Training to run a marathon under 3 hours

The Sub 3 hour Marathon is one THE barriers in running and endurance sports. In this article series write about my knowledge, tools, actionable strategies and how I reached this goal. This part covers the amount of training is needed to run a the marathon in under 3 hours. The training for a marathon under 3 hours is a significant challenge and requires a structured and disciplined approach.

Articles

• The desire behind the Sub 3 marathon
• Requirements to run a marathon under 3 hours
• Training to run a marathon under 3 hours
• Case Study: How I broke Sub 3 and what I’ve still to learn

Strava analysis on marathon performances

The Guardian reported in 2016 on an analysis of Strava runners’ training 12 weeks before the London Marathon (​See the article​). 

The average mileage of the Sub 3 runners was 42 miles or 67km over seven runs per week. The average running time per week for the runners was 5:22 hours. Their peak times 4 weeks before the marathon averaged 52 miles or 83km. 

It has been shown that the more amount of volume the runners have run the better your finishing time is. What a wonder. Unfortunately, the analysis did not differentiate between men and women.

Most people online ask what the least amount of volume is needed to run a Sub3. In my opinion you should do the maximum amount of volume you can handle physically, within your schedule and smartly without getting injured. It’s that simple.

My approach – Sub 3 on low running volume but a lot of cross training

I myself was never really just a runner, but always more of a multi-sport athlete with a mixture of running, cycling, swimming, weight training and int the past also soccer. That’s why I can only refer to the numbers that got me to Sub 3. For example, here are the statistics for the last 12 weeks before my Sub 3 marathon back in 2022:

Running: 
In total: 37:20h – 466km
Avg/week: 3:06h – 38,8km
Highest weekly distance: 58km

Cycling: 
In total: 70:06h – 1936km
Avg/week: 5:50h – 161km

In total: 123:02h trained
Avg/week: 10:15h

As you can see, my weekly running volume was not really high and well below the values from the Strava analysis. Nevertheless, I trained for around 10 hours a week due to my cycling and swimming volumes and also as a balance in soccer. This is well above the time stated in the Strava analysis.

Assessing your current running fitness

Here are some questions you might ask before approaching the goal of a Sub 3 marathon: 

• What volume can I handle consistently and healthy until today? 
• What’s my longest run that I can do easily without hurting myself?
• Am I able to train for 8-10 hours per week? Do I have enough free time?
• What is my 10k and half marathon time?
• When is my goal marathon and what time do I have until then?

What is the optimal weekly periodization for marathon under 3 hours?

There are many ways to periodize a marathon training plan. Here’s an example of how I would build up a training plan:

Macroperiodization:

If I would approach a Sub 3 marathon today I would divide my 16 week training plan into four phases: BASE / BUILD / PEAK / FINE TUNE AND TAPER. I would divide these phases into 4 blocks of 4 weeks. 3 progressive weeks and one rest week. The work gets more specific with every block of training.

1. BASE PHASE (4 WEEKS)

In the BASE phase, you build up your aerobic base. A base of easy aerobic training must be created before more intensive training can be added. You increase your running volume to 60-90 km per week and run frequently. 5-6 running sessions per week should be the norm. As I did it in my training also using cross training like cycling or any other endurance sports is possible.

In my opinion, it is important to include a rest day to regenerate the system. Training during this phase should be light and largely relaxed. It is not absolutely necessary to build in intensity here. It may make sense to integrate the first incline runs or sprints into the relaxed training. 

At the end of this phase, the volume should feel light and manageable for every week. This is the basis to include intensity into training.

I would only start training for this if you have run at least 50-60km for several weeks in a row. That is already a tough a goal just to mention. Running consistently for 5 to 6 times per week is hard. If you can’t manage this volume on easy intensity you will probably not be able to include 2-3 high quality workouts without getting injured or sick.

Principles for planning and executing a training plan

Progressive Overload: During the BASE phase as in the other phases, it is important to gradually increase the running volume (or cross training volume) to adapt the body to the load. This can be done by increasing the number of kilometers or the duration of runs per week.

Flexibility and adaption: Every runner is unique and there is no one-size-fits-all training program. It’s important to be flexible and adapt your training plan to your individual needs, goals and body responses. Therefore you should develop a training IQ to know when you’re able to train hard or have to rest more.

Consistency over one good workout: In a marathon build the consistency of many workouts is much more important than one really good workout. So therefore it is ok to not hit the goal pace or the reps of a workout. What counts is that you’re getting back healthy the next days. 

A quote that reminds me on this: 

“Keep the ball rolling” – Tom “Tinman” Schwartz

The primary goal of training is to stay injury free so you can continue training. Put your ego aside. On day off is better than 1 week sick or 3 months being injured.

2. BUILD PHASE (4 weeks):

In the BUILD phase, intensities are added to the training program. The focus should initially be on tempo or interval runs to get used to faster running, e.g., 5x1k. The tempo runs should roughly be between your 10k and half-marathon pace. As the volume in distance and time increase, with long runs peaking at 30 km and extending the length of tempo workouts during the week.

3. PEAK (4 weeks):

The PEAK phase focuses on long runs with parts at marathon pace. This helps the body get used to the upcoming demands and improves speed endurance at marathon pace. I would also recommend doing alternating pace runs with tempo variation. 

4. FINE TUNE and TAPER (4 weeks):

Sharpen with a hard half marathon race. Pacing the half right is essential. You probably will go out to hard because you should be in a form but this is not your A-race so stay calm and don’t push it over the edge.
In the last two weeks before the marathon the training volume will be reduced degressive, allowing the body to recover and optimally adapt for the race.

BASE: (4 weeks)

• Build your running volume up to 60-90 km
• Increase long runs up to 20km
• Add strides or sprints
• Strength training to decrease the risk of injuries

BUILD: (4 weeks)

• Add interval workouts
• Work on both ends of the speed spectrum (Between threshold and sprints)
• Training at the lactate threshold
• High-Intensity Training (HIT) workouts
• 3 easy runs / 1 track workout (speed) / 1 tempo run / 1 long run

PEAK: (4 weeks)

• Long tempo runs at marathon pace
• Alternating pace runs (tempo variation)
• Focus on nutrition and race simulation

FINE TUNE AND TAPER: (4 weeks)

• Taper around two weeks before
• Race week with carboloading

Microperiodization:

A microperiodization cycle is one week of training. There are many possible ways to feel a week with running or other forms of training. Especially when a rest day, intervals, strength and long runs have to included in a week this can get very tricky. I think it is important to include at least 1-2 easy between a hard session or a long run. Also the structure of the week should change if long runs with tempo are introduced.

My typical week looks (without tempo long runs) like this:

Mo: Rest day (or strength)
Tue: Intervals or Tempo
Wed: Easy + strength
Thu: Easy or Steady
Fri: Easy
Sat: Intervals or Tempo
Sun: Long run

When long runs with tempo are part of the training a week can be look like this:

Mo: Easy
Tue: Intervals or Tempo
Wed: Easy (or strength)
Thu: Steady Run
Fri: Rest day (or strength)
Sat: Easy Sun: Long run

or

Mo: Rest day (or strength)
Tue: Intervals or Tempo
Wed: Easy + strength
Thu: Easy Fri: Intervals or Tempo
Sat: Easy
Sun: Long run

This can differ a lot from person to person because everyone has another schedule because of work or social obligations. You have to find out what your schedule can be. Build a system that’s working for you and your schedule.

Of course, it is also possible to incorporate two sessions a day. For example, I sometimes do a strength session in the gym before a run on the treadmill (make sure you are well fueled, as this usually takes longer than an hour). In my opinion, running on the treadmill is a good way to reduce the impact.

Another way to incorporate training into your daily routine is to commute to work by bike or run. I have a 10 km commute to work and use this occasionally as an additional training session by bike or by a run (with a running backpack). That way, I’ve done my training for the day straight after work and can get on with other things.

Another option is to do two sessions on Saturday, for example. An interval training session in the morning and then a bike ride in the afternoon to loosen up the legs a little. 

The Long Run

Long runs are an essential component in every marathon build. They are good for the following reasons:

Endurance Building: Long runs are essential for building the endurance needed to complete a marathon. They enhance glycogen storage and utilization, ensuring your muscles have the energy they need for sustained effort.

Increased Fat Metabolism Efficiency: By pushing your body to run for extended periods, long runs train your body to become more efficient at burning fat for fuel, preserving glycogen stores for later stages of the race.

Muscular Adaptations: These runs help build resilience in your muscles, tendons, and ligaments, reducing the risk of injury and enhancing overall performance.

Fatigue Resistance: The physical adaptations from long runs help your body resist fatigue, allowing you to maintain a strong pace throughout the marathon.

Building Mental Toughness

Confidence Building: Successfully completing long runs boosts your confidence, proving to yourself that you can handle the marathon distance.

Mental Stamina: Long runs train your mind to stay focused and resilient over extended periods, crucial for maintaining motivation during the marathon.

Ability to Suffer / Learn to Suffer: Marathon running often involves pushing through discomfort. Long runs help you learn to manage and endure this suffering, making you mentally tougher.

Practicing Pacing

Practicing race pace during long runs helps you learn to run at even paces around your marathon pace. This can be very decisive in a marathon. You also learnmanage your energy expenditure over time, ensuring you can maintain your target pace throughout the marathon. 

Training Race Nutrition and Hydration

Fuel Intake: Experimenting with different fuel options during long runs helps you determine what works best for your body, ensuring you have a solid nutrition plan for race day.

Hydration Strategies: Long runs allow you to test various hydration strategies, understanding how your body responds to different fluids and timing. This practice helps you avoid dehydration and maintain optimal performance during the marathon.

Energy Saving Mode: I remember hearing the following advice from a German marathon coach in the broadcast from the Berlin Marathon: In a marathon, you have to be a sleep wagon driver. This should mean that you have to put your body into an energy-saving mode and run efficiently. Almost as if you were falling asleep while running. Switch off your thoughts and just enjoy the monotony of running. Without stressing about what will happen over the next few kilometers or what your competitors do.

Long Run Build Up

Every build up for a marathon should start with easy paced long runs. The distance should be increased progressively every week. To introduce faster paces in the long run accelerations over a few kilometers at end or intervals can be used. Also runs with a steady or moderate pace are an option.

1. Easy runs build up 25-30km
2. Easy runs with acceleration at the end / Steady runs
3. Intervals at race pace in the long run
4. Long intervals at race pace.

Here are the long runs I did before Frankfurt reaching a time of 3:00:36 under very bad weather conditions:

32k 21k + 5k at MP 
25k 21k at MP 
25k 10k + 5k + 3k at MP 
25k 10k + 5k at MP 
25km 15k MP + 4 MP 
28km 8k MP + 5x1k at half MP 
20k 3x5k at MP 
25km easy pace 
20km easy pace 

Incorporating long runs into your training plan is essential for building the physical and mental endurance required to complete a marathon in under 3 hours. These runs not only prepare your body but also your mind, giving you the confidence and resilience needed to achieve your goal.

The importance of cross training

Why cross training matters

Running is a very one-sided sport with repetitive movements, which can lead to overuse injuries. By incorporating different types of exercise, you can improve overall fitness, prevent injuries, and keep your training routine exciting. 

My personal experience with cross training

During my training for my first Sub 3 hour marathon, I played soccer next to my training plan. Not because I found it to be the ideal addition to training but I just had started playing soccer again. Soccer involves short sprints and explosive movements in various directions, a heavy contrast to the steady, forward motion of running. This variety helped me stay to fit and motivated.

Prevent Overuse Injuries

Running is a high-impact activity that often leads to overuse injuries. Cross training with activities like long bike rides or interval rides can reduce the strain on your body while still improving your cardiovascular fitness and muscle endurance.

Benefits of Cross Training

1. Variety and Motivation: Mixing up your training routine with different activities keeps things fresh and exciting. It’s easy to get bored with just running, so cross training helps maintain motivation.
2. Reduced Rest Days: Cross training allows you to stay active even on days when you need a break from running due to fatigue or minor injuries. This means you can maintain your fitness without putting additional strain on your body.
3. Active Recovery: Low-impact activities like swimming and cycling promote active recovery. They increase blood flow to your muscles without the high impact of running, helping you recover faster.
4. Coordination and Agility: Activities that require different movements, such as yoga or team sports like soccer, improve coordination, balance, and agility. These benefits translate into better running mechanics.

Specific Benefits of Different Cross Training Activities

• Swimming: Provides a low-impact, full-body workout that can enhance cardiovascular fitness.
• Cycling: Builds leg strength and endurance without the impact stress of running.
• Strength Training: Increases muscle strength, power, and endurance, which supports better running mechanics and overall performance.
• Plyometrics: Improves explosive power, which can be beneficial for sprint finishes and maintaining speed.

Triathlon training:
I was the fittest when I did triathlon training with a lot of volume on the bike. I think cyclists can do A LOT more volume that also translates to running form. My personal bests in running came from the time when I did triathlon races in 2021. 

Dealing with injuries

Let’s face the truth. Almost every runner will experience injuries in training at some point.

For myself, I can say that I’ve been through all of them: Patellar tendinitis, achilles tendinitis, runners knee, shin splints, … I wanted too much too fast and didn’t give my body the time to adapt. I didn’t listen to my body, didn’t recognized the signals and kept training.

The good thing about it: I learned from the mistakes I made and I know that I needed them to move forward. Every injury I’ve had has helped me to understand my body better:

• Which muscles are located where and where do they attach?
• How do move bones in relation to each other?
• What happens during an injury? What are the possible causes? How can I avoid them? 
• Which exercises can I do to reduce the pain?

It’s the year 2024. We live in the age of knowledge. The internet is now so powerful that you can probably find an answer / a treatment or explanations for every possible injury. 

I’m not saying it’s bad to consult an experienced doctor who is familiar with the subject. It seems more that doctors these days don’t have much time to fully address the problems. So why don’t act on the problem yourself? As a runner you should be a constant learner. 

The problem is that most people don’t do anything at first because it hurts when it comes to an injury. They agree on having an injury and wait long weeks of an appointment with the doctor, preferring not to do anything at all before it get’s worse. 

I think this isn’t the best solution. In my opinion it’s better to start acting yourself. Your body will tell you when you do something wrong. Don’t push into any pain but try different things that are shown as helpful. This is what I did with every injury I had. 

Most injuries runners get are not as bad in the first place and are attributable to overuse. They get worse when severe pain is not acknowledged and training continues. Here’s a heuristic that has helped me to stay largely injury-free:

Pain Score 2-3 on a scale from 1 to 10 is ok when running. Anything that feels more than that can’t be good. Observe the problem and take action if necessary. Sometimes a massage, a black roll or simply other movements can help to solve the problem.

In most cases the body needs more time to adapt. Reducing training and using cross training to stay fit should be the first option.

Things you might not think of but which are important in Marathon Training

(at least from my perspective)

There are many factors that can hinder or benefit you in your marathon preparation. Here are some of them that you can prevent:

Shoe rotation: Having minimum two pairs of shoes. Carbon shoes can be helpful. I would not say that using carbon shoes in every long run is good but in my experience they can significantly reduce the impact of long runs so that your legs feeling better afterwards.

Cycling companion in a long run: It makes a lot of sense to have someone with you with food and drink so that you not have to carry it around or leave it somewhere. I once left my bottle of drink on a side of the road. When I wanted a drink, the bottle was gone. Someone had stolen it and my long run was over because I got dehydrated at some point and had to stop at my house again to drink something.

Tights with pockets: I often wear tights with pockets under my normal running shorts (FUSION C3 Short Tights Unisex). I use these to take gels with me. You can also put your keys in them.

Blisters: Sometimes it makes sense to have blister plasters with you on longer runs. When you start running longer distances, you will notice areas that may not have caused problems on short runs. To avoid to stop the run, a blister plaster helps.

Strength work: A marathon is a lot of damage done to your muscles. In order to withstand the 42km mark, your muscles should be resilient and less prone to injuries. You should do at least a minimum amount of strength work for your lower body and core muscles to enhance your running efficiency and muscular endurance, to get a faster recovery and reduce the risk of injuries.

Running club or group: I have never joined a running club. I’m more of a lone wolf who doesn’t need anyone to push me. But I believe that there are many people who definitely benefit from a group. The most important thing here is mutual inspiration. It’s perfect when you find runners who have similar or slightly better goals than yours.

Consistent workouts over one good workout: Many people are concerned when they don’t complete their workouts at the target pace they’ve set or haven’t checked off all the workouts in their training plan.

In the process of building a marathon, it’s not about delivering the one perfect workout or one good week, but working consistently over the entire period without getting injured. That’s what brings you closer to your personal best.

The Sub 3 Journey

Starting the journey to train for a Sub 3 hour marathon is an exciting and ambitious goal that requires dedication, discipline, and a passion for running. Here are some tips to help you kickstart this journey:

Set a Clear and Ambitious Goal
Challenge Yourself: Achieving a sub-3-hour marathon is a significant milestone that only a small percentage of marathon runners accomplish. It’s a testament to your hard work and determination.

Personal Achievement: Imagine the sense of accomplishment crossing the finish line in under 3 hours. This goal can fuel your daily training and push you to your limits.

Enjoy the Journey
Process Over Outcome: While the goal is important, the journey and the transformation you’ll undergo are equally valuable. Each training session brings you closer to becoming the best version of yourself.

Community and Support
Building Habits: Training for a marathon fosters discipline, resilience, and healthy habits that can positively impact other areas of your life.

Join a Running Group: Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who share your passion. Running with a group can provide support, motivation, and camaraderie.

Encourage Others: Your journey can inspire friends, family, and fellow runners. Becoming a role model and motivator for others can be incredibly rewarding.

Milestones and Progress
Celebrate Small Wins: Every milestone, whether it’s a new personal best in a training run or completing a particularly tough workout, is a step towards your goal. Celebrate these achievements to stay motivated.

Track Progress: Keeping a training log or journal can help you see how far you’ve come and identify areas for improvement.

DIY or DWY Route:
DIY Route (Do-it-yourself): Learn yourself: Build a training plan with the insights you got in this email course. Start training, try, fail, learn and try again. This is the route of successful people. Read books, listen to podcasts, and follow the journeys of successful marathon runners to gain insights and inspiration.

DWY (Done-with-you): Find an experienced coach that helps you on your journey. A coach can provide personalized training plans, advice, and motivation tailored to your specific needs and goals.

Overcome Obstacles
Embrace Challenges: View challenges and setbacks as opportunities to grow and learn. Every runner faces obstacles, but overcoming them makes the achievement even sweeter.

Stay Positive: Maintain a positive mindset and believe in your ability to achieve your goal. Visualization and positive affirmations can be powerful tools.