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Marathon Time Goal —for runners

Note: This is the minimum that I’ve found necessary to prepare for the goal. If you are already running more than this amount and are able to recover between workouts, you may continue to do what you are doing—but be careful.

1. I don’t recommend that first-time marathoners try for a time goal. Run the first one to finish, running mostly at a comfortable training pace.

2. To begin this program, you should have done a long run within the past 2 weeks of at least 7 miles. If your long one is not this long, gradually increase the weekend run to this distance before starting this program.

3. What is my current level of performance? Read the chapter in the book Galloway Training on “Choosing The Right Goal...”. After you have run 3-4 “magic miles” (MM), multiply by 1.3. This tells you what you are currently capable of running in a marathon right now (at a very hard effort), when the temperature is 60° F or below and when you have done the long runs and speed training listed in the schedule.

4. What pace should I run on the long ones? Take your MM time and multiply by 1.3. Then add 2 minutes. The result is your suggested long run pace per mile on long runs at 60° F or cooler. It is always better to run slower than this pace.

5. Pace the long one so that you aren’t huffing and puffing—even at the end.

6. When the temperature rises above 60° F: Slow down by 30 seconds a mile on long runs and the race itself for every 5 degrees above 60° F.

7. Run-walk-run ratio should correspond to the pace used.
8 min/mi—run 4 min/walk 35 seconds
9 min/mi— 4 min run-1 min walk
10 min/mi—-3:1
11 min/mi—2:30-1
12 min/mi—-2:1
13 min/mi—-1:1
14 min/mi—30 sec run/30 sec walk
15 min/mi—30 sec/45 sec
16 min/mi—30 sec/60 sec

8. At the beginning of the program, after you have run 2 MMs, you can choose a goal that is as fast as 30 seconds per mile faster than predicted by the process indicated in # 3—or any goal that is slower than this. (Read the “leap of faith goal” segment of the “Choosing The Right Pace” chapter of Galloway Training.)

9. To prepare for your goal, 1-mile repetition speedwork is included on non-long-run weekends. To compute your pace for the mile (4 laps around a track), use the goal pace decided according to #8 above and subtract 30 seconds. Example: a runner who has set the “leap of faith” goal at 10 min/mile in the marathon would be running mile repeats in 9:30 each.

10. Warm up for each mile repeat workout by walking for 5 minutes and then jog very slowly for 5-10 minutes. Then do 4-8 acceleration- gliders. (See the segment about this in “Drills” chapter of this book.) Reverse this process as your warm down, leaving out the acceleration gliders.

11. Walk 5 minutes between each 1-mile repeat.

12. During the 1-mile repeats, run the amount you will be running in the race itself and walk for 30 seconds—but don’t stop your stopwatch. The time for each mile repeat should be from the start until you finish the second lap. For example, a person with a time goal of 10 min/mile in the marathon would run 9:30 for each mile repeat. This person should run for 3 minutes and walk for 30 seconds while the watch is running during each mile repeat.

13. If you have recovered from the weekend workout on Tuesday, run 1-3 miles at race pace (noted as “p” on the Tue line). After an easy warmup, run 4 of the cadence drills (CD) and 4 acceleration-gliders (Acg). These are described in the Drill section of my book Galloway Training. Then run a segment at goal pace (your choice, 1-3 miles), taking the walk breaks as you plan to do them in the race. Jog for the rest of your run. Example: A runner training for a 10-minute pace in the marathon would shoot for 10-minute pace during each mile of the “marathon pace” segment, running for 3 minutes and walking for one minute—with the watch running.

14. It is fine to do cross training on Monday, Wednesday and Friday if you wish. There will be little benefit to your running in doing this, but you’ll increase your fatburning potential. Don’t do exercises like stair machines that use the calf muscle on recovery days.

15. Be sure to take a vacation from strenuous exercise on the day before your weekend runs.

16. If your marathon goal race has some hills on the course, you can run some hills on Thursday if you’ve recovered from your weekend run. Insert 1-4 hill accelerations (“h” on the schedule). Warm up and warm down with an easy 1-2 miles. Run up the hill at a fast but not all-out pace and walk down. Use a short stride with quick turnover as you go up the hill.

Have Fun!

TIME GOAL MARATHON TRAINING SCHEDULE

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