I finally got to go from an over 4 hour marathon to under 4 hours when I ran my fifth 26.2. This was THE race. You know, that one where everything just ‘comes together’, you never hit a wall, and that runners high goes strong for quiet some time. I ended up following the hansons marathon method for this building block and I really think that that, paired with getting my anemia back to normal levels, was the key to me obtaining my sub 4 hour race. I ran more miles-per-week than I ever had and introduced so many crazy different speed workouts that they all came together to help build my speed. So, here are some things I learned during the training block and the race:

Building in marathon-paced runs are necessary if you want to achieve a certain time goal.

Running in the late-afternoon/evening for a marathon is amazing. No sun = no problem.

Sometimes listening to music during the race is FUN, but sometimes running with no music during a fun race is even better.

Training well and smart is the best plan of attack when trying to reach a time goal.

Mantras are really important. I put a few really important-to-me ones on my arm before the race and I think they really helped me in those last few miles where everything hurt.

Things are still going to hurt those last few miles, even if you are in excellent shape. I was in the best shape that I had ever been in leading up to this race and I still remember how challenging it was to get my legs moving those last few miles.

Bigger weekly miles and more speedwork = the best results in a race for ME. Find what works for you! Maybe it’s getting a coach (I’d like one of those someday…ha), running with friends, trying out different training plans, etc. No one person is the same, so why should we all expect to have a training plan that fits for us?

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Ever tried Hanson’s Marathon Method?

Do you remember that ‘magical’ race where everything just came together? Tell me about it!