Is a 4 hr Dublin marathon possible at this point?

thestar

Ran 18k today at 6:10 average pace, 1 hr 51 mins.. Average hr of 155. Was very little left in me..

Is what's in the title possible at this stage?under 3 months at this point to train..

Thanks

Lumen

Only if you have an entry.

thestar

Yes I'm entered..

The Black Oil

Have you been doing much easy running up to now, how often are you running, in general?

marathon2022

Is that your longest run? What plan are you following , what's your running history?

thestar

That's my longest run, I've ran twice a week, maybe 20k a week for the past 6 weeks..

Haven't been doing any easy running..

Lumen

Run more, mostly easy, run long once a week. Speed from kpw, not kph.

marathon2022

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120923388#Comment_120923388

Probably a big ask, I checked my first Dublin marathon training and I was already up to 18 miles at this stage, running over 50k a week. 3.58 finish time.

thestar

Thanks folks, I won't get too obsessed with time at this stage, have no choice really

marathon2022

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120924087#Comment_120924087

Head on over to the mentor thread, some great advise and motivation to be had.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058296505/dcm-2023-mentored-novices-thread

TheRef

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120924087#Comment_120924087

Assuming you ran this as a race, as you had little in the tank at the end, 4:30 would be more realistic, but.... that assumes you will go through a full marathon training block - generally 18 weeks. The novices program is already 5 weeks through and those following the boards plan are up to 24km on their LSR. The Hal Hidgon LSR last week was 16km, so that may be a better one to try jump on. While you have some making up to do, you can absolutely do it and put in a good performance in October as well as enjoying the experience. I only learned this last point last year - while I didn't hit my goal time, I really really enjoyed the run. That was worth so much more than the time.

Be very careful how you fare though - you will need to run a lot more than twice a week, and you will need to run proper slow (for reference an 18km long run should have taken 2:10) on your long runs to build up the endurance. I've always said to people that to run a marathon takes a tremendous amount of luck, mostly staying injury free because of the stresses you are placing your body under. The more time you train and the more slow running you do, the more you reduce that risk.

As marathon2022 said, head to the novices thread, answer the questions the mentors have asked and they will steer you right.

witnessmenow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120923388#Comment_120923388

I can't really comment on your situation but to give some comparison, my "A" goal for myself for the marathon is sub 4:30

I ran a hilly half marathon about 4 weeks at an average pace of 6:17, so a bit slower than your 18k, but roughly in the same ball park.

I've averaged ~40km per week over the last 3 months, running 5 times per week.

But It wouldn't surprise me at all that someone could do less than me and do it faster, I'm probably still 10-15kg overweight.

All you can do at this point is try I suppose!

py

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058307389/is-a-4-hr-dublin-marathon-possible-at-this-point

For your run, you haven't provided any details about the terrain, whether you fueled, what the conditions were like etc.

With regards to the goal, you haven't provided details about your exercise history, any past/injuries, height/weight etc.

As recommended, it is not too late to join the DCM novies thread. The mentors are brilliant and know what they are talking about. It has resulted in a successful DCM for hundreds of people at this stage. If you join, you are giving yourself a better chance of success* on the day.

*That means different things to different people on the day and will change wildly throughout the training program and even during DCM itself.

Lazare

I'm not sure whether this is your first marathon or not, but the following is based on the assumption it is.

My advice is to target a 4 hour marathon next year. You will only ever run your first marathon once in your life.

Based on the little info given it doesn't look like you're ready for sub 4 this year.

That's OK though, you can still run DCM with good built fitness, there's enough time. Set a target of running the entire thing. Forget about what that means in terms of finishing time.

Believe me, an enjoyable first experience at it is something you'll treasure forever. Smash a sub 4 next year.

Join the boards mentored group, it will transform you as a runner.

thestar

Was my first marathon and took the advice on board, tried to enjoy it and got home in under 4:30 which I was proud about.

Thanks for the tips

event

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121336025#Comment_121336025

Well done, its no easy feat :)