Tired of running sub-par marathons? We'll show you how to smash your PR by 15 minutes
After running 26.2 miles, you finally get there-the finish line. It's been a long, tough, but ultimately rewarding journey. Yet as you cool down, a certain unsettling feeling begins to set in.
You look again at your stopwatch, which says 4 hours and 15 minutes. That's it-now you're officially bummed, and no amount of celebrating with your training partners is going to help. The problem?
And coach Ken Sparks agrees. "This is the number-one complaint I hear from my runners," says the exercise physiologist-turned-coach. "Everyone wants to reach some goal, whether it's 3 hours, 4 hours, or 6 hours. And just about everyone, it seems, is 15 minutes away from it."
Okay, 15 minutes it is. That's a perfect goal for many of you, because it's completely doable. You're not asking to drop an hour from your time or win the Boston Marathon. We're talking 15 minutes.
To do this, simply employ the 12 strategies that follow. None of them is a huge deal, but add them all together and they're going to bring you your 15 minutes of fame.
Just remember to wear your sunglasses on race day. The flashbulbs at the finish can get pretty intense.
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#1 Add some fast stuff(¾à°£ ºü¸¥ ¿ä¼Ò¸¦ ´õÇϽʽÿÀ)
If you want to run faster, you have to train faster. (This applies to marathons just as much as 5-Ks.) And you don't have to do that much of the speedy stuff. U.S. Olympic marathoner Christine Clark added weekly tempo runs and occasional 2-mile repeats to her training and lopped off 12 minutes from her marathon best in less than a year.
Tempo runs, because they involve a good amount of distance as well as speed, are especially appropriate for marathon training. A typical tempo-run workout: Jog easily for 10 minutes, then run for 20 minutes at 10 to 20 seconds per mile slower than your estimate 10-K race pace, and finally jog easily for 10 more minutes. Tempo runs should feel hard but not exhausting.
Time you'll save: 2 minutes
#2 Look for good weather(ÁÁÀº ³¯¾¾¸¦ ãÀ¸½Ê½Ã¿À)
If you're looking to run fast, doing a marathon in Arizona in July is not the way to go. A marathon in Arizona in January, however, might be your ticket. No variable is as important to your 15 minutes of fame as the weather come race day. So check average race-day temperatures for several marathons. Pick a race that normally has start temperatures in the 40s or 50s and finishing temperatures no higher than the low 60s.
#3 Find a pacer(±æÀâÀ̸¦ ãÀ¸½Ê½Ã¿À)
Someone who runs an even pace will keep you from going out either too fast (more likely scenario) or too slow (less likely scenario), and he or she will keep you going when things become tougher near the end. Because a pacer will be worrying about pace, you won't need to. This allows you to concentrate on other things, such as your form and staying hydrated. Runner's World sends pace teams to several marathons a year, and many marathons now provide their own pacers. Or just bribe a faster friend to run all or part of the marathon with you.
Time you'll save: 2 minutes
#4 Hire a coach(ÄÚÄ¡¸¦ ÃʺùÇϽʽÿÀ)
A coach will advise you on all things training, and will have plenty of useful tips for race day as well. Perhaps more than anything else, a coach will act as a sounding board. (Unlike your friends and loved ones, this person has to listen to you talk about your running!) Just be sure you don't hire someone who's too controlling. "A good coach is someone who helps you be more self-reliant," says former marathon world record holder Steve Jones. This is especially important for marathoners, because when you're feeling it at 23 miles, the person out there isn't your coach-it's you. To find a coach, check with a local running club or specialty running store.
Time you'll save: 1 1/2 minutes
#5 Add more long runs(´õ ¸¹ÀÌ ±ä °Å¸®¸¦ ´Þ¸®½Ê½Ã¿À)
If you normally do just two long runs (16 to 20 miles) leading up to the race, try three or four. And make sure the last one is at least 3 weeks before the marathon. The added long runs will improve your endurance between miles 20 to 26, where you may have lost precious minutes in your last marathon.
Time you'll save: 1 1/2 minutes
#6 Be course-conscious(Áַθ¦ ¼÷ÁöÇϽʽÿÀ)
You won't score any points for bravery, but running a flat or slightly downhill marathon-instead of a challenging, hilly marathon-will lop a nice chunk off your marathon time. Many marathon entry forms and Web sites carry course elevation maps and net drop or climb. Gather information on several marathons and choose the speediest. (Hey, this isn't cheating. You still have to go 26.2 miles, which is a long way even if you're falling from an airplane!)
Time you?ll save: 1 1/2 minutes
#7 Replenish on the run(´Þ¸®´Â Áß¿¡ ¿¡³ÊÁö¸¦ º¸ÃæÇϽʽÿÀ)
Fueling yourself during the marathon is essential, because your body only has enough stored carbohydrate (in the form of muscle glycogen) to get you through 15 to 20 miles of running. "After that, you'll need 200 to 300 calories an hour," says Nancy Clark, R.D., author of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook. That could come in the form of an energy gel (taken with water), a sports drink, a candy bar, or even lemon drops.
Time you'll save: 1 minute
#8 Make recovery a priority(¿ì¼± ȸº¹ÇϽʽÿÀ)
The number-one reason runners get injured? Doing more mileage than they can handle. And marathon training is most definitely about mileage, so you need to build lots of recovery time into your schedule. This means taking off at least 1 day per week. (We suggest the day after your long run, or if you don't have a long run scheduled for that week, rest the day after speedwork.) And never do two hard workouts in a row. Also, monitor how you feel, and adjust your workouts accordingly, regardless of what your training calendar has lined up for you.
Time you'll save: 1 minute
# 9 Stay far from the maddening crowd(µÚ¾ûŲ ¹«¸®¿¡¼ ¸Ö¸® ¹þ¾î³ª½Ê½Ã¿À)
Enter a small marathon, and you can immediately knock at least a minute off your time at the start and for the first several miles, when you normally would have to fight the crowds until the road clears. The hassle of getting to the start and finding your place among the throngs can also add time simply from the "worry factor." Try to pick a marathon with no more than 2,000 runners. (Note: We at Runner's World love big marathons, but they're not always the best races for running fast times.)
Time you'll save: 1 minute
#10 Think positively(±àÁ¤ÀûÀ¸·Î »ý°¢ÇϽʽÿÀ)
The key here is your training program. If it's solid and you do the work, you'll feel great about your chances on race day. (For an excellent, day-by-day marathon plan, check our Web site at www.runnersworld.com/training/marathon.html.) Once in the race, start easy, pace yourself, and consciously conserve your energy during the first 15 miles. Then, if and when things get tougher near the end, don't dwell on the discomfort. Think about how good you'll feel when you finish 15 minutes faster than you ever have before. Use this as a late-race mantra: "15 minutes faster, 15 minutes faster?."
Time you'll save: 1/2 minute
#11 Eat breakfast(¾Æħ ½Ä»ç¸¦ ÇϽʽÿÀ)
"A good pre-marathon breakfast should equal about 500 calories," says nutritionist Clark. That would be a bagel with peanut butter and a yogurt. The ideal time to consume this breakfast is 2 to 3 hours before the start. "What you're doing is fueling your brain for the marathon," says Clark. "This way you'll avoid feeling light-headed or mentally flat at the start."
Time you'll save: 1/2 minute
#12 Stick close to home(Áý¿¡¼ °¡±î¿î Àå¼Ò¿¡¼ ¿¸®´Â ´ëȸ¿¡ ³ª°¡½Ê½Ã¿À)
There's nothing worse than jet lag the morning of a marathon, and there's no way you're going to run your best in this condition. Just the act of traveling-even if you don't have jet lag per se-can be exhausting, and it's also harder to eat and sleep well on the road. All good reasons to pick a marathon close to home.
Time you'll save: 1/2 minute
Senior writer Dave Kuehls is the author of The Runner's Book of Training Secrets and 4 Months to a 4-Hour Marathon(¼±ÀÓ ±âÀÚÀÎ µ¥À̺ê Äí¾ó½º´Â ´Þ¸²ÀÌÀÇ ÈÆ·Ã ºñ¹ý°ú 4°³¿ù¿¡ 4½Ã°£ ¸¶¶óÅæÀ̶õ Ã¥ÀÇ ÀúÀÚÀÔ´Ï´Ù.