Marathon Project 2:34 – thoughts on “Target Pace” and “Comparable Performance Pace”

When I decided that I wanted to debut over the marathon distance I was keen to set myself a challenging target.

There is no doubt that 2:34 is a very challenging target for me but I do not believe it is necessarily “away with the fairies”.

Once the target is set it would be very easy to get obsessed with target race pace. To achieve a 2:34 marathon (for arguments sake 2hr 34m 29s) I would need to run each kilometre at 3:39 pace. I like to use the online tool “Jack Daniels VDOT Calculator” for these types of calculations.

But just as important as target race pace is “comparable performance pace” in my opinion. Again, the VDOT Calculator tool is very useful for this as it gives “equivalent” race times.

To give some examples, below are some comparable performances to a 2:34 marathon over popular distances –

– 1 mile: 4:41 (2:54/km) {PB: 4:49}

– 5km: 16:05 (3:13/km) {PB: 16:44}

– 10km: 33:24 (3:20/km) {PB: 34:49}

– Half Marathon: 1hr 13m 45s (3:30/km) {PB: 1hr 16m 32s}

First and foremost, it is obviously clear that I haven’t achieved any of these performances yet based on official PBs given above. But it’s worth noting that I have ran faster than my official PBs over 5km and 10km in longer races, albeit on fast openings of courses. For example I ran approx 16:30 to go through 5km at the Blaydon race some years ago and 34 low through 10km at the Brampton to Carlisle 10 miler.

The closest performance according to the calculator I have is that 10 miler covered in 55:37 in November 2019.

I can compare the 10 mile in 55:37 closely to the 2:34 marathon by looking at the calculated VDOT ratings (read VO2 max ratings). The 10 mile is rated at 63.6 and the marathon at 64.1.

Crucially I think I am capable of the mile time (I’ve ran a 2:42 1km in February 2019, rated 66.5) and I don’t think I necessarily need to go out and do it as such. However, some speed work at 1 mile pace would be beneficial in my opinion. The ability to run fast is inherent in all human beings to some extent but it is also a skill that needs to be nourished.

I ran a 4:49 mile (rated 61.9) on the road in late 2018. To take 8s off to achieve 4:41 would increase the VDOT rating to 64 and equivalent to the 2:34 marathon.

That said, the 5km, 10km and Half Marathon performances are extremely important if I am to have real confidence in achieving my marathon goal.

Not only do I feel that I need to get comfortable running these paces, I also feel I need to prove myself in racing as well.

Obviously the longer the race distance the better in proving my chances over the marathon and so the half marathon will be key.

In the meantime I will be looking to practice race pace as follows –

– 5k pace: for example 2km @ 3:13/km

– 10k pace: for example 3km @ 3:20/km

– HM pace: for example 4.5 miles @ 3:30/km

In terms of practicing marathon pace itself, I feel the best way is to build progressively. Yesterday I completed 3x 1k at 3:39/km with walking rest allowing HR to settle to 120bpm. My HR topped out at 176bpm on the 2nd rep and recoveries were taking in excess of 2 minutes. I would like to see improvement in both aspects. Although I am still not 100% sure on exactly what my optimum marathon HR is, I am considering ~165bpm (note: I held approx. avg. 179bpm for 10 miles and 174-5bpm for Half Marathon for my PB performances and my Lactate Threshold was last measured at 175bpm) as an average or a range of say 160-170bpm.

As and when I see things improving (e.g. HR maxing out <170bpm and recoveries coming in <2 mins) I will start adding reps aiming for maybe as many as 10-12 1km reps. In addition I will consider continuous runs at target marathon pace starting at say 5 miles and building to 9 or 10. This could be a faster paced segment within a long run. I expect I need to build a regular long run in the range 15 to 20 miles. As racing resumes I could also consider low key half marathons up to 20 milers to practice target marathon race pace to see how the body copes.

This brings me on to 2 key gaps in my historical training…

Both my average total weekly mileage and longest run are nowhere near where they need to be to achieve a good result in the marathon. I believe I need to safely increase my weekly mileage to 60-70 per week. This would allow a long run of 15-17.5 miles based on a rule of 25% of total weekly mileage (a rule I try to follow and believe in). For context, leading up to the 10 miler in November 2019 I was probably averaging 50 miles per week. One slight anomaly was that I ran my longest and fastest ever long run in late October 2019, averaging around 6:30/mile pace for 18 miles feeling good.

In addition to building a real aerobic base, I am a big believer in the idea that “speed can kill”. As I approach 40 years old I am all too familiar with the risk (and indeed increasing risk) of injury.

I belive that access to speed work must be earned. I will define speed work as race pace and faster. So for me, I will say anything faster than 3:50 per km is speed work. That must be earned and earned through easy aerobic running.

Access to speedwork can be earned on a ratio of 1 in 20. So for every 20km of aerobic running 1km of speedwork can be performed. It doesn’t take a mathematician to work out a large base of aerobic running will be needed to access a decent proportion of speedwork. For example, a weekly total of 100km (approx 62 miles) will only “release” 5km of speedwork. That would be enough to practice some race pace reps (say 5x 1k) but it wouldn’t be enough to access the aforementioned 4.5 miles at HM pace or 9 miles continuous at MP.

I acknowledge that this is a conservative approach. I should also add this philosophy comes from Ernst Van Aaken if you wish to learn more. However, I believe in undertraining being better than overtraining especially if the latter means being sidelined with injury and/or illness. It may be possible to increase the ratio to 1 in 10 if things are going well. But this leads me on to the final point I want to make…

The fact of the matter is, a marathon of 2:34 is a big challenge for me. But it is one that excites me. I do not expect to enter a marathon (whenever they become available again) and run 2:34 first time of asking. My aim is to run 3 or 4 marathons in the next few years (as a 40-45 year old). For example, target a sub-3hr marathon in my debut, get a feel for the distance and go from there.

Wish me luck!

I hope this blog has been interesting and would welcome any comments.

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Thanks for reading!

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Project 2:34

It’s been a while since I posted so I thought I’d give a quick update and introduce a new running VLOG I’m starting on YouTube named “Project 2:34”.

It would be amiss of me not to mention the pandemic that we have all been experiencing – it was certainly a different world when I last posted in early February.

I’ll stay away from general points and stay focused on my running since this is a running blog!

Generally I’ve struggled with my running since late March. Not because of lack of motivation. Without exercise I’m not sure I would have gotten through lockdown in one piece mentally. But I was pretty much forced to rely on cycling to get my aerobic fix.

Basically I couldn’t shake a hip injury which appeared in mid March. This time it was the left hip which was really frustrating as I’d only just gotten back to full flight after a right hip injury stemming from the 10 mile race in November 2019. I probably struggled to process what to do and continued to train hard when really the lockdown meant the wisest choice would have been to back off, especially given all competition would be cancelled (I was training for 3 races – Great North 10k in June, Bridges of the Tyne 5 mile in July and the Great North Run in September).

Despite feeling very frustrated I was able to get some good cross training in. And I was really grateful for the freedom cycling gave me during lockdown. I was able to really appreciate the local countryside and scenery we are blessed with in the North East. It only takes a short while to get out on the country roads and feel away from the city.

But my running has now started to come back and take precedence again as the hip injury subsided with rest and recuperation. Sometimes you need to accept when continuing to push through pain isn’t the answer. And I know I can now come back stronger.

I have now built back up the mileage to around 40-45 per week which is my usual sweet spot. The time off has allowed me to reconsider my goals. Although there is no real signs of races and competition as we know it or knew it, I do want to feel like I have an overall purpose to my training. I have hinted before in this blog to a softening view towards the marathon, having said a few times in the past that I would never do one.

I’ve always believed in “never say never” and I have decided that it is something I simply must do! Not only that, I would like to see what I can do. I don’t just want to complete the distance. I really surprised myself with 55:37 for 10 miles at the Brampton to Carlisle and that performance gave me confidence that I could translate it to a PB over the half marathon distance and also a stab at a full marathon.

I’ve also always wanted to have a go at a running VLOG. So I have decided to start one called Project 2:34.

The VLOG will track my progress towards a debut over the marathon distance and, ultimately, an attempt to complete one in 2hrs and 34 minutes.

I am under no illusions about how tough a challenge this will be. It also doesn’t mean I am abandoning the sub sixteen 5k dream! I will need to have confidence to run 16 minutes low for 5k to have some faith in my ability to run 2:34 for the marathon.

In terms of the VLOG, I would like it to be 1) Serious (2:34 is a serious goal!), 2) Entertaining and 3) Funny. As you will see my first attempt is pretty amateurish but I hope it can maybe provide some motivation to others to set a goal and go for it. Also it may (hopefully) make you laugh!

The link to the first VLOG is here, following my Monday Long Run.

Give it a like (if you like it) and please subscribe for more!