How I Ran 15 Sub-3 Marathons — And Why I Couldn't Break 2:40
Two Running Brooms
2,306 views
How do you break three hours in the marathon — not once, but 15 times?
Between 2002 and 2012, I broke the three-hour barrier on 15 occasions, with an all-time marathon PB of 2:42:10. Now, as a 56-year-old Masters runner, I look back at that period of my running career and break down what actually enabled me to run at that level.
In this video I explain the training, racing, consistency and other factors that helped me achieve 15 sub-3 marathons, including the two major breakthroughs that took my running to another level.
I also look at what held me back from improving on 2:42:10 — the mistakes I made, the things I could have done better, and the limitations that ultimately prevented me from running even faster.
And with the benefit of hindsight, I ask an intriguing question: how fast might I have run if my peak marathon years had coincided with today's supershoes, improved sports nutrition, carbohydrate fuelling and much greater understanding of recovery?
This is a personal look back at a decade of marathon running, but hopefully there are plenty of lessons here for anyone chasing their own marathon goals — whether that's breaking 3:00, improving a PB, or simply finding out how fast they can really run.
If you've ever wondered what it takes to become a consistent sub-3 marathoner, this one's for you.
Running Coaching from Dawn and John costs £50 per month. For this you get an initial consultation and athlete profiling, discussion of your goals and analysis of how best to maximise your training time.
You get a personalised plan, updated on a regular basis on Training Peaks, a weekly check-in and open and regular availability to discuss / ask anything via WhatsApp.
Where possible we like to meet up with our athletes intermittently too.
Follow John on Strava here - Strava: strava
Follow Dawn on Strava here - Strava: strava
Join our online Facebook Community here - Facebook: 787595085928039
We are both qualified England Athletics coaches with a wealth of running and coaching experience behind us. Having both been coached by high-level coaches ourselves, we have developed the skills, expertise and approach to support people towards their running goals.
As we have both worked in education for several decades, we know how to get the best out of individuals. Coaching is far more than telling people what to do, just as teaching is about far more than imparting information to learners. We listen, analyse and plan to support you to improve and enjoy your running.
Personalised monthly coaching costs £50 per month, for which you get a bespoke training plan towards your running goals, advice on supplementary issues to support your running, a weekly check-in via email and a regular exchange of information via WhatsApp.
Please get in touch at tworunningbrooms@yahoo.com if you would like to enquire about personalised running coaching.
20 Comments
Sub 3 is my next goal following a 3:04.xx @ manchester.😊
I think polarised training works for shorters race training - track, 5ks etc but not so much for longer races up to marathon distance which I tend to do during the winter. My easy runs are faster during these phases.
How I Ran 15 Sub-3 Marathons — And Why I Couldn't Break 2:40
Two Running Brooms
2,306 views
How do you break three hours in the marathon — not once, but 15 times?
Between 2002 and 2012, I broke the three-hour barrier on 15 occasions, with an all-time marathon PB of 2:42:10. Now, as a 56-year-old Masters runner, I look back at that period of my running career and break down what actually enabled me to run at that level.
In this video I explain the training, racing, consistency and other factors that helped me achieve 15 sub-3 marathons, including the two major breakthroughs that took my running to another level.
I also look at what held me back from improving on 2:42:10 — the mistakes I made, the things I could have done better, and the limitations that ultimately prevented me from running even faster.
And with the benefit of hindsight, I ask an intriguing question: how fast might I have run if my peak marathon years had coincided with today's supershoes, improved sports nutrition, carbohydrate fuelling and much greater understanding of recovery?
This is a personal look back at a decade of marathon running, but hopefully there are plenty of lessons here for anyone chasing their own marathon goals — whether that's breaking 3:00, improving a PB, or simply finding out how fast they can really run.
If you've ever wondered what it takes to become a consistent sub-3 marathoner, this one's for you.
Running Coaching from Dawn and John costs £50 per month. For this you get an initial consultation and athlete profiling, discussion of your goals and analysis of how best to maximise your training time.
You get a personalised plan, updated on a regular basis on Training Peaks, a weekly check-in and open and regular availability to discuss / ask anything via WhatsApp.
Where possible we like to meet up with our athletes intermittently too.
Follow John on Strava here - Strava: strava
Follow Dawn on Strava here - Strava: strava
Join our online Facebook Community here - Facebook: 787595085928039
We are both qualified England Athletics coaches with a wealth of running and coaching experience behind us. Having both been coached by high-level coaches ourselves, we have developed the skills, expertise and approach to support people towards their running goals.
As we have both worked in education for several decades, we know how to get the best out of individuals. Coaching is far more than telling people what to do, just as teaching is about far more than imparting information to learners. We listen, analyse and plan to support you to improve and enjoy your running.
Personalised monthly coaching costs £50 per month, for which you get a bespoke training plan towards your running goals, advice on supplementary issues to support your running, a weekly check-in via email and a regular exchange of information via WhatsApp.
Please get in touch at tworunningbrooms@yahoo.com if you would like to enquire about personalised running coaching.