Making progress toward any objective in the marathon may be quite addicting. And who wouldn’t want to speed up? Find out how to maximize your training efforts so that you may finally achieve your lofty goals.
In 2022, runners will have a better chance of achieving their goals thanks to a more consistent race schedule. Given the dedication and effort necessary, finishing a marathon with a personal record might feel like the pinnacle of success.
We runners love to watch our times drop every week or month, but sometimes we need to set our sights on the far future. Identifying one’s full potential requires months, if not years, of dedicated preparation for a lengthy marathon. But if you put in the time and effort, you can frequently surprise even yourself with your progress and accomplish goals you didn’t think were feasible when you first started training.
This week’s guest, who plays baseball and football, started running in high school, like many of us, as cross-training to keep in fit for those sports. He maintained this practice throughout his time at university and thereafter. After finishing university, he ran his first race, a 5-miler, and then, around 9 months later, he did a half marathon. Next up was his first marathon, and ever since then, he’s been hooked on bettering himself.
A Breakdown of Brent’s Incredible Marathon Improvements
Brent is a member of our Team Strength Running club, and he is a great illustration of how hard work and dedication to training can lead to remarkable improvements in performance and times. When Brent ran his first marathon 9 years ago, he finished in 3 hours and 40 minutes. Through careful preparation, he was able to shave more than 48 minutes off his time on the difficult Boston course this past April.
When Brent and I talk, we cover all the bases, from his early days of training to his current and past accomplishments:
- His journey toward becoming a runner
- What he has learnt about strategy and pace from racing.
- Specifically, how he used a regimented training program to speed up his progress.
- His primary training “levers,” which include tempo runs and marathons,
- Training’s emphasis on learning to switch focuses
- How his tough training sessions fueled him for success in the races
Hopefully, my chat with Brent will serve as motivation for you to set and accomplish lofty running objectives of your own.
