I’ve had April 23rd circled on my calendar for a while. Of course, I’ve had January 14, November 11, April 24 and a few other dates marked on my calendar as well in past years. Six marathons in, and I’m still chasing a sub-4:00 marathon finish. I’ve run 4:06 twice, so, the prospects look good, but at this point, it’s still an unhatched egg, not a chicken.
Now, Boston qualifiers might smirk at this as they chase their sub-3:00 dreams, but for most people who have succeeded in completing a marathon and want to get better, sub-4:00 is the next goal. Fewer than 25% of participants worldwide achieve that, which makes it pretty rarified air. I’d like to post a BQ time in my life, but, for now, I’ve got to get a sub-4 under my belt to appease my goal-oriented motivation monster.
For others on the journey, 9:09 or 5:41 should be familiar numbers. Beat those times for 26-straight miles or 42.195-straight kilometers and you’re home. During my miCoach training sessions, I’m routinely around the 8:00-8:15 range (and 8:30 for long runs), so this should be easy, right? So why haven’t I gotten there yet? Seems like there are four things holding me back:
- Not enough training focus: I’ve run two marathons (Chicago in 2015 and London in 2016) without enough training. Leading up to both, work was in the way and I wasn’t prioritizing my fitness goals enough. Chicago was warm, and I ran out of gas around mile 18. I felt great at London (posting one of my two 4:06 finishes, and having enough energy to attend the FA Cup Semi-Final that afternoon), but was left kicking myself for not training harder.
- Going out too fast: This has bitten me at three marathons—Marine Corps. In 2010, Rapa Nui (Easter Island, 2014) and Baltimore (2014). The Marine Corps. Marathon was my first, so that can be excused. My Easter Island experience was the victim of overconfidence—a comfortable, blistering first half, followed by agony back up the steep slope of this formerly volcanic island. Baltimore was due to a late arrival (traffic) and needing to catch the back of the pack (I posted a Boston-Qualifying time for the first 8 miles!). While I look back fondly at all three, my performance was miserable.
- Poor clock/mileage awareness: I have no excuse for this and hang my head in shame. Armed with my Smart Run, I should know where I am on the clock, where I need to be on the course, and should have been aware of how close I was (Berlin, 2014 and London, 2016—my two 4:06 finishes). Had I realized it, I’m sure that I’d have found those 6 minutes somewhere near the end while my pace and mental stamina were both getting away from me.
- GI distress: I’ve had to visit the port-a-loo during 4 out of 6 marathons. Not to get too graphic, but there’s a good amount of ‘free’ time available there if I can solve that.
Having talked to lots of other runners, I’ve come to realize that my goal and experiences are not unique. There’s countless “How to run a sub-4 marathon” articles on the Web. I’ve drawn lessons from those that I hope to apply this year, but we all know there’s no formula. My training is going well right now, I’m injury-free (knock, knock), I’ve learned more about my individual pacing and nutritional needs, and I’ve experienced enough marathons over the past seven years to be able to visualize each phase of the race.
The idea here is not to create another “how to beat sub-4” article—heck, I’ve never run one, so who am I to advise others. What I’d like to do is build an energized community among others with this same goal. Why is this so important to us? Have you tried before and not made it? What are you doing differently this time around? I’ll do the same and we can cheer each other along and come back and compare notes. At the end, I’d like to host a virtual celebration for all of us as we slay this dragon.
Join the journey to sub-4 land. Participate in the discussion, and, if you’d like, feel free to follow my experiences @spencerhollis on Twitter or @SHoTime on miCoach. You can even race the clock with me in person at the Delaware Coastal Running Festival on April 23, when (I hope!) my 4:00 barrier will fall. #energyrunseverything #sub4dreams
Hi Spencer,
Although I have not done a marathon yet, most of the things you describe above sounds familiar. I guess every runner can relate to a sub4dream-like ambition. Beginners like to do a 10 km below 55 min or even 50 min, 10 miles within 1.5 hours, etc.
I started beating the clock after my first 10 km race. I did 55:59 and there it was: I got to do this withing 55 min. The same happened with my first half marathon: 2:06:23. Two months ago I was only 6 seconds from finishing it in 2 hours.
My struggle for finishing a half marathon within 2 hours is very similar to why you haven’t finished a marathon within 4 hours: Getting out too fast and poor clock/mileage awareness are very true for me as well. Another is just hitting the wall due to not eating properly.
Coming April I’ll do my first marathon (if I can keep away from injuries), and most of the experiences I have from running half marathons will help me. If I’ll be able to finish, I am sure my next goal is to finish a marathon in 4 hours.
There’s a growing movement to “run by feel” rather by pace. I’m not sure I’m bought into that as I’ve run tons of races where I felt great at the 8-12 mile marks, only to wipe out 10 miles later. My approach to the half has evolved over the past couple of years–I drive at negative splits, with a very slow first mile (usually 9:30-10/mile). I ran two halfs in September on subsequent weekends. In the first, I was determined to beat 1:45 and went out fast. It hurt…a lot. The next weekend, I didn’t aim for a time–just enjoy it and don’t get hurt. Ended up with my PR and had enough in the tank to cover the last three miles at a 7:30 pace (6:45 for the last one!). It’s inspired me to go out really easy on the next marathon and try to save something for the last third of the race.