The 10 x 800 Marathon Workout
Are you getting ready to run your first marathon? Maybe you are trying to run a new PR (personal record) or maybe even hoping for a course record. In any case, this workout will determine your fitness level, and help you decide what pace you can (or should) be running for your marathon.
Keeping Your Pace
One of the most important marathon running tips is keeping your pace. Start too fast and you will hit the wall and you will be lucky even to finish. Starting too slow is a better option, but you will be left wondering, “What if?”
So how can you determine what your pace should be based on your condition? Try this workout, and you will get a pretty good estimate of what you are capable of.
The 10 x 800 Marathon Workout
If you think you can run a 3:30 marathon, then try running 10 repeats of 800 meters on the track. Each 800 should be 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Recover for 3 minutes and 30 seconds. And repeat. If you are shooting for a 4 hour marathon, then your 800 repeats should be 4:00 minutes (with 4 minutes recovery). It’s that simple! Yes, it also works for a 2:09 marathon, as well as a 5:30 marathon.
Determining Your Workout Pace
If you are not sure what pace you can hold, then start with your best guess and give it a try.
If you can’t do all ten at pace, your intervals need to be slower. Do all ten and still have plenty of energy? Cut the intervals down. You may have to change the workout several times over a two or three week period until you arrive at a workout pace that you can hold consistently. You should try to do your last 10 x 800 workout about two weeks prior to your marathon, but by then you should have a good idea what pace you should be running.
A Great 5k Workout Too
This method only works for the marathon because of some strange mathematical coincidence. But just doing the 10 x 800 workout on the track is great training for a 5k race as well. Just don’t try to determine your 5K race pace from the workout times!
Read more tips for running a marathon.
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