The Peak Marathon Workout ⛰
My Peak Marathon Workout
This was a workout that I had looked at on the calendar for weeks. I knew it would be hard, but that wasn’t was I was nervous about. I knew at the time of this workout, I would either feel great or feel horrible during the efforts. If I felt great, then that would mean I was ready. If I felt horrible, then that would mean I was NOT ready, and still had work to do before race day.
For several of these marathon pace (MP) workouts, I recruited friends to join me to help pace but also make the actual time spent in these paces feel comfortable through talking (and therefore breathing easy) and having a partner to suffer with. My friend Paul was nice enough to agree to tackle the large workout with me and support my mission of hitting my desired pace 6:40 min/mile for the on sets (12mi in total wrapped in 22).
Paul is an amazing runner - he has an incredible marathon PB, but what also makes him so skilled is his consistency. He can run and hold a pace without surging and fading within a mile, which is a huge waste of effort. I was so thankful that he decided to come out because it ended up making all the difference to help me stay consistent as well.
We crushed the 22 miles and hit our paces perfectly, and even a little bit below target. For our final two miles, we closed at a 6:20 and a 5:59 which I’m very proud of. With this workout behind me, I know I’m ready to break 3hrs and qualify for the Boston Marathon at the Ventura Marathon this February 27th.
The confidence gained from this workout has infected the rest of my runs so far as my training block comes to an end. I feel light on my feet and strong in my legs. These kind of benchmarks are invaluable in the athlete’s toolbox because they truly make you feel that your limits are elastic - you can feel yourself grow. I’m trying to carry that into the rest of my life and work too.
The Workout
| Mile | Pace | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7:45 - 8:45 | Easy |
| 2 | 7:45 - 8:45 | Easy |
| 3 | 7:15 | Hard Set 1 |
| 4 | 6:40 | |
| 5 | 6:40 | |
| 6 | 7:15 | Hard Set 2 |
| 7 | 6:40 | |
| 8 | 6:40 | |
| 9 | 7:15 | Hard Set 3 |
| 10 | 6:40 | |
| 11 | 6:40 | |
| 12 | 7:15 | Hard Set 4 |
| 13 | 6:40 | |
| 14 | 6:40 | |
| 15 | 7:15 | Hard Set 5 |
| 16 | 6:40 | |
| 17 | 6:40 | |
| 18 | 7:15 | Hard Set 6 |
| 19 | 6:30 | PUSH - 6:30 |
| 20 | 6:30 | PUSH - 6:30 |
| 21 | 7:45 - 8:45 | Easy |
| 22 | 7:45 - 8:45 | Easy |