get into zone 5 heart rate cos I simply couldn’t move the legs quickly enough to elevate my heart rate. Looks like I might need to consider leg strength work. But I hate the gym 😂
@@conradburdekin722 That's a fantastic time Conrad, bet you're pleased with that!
I hear you on the gym haha, nowhere near as fun as running is it? You could consider hill repeats up a steep hill to increase your leg strength, that could be worth a shot. Well done for your time!
@@runningcafe1 thanks Craig that’s very kind of you. I was super pleased with my time. And, in fact, I’ve recently started doing hill repeats - maybe 4x in last 6 weeks? Quite enjoy the agony of a 400m sprint uphill 😂. But no - the gym is not nearly as fun as running.
In other news, some very good runners I follow have been unable to achieve sub 3 this weekend. Your Southampton marathon just looks better and better. And you looked so fresh at the end! A truly brilliant run
enjoyed the video, I would lower the volume of the sound prompt whenever something pops up on the screen, or perhaps try another sound.
Thanks for that 👍
Hi I'm Donovan from Malta I'm 25 yrs old , 3 yrs and 10 months into running I'm aiming for sub 3 next march in Barcelona for my first marathon , thanks for sharing your insights and journey , I'm on week 3 of the block and I'm already improving my performance since upping my load 🙌🫡💥✅🇲🇹🦁🏋️
How was it?
That was great thank you!
Really nice video. Love the quality, have subbed 👍
Thanks so much! Glad to have you on board 🙏
Great thank you 👍
God Bless mate. Thank you
Thanks!
well done amazing achievement
Thank you!
Great tips man! Thanks!
Glad they helped, thanks!
Hey hows it going running cafe, my name is Trey and i have been running and distance running since 2017. As a former powerlifter when i first started in 2017 i was way SLOWER my first marathon was in 2017 myrtle beach i did in 4 hours and 36 min.......then i did charlotte in november 2017 and got my time down to 4 14 on a COLD charlotte morning. Im way better in the cold by the way...then in March 2019 i ran my fastest marathon in 4 hours 1 min just missing sub 4....in 70 degree weather that year.....i thought i was on my way to big gains after that but in march 2022 myrtle beach when i ran marathon i struggled and barely ran a 4 16 marathon no where near sub 4........and now just yesterday myrtle beach marathon in the high humidity i struggled once again and barely got under 4 20..........i feel like i have went BACKWARDS. I was wondering if u you had any advice on what i would need do in more of my long runs and training....i mostly train my long runs at lower heart rate slower pace 9 min paces.....do u think i need to start doing more tempo long runs? like try getting more 8 min paces in my long runs mostly? i started out conservative yesterday 9 min paces and fell apart after mile 19, prabably was humdity. Anyway it has been very very frustrating as runner who gets up 6 and 7 am EVERY weekend to run 18-20 milers and put in all mileage i do and never see results....do u think i just need to start focusing on getting faster at shorter distances like the half marathon? my best half marathon is around 1 44, but all out effort. I also do strength training 5x5 bench pressing and squats every week. Any advice on how i could blast past this marathon plateau in future? Thanks Trey
Hello Craig how are you ? from Brasil , congrats I like for you video e sub 3 in Marathon
Hello, good thank you. Thanks for the kind words and glad you enjoyed it!
Night before all 3 of my marathons, I haven't slept at all. I.e. awake the entire night. It has put me off attempting another.
I have had that experience before. It's definitely not fun, so I hear you there
@Running Cafe Thanks. If you haven't already, maybe an ep on how you improved your sleep? I managed to get a 3.49 in Manchester on zero sleep. Have a 1.31 half pb and have a couple of 20 mile training runs in around 2.30. My sleep is just dreadful.
@@Gavinfunk69 Have you seen a medical professional? If it's a chronic issue that's affecting you over long term it may well be worth booking an appointment.
It's a great idea to do a video on sleep for athletic performance and running, I don't think it's talked about enough yet it's the foundation of everything in life. Thanks for the suggestion 👌
They're great performances by the way
Thanks for all the hints. Great video indeeed. For how many weeks would be the 100km per week? Do you think 4 weeks would enough?
Thanks! I think it really depends on your baseline levels of fitness before you start smashing out 100km weeks. As long as you've gradually built up your fitness via increasing weekly mileage over time, I'd say it's definitely possible. Also 100km is just what worked for me. Some may need less or more a week to achieve a sub 3. Thanks for watching!
The marathon world record in 1908 was 2hr 55min. Mate, you are 1908 world class material...ain't that something?! Today the record is 1:59.40, under 2hrs...
That's a really interesting way of putting it, thanks for the comment! 🙏
So I read the 80/20 running book and am aiming for a sub 3. My question to you is, when you determined your caloric intake needs, how did you account for number of calories on days where you were burning more or fewer calories. Did you go by MyFittnessPals metric where it uses your base needs and adds on calories to consume based on your exercise? I know my macronutrient ratio, but I struggle with trying to figure out how much to eat on different days where I’m doing different levels of activity (long run/speed run/moderate run/days where I strength train). How did you manage that?
Also thanks for the video. It’s really comprehensive and cool to see your accomplishment.
Hey, I'm currently reading the 80/20 book. I'm enjoying it so far, hope you got some value out of it.
In terms of calculating my daily calorie needs, I used an online calorie estimator for my base goal where I input my body weight and height then some information about my daily energy expenditure to get a rough goal. This was 2400 calories. However, some days I run much, much more than 'average' and I burn a lot more calories. I use my Garmin watch as a rough guide on the number of calories i'm burning and I adjust my eating on that day to account for that.
I try to not go into a surplus but try not to go 200 calories under.
If I'm too heavy or too skinny, for whatever reason, I eat more or less to gain/lose weight. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the comment!
@@runningcafe1 that’s all very helpful, thanks so much! Good luck on your continued journey!
100km a week is pretty big commitment. It means that after work it's pretty much the only thing you are going to do, besides chores. Considering you will also take a shower after and you will be totally drained.
It is a big commitment for sure and does take up quite a bit of time. Personally, I go to bed early and tend to run before work and get it out of the way so I can focus on the rest of the day without having to worry about needing to run in the evening.
Also, 100km is just what I did. Some may need to run less to achieve a similiar result.
Really useful video - what pace did you run at for the 80% slow and the 20% fast, compared to your race pace for a marathon? Thanks!
Hi mate, I tend to run about 8 - 8.45 minute miles in training. Nothing too fast, and if I do go fast it's usually because I'm going down hill
@@runningcafe1 yes, as you say it’s the number of miles rather than the speed that counts for the long runs. Many thanks, Rob
Fully agree with you. Thank you for your sharing. May I ask you if you sometimes run for over 21 miles (approx 35 km) on a single session or do you split that in two or more? There are a lot of plans that suggest to do long runs. What do you think?
Thank you! Sometimes I do run over 21 in training but that is very rare. I much prefer to break up my training into smaller intervals. The problem with running 20 miles or more is that it makes the run more complicated as you need to bring more supplies and you're also more likely to injure yourself the further you go. I think long runs are good every now and then but I definitely wouldn't do them more than once a week
I recently did 2 half marathon (1:29 and 1:28), was running 50-60k weekly. Do you think a sub 3 hour marathon is possible for me if I start building for the next 20-24 weeks?
That's a great time well done. Yes I definitely think it's possible. You've got a good base of fitness, now you just need to build. You got this!
Great video, thanks! Curious what sort of macro split you used for your tracking in the MFP app. Currently, I do a 60% carbs/20% fat /20% protein, hoping I'm not too far off.
Thank you! I'm also building lean muscle at the moment in the gym, so my split is quite protein heavy. My split is currently 35% protein, 20% fat, and 45% carbohydrates. If I wasn't building muscle, and was just focusing on running, I'd decrease the protein and increase the carbs.
Curious to know if 80/20 applies if you only run 3x a week with longest run at 90mins? Im talking about for half marathon. I dont think 80/20 works for time crunch athlete. If you have plenty of hours then its one of the best approach.
There's an interesting study by the university of Verona which tests the 80/20 rule in athletes training for roughly 3 and a half hours a week for 8 weeks. The results for both groups were comparable at the end, with the 'fast training' runners only slightly outperforming the '80/20' runners in a time trial by a small margin.
From what I've read, the 80/20 rule clearly benefits runners that clock up big mileage weeks the most e.g., marathon runners, and ultra runners, but it still has comparable results to running fast all the time in the lower weekly mileage range.
If I was running lower weekly mileage, I'd probably adjust my ratio to be more like a 65 slow/35 fast split. If I was short on time and wasn't worried about injuries, I might increase the ratio of speedwork
Really insightful video. What do you take from my situation? I just ran my 30th marathon yesterday. I ran a personal worst of 4.37. My PB is 3.17! But I feel like I've burnt my endurance out by running 30 marathons in 15 years. I used to run a 1.28 half now I run a 1.52 half. I haven't changed anything in my training and nutrition, if anything I train and eat better now. I just feel EXHAUSTED. I ran my 30th marathon slower than my first! You think it's just exhaustion?
Thanks very much for that and for sharing your story. Wow, 30 marathons is incredible. Big respect for that.
Hmm, I'm really not sure to be honest. Training and nutrition are extremely important parts to the puzzle but there's also so many other things that influence race day results including the course elevation, the terrain of the course, weather on the day, sleep, race day nutrition, race day strategy etc.
It's really hard to say to be honest without knowing all of the above. Has anything in particular changed in your routine? Don't think it's down to getting older as I know some people who have run faster marathons now than what they were running 25 years ago lol.
Anyway, fingers crossed it's just one of those slumps we all get every now and then. Best of luck for whatever you have planned for the future!
Craig, those easy runs you showed were roughly 8 minute mile pace. So would that be your zone 2/3? Cos that’s a 3:30 marathon at that pace which still seems speedy to me!
Yeah that's about an easy pace for me. It can vary day to day. I do check my heart rate occasionally to make sure I'm not straying into zone 4 too much, and as long as I'm not breathing ridiculously heavy I know I'm good!
Great video, thank you! Did you do any strength training as well?
Cheers! I do go to the gym, but to be honest my leg workouts are not very consistent compared to upper body. I definitely need to improve that aspect of my training.
I do a fair bit of elevation running wise, so the hills probably had a helping hand to play!
How many runs do you spread your weekly mileage over? Would running 5 days a week with double sessions on some days ok? And how did u manage to increase mileage without injuries
I do roughly 6-9 runs a week. Sometimes I do double days where I run in the morning and again in the evening.
The way I prevented injuries was by following the 80/20 rule like I explained in the video. By doing most runs at a comfortable easy pace, you're able to increase mileage whilst minimising the risk of injuries
@@runningcafe1 oh ok thank u!
How you training for interval training??
I take it very simple. Typically I'll do 5-10 sets of 1km at like a 6.20 - 6.40 minutes per mile pace. Sometimes, I do track intervals with my running club so I might do 400 metres very fast then 400 metres very relaxed as recovery and then repeating.
Usually, I do intervals at least once sometimes twice a week. My biggest focus, though, is on building the volume of mileage in a slow and relaxed way
Well done on a superb performance! I hear you re increased mileage. Can you please provide a specific breakdown of what you were doing (and the general results) and then what you switched to and over what time period? E.g. miles per day breakdown over i think you may have said about 2x months? Cheers
Thanks Tim! Before, my main approach to training was just to run fast every run and I'd always feel knackered and my times weren't getting any better. Also, running so hard all the time made me need more recovery and I couldn't run as much per week.
I started doing more ultra marathons, and that's where I learned about the 80/20 principle for training and I honestly believe that has been the biggest game changer for me. Before I implemented that approach, I'd struggle with 30 or so miles a week but now it's much easier to run further and get fitter because the majority of the runs are easier and more fun.
Biggest tip I can give, from my experience, is to increase weekly mileage but run the majority of your runs at an easy comfortable pace. Thanks again!
@@runningcafe1 previously i have really struggled with this silly concept of zone 2 training but you've inspired me to give it a go. How long would you recommend I give it a go for. 2, 3, 4 or more months? And 80-100km per week is it?
@@timshields8720 If you wanna give it a shot, I'd recommend at least 2 months to see how the body adjusts and how you're getting on with it.
I know what you mean about the zones. I was skeptical at first as running slow in a low heart rate zone to get fitter didn't make any sense to me but I have noticed big changes. To monitor the HR zones, I set one of my run watch screens on my Garmin to heart rate with the zones so I can quickly see with a glance if I'm in 2 or 3 which is the goal. Yes, 80-100km a week would be good! Be sure to up the mileage gradually to that distance mark 👍
Give it a shot and see what you think!
Well done you have lived goal!! How did you manage to break down a 100k week??
Thanks! I typically ran 7-12 miles a day. Most were 7-9 mile runs, and I sometimes did some quicker interval sessions in the evening
5:04 man did u get rid of that tip of the banana before eating it?
It was fine
@@runningcafe1 🤣🤣🤣
Thanks for this video. With running 60+ miles a week, how did you approach rest days and balancing mileage?
Hiya, no problem. I typically didn't have any rest days at the time. I know that's not for everyone, but I found running everyday really helpful for building momentum and getting my body used to the stresses come race day.
@@runningcafe1 thanks! That makes a lot of sense to me. I was doing the same thing - but was told over and over again that I had to rest at least one maybe two days per week. I’m still figuring out my exact formula. Thanks for answering
I do cross training,,,well watt bike ,,swim run
Nice. Cross training is good for building fitness and minimising injury risk. I do a bit of cycling, love it 👍
@@runningcafe1 totally love my training,,,aiming to run marathon under 4 hrs when 60 yrs then do tri Athlon ,,,maybe even iron man ,5 yrs to go ,in gymn everyday love it ,then 8 hrs kitchen work,,really good place physically for 55yrs ,(I 🧐 think)
Fantastic nice job. Just curious, what is your current weight?
Thanks very much. I haven't weighted myself for a while but last time I checked I was about 66kg.
Can i get in touch with you mate ..i have recently started running ..current status 5k in 23 min
15k-1.2 hr
21k- 1.55 hr
seeking your help and guidance
I have been failing back to back. Cramping always.
Hello Craig Im an amateur runner, my first marathon was in 3 hours 41 and I was happy with the result caused I only prepared for 3 months but intensively. I'm curious about how you split your training in terms of days. How many days at an easy pace and how many dans in mp. Hope you can reply
😅
Hello! Congrats on your first marathon, that's a great time and much faster than my first marathon.
In terms of my training now, I run every single day at the moment. I typically run 6-9 times a week, and do a second run in the evening on some days.
Roughly, Monday-Friday mornings is easy runs (roughly 5-9 miles per run) and Sunday run is easy as well.
Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings I tend to do an interval session or a 5k at a very fast pace. Hope this helps!
great first marathon, how many miles per week in training?
@@runningcafe1 I see it definitely helps I was training 6 times per week. easy runs on week days and sarurday long runs. During the week days there were 2 days I used to do intervals in a fast pace (plan sent by my coach) however that training used to made me feel more tired than normal, maybe because the “easy” runs I used to do it in half pace.
@@runningcafe1 what is your easy pace?
What were you full marathon times prior to your sub-3 ?
First ever attempt was the time in the thumbnail and they got better and better over time. Came within 5 minutes or so of a sub 3 doing the Paris marathon in 2021 which was the last marathon I did before this sub 3. In total, i've done about 4 or 5 marathons.
@@runningcafe1 thank you for the info. Just ran my second marathon at 3:52 and hoping to get to sub 3 one day as well. The tips and inspiration go a long way !
I have chronic sleep insomnia and there's nothing else I can do. This ruins my progress
I know how you feel. I also have insomnia, unfortunately, and it has troubled my life for years. I should make a video or two on tips for runners with insomnia. In addition to the day to day, I find it nearly impossible to sleep the day before races, but I have developed some strategies so maybe this will help others in a similiar situation...
Head up my friend, we are better than our insomnia!
When you ran your marathon did you stop at all to walk
Nope. Ran the whole way.
How many weeks before a marathon did you run 60 miles a week ?
About 8-10
why do brits always use miles??
Not all of us use miles. Most runners I know measure in km. I imagine it's because we drive with miles per hour speedometers in our cars and all of the road signs are marked by mile distances.
@@runningcafe1 learned something new sir!! I didn't realize Brits use mph when driving. I am in Canada we use kph -- but most treadmills are in mph so thats where I get my mph experience =D
Your age and weight are also huge factors.
I agree about the age part to an extent. I'm sure it will be harder if you are older, I know several runners in their 50s who achieved sub 3 hour marathons in the last few weeks alone (at London and Manchester).
Luckily, weight can be changed
Oh I was 3 seconds faster than you in my first sub 3 last sunday! 😅
That's epic mate well done! Sounds like we could have paced each other 🤣
Have you changed your channel name recently ?
Yeah, changed it to Running Cafe from Craig Tries in February
@@runningcafe1 Yeah thought i knew you from somewhere 😊
🦄 💪🏽 ⭐️
Just keep in mind that drinking before you're thirsty while running is also a great way to get hyponatremia.
Good point. I just keep drinking little often when possible, but don't go over board
Easy to have a few pints after a good run lol 😂
"I looked at marathon distance for many years and see that 3 hour"
Isn't he 20?
26, started running aged 16.
I understand that you wanna celebrate your achievement
I like to see people succeed
That being said ., the video is useless for the common runner aspiring to reach those heights
All of you are not elaborating on increase milage
How do u increase it, listening to your body every single day with regard to it
How to balance your speed workouts with increase milage . And more
All of this points are not talk about ..
U hadda come better than that
It have men or females out here will take your info as it is and will burnout or get injured
I'm not going to go into every single point in one video on how to increase mileage safely etc. Maybe I'll make a video on that one day, but that information is literally a Google search/TH-cam search away. Don't forget that I was an average runner who could barely run a sub 4 marathon before but I managed it. My hope with this video is to inspire runners that it can be done, and to then make it happen by whatever means.
You are barely 20 kid the sky is limit for you when you say sub 3 was not imaginable you can do any thing at this age with hard work
Thanks so much!
Sleep? 😂
Yep. Without proper sleep your body can't repair itself or recover