Running a Sub 4 Hour Marathon

Running a Sub 4 Hour Marathon

Rock ‘n’ Roll DC Strategy/Report

Disclaimer: I received free entry to Rock ‘n’ Roll DC as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

And just like that, the race is over! It always amazes me how much time and preparation goes into a race and how quickly it’s over. I’ve been working towards Rock ‘n’ Roll DC since November and am so happy with how everything went. I’m still incredibly new to the marathon distance but I was able to shave over 7-minutes off of my previous time and break the elusive 4-hour barrier. I crossed the finish line on Saturday in 3:53:08!

Depending on how long you’ve been following along, you may remember that last spring, I ran my first ever marathon and had set a goal to break 4-hours. It was a tough blow when I crossed the finish line in 4:00:19, and those 19-seconds have haunted me over the last several months. DC was a much harder course, and I definitely underestimated the elevation, but I was also way more prepared for the race and managed to crush a new PR!

Training

This was my first race working with a coach and I’m not sure I can ever go back. Diego and I have been working together since November and I definitely owe a huge portion of last weekend’s success to his guidance and motivation.

For my race last year, I was training just to make it across the finish line. I ran all of my runs at virtually the same pace and just worried about logging the miles. On race day, I had somewhat of a plan but was primarily focussed on running comfortably and avoiding the dreaded “wall.”

My favorite part about my training for DC was that my runs were so varied. Every week brought new workouts and new paces. This not only meant speeding up for tougher workouts but it also took a lot of focus to slow down on recovery runs. My average pace over the last few months has actually been a full minute slower than last year but I’m able to push myself significantly harder when I need to.

It definitely took time to adjust to the new workouts and I’m still learning, but I can’t overstate how helpful it is having someone to bounce training questions off of. As an added bonus, Diego lives nearby DC so we were able to connect in person before and after the race.

Check out the full details from my training updates here.

The Weekend

I like to make my races, especially goal races, into a whole event and DC was no different. It took a bit of coordination but I was able to recruit an old high school friend Todd to run the race with me, convince my sister Sophie to run the half, and persuade a few more high school friends and family members to come along for the trip. In total, we had a group of ten renting a house for the weekend!

The Expo

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to see much of the expo because we were in a bit of a rush. The tough part about coordinating travel with a group of ten is scheduling everyone’s arrival/transportation. Then once we added snow and flight delays to the mix, any pre-existing plans went out the window.

We finally made it to the expo around 5 pm but with long security lines, we didn’t make it inside until around 5:30. This was the first Rock ‘n’ Roll race I’ve been to that had a security checkpoint and it didn’t seem like they had quite prepared for the volume of runners. I think the snow delays also, unfortunately, caused a much larger rush of participants later in the day.

We had just enough time before our dinner reservations to grab our gear and swing by the Science in Sport booth for a quick pep-talk/strategy meeting with my coach. I’m happy we got there when we did because as we left the expo I think the line had tripled in length!

The Race

One thing that’s nice about having so many friends and family along for a race is that there are plenty of distractions from pre-race nerves. When I woke up at 5 am Saturday morning though, that pre-race anxiety hit me hard. Luckily, once the coffee was made, Todd was up and moving around also so we were able to ease the jitters by cracking jokes about our misery.

By the time we got to the starting area, the nerves had subsided and the excitement had come back. I managed to sneak in a quick warm-up run and meet up with another BibRave Pro before making one last stop at the restroom and heading to our corral. I was ready to run.

Strategy

I prefer to aim for negative splits when I race but I honestly wasn’t sure how I was going to be feeling by the end of the race. That being said, here’s a brief breakdown of my initial pacing strategy:

Miles 1-3: 9:08 pace

Miles 4-6: Work towards 9:00

Miles 7-13: 8:55 pace

Miles 14-23: 8:53 pace

Miles 24-26.2: As fast as possible

After speaking to Diego at the expo, he also said I should try to keep my HR under 165 at least until the halfway point.

Miles 1-3

So now that you know what my plan was, you’ll see that went out the window relatively quickly. I kept an eye on my pace but I was more focussed on heart-rate and how I was feeling. Still, through the first 3 miles, I hovered around a 9:01 pace. There were so many more people running this race as opposed to my first marathon so I was content just to take in the sites and enjoy these early miles.

Miles 4-6

I was feeling really good at this point but I knew I had a long way to go. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling of seeing what pace I might be able to accomplish if I pushed just a little harder. I noticed myself speeding up a few times but overall maintained an average of an 8:55 pace. Mile 6 also brought the first serious hill which was a bit of a reality check.

I knew there were still two more hills coming, one just past the halfway point and one around mile 22. I wanted to make sure I still had gas in the tank, especially for that final push.

Miles 7-13

After the burning in my quads subsided from the first hill, I was still feeling really good and I thought I’d take the opportunity to put some extra time in the bank in case I slowed down later on. It helped that overall the course had a slight downhill trajectory for this chunk of the race. I was holding onto an 8:45 average pace as we passed by the finish line marking our halfway point.

Miles 14-22

The back half of the course was one long out and back so I started preparing my mind for the dark periods ahead. The second hill was brutal but I was still able to recover quickly on the downhill. There wasn’t nearly as much scenery and watching runners pass by headed towards the finish I couldn’t help but focus on how long I still had left to get there.

I had expected this and had timed my playlist accordingly as my music transitioned from my “relaxing” first-half jams to something a little louder. I started to feel the soreness creep into my legs but was still able to maintain a solid pace with a little more effort.

Miles 20-22 were definitely the darkest part of my race with a lot of long straightaways and far-off turnarounds. Although the miles seemed to flow by somewhat quickly, I was conscious of every stiff step I took. I was so zoned in on moving forward, I forgot to lap my watch at mile 20 but averaged 8:47 over this chunk of the course.

Miles 23-26

The final hill almost killed me and took a long time to recover from. I’m glad I had banked a bit of extra time early. I just kept visualizing the finish line in my head and putting one foot in front of the other. Despite how my legs were feeling, I focussed on my form and maintaining control. The mile markers were passing by more quickly and I knew I was close. My pace slowed to around 8:50.

The Finish

Coming around the final turn, I summoned everything I could to shave off any seconds I could. I knew I’d crushed my previous PR and couldn’t wait to see my official time. With 30 or so yards to go, I heard my friends and family call out giving me the last burst of energy I needed to cross the finish line in 3:53:08.

There was a lot of emotion crossing the finish line but I was also immediately struck by how much better my legs were feeling compared to my last marathon. I basically fell over after my first marathon but was walking comfortably through the finish festival in DC.

I’ve wanted to run a Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon since I first ran one of their events in 2015 and Rock ‘n’ Roll DC did not disappoint. They had a separate “Marathon Finisher Zone” with plenty of snacks, a heated tent to get changed, massages, and BEER! I spent plenty of time their refueling and warming up while waiting for a much-needed massage.

Looking Back

Now that I’m a few days past the race, I’m blown away with how quickly I’m recovering compared to last year. If I hadn’t woken up with a nasty cold yesterday, I actually would have gotten back to running again already.

The other thing I definitely learned I need to work on is muscle endurance. Cardio wise, my heart rate was comfortable and controlled throughout the race but my hamstrings and quads were on fire by the end. I’m looking forward to what Diego’s got planned to help improve that for my next race.

Overall, I’m so unbelievably happy with the race, and so glad I can finally cross a Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon off my bucket list. I’ve been waiting since last April to break the 4-hour marathon and feel awesome about my new marathon PR. I’m already starting to think about the next one!

Official Splits

5k – 27:20 pace 8:48

10k – 56:17 pace 9:22

10m – 1:29:46 pace 8:49

13.1m – 1:56:10 pace 8:32

20m – 2:57:05 pace 8:50

Finish – 3:53:08 pace 8:53