How To

How to Speed Train for a Marathon

Contributor
By johnboyanoski
eHow Contributing Writer
(0 Ratings)

Once upon time, finishing a marathon was considered an amazing achievement, but breakthroughs in technology and nutrition have allowed many would-be athletes to go 26.2 miles with some ease in the last decade. By learning to run many miles, their bodies can handle the rigors of a marathon. The new "amazing achievement" is putting up a good time. The way to do that is speed work. Here are some examples

Difficulty: Challenging
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  • A regulation track
  • Running shoes
  • A timer
  • A running pacer (optional)

    How to Do a Mile Repeat

  1. Step 1

    Go to the track, and do about a 1.5-mile warm-up run. On a regulation track, that should be six laps.

  2. Step 2

    Find a starting area that you are comfortable with, preferably at the start of one of the turns. Do four laps (one mile) at a speed about 15 seconds better than your expected/desired marathon time.

  3. Step 3

    Pace yourself during the four laps. Use a watch or a running partner to keep on your target. The goal is to stay even, not beat your best time ever.

  4. Step 4

    Rest for a few seconds (no more than 15) and do 800 meters (two laps) at a jog pace, and slowly build up your speed.

  5. Step 5

    Repeat Step 2 through Step 4, three times.

  6. How to do Interval Training

  7. Step 1

    Again, head back to a regulation track and do a 1.5-mile warm-up.

  8. Step 2

    Find a starting spot. Run 800 meters at about 15 seconds faster than your expected marathon time.

  9. Step 3

    Follow that with a 400-meter recovery run. That is a slow one lap run. The 800 plus the 400 is one interval. Do two 800-meter intervals all together.

  10. Step 4

    Do four 400-meter intervals where you run your 15 seconds better than marathon time for 400 meters and recover for 200.

  11. Step 5

    Run six 100-meter sprints.

Tips & Warnings
  • Make sure to keep hydrated.
  • Stretch out afterward.
  • Speed training once a week--no more.
  • Stop if you are feeling serious fatigue
  • Make sure to be running at least 25 miles a week for a year before starting speed work

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