In an essay of not more than 300 words and 3 paragraphs, explain how you can improve your maximum oxygen uptake to help you participate in a 6km marathon
(6 points)
Answers
Answer:
Often, you run a first marathon just to finish. After that, you start thinking about the clock. According to Running USA, the median marathon finishing times in the United States are 4:20 for men and 4:45 for women, and many aim for a sub-four or sub-five hour marathon. The good news is that the same training strategies can be used to hit any marathon time goal. Whether you’re looking to get under the five-hour-mark or qualify for the Boston Marathon, this guide is for you.
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How to Pick a Time Goal
Once you pick the time you want to beat, you’ll need to map out a plan to get there.
How to Set a Goal
Do you want to set a personal record or just finish? If your goal is to beat your previous time, qualify for the Boston Marathon, or hit some set time goal, picking the right plan is crucial, and the sections below are for you. But if you’re simply looking to finish the race with your head held high no matter what the time or you’re doing this specific marathon more for the experience (a lot of runners do the New York City Marathon for just this reason), then you don’t need a plan loaded with speedwork and hill repeats or fartleks. That doesn’t mean you can’t do them, but the plan you choose is less important than if you were setting out to conquer your previous time.
What was your last marathon pace? Before committing to a time goal, calculate your average mile pace during your last marathon. Also consider your pace at the various stages of the marathon. Were you cruising until the 20-mile marker until you smashed into the Wall? Did a mid-race port-a-potty break add too many minutes to your time? Pick a reasonable pace that is better than your previous race and do the math to generate a new time goal.
What is your 5K and 10K race pace? Analyze your previous race performances, but don’t assume you can just multiply previous race times to predict your full marathon time. A marathon may look like it’s two half-marathons or just over four 10Ks, but that’s not how running math works. Previous race results can give you an idea for a goal, however, especially if you use the McMillan Running prediction calculator. If you ran a 28 minute 5K (roughly a 9 minute mile pace) you probably can run a 4 hour 33 minutes marathon (which is roughly a 10 minute 25 seconds per mile pace.
If you haven’t run a race before and are planning to run a marathon, good for you. You are brave and bold, but sign up for a few 5K or 10K races before the main event. It’ll get you used to a big race event and allow you to set a more realistic goal. Check out our How to Start Running guide to get you going.
Pick Your Training Plan
The most important question to ask yourself as you begin to train for a marathon is: “How much time do I have?” Be honest. Training for a marathon takes a lot of dedication.
There are training plans for those who can run four, five or six days a week. How to choose? If you’re time-pinched, a four or five-day plan is likely to be more appealing. These shorter plans allow for some cross-training if you don’t want to run all the time. A six-day plan is a big commitment, but it can also be very effective.
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HAL HIGDON NOVICE 2 MARATHON TRAINING PROGRAM
Training Duration: 18 weeks
Maximum Distance Run in a Week: 35 miles
Need an efficient program that will still get you to your goal? This is it. The Hal Higdon training program is a schedule for the time-crunched. There’s a long run every Saturday, and regular mid-week pace runs, which are runs done at your planned marathon pace, that will help you build speed. (Note: Though it’s a four-day training plan, the schedule does call for some kind of cross training, like swimming, biking or walking on Sundays.)
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What Makes You Faster
Simply churning out mile after mile won’t help you run a faster marathon. These training techniques will.
Most people think training for a marathon is just about building up the miles so you’ve got the stamina to run 26.2 miles on race day. That’s important, but if you want to run a FASTER marathon, you’ll need to incorporate speed training into your routine. The good news is that speed training can be fun and different — and it helps break up the monotony
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