I Need a Good Marathon Running Program

by Josh

I am devastated. I ran my second marathon last weekend.

I ran a marathon six months ago as well, but at about the 19-20 mile mark my legs cramped up... I could barely walk!

Struggling along I crossed the finish line in 4 hours and 16 minutes. This left me with a very bad taste in my mouth. You can't call that struggle "running a marathon"!

Last weekend's marathon I was much better prepared.

My average mileage during my training was about 45 to 50 miles a week and I managed to run three or four 20 milers (7:40 - 7:50 pace). Because of the training I have also lost quite a bit of weight (down to under 160 pounds).

I might have gone out too fast in the beginning.... I ran about 8:00 pace from the beginning and passed the half way mark in 1:43. I kept on going strong till mile 18. At about the 2 hour mark I had some Gu and my legs cramped up almost immediately. Despite my efforts I could not keep going and had to walk the last 7 miles...

Again a disappointing time and again without the feeling to have actually "run a marathon".

Why is this happening? How can I change my training approach so I can run the marathon, preferably in less than four hours?

Answer by Dominique:
Hi there,
Thanks for your question about the marathon. So many runners will identify with you. I myself, identify with you. I have had my share of failed marathons in which I have missed my goal time by 5-20 minutes due to a devastating last 6-8 miles.

The marathon is a tough, tough distance. And it's very hard to get right. And then even when you get your training right, there are other things during the race (unexpected GI problems, missing a drinks post) etc. that may impact that latter part of the race.

So, let's get into a few of the possible issues. For your particular case, I have a hunch the biggest problem could be the third one given your 20 mile runs at pace, but here it is:

1. Being ready for marathon training
2. Race Strategy
3. Hydration and Food Intake

Being Ready for Marathon Training

There are many ways to finish a marathon. What I am focusing on here is running for a competitive time, not "just finishing", eventhough that is a fantastic achievement in itself.

I'll point out two key issues with most marathon preparations.

The first issue I see with beginning marathoners who aim for a time is not just with the marathon running program, but with the work they have done the six months preceding the marathon. Ideally you'd be running regularly, 4-5 x per week already and you have little problems with turning over 11-15 mile long runs regularly.

Lots of marathon running programs start their long runs at a much too low level. They may have you doing a 5 mile long run in week 1 and then ramp up to hitting 20 miles a couple of times.

Compare that to being in the situation that you are comfortable doing a quite long long run and you spend 12-20 weeks running a 15-20 mile long run. That just adds up immensely in terms of mileage compared to the runner who starts with a 5 mile long run.

Secondly, the main benefit of this approach is then that you can really play around with variety in your long runs. Setting a specific time at the marathon will require you to hit that pace 26 x 1 mile, or 42 x 1k. Want to do that? Then you'd better practice running at that pace in training! Quite a lot. That can start with the last few miles of some of your long runs. You can do mid-week runs at which you run the first hour easy and then do 4-5 tempo intervals to practice pace with somewhat tired legs. And you can progress from there. E.g. in my last marathon campaign one of my last long runs before the taper was, if I recall correctly, a 20 mile long run with 5 x 3 miles at marathon pace.

Marathon training is very demanding and most running programs you find online get you ready to finish a marathon, rather than race a marathon.

Race Strategy

Going out too fast can kill any race. It can be a little unpleasant during a 5k. Tough during a 10k. Hell during a half marathon. And then there is going out too fast in the marathon...

The issues you experienced with legs cramping and basically running out of your energy stores are so common in the marathon. You can see the carnage in the last six miles with runners in all kinds of pain, hobbling, shuffling, walking along with a pained grimace on their faces... Sorry to hear that you found yourself in that situation!

Getting realistic about your marathon ability is an important step in the process. The large gap between the first and second half suggests that you were running a little too fast at the start. A good test is to run a half marathon about 4-5 weeks out from the marathon and plug that time into the Race Conversion Calculator to get an estimate.

Secondly, a very valid strategy is to start somewhat conservatively and run the first half slightly slower. Not much. You don't want to have to make up a lot of time in the second half. But when aiming for a sub-4 marathon, you could aim to do the first half in 2:01-2:02 and then speed up a little after to run the second half in 1:58-1:59. It takes guts and confidence to follow this strategy. But many elite runners actually run the second half a bit faster than the first half. They keep some of their firepower in reserve and use it at the right moment. Worth considering. Also check out the marathon pacing page that covers pacing strategy in more detail.

Hydration and Food Intake

You said you took a gel at the two hour mark and your legs almost seized up immediately. I am not sure these events are correlated. I wonder what you took in the first two hours leading up to the legs cramping. How much water, how many gels?

And how about your carb load. Did you properly carb load the last 2.5-3 days ahead of the event? Or did you have some extra pasta and thought that might be enough? I have had to learn this part the hard way as well. I have listened to people on forums claiming you just need to eat healthy and you don't need to do a carb load.

The reality is that the marathon is so long that you want to start it with your glycogen stores full to the brim. During the race they will empty. And you will dehydrate. But you want to be very deliberate in taking sufficient gels and hydration to keep going till the end. Also check out the marathon training nutrition page for more info.

It sounds like you have done some really good training between marathons. And your 20 mile long runs suggest that you should be able to run a faster marathon. I would urge you to not give up. See what of the above advice applies to you and make the changes needed to get ready for the next marathon. Lucky third!

All the best.
Kind regards,
Dominique