Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi all,
Vanilla are planning an update to the site on April 24th (next Wednesday). It is a major PHP8 update which is expected to boost performance across the site. The site will be down from 7pm and it is expected to take about an hour to complete. We appreciate your patience during the update.
Thanks all.
Vanilla are planning an update to the site on April 24th (next Wednesday). It is a major PHP8 update which is expected to boost performance across the site. The site will be down from 7pm and it is expected to take about an hour to complete. We appreciate your patience during the update.
Thanks all.
The Sub 3 Support Thread
Options
Comments
-
-
-
-
-
-
Advertisement
-
-
-
-
-
-
Advertisement
-
-
My circumstances are quite different to Gary's (as he's obviously 12 minutes quicker than me - which is a massive chasm at the pointier end of times), but that youngster isn't around, so I'll share my experience.Swashbuckler wrote: »But to put that into context I presume both Krusty and Gary have years upon years of running behind them to build to those times . For the likes of me and zulutango who may have some years of basic running behind us but only started structured training in the last year or so, are the odds against us?
I started training in earnest (3-4 times a week), in the build-up to my first marathon, which was Longford marathon in August 2008, finishing in 3:25 at age 36. Broke 3 hours (2:55) in Barcelona in March 2010 at age 38, having come pretty close in Berlin the previous September (3:00:50).
I've repeated this so many times on this forum that it's become a bit of a cliche, but after crossing the finish line in Berlin in 3:00:50, I'd have happily retired from running. I never thought that I was the kind of person who could run a 3 hour marathon, and it kind of blew my mind that I was able to achieve it. I went through a similar thought process when I ran 2:48, 2:48, 2:46, 2:43, 2:38, 2:38, 2:35, 2:33, and 2:30:01.
You'll notice the numbers didn't change twice, in the above progression. After running 2:48, I ran a 1 second PB a year later, after investing in a year's training and thousands of miles. Same thing happened when running 2:38. Thousands more miles of hard graft for a 20 second PB. The thought process turns to diminishing returns and reaching the limits of your capability, but then you change things up... Switch to a different plan.. Focus on speed gains over shorter distances before returning to the marathon and you get the results. The bottom line is that when you think you are reaching the limits of your capability, you probably are... Until you do something about it.. And if you listen to Steve Magness, what's makes someone a good marathon runner is the ability to keep grinding away, despite setbacks and cheerless results.
It should be said that the progress hasn't come easy. Every year has equated to greater and greater levels of commitment. The mileage goes up, the weight comes down, the supporting stuff goes up (pilates, yoga, stretching), the injuries get more serious and take longer to recover from, and the dietary focus increases. Not many have the environment or circumstances that allow them to commit to that kind of discipline (young families, inflexible jobs etc.), for what is essentially a hobby, so in many cases you also have to have the opportunity and no small amount of luck. Most people won't get there - but it's not because they can't - it's because they will choose not to.
Final thought: A buddy of mine who I first started this running journey with once asked me: if I had the perfect environment (won the lotto, didn't have to work, perfect coaching etc. etc), what did I think I could run for the marathon? At the time, I reckoned I could beat 2:45. I still haven't won the lotto, but it turns out, you don't really need to - you just need to commit.0 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Advertisement
-
-
I haven't raced a 10 mile in a few years nor a marathon since 2015
Looking at the table though, I really should be capable of a sub 3 as I'm equally (if not faster) than most who have achieved it
Your recent HM time is a great indication - but I think you'd need to ramp your volume - that being said, there's a guy who runs with our club, who ran 2.57 in Dublin off very little Marathon Specific training. He was training for a couple of Tri's during the year.
Does a lot of cycling and a bit of swimming.
He's just not as arrogant as you
0 -
Absolutely...the longest run I did this year was about 26k maybe...if I was going for a sub 3, I would be following (or at least trying to follow) a marathon training plan. But ever since dabbling in tri, I'm not sure how interested I would be in running 6 days a week. I like the variety that training for a tri requires.AuldManKing wrote: »Your recent HM time is a great indication - but I think you'd need to ramp your volume
:P No idea what you're talking about but I do feel like I could go out tomorrow and run a sub 3 marathon on a training run :eek::D:D:DAuldManKing wrote: »He's just not as arrogant as you0 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
Advertisement
-
I have to say this thread is really informative and inspiring. Thanks all.
Can I ask contributors what their thoughts are on age? I see it's been referenced a few times in the posts above. Obviously there's a drop off in capability with age but is it a significant one and can we put some science on it? The reason I ask is that I am doing the best running I've ever done at 38 years old. The reason it's the best is that I just didn't train or run particularly well before. I can see myself making steady improvements in the next few years (sub 3 and beyond), but at the same time I'm pushing 40 now and I guess that has to be counting against me in some way. I'm just not sure how much. Not that I can do anything about it, but curious all the same.
Was at a S&C talk for runners recently . The instructor a runner himself said age was not really a factor in endurance running. Obviously it is if u have been running at a high level all your life but for the rest of us on here its not an issue if you train smart and listen to your body is telling you. ( and keep away from 800M races
) . You need to keep running though !
He also said if you have never done S&C specific to running and did it consistently for 6 months you'd be almost guaranteed to see big improvements. I know two lads who do this S&C stuff religiously are aged 48 -49 and can run sub 2:40 only having only gone sub 3 a few years ago.
I'll hold off on it a while though so I'll have something to fall back on as I get older :pac:0
Advertisement