No matter what your marathon goal, progress can be addictive. Who doesn’t want to get faster? Learn how to make the most of consistent, focused training to reach those ambitious personal bests.
With the re-emergence of a more regular racing schedule in 2022, runners are gearing up for a season full of opportunities to reach their goals. For many, a marathon PR feels like the ultimate achievement, given the time and commitment required to race successfully.
While all of us love seeing weekly or monthly progress in our running, sometimes training requires longer-term goals. The longer the race, the more months and years of consistent training it takes to discover your potential. But with that commitment, you can often achieve things you may have never believed possible when you first began training.
Like many of us, this week’s guest began running in high school as cross-training to stay in shape for his primary sports, baseball and football. Through college and beyond, he stuck with the habit. He entered his first race, a 5-miler, shortly after college, then ran a half marathon about 9 months later. His first marathon followed, and he’s been addicted to progress ever since.
How Brent Made Massive Marathon Progress
Brent is a member of our Team Strength Running group, and he’s a prime example of how a commitment to consistent training and improvement can help you achieve some impressive, speedy goals. 9 years ago Brent ran his first marathon in 3:40, and by fine-tuning his training over the years he took more than 48 minutes off that time on the challenging Boston course this past April.
Brent and I discuss all aspects of his training and over the years, including:
- The path he took to becoming a runner
- The lessons he learned from racing about pacing and strategy
- How he implemented structured workouts to get faster
- HIs big “levers” in training, including speed work during long runs
- The importance of learning how to shift gears in training
- How challenging workouts gave him mental and physical strength to draw on during races
If you’re looking to achieve ambitious goals in your running, you’ll be inspired by my conversation with Brent!
Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, or Google Play.
Links & Resources from the Show:
- Join Team Strength Running to help you reach your goals
- Check out all of our training and coaching options
- A case study in running a faster marathon
- How to work toward a sub-3 hour marathon
Thank You InsideTracker!
This episode is brought to you by InsideTracker, one of the most reputable blood testing companies in the world. They were founded in 2009 by aging, genetics, and biometrics scientists to help you analyze your body’s data and get a firm idea of how well you’re responding to training.
Understanding your body’s biomarkers, from stress hormones to testosterone to Vitamin D, can help you figure out if you’re over-training, under-training, optimally training, or if you have a health issue that might be affecting your running. But the best part is that they give you personalized optimal ranges for each of these biomarkers and a host of ways to improve these markers through diet, lifestyle, or exercise changes.
I’ve personally gotten three Ultimate tests from them and the process is simple, easy, and very eye-opening if you haven’t done a deep dive on your biomarkers yet. Of all the investments you can make in your running, this one is like getting a detailed checkup or regularly scheduled maintenance for your internal physiology.
If you’re ready to take control of your health and optimize your training, get 25% off any of their blood tests with code STRENGTHRUNNING at InsideTracker.
Thank you Tanri Outdoors!
Thank you to a previous sponsor who has rejoined us, Tanri Outdoors! They’re offering 10% off your order with code JASON at checkout.
Tanri makes all-natural mineral sunscreen, lip balm, and moisturizer that protects you from both types of UV rays. Tanri is made by runners, for runners! All of their products are reef-safe and never tested on animals.
If you spend a fair amount of time outdoors, you know the importance of applying sun protection. I have had to make it a habit myself, living in the mile high city of Denver. Using Tanri products is easy and effective, so I hope you’ll give them a try.
Mineral sunscreens like the ones from Tanri typically work better than chemical sunscreens as they protect you from both types of UV rays. And none of their products have phthalates, parabens, or artificial fragrances.
Tanri also gives back 1% of their proceeds to help protect our National Parks. That’s a win for you and for our planet! Browse all of their sun care products and use code “JASON” to save 10% on your order.
