Are you looking for a sub 3-hour marathon training plan? You are in the right place with step-by-step training instructions. If you want to start right away, here are the sub 3-hour training plans on TrainingPeaks and FinalSurge.
With an average marathon finishing time is 4:20 h for men and 4:50 h for women, breaking the 3:00 h mark seems out of reach for most runners. But world-class runners finish a marathon close to 2:00 hours these days — a testimony that it doesn’t require world-class talent to finish the 26.2 mile/42.2 km race just under 3:00 hours.
Without further ado, let’s dive into the specifics of achieving a sub 3-hour marathon.
Enter the Sub 3-Hour Marathon Club
Finishing a marathon is an accomplishment in itself because of its sheer length. Only 1 in 10.000 humans have run a marathon, and out of those, less than 5 percent manage to run it in under 3 hours. If you accomplish that, you will become 1 in 200.000! This number may be somewhat lower in developed countries where people have the time and energy to pursue such a goal but it’s still an achievement that earnes the bragging rights for the rest of your life. And rightly so, as no one is born with the walk-around running fitness to smash a 3-hour marathon. You’ve got to earn through it hard work and dedication.
Below are the fitness requirements for a sub 3-hour marathon. vVO2 max stands for velocity at VO2 max and LT for the lactate threshold (anaerobic threshold). For a 3-hour marathoner the vVO2 max is between 3000m and mile pace and the lactate threshold between HM and 10K pace.
- Marathon pace 6:51/mile (4:15/km)
- vVO2 max ~5:48/mile (3:36/km)
- LT ~6:27/mile (4:00/km)
Prerequisites for a Sub 3-Hour Marathon
But before you set out to chart your path for a soon-to-be marathon hero, it is a good idea to consider your starting point. There are certain prerequisites that need to be met to stand a realistic chance to achieve a sub 3-hour marathon.
Weekly Training Mileage
You should aim for a peak mileage of 60 – 65 miles (100 km) per week toward the final third of you marathon preparation. That means you should be accustomed to run at least 40 – 45 miles (70 km) per week before starting a sub 3-hour marathon training plan. A faster mileage progression – even if you have 20 weeks – will only invite burnout and injury.
Prior Marathon Race Results
Assuming you have run a marathon before, you should have done so in 3:15 hours and better yet in under 3:10 before attempting to break the 3 hours. Not all race profiles are equal, of course. The New York City Marathon has a significantly higher elevation profile than the pancake flat Berlin Marathon. So keep that in mind when comparing marathon results.
Equivalent Race Times
If you haven’t run a marathon before or haven’t run one recently you can assess your fitness with equivalent race times over shorter distances. The following race results indicate whether you have the aerobic fitness and speed to sustain the pace for a sub 3-hour marathon. Those are minimum requirements and faster times obviously provide more leeway.
- HM < 1:26:30 h
- 10K < 39:30 min
- 5K < 19:00 min
Timeline of a Sub 3-Hour Marathon Training Plan
As an advanced runner it takes less time to prepare for a marathon than for beginners or intermediates. That’s because a higher weekly mileage base with substantial long runs is already established at that level. Nevertheless, a longer a buildup over 16 – 20 weeks is a time-tested duration that ensures a solid buildup starting with a longer base phase.
Base Training
The base phase should last about 6 weeks. The goal is to develop a foundation of aerobic fitness and neuromuscular fitness that enables you to withstand the demands of later stages of training without getting injured. That means gradually increasing the weekly training mileage and adding short hill sprints and strides to some of your easy runs.
Support Training
Once the twin foundation of aerobic and neuromuscular fitness is established, you are ready to take on more demanding workouts that increase your aerobic/anaerobic thresholds and VO2 max — all of which are imprtant fitness markes that enable a faster marathon pace eventually. This phase lasts 8 – 10 weeks starting with the aerobic threshold and Fartleks before transitioning to lactate threshold and VO2 max intervals. This block also includes extended long runs and long progression runs to enlarge your glycogen stores and increase your fatigue resistance.
Race-Specific Training
The final phase of training is dedicated to race-specific efforts such as half marathon pace to marathon pace itself, with a few maintenance workouts at the lactate threshold. There will be no more speed workouts during this phase apart from a few strides at the end of easy runs. The final 2 weeks entail a race taper with reduced weekly mileage.
Sub 3-Hour Marathon Fitness Tests
If you want to break the 3-hour mark at the marathon, you need to prove yourself ahead of the marathon in a few key workouts in different training zones at specific paces. That doesn’t mean you have to go through all of these tests but consider doing the one where you have to biggest weakness. For some it may be aerobic capacity and for others stamina.
Yasso 800s (VO2 max)
The premise of the Yasso 800s is simple: You need to be able to run 10 x 800m with 400m recovery jogs at your goal pace in minutes. For the 3:00 h marathon goal, it means 10x 800m in 3:00 minutes, which corresponds roughly to 5K pace. The VO2 max equivalent (~ 3K -to mile pace) translates to a 5:48 min/mile (3:36 min/km) pace.
10x 800m @ ~ 5K pace w/ 400m recovery jogs
Lactate Threshold (LT)
You should be able to run at the lactate threshold for 30 minutes in training at a 6:26 min/mile (04:00 min/km) pace. Consequently this LT pace enables you to run the 3-hour goal pace for the marathon of 6:51 min/mile (4:15 min/km) at 95% of your lactate threshold pace or heart rate (LTHR) or 85% of your maximal aerobic capacity (VO2 max).
4.5 miles (~7.5 km) @ 15K pace
Aerobic Threshold (AT)
Another useful fitness test is running for 60 minutes at your aerobic threshold pace of 6:44 min/mile (4:11 min/km). It’s a high-end aerobic workout at the maximal pace before lactate levels rise significantly above baseline. It’s your 2-hour race pace and therefore between your half-marathon and marathon race pace for a sub 3-hour marathon goal.
10 miles (~16 km) @ 30K pace
Target Marathon Pace
Finally, there’s marathon goal pace of 6:51 min/mile (4:15/km). You can test your marathon race-specific fitness 4 – 5 weeks out from race day. You could enter a half marathon race and run it at marathon pace if you can come up with the discipline to hold back or run it instead of a long run on the weekend.
13.1 miles (21.1 km) @ marathon pace.
Sub 3-Hour Marathon Training Plan
You stand the best chance of achieving a sub 3-hour marathon with a structured marathon training plan. They are available on the world’s best training platforms TrainingPeaks and FinalSurge, where all runs can be uploaded to your smartwatch so that you can follow the training prompts in real-time and analyze your runs post-workout on your laptop.
TrainingPeaks
FinalSurge
