3 Lessons I Learned Training For a Sub-3 Hour Marathon

LESSONS LEARNED 🧐 Sub 3-hour marathon

1. When the mileage gets high, look after your immunity ✅ I slipped into some bad habits with food in the final weeks, mostly thinking I could eat all the Oreos on planet earth because I was running so much! Wrong! Training for a sub-3 (or any) marathon is really quite taxing and we need to eat really good quality food to fuel our training, not just eat “whatever we want because we will outrun it and need the carbs”!! 🤦🏼

2. Strength training and sleep is more important than doing more mileage 💪🏻 Of course, mileage needs to be high enough, with the right mix of intensity, to gain adaptations needed, but sleep and strength work are so important for such a taxing distance and time to train for

3. Pick a race that’s not just a good course, but also one that is interesting/emotionally attached for you too. I got bored with the course I did… no crowds, boring country lanes and was running alone for the final 6 miles, so I lost interest a bit and with that a few minutes

For now, I turn my mind firmly to ultra training, but although I got my sub 3 marathon, I feel I have lots more in me and will be back again one day!

I also turn my attention to the folks I coach that are running marathons this year, including 4 people doing London marathon