31yr old 3;45 marathoner off 35mpw

Yes, you are a joke.

You need to increase your mileage!

Well no he’s not really a joke, I did 2:46 through 2:42 marathons off 42 mpw at ages 31 - 35 at Houston and The Woodlands back in the ‘80s. Putting in mileage was tough working 12 hour days. But I’m sure additional quality mileage would help him more realize his potential.

It all depends what you 10k time is.

If you are fast enough it's possible.

I do not think you need to worry about how late in the marathon to "put the hammer down".

FWIW, (pushing the) piano is a track term for running through lactic overload.

Low mileage isn't necessarily an issue - I ran my first marathon in 3:02 at age 36 - four months after taking up running.

imajoketou? wrote:

Am I a joke? I don’t have a track background. I legit get serious on marathon day. Like strategizing when to put the “hammer” down. I literally know the probabilities are 89-95% that I get a piano handed to me the last 10k but I still gotta do it.

Thoughts?

A joke? No. This age and time sounds very normal for the first time marathon runner who didn't run before this.

You'll do one of three things from here, listed from most to least probable:

- Stop running

- Continue plodding around or following silly training philosophies while getting a little faster but never much faster

- Learn over the next couple years and train seriously and actually get kind of fast and set PRs that are good for your age until up to your mid-40s until you then do one of the first two options listed here

If you have been running for a while, even low mileage, I think you will be OK. Less than 2 years after starting to run I ran my second marathon with most weeks in the upper thirties, one 42 and one 42.5. Ran 3:44.17 at age 57. I find it easier and more fun with higher mileage, if you can find time, but go for it, and good luck.

Man, I suck and I ran a 3:15 off that mileage in my mid 30s.

If you got serious 6 or even 3 months in advance, that would be respectable, no matter your finishing time. But getting serious on marathon day and then running 3:45? Um, yeah, kind of a joke. Take it seriously from the start, with plenty of time to prepare, and see what you can actually do.

You are a pretty typical hobbyjogger. Sorry, that's somewhat derogatory, I meant recreational runner. You train what, 3-4 days per week I guess? You enter races. That's a legit hobby you've got there, and you're not overly invested in it so that it could hurt other things in your life. If you keep training consistently you might eventually be able to run a Boston qualifying time without having to train way more than your current volume. You'll run it and get your jacket and feel accomplished because you'll actually be. Or you can eventually increase your mileage 2-3 times and become competitive at local races, at least in age groups. But you'd have to give up something to free up time for all that running. Either way if you got off your coach aged 30 and ran a marathon under 4 hours, you're fine and decently fit and your racing strategy doesn't have much to do with it.

A 29 year old came to me 8 months ago. He was running one day a week before then.

A little bit of running a little bit of walking. In the 6 months he average around 25-30 miles. He ran a 3:25 marathon by himself as Gold coast was cancelled here in Canberra.

If you don't believe me check out his details on Strava ....well I was going to give you his name but as his coach I won't. Good luck 3:45 isn't that hard if you have any ability.

I ran a 3:25 marathon at age 12 running around 35-40 miles a week coming off my 8th grade cross country season. My longest run was 14 miles. 7 x 2 mile loop. This was in 1981. My brother was 18 and ran 3:21. No biggie.

No, you are not a joke - you will be a 3:45 marathoner. I just don't get it why so many low mileage runners decide to run the longest distance, i.e. a marathon. At 31 you can achieve a lot with 35mpw, but not in a marathon.

Just my 2 cts

I ran 2:36 on 40 MPW. I rn with a friend and planned to go 15 but just kept going.

Everyone responds to the distance differently. However, a lot can depend on conditions on race day, and the course. If you've got perfect conditions (no wind, mild temps and humidity) and a flat or net downhill course, it will be easier for you. The distance can be much less forgiving on low mileage training if the conditions and course are less than ideal on race day.

imajoketou? wrote:

Am I a joke? I don’t have a track background. I legit get serious on marathon day. Like strategizing when to put the “hammer” down. I literally know the probabilities are 89-95% that I get a piano handed to me the last 10k but I still gotta do it.

Thoughts?

I ran a 3:13 marathon at age 45 with a peak week of 30 mpw. But it was not my first marathon.

Do an easy run, a tempo run and a long run each week and you'll be fine.

Do carb load, do follow a pacer if available.

drunk runner. wrote:

I ran a 3:25 marathon at age 12 running around 35-40 miles a week coming off my 8th grade cross country season. My longest run was 14 miles. 7 x 2 mile loop. This was in 1981. My brother was 18 and ran 3:21. No biggie.

If you raced City of Lakes Marathon in Minneapolis, round and round Minneapolis Lakes before Twin Cities Marathon, then I am may know you.

I may know you? wrote:

drunk runner. wrote:

I ran a 3:25 marathon at age 12 running around 35-40 miles a week coming off my 8th grade cross country season. My longest run was 14 miles. 7 x 2 mile loop. This was in 1981. My brother was 18 and ran 3:21. No biggie.

If you raced City of Lakes Marathon in Minneapolis, round and round Minneapolis Lakes before Twin Cities Marathon, then I am may know you.

Nope, not me.

I ran the 13th Annual Hinsdale Tri-City Marathon in 1981 in Hinsdale, Illinois. I still have the t-shirt from the race.

My brother ran the year before and I went with my mom to watch him. After seeing how fun it looked, I decided to join him the next year. Good times 👍

imajoketou? wrote:

Am I a joke?

I used to think my [marathon running] was a tragedy but now I realize it is a fcuking comedy.

It’s doable. I did something very similar a few years ago. I’m not a marathoner and I don’t care for 20 mile long runs.