Marathon PB’s are a big goal for any runner; whether you are trying to break 2:20 or 4:00. On this episode of the Ask Coach Parry podcast, Lindsey gives you some valuable advice on two difference cases; but it essentially all boils down to the same thing, no matter what your genetics are.

Got a great question in today on the Ask Coach Parry podcast from Sipho. I’m Brad Brown, Lindsey Parry is with us once again. Lindsey, I think this question may be a case of how long is a piece of string because there’s not too much info.

But it’s one for the racing snakes and Sipho was saying he currently is a 2:36 marathoner and he wants to get his time down to 2:20. Should he be focusing more on speed work or should he be focusing more on endurance?

Lindsey Parry: Look, that is the chicken and the egg and the actual answer lies in what training he’s currently doing. It may well be that he’s got a fairly good balance in his programme, in which case maybe we need to be working on both. It may not even be a question of either/or.

I think any improvement in running is based upon systematic improvement of our training and racing performances. What worked to get him to a 2:36, he should be training quite similarly to that. But making some tweaks and it may well be, for example, that he has a workout that he does, a speed workout, be it intervals or fartlek or whatever that workout is that works for him.

How to tweak your training executive to improve your times

It may well lie in that there is better execution of that particular workout, over time. In other words, the longer he is a runner and the more consistence he trains for, so this would be a month on month, year on year sort of scenario. Is that those sessions would become better and faster, maybe with less rest, maybe with the same rest.

It’s very difficult to comment with specifics when I don’t know the specifics, but by doing what he’s doing now better and yes, maybe a little bit more on either side of the spectrum, will help him to improve.

Remembering that if you jack up your intensity too much, too early, you’re in trouble from suffering from acute muscular strains. If you jack up your long runs and your endurance too quickly, too soon, then you’re potentially dealing with chronic injuries. It’s not a simple: do this, do that. It’s a question of involving your programme gradually, to meet a certain need that is not in your programme, but I can’t tell him which one of those is needed cause I don’t know his programme.

BB: It’s also important to note that everyone is an individual as well and no two people will get exactly the same results out of exactly the same programme. I’m going to throw in another question on this one too Lindsey. It’s from Neil du Plessis. He wanted to know, how does a four and a half hour marathon runner become a sub three hour marathon runner and how long does it take? It’s another tough question and again, it’s along the same sort of lines isn’t it?

More specific training needed to improve times

LP: It is, and unfortunately some four and a half hour marathon runners will never become sub three hour marathon runners. In fact four and a half hour marathoners won’t even become sub 4:20 marathon runners. That’s the reality of exercise and some of the limitations around genetics and time available to train.

But certainly moving from 4:30 to three hours, I would imagine and I’m talking about, I guess in my head a typical scenario, but again, because I know very little about this situation, I’m talking in general principles. Usually it would mean doing more running, doing more specific training and then how quickly would you get there? It depends entirely on how talented you are as an individual. What your genetic inclination is towards running quickly.

If you’ve just started running, done very little training and done a four and a half hour marathon, but genetically are cut out for this. Well then we can get you a three hour marathon in 12 weeks. If you’re a fairly average, let’s use the word ‘average’, it’s a terrible word, but let’s use the word ‘average’, if you’re fairly average, but you’re prepared to work extremely hard, we can ensure that through strength and rehabilitation, we can look after your biomechanical deficiencies, two years, three years, you know, it can take anywhere from weeks to five years to never.

BB: Difficult question to answer Lindsey, but I think you did a great job there. Thank you very much Sipho and thank you Neil for your questions today on the Ask Coach Parry podcast. We’ll be back again in a couple of days time with another one. I’ve had it submitted already, it was from Ndlele Mtembeni, wanted to know about the pacing of runs. If you’re concerned about your pacing, make sure you check out the next episode of the Ask Coach Parry podcast. Until then, from the two of us, it’s cheers.