Personal best in a marathon does not only depend on your training. The course and the weather make a huge impact in your time. You must consider anything that nature can bring us. Just because you have a perfect 12 weeks of training doesn’t mean that you will run a faster time. We must do the training, there is no doubt about it, but we must keep focusing on the main goal until you cross the finish line. The most important is to prey and ask God for a perfect weather and a safe run. Not only for you, but also for everybody running the race.

It takes 16 weeks of hard training (except for the last week) to be ready to run a marathon. This is for a person who has experience and wants to improve his/her time. Before the 16 weeks you must have a strong base with some experience on speed work. For beginners it may take 6 months to be safe. Speed workouts are not necessary for the first marathon is more important just to finish.

I am going to provide the last 12 weeks of marathon training for runners who want to accomplish a sub 3 hour to 3h05, sub 3h30 and sub 4 hours. For those who want to run sub 3 hours you must have your base and 4 more weeks of basic training with some speed workouts. For those who want to run 4 hours or better you don’t need the speed work but a strong base is recommended.

I can’t tell you that at the end of your training you will run personal best. I don’t know that and nobody knows it. But, I can tell you that you may feel strong enough. Remember that the weather is a big part in your marathon time as well as the course. Foe example: running the Chicago Marathon is not the same as the Big Sur Marathon. Don’t expect a personal best in Big Sur Marathon after running your best at Chicago. Also, just because you will go to the starting line in the best shape of your life doesn’t mean you will run the fastest time ever. In 1998 when Khalid went back to Chicago he was in better shape than 1997 and 1999. His long runs were faster and his track works were his best ever. But he lost the race and end up running 2:07:19. In 1997 he ran 2:07:10 and in 1999 he ran 2:05:42.

A marathon is a distance that must be respected. Anything can happen during the race and any mistake can ruin your time. You need to learn to control yourself at the start and at the middle of the race. The middle of the race for me is the 25Km mark. One advice and take it sirously. Never for any circumstance try to take off or to increase the pace after 25km. Some times when you are in your best shape, exactly about the 25 km your body feels so good. Hold that feeling. Don’t even think about picking up the pace just because you feel good. That is a mistake and you will end up paying for it around the 21 mile mark. Marathon is math. You want to run 3h05. Run 7 minutes pace per mile and you will run 3h05. Don’t worry if your friend is passing you, if he is not in that kind of shape, you will pass him later on.

When you reach the 25km and you feel that way. Don’t go. Be patient and hold the pace for another 5km. About 30km into the race if you still feel the same way then you pick up the pace just slightly. The last 5km give everything you have. If you still have something.

In order for you to run like this, you must practice in training. Your long run is the best work out to simulate your race. Run your long run the same way you would like to run your marathon. I don’t mean the pace. I mean to run patiently at first, slightly faster in between but controlling the pace and faster in the last 20 minutes of your run. Run your long run on a course similar to the marathon course. Try to do your long run at the same time of day of your next marathon start. During your long run visualize yourself running the race. When you are about to cross the finish line of your long run, visualize yourself crossing the finish line of the marathon and running a perfect personal best. Do what ever you would like to do at the finish line of your marathon. Every single run that Khalid does, at the end of his run he always open his arms simulating the finish of a race and sees himself victorious. And he tells himself “I won again”. Much of the time his visualization comes true. The same thing can happen to you. You just have to do it and believe it, just the same way Khalid does. Of course, you need to train as well. Dinner the night before your long run? Good question!!!. Eat what you are planning to eat the night before your marathon. That’s the answer. For breakfast, eat the same thing you are going to eat the morning before the race. When the race comes, don’t change anything.

Pick the training that is appropriate for you. Good luck and God be with you.

You are going to need him there.

SUB 3 HOURS TO 3H05
FOR THIS TIME YOU MUST HAVE A STRONG BASE AND 4 MORE WEEKS WITH SOME INTERVALS WORKOUT. YOU MAY HAVE TO AVERAGE BETWEEN 65 TO 75 MILES A WEEK. YOU MAY NEED TO RUN TWICE A DAY AT LEAST 3 TIMES A WEEK.

SUB 3H30
MUST LOG BETWEEN 55 TO 60 MILES A WEEK WITH SOME HARD RUN IN THE TRAILS OR TRACK (your choice).

SUB 4 HOURS
MUST LOG BETWEEN 45 TO 50 MILES A WEEK. SOME TEMPO AND FARTLEK RECOMMENDED. RACES CAN BE USE AS YOUR TEMPO RUN.

Easy run means run easy. Run means just slightly faster than easy. For your intervals, I can not give you the time you suppose to run. I don’t know who you are and I don’t know in what kind of shape you are. What you will do is to run the work out according of how your body feels on your first time. Whatever the time you log that day will be your actual shape. For example, if I ask you to do 7x1000. You go do it. Let say you did it in 3:35. Now you know what your body can do. Next time you have to hit the target at least 2 second faster, and the next one and the next one until your hit your own life targets. For example, for Khalid: when he is out of shape he starts with 7x1000 in 2:52, plus or minus 1%. At the end of his training for his marathon goal he is doing 12 x 1000 in 2:42. When he is there I know he is ready to run the marathon.

What I am trying to tell you is that I can not tell you to run the intervals at 10k race pace or do 400 5k race pace selecting your best time for 10k or 5 k race. That is nonsense. What if your PR was 2 years ago? Then you got hurt and you stop running and you are starting again. I can not tell you to do that. Sorry, you are not there anymore. Besides that, race time are not accurate since a 5k race time in a flat course is not the same as one with some hills. Or if was done in a hot day or cool day. The best is to run the work out and then from there with time and training you will improve. During any of your runs if you are not feeling too tired, try to run the last 5 minutes of your run at a faster pace. You need to teach your body to run fast at the end.