Sub 2:20 Marathon- Can I run it off 90-100 MPW ?

Yes you can, if you are a great talent and you inject as much quality as you can handle. Some British kid just ran 2:16 at CIM off of 70-90 mi/week.

Good luck!

Many guys have gone sub 2:20 on 90-100 a week. Many have done it on less than that. Others haven't come close to sub 2:20 on 120 or more a week. There's only one way to find out.

Sunday - building into more quality and no easy distance.

Wednesday - extended threshold on the treadmill

Quit having kids.

Example of a simple sub 2:20 plan

14 Day Micro-cycle (90-110 miles per week)

5 Stress Workouts per Micro-Cycle

Day 1: AM 16 x 400m Hill PM 30 min jog

Day 2: AM 60 mins easy PM 30 mins easy

Day 3: AM 60 mins easy PM 30 mins easy

Day 4: AM Either 30 min or 60 min Tempo PM 30 min easy

Day 5: AM 60 mins easy PM 30 mins easy

Day 6: AM 60 mins easy PM 30 mins easy

Day 7: AM 120 mins fast finish (90/30) or steady state

Day 8: AM 60 mins easy PM 30 mins easy

Day 9: AM 60 mins easy PM 30 mins easy

Day 10: AM 6 x mile PM 30 mins easy

Day 11: AM 60 mins easy PM 30 mins easy

Day 12: AM 60 mins easy PM 30 mins easy

Day 13: AM 140-150 mins easy pace long run

Day 14: AM 30 mins easy PM 30 mins easy

On days 2, 5, 8, and 11 add in 8 x :20 strides in one run

Repeat micro-cycle 4-6 times (8-12 weeks) leading up to your marathon + 7-10 day taper.

Notes:

Day 1: 16 x 400 up a moderate hill (3-5% grade) at roughly 5-10k pace with jog down recovery

Day 4: Alternate micro-cycle between 30 min Tempo at 4-5% faster than MP (marathon pace) and 60 mins Tempo at 0-1% faster than MP

Day 7: Alternate micro-cycles between 120 mins with the first 90 mins easy and the last 30 mins at MP, and 120 minutes steady state of 5-7% slower than MP.

Day 10: 6 x 1 mile repeats with quarter mile jog recovery - repeats done at 8-10% faster than MP.

Day 13: 150 minutes at 15-20% slower than MP

Easy pace is usually 15-20% slower than MP, occasionally up to 25% slower if needed after a particularly tough workout.

There are plenty of variations to this and ways to enhance some of these workout depending on many variable, but this gives you all the basic building blocks needed to run a marathon very well in your situation (as described) if you are looking for a set repeatable schedule.

Thanks for the advice, and information.

Just trying to figure out whats easier for me during the week, and still managing to hit 90-100 mpw.

Thanks,

Read this.

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=535788

Benji Durden broke 2:10 running 80=90 miles/week; he felt that more mileage was counterproductive for him.

maybe instead of 5-8 marathons a year you should focus on 2-3 and get a longer buildup and do some shorter races

40th Running wrote:

Hi,

Can I run sub 2:20 off of 90-100 MPW average ? I have ran 2:20:56 3 years ago, and have since been stuck into the 2:23-2:25 range,(5-8 marathons a year) compared to just focusing on 1-2. So far in my 3 week build up I have ran 86,94.8 and 81 MPW. How would you structure a 100 Mile week in regards to focusing on breaking 2:20. My goal race is Feb 23rd.

One key question in my mind is: what kind of mileage did you run to get the 2:20:56, and what kind of mileage did you run the last 3 years to get 2:23-2:25?

400s , 6xmile... He's not training for high school track.

The key is to lengthen your workouts, reduce rest, increase length of marathon paced tempos, add strides, ancillerary work (not in place of miles though).

Need some marathon workout deas let me know.

Depends on talent (so your shorter distance PRs).

I'd scrape the 200s. Most runners just need more strength/stamina to put together a good marathon. For a lot of guys that means a lot of miles and a lot of threshold/tempo work.

Get good bang for your buck in your long runs: crank out 20-22 milers and hit marathon goal pace (or at least sub 5:30 splits) for several miles near the end...you should be doing these things in around 2 hrs flat or faster so average around 6:00 pace.

Do long tempo runs/threshold work like 2 mile repeats at half marathon pace with a short rest.

Mix in a couple mile repeat/track workouts and maybe some 1000s and you'll have more than enough "speed."

Again though, I never cracked 2:20 on less than 100mpw. 120 was my sweet spot.

S. Canaday wrote:

Depends on talent (so your shorter distance PRs).

I'd scrape the 200s. Most runners just need more strength/stamina to put together a good marathon. For a lot of guys that means a lot of miles and a lot of threshold/tempo work.

...

Mix in a couple mile repeat/track workouts and maybe some 1000s and you'll have more than enough "speed."

.

i agree, scrap the 200s.

would be nice to know what you did in the year prior to the 2:20:xx and some other PRs

Thanks all,

My Pr's are 14:57 5k, 30:59 10k, 1:07:18 half. I was up to mid 90 but it was up and down when I ran 2:20:56, with one week 96,94,85,83 etc.. Did not do much long threshold work either mainly miles, and then thru in some MP work miles during long runs.

The reason I have been running 2:23-2:25 is because with all the marathons I have not had time to put in the mega miles like I should be, and instead probably only averaged 65-75 during those weeks between.

Once you realize higher mileage isn't the ONLY answer, then breaking 2:20 will be possible.

Sub 2:20 requires about 5:20/mi for 26.2mi, train SPECIFICALLY to do that (especially 8-10 weeks leading up to race)!

Yes you can. I suggest incorporating marathon pace long runs (Canova style), with special attention to recovery (ice baths, sleep, easy running on recovery days). I'm a running dad myself. It's a challenge but all the more sweeter sharing your journey and goal with a family.

Good luck!

Isn't part of the question, how many weeks? Running is all about consistency. Have you been averaging 90MPW for 3 years?

1st off. MPR (I am assuming it is you Mark)awesome to see you posting. I value your input and hope you continue to offer your thoughts and idea's, even if it means being super selective in what threads you post.

A thought on the mile repeats above. 8-10% faster than RP would put the OP at ~4:55/mi pace, which sounds great for the session as you have written it.

What do you think about the idea of extending it out longer. Maybe do the miles in 5:02-4 with 60sec jog recovery, but throughout the buildup extending longer and longer. So starting at 8 x 1mi and adding 1mi each week so get to a point of doing 14 x 1mi around 5:02 with 60sec recovery?

I've been running 80 - 90's MPW since I was 17, now 28 so I think thats not a problem with being consistant. But I have yet to run a steady 8-10 week marathon cycle with consistant steady 90+ mile weeks (usually up and down) which I feel is all I need and any longer then that just feel flat.