The Sub 3:15 Marathon Thread

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12 Nov
11:05am, 12 Nov 2024
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Chrisull
I'm not even sure there is a discussion. Who wants to run 3 miles solid uphill as opposed to 1 mile? Is that single answer you larks?
12 Nov
11:09am, 12 Nov 2024
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KinkyS
Most of my training runs are of a similar structure to what you describe - a bit of flat along the valley bottom, up a hill, down a hill and back along the valley. It's definitely quicker/easier for me to get all the up done in a short blast!
12 Nov
11:11am, 12 Nov 2024
18,329 posts
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KinkyS
TBF, 100m climb over 3 miles isn't really an uphill anyway, we'd call that flat around here 😂
rhb
12 Nov
11:20am, 12 Nov 2024
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rhb
Chrisull wrote:I'm not even sure there is a discussion. Who wants to run 3 miles solid uphill as opposed to 1 mile? Is that single answer you larks?


As a 1-off I'd prefer 3 miles shallow gradient upwards over 1 mile 3x as steep. If it was a local loop I'd probably alternate but habit would lean to whichever is anticlockwise.

It is pancake flat here so not something I ever have to think about really.
12 Nov
11:26am, 12 Nov 2024
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larkim
LOL @Chrisull no, I was in the "hard up, easy down" camp too.

I suppose though I was wondering what is objectively "easier" or "harder". If it was 4 miles up, 0.25 miles down, or vice versa, would the thought change?

And / or would the different balance of HR zones make any training adaptation different, especially if the pattern of (say) high early HR for a short period followed by low later HR for a longer period was regularly repeated? I know some are good at locking into a HR and avoiding it changing between climbs and descents by varying the pace, but I suspect most of us compromise that by running at a bit of a higher HR on climbs, offset by a slower pace, and vice versa on descents.

Roughly, if my 8:00/mile pace generated a HR of 135bpm, perhaps my 3 mile gentle climb pace might be 145bpm at 8:15 pace, and my descent might be 7:45 / 130bpm. Whereas the opposite way around I could be 8:30 / 150bpm for a 1 mile climb, 7:50/130pm descent. That's quite different lengths of time spent in both zones. Irrelevant for a single run, but over a year?
12 Nov
11:26am, 12 Nov 2024
26,087 posts
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larkim
rhb wrote:Chrisull wrote:I'm not even sure there is a discussion. Who wants to run 3 miles solid uphill as opposed to 1 mile? Is that single answer you larks? As a 1-off I'd prefer 3 miles shallow gradient upwards over 1 mile 3x as steep. If it was a local loop I'd probably alternate but habit would lean to whichever is anticlockwise. It is pancake flat here so not something I ever have to think about really.

Curious why anticlockwise?
12 Nov
11:57am, 12 Nov 2024
4,265 posts
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riggys99
3 miles up 1 mile down better more bang for your bucks I would think training wise. I am with @rhb most of my runs are anti clockwise isn’t that the way you run on a track so probably ingrained from being a kid
12 Nov
12:10pm, 12 Nov 2024
26,089 posts
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larkim
On big loops I've never really thought about whether the direction is cw or acw, though on my 440m reps loop I do cw (now that I think about it), but that is influenced mostly by the layout of the road and the small amounts of rise and fall across it.
12 Nov
1:17pm, 12 Nov 2024
22,415 posts
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Chrisull
And yes 100m, over 3 miles is flat , I was thinking more like 300m over 3 miles which is quite common in Cornwall....
12 Nov
1:19pm, 12 Nov 2024
22,416 posts
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Chrisull
(and yes I compromise, HR goes up by 10-15, even though pace drops by 1-2 min a mile. )

About This Thread

Maintained by Windsor Wool
For those who want to go sub 3.15 in a marathon and/or those that have already done it and want to give advice. Share your journey or help someone else's here.

2024 achievers:
Akie: 3:15 @ Rotterdam
allmatthew: 3:09 @ Manchester
Bowman: 3:01 @ Boras
Mark J: 3:12 @ Christchurch NZ
PJH92: 3:13 @ London

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