When it comes to marathon training, there are lots of “rules” about how to do it. One of the most commonly quoted rules is that long runs should be performed at 45-60 seconds per mile slower than your target pace. Let’s look at that and see how it holds up.
If you’re running a 3 hour marathon, your race pace is around 6:50/mile. Adding on 60 seconds per mile means running a little over 14% slower during your training runs. If you’re a 4 hour marathoner, running 9:10/mile in a race, you’ll be running 11% slower in training when you add the 60 seconds per mile.
If the 45-60 second rule is perfect, why does someone running slower have to work at a higher percentage of their capacity in training? It’s not a terrible guide, but it’s important to note that it is only a guide.
Training pace ultimately isn’t about the pace, it’s about how hard you body is working, and how well your body can recover. Stress levels, length and quality of sleep, nutrition, strengthening, active recovery methods, genetics and more, all play roles in that recovery. With so many factors influencing our recovery, why stick to such a generic pace rule?
Marathon pace studies
Studies consistently show that one of the most important factors for marathon running is how many miles you run in training, and that running around 70% of those miles at slower than marathon pace gives faster times.
I’ve yet seen mentioned the amount of active recovery and strengthening work that the study participants undertake, or any of the other factors mentioned above that contribute to recovery. That’s not to say that it couldn’t be done or that performance scientists don’t want to check this out, but research is expensive and to do this type of in-depth study, you’d need a huge team of specialists, plus a large number of people willing to try it out which is very unlikely to happen.
What I do for marathon training
What I’ve noticed in my own training, as well as that of my clients, is that when adding recovery work and strength training, injury rates reduce and race times improve. Often my clients come to me with previous injuries beyond 30-35 miles per week. By combining nutrition, recovery and strength work with their running plans, they’re able to run 35+ miles with no pain. With higher mileage being linked to faster times as I mentioned above, it’s easy to see why they’re running faster times and hitting PBs.
For the majority of people who don’t have the time or inclination to train more (no judgement as we all have different priorities), running most of your marathon training miles slower than your target pace is good, evidence backed advice. If, however, you have the time and will to add active recovery and strength work to your training programme, I feel confident that you can achieve marathon times you’ve only dreamed of.
You don’t have to stick to the perceived rules around marathon pace training. Consider your own situation and listen to the feedback your body gives you.
If you can train for many of your miles at close to marathon pace, and you want to put the work in, then proceed with caution, but go for it. Come race day you’ll be fitter for having done it, know better how to fuel yourself and have immense confidence in your ability to sustain your pace for the distance.
Written by Kyle Brooks, Running Coach based in Norwich, Norfolk