3 Types of Workouts You Need to Be Doing to PR Your Next Marathon

If you’re like me you care about performing your best in a race. You view it as a test and a way to show all the work you’ve put in training. Not to show others but yourself. To prove you are who you say you are and that you’re capable of accomplishing your goals and doing great things.

If that’s you, then you likely set time goals for your races, I certainly do. By default the sport demands it if you want to run a race like Boston. And the times get faster every few years it seems.

If you’re not being intentional with your running then you’re going to miss out on massive gains. If you’re like I was you just run. Some days are easier than others, some days are shorter than others and then you have a long run on the weekend where you try to get a certain milage and it tends to be a harder effort run. Recently I did my first true marathon build and here are three things I added that helped me run a SUB 2:45 marathon.

1.400m, 800m, & 1K Repeats

These are standard type repeat workouts for anyone looking to get faster at the marathon distance. For the 400 and 80O meter repeats I like to do at about a 55-60secs faster than goal marathon pace. For the 1K repeats I like to do round 45-50secs faster than goal marathon pace.

Do a walking or jogging rest between each rep. The shorter the rep the shorter the rest. Also, the shorter the rep the more you do. Below is how I structure these workouts.

These paces are going to be close to your VO2 or critical velocity and are going to raise your aerobic threshold and help to be able to sustain your marathon pace and ultimately improve it.

2. 1 Mile-5K Repeats

These are done at more of a tempo/threshold pace or slightly under. The key to these sessions are actually the rest periods which are usually referred to as floats. The idea is to train your body to clear lactate while still working and to also continue to hit faster paces without recovery fully.

For the mile repeats I like to do 6-8 miles at 25-30secs faster than goal marathon pace with a 1 minute float between reps.

For the 5K repeats I like to do 3reps at 20secs faster than goal marathon pace also with 1min float between reps. Below is how I structured these workouts.

3.Marathon Pace Added Into Long Runs

This is crucial if you’re serious about hitting your goal for the marathon. If you’re not adding marathon pace into your long runs during training you’re missing out on an important stimulus of training at marathon pace on tired legs. This also builds massive confidence that you’re able to sustain that pace late in a race.

I like to start adding in marathon pace into my long runs about 8-10 weeks out from the marathon (assuming a 2week taper). There are a few ways I like to do this.

The first way is how introduce it in the first couple weeks which is by doing progression runs. If I have a 16 miles run I will run the last 4 miles progressively faster finishing my last mile at goal marathon pace or faster.

The other way I like to add it is at the end of a long run. If I have a 18 mile run I will do the last 6 miles at goal marathon pace.

You can make it interesting by adding marathon or even tempo pace throughout the run. Below are examples of how I incorporate marathon pace into my long runs.

4. How to structure these workouts within you weekly training

So, how do we structure or training to get these workouts in? Well, we don’t do each of these weekly. I recommend doing VO2/critical velocity repeats one week (400m, 800m, 1K repeats) and then doing the tempo or threshold repeats the next week (1mile, 5K repeats).

These are usually done in the middle of the week (Wed/Thurs). A tulle of thumb is to have 48+ hours minimum between workouts (long runs are workouts)

For the long runs, start adding in marathon pace around 8-12 weeks out from the marathon. You can do these weekly I would recommend giving a few weeks where you just run easy and less mileage as a deload week.

Add these workouts to your next training block and you will improve.

If you do add them, I’d love to hear from you on what you thought and how they helped you!

Coach Cam.