I've run a few sub 3 marathons out of Ironman training. I'm 38 yo.
Best open marathon is around 2:47. I typically run an IM marathon under 3:10.
Because of that, if I'm fit, a sub3 marathon isn't a particularly big challenge. I've paced friends who wanted to go sub3.
But it still takes a while to recover from a marathon so I tend to do it far from triathlon races I care about.
Over a year my training volumes are around 13-15h week. Longest weeks get to around 20.
In terms of duration, 50% bike, 25% swim, 25% run.
I don't think I ever go above 50k running per week.
I've found that the more I cycle the faster I run. The more I run the more likely I am to get injured.
I am tempted to run more and see what I could do with more running volume but I'm quite risk averse with that.
Running is my best discipline of the three even though I don't really have a typical running body. I'm 1.75m tall and have a kayaking background so I carry extra weight with fairly broad shoulders and chest.
When I run, I run easy most of the time and prefer doing intensity on the bike. I see a lot of people crash and burn in running training - especially intervals, and I've been there too so I'm very conservative now.
My easy running pace goes from 5:20/5:30km when not very fit to breaking 4:50km when I'm very fit.
My long runs are rarely above 2h.
Course selection is key for a PB in a marathon. I can recommend Seville, Spain of all the places where I've run. Also, it helps to be in a good starting pen otherwise some big marathons are too crowded. London and Berlin can be too crowded if you're in the wrong pen.
A sub 3:30 pen would slow you down a lot in big races. If you can use a half marathon time to get into a good pen it would help a lot but it's not always accepted.
You've got 30 minutes to shave, it's a big jump. If you didn't have much aerobic training like you said maybe it's closer than you think.
I hope the above helps. Good luck!
Best open marathon is around 2:47. I typically run an IM marathon under 3:10.
Because of that, if I'm fit, a sub3 marathon isn't a particularly big challenge. I've paced friends who wanted to go sub3.
But it still takes a while to recover from a marathon so I tend to do it far from triathlon races I care about.
Over a year my training volumes are around 13-15h week. Longest weeks get to around 20.
In terms of duration, 50% bike, 25% swim, 25% run.
I don't think I ever go above 50k running per week.
I've found that the more I cycle the faster I run. The more I run the more likely I am to get injured.
I am tempted to run more and see what I could do with more running volume but I'm quite risk averse with that.
Running is my best discipline of the three even though I don't really have a typical running body. I'm 1.75m tall and have a kayaking background so I carry extra weight with fairly broad shoulders and chest.
When I run, I run easy most of the time and prefer doing intensity on the bike. I see a lot of people crash and burn in running training - especially intervals, and I've been there too so I'm very conservative now.
My easy running pace goes from 5:20/5:30km when not very fit to breaking 4:50km when I'm very fit.
My long runs are rarely above 2h.
Course selection is key for a PB in a marathon. I can recommend Seville, Spain of all the places where I've run. Also, it helps to be in a good starting pen otherwise some big marathons are too crowded. London and Berlin can be too crowded if you're in the wrong pen.
A sub 3:30 pen would slow you down a lot in big races. If you can use a half marathon time to get into a good pen it would help a lot but it's not always accepted.
You've got 30 minutes to shave, it's a big jump. If you didn't have much aerobic training like you said maybe it's closer than you think.
I hope the above helps. Good luck!
Last edited by:
marcoviappiani: Apr 17, 24 0:32