Seeking advice on 2026 marathon racing strategy

[prncssjas]

That being said it looks as though you are more like me in that you want to try RWR to get faster times rather than just to finish a distance. If that is the case I would recommend at least a HM.

Thank you @Dopey 2020 as that's what I was thinking about trying--just a local HM where I can test this out, as I know what my current fitness for the half distance and a nice test to see how I am feeling in the second half of the race. If I am feeling strong and can keep at it, that might be some additional data points to help me decide and pursue this further. I appreciate your thoughts--I don't have much to lose and as you said, just have fun with it. Thanks again.

 

[prncssjas]

This is a very interesting discussion. I'm rwr curious but most of the testimonials are from athletes who are slower than me. I don't see much about sub 1:45 HM and rwr.

However, I'm much more likely to positive split in a 5 or 10K than I am in a half or full. A lot of that is racing strategy and a willingness to risk the pace at the shorter distances.

All that is to say, I'm still curious but not enough to devote an entire training cycle to it.

I can understand this--that's why I am not necessarily ready to devote a full marathon training cycle to it--at least not yet. @Dopey 2020 provided a nice suggestion to try this sooner at a HM so I am going to try this method (or some version of it) at HM next month and see how it goes. Who knows, I might end up surprised!

So as much as it helped me get started, following a formal plan with it doesn’t work for me anymore.

Thanks for this--do you find that the walk breaks bother you? What doesn't work? I am curious to know what changed over time.

 

[RuntheMouse]

Thanks for this--do you find that the walk breaks bother you? What doesn't work? I am curious to know what changed over time.

The actual walk breaks don’t bother me but as the frequency increases, the start stop is harder on my legs. Couple that with a faster pace and the recovery was more difficult for me. I’ve found that settling into a bit of a slower pace and taking a break if I need to is much easier on my body and gets me to the same pace. A medication I am on suppresses my heart rate so it really is more taxing for me to run faster even in shorter bursts, so slower but longer works.

DH is still loving RWR as he gets back at it but commented on how he felt better after he ran with me last week. He does change up his intervals for some variety so that’s always an option as you explore!

 

[cburnett11]

@prncssjas
Have you done many marathons? Another idea might be to try a run/pic/run method. Your half POT is 8:13/mile. You could probably run a pace close to 8:30/mile AND stop for pics while netting a sub-4:00 if you start at the front of corral A. You could probably get in all the character pics if you “sprint” the first couple to get spaced out from the masses. Or you can simply skip the first couple and then you should have little to no lines. Simply pausing for pictures could give you a little recovery.

I’ve done this in almost every rD race the last 3 years and it has allowed me to go at a pretty decent pace with some little breaks along the way.

Just another thought if you are concerned about training with a r/w/r method.

 

[sandam1]

I did love and appreciate the podcast that @sandam1 shared from Chris Twiggs and listened to the entire thing, especially liked the moment at 51:19--I have nothing to lose by just trying it. Thank you for that recommendation and link.

I'm glad that it was helpful. Chris is a wonderful teacher and a great story-teller.

Some of the comments on this thread - and what I've seen in other places - got me thinking. There are people that dismiss run/walk as something for beginners or back of the packers. They also say that run/walkers can't possibly be fast or win races. They often point to the fact that professionals aren't using run/walk as a reason why. But it occurred to me that there is at least one professional runner that used run/walk and won races - Mr. Jeff Galloway.

So I did some research - Jeff's fastest marathon using run/walk was when he won the Houston Marathon in 1980 with a 2:16:35. The world record at the time was 2:09:01. In 1980, Jeff was also 35 years old. I did some research on Wikipedia and of the top 25 marathon times in 1980, there were only three listed men that were not in their twenties and all 3 were 30. That fact also speaks to the longevity that run/walk can give a top level athlete. And this was before the GPS watches and super shoes of today, which just boggles my mind.

(P.S. In case someone doesn't want to do the math, Jeff's marathon pace was 5:13 minutes per mile. And my source seems to recall that Jeff did a 20 second break every mile.)

I know that there are people who will still cling to their personal opinions and their deeply-held narrative, but I just wanted to put these facts out there. And personally, I have soooo many questions that I now want to ask Jeff about what it was like when he first started using run/walk in his own races. (My #1 question is how he timed his intervals and my #2 is what his competitors did when he took his first walk break.)

 

[prncssjas]

Have you done many marathons? Another idea might be to try a run/pic/run method. Your half POT is 8:13/mile. You could probably run a pace close to 8:30/mile AND stop for pics while netting a sub-4:00 if you start at the front of corral A. You could probably get in all the character pics if you “sprint” the first couple to get spaced out from the masses. Or you can simply skip the first couple and then you should have little to no lines. Simply pausing for pictures could give you a little recovery.

I’ve done this in almost every rD race the last 3 years and it has allowed me to go at a pretty decent pace with some little breaks along the way.

Just another thought if you are concerned about training with a r/w/r method.

Yes, I have a few marathons under my belt but mostly on flat courses. The hilliest full I did was CIM and those rolling California hills were something (lol). This will be my first Disney full so I was really thinking about my goals (time versus pics). I love your suggestion @cburnett11 about using pic stops as quick rest breaks--someone else, I think it was @nancipants also recommended this approach and I love the idea. It's the best of both worlds! Thank you!

I know that there are people who will still cling to their personal opinions and their deeply-held narrative, but I just wanted to put these facts out there.

I can understand that for some runners, especially those who are more traditional, it's hard to consider r/w/r (for whatever reason). I can reassure you that this is not like that for me--if walk breaks or water stop breaks or anything resembling this approach will help me to sustain a faster pace overall and achieve a faster race time in the end, I am all in. I just need to figure out what that looks like. Like everything about running (and life in general!), it's finding what works for me, as it's all very personalized. What I appreciate most are the comments and suggestions from all sides of the spectrum to consider as I make this journey in the next phase of the training cycle.

 

[Zutroy]

So I did some research - Jeff's fastest marathon using run/walk was when he won the Houston Marathon in 1980 with a 2:16:35. The world record at the time was 2:09:01. In 1980, Jeff was also 35 years old. I did some research on Wikipedia and of the top 25 marathon times in 1980, there were only three listed men that were not in their twenties and all 3 were 30. That fact also speaks to the longevity that run/walk can give a top level athlete. And this was before the GPS watches and super shoes of today, which just boggles my mind.

Galloway only won one marathon in his career, and that was the Hawaii marathon in 1974. He didn’t win the Houston marathon, but did come in 3rd. Also, he really didn’t use a run/walk/run method. He walked through the water stations to refuel, which is a strategy used by many other runners. Hal Higdon describes running a 2:29 marathon at the age of 49 by walking through each aid station. Bill Rodgers won the 1975 Boston Marathon in 2:09 taking four walks breaks and tying his shoe. This isn’t r/w/r, this is continuous running with a couple of breaks.

 

[tx911]

Yes, I have a few marathons under my belt but mostly on flat courses. The hilliest full I did was CIM and those rolling California hills were something (lol). This will be my first Disney full so I was really thinking about my goals (time versus pics). I love your suggestion @cburnett11 about using pic stops as quick rest breaks--someone else, I think it was @nancipants also recommended this approach and I love the idea. It's the best of both worlds! Thank you!


I can understand that for some runners, especially those who are more traditional, it's hard to consider r/w/r (for whatever reason). I can reassure you that this is not like that for me--if walk breaks or water stop breaks or anything resembling this approach will help me to sustain a faster pace overall and achieve a faster race time in the end, I am all in. I just need to figure out what that looks like. Like everything about running (and life in general!), it's finding what works for me, as it's all very personalized. What I appreciate most are the comments and suggestions from all sides of the spectrum to consider as I make this journey in the next phase of the training cycle.

Have you heard of Yasso 800s?

I'm foggy on the details now, but it consists of a series of 800m repetitions.
Supposedly your time in minutes to complete the 800m is your approximate time in hours to complete a marathon (i.e. if the 800s take you 4 min, you will run a 4 hour marathon).

Maybe you could try this with the r-w-r method and see what your times look like.

 

[prncssjas]

Have you heard of Yasso 800s?

Yes! My husband uses them religiously in every marathon training cycle and yes, his running coach told him exactly that--they are a great predictor of marathon finish time. I will certainly consider this as well--thanks.

 

[sandam1]

Galloway only won one marathon in his career, and that was the Hawaii marathon in 1974. He didn’t win the Houston marathon, but did come in 3rd.

My apologies! I mis-spoke on this.

 

[RuntheMouse]

This will be my first Disney full so I was really thinking about my goals (time versus pics). I love your suggestion @cburnett11 about using pic stops as quick rest breaks--someone else, I think it was @nancipants also recommended this approach and I love the idea. It's the best of both worlds! Thank you!

Ooohhhh I like that idea! Considering doing that.