While out on a 5.5 mile walk this morning I was breaking down what was needed to achieve a goal I'm looking at on 2/14. More later, but having something on the radar helps stay in the zone of analysis, learning, and edge rushing of sorts. It brought back memories of training for a marathon time.
One could go on for hours, but for me it all came down to what exact pace per mile could I potentially carry to the finish. All workouts and trials were geared towards knowing this exact pace within about 5 seconds. It is possible to train this way and remove any doubt on race day. It is probably one of the most effective ways to distribute your resources and if done correctly may even result in a negative split.
Here's an example. Four other friends and myself decided to run Boston 2016 together as just a fun run. First we had to get a bit under our qualifier time. I needed a 3:20 and went out and ran a 3:15:58 off general conditioning and man I paid the price. I decided I would train specifically for a marathon in the fall at Lakefront to improve my chances of getting in.
I set a goal of sub 3:10. That's 7:14 pace. I went out to the South track and did a long effort and was right near this pace, but it was freaking work with perfect conditions. From there everything was tailored to achieve this pace and project it over the whole distance. As I continued to train and improve it seemed possible to run a 3:07. At Al's Run 8k that year I punched in what a 3:07 time converts to an 8k time and it was just over 32 minutes. I used the hillrunner.com calculator. I ran the 8k in 31:55 which was a good marker.
I ran Lakefront a few weeks later in 3:06:15 with a negative split effort at 54 years old. This demonstrates to me that this type of training works at any age and if calculators are used properly can be a useful resource.
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