Running fast marathons week to week

I see Michael Wardian's name in the news all the time for winning marathons. I can count at least 4 he won last year including Hartford and MDI back to back and <24 hours apart. Let me tell you, 2:21 and then 2:32 at MDI is fantastic.

Can only ultra marathoners do this or can we 40-60 hour per week workers attempt the same thing(realistically)?

In all honesty, I think his abilities have a whole lot more to do with genetics than anything else. He obviously puts in a tremendous amount of effort to his training, but I think most of us, even if we had started at an early age would have trouble handling that kind of mileage and racing schedule. His recuperative powers are pretty amazing.

Diego wrote:I see Michael Wardian's name in the news all the time for winning marathons. I can count at least 4 he won last year including Hartford and MDI back to back and <24 hours apart. Let me tell you, 2:21 and then 2:32 at MDI is fantastic.

Can only ultra marathoners do this or can we 40-60 hour per week workers attempt the same thing(realistically)?

No, you cannot run 2:21 and 2:32 on consecutive days. Ever.

Yes, you can run fast (relatively) marathons rather frequently but typically only after you are accustomed to higher mileage training/recovery. I've run < 3:10s on consecutive weekends more than once, and 5 sub-3:10s in a 12 weeks span. That was about the shape I was in and I could do it consistently. Once you are in the 'racing cycle' there isn't much 'training' to do. All you do is recover and race again.

I do have a friend here in GA who is attempting to run her 50 states all under 4 hrs, and she typically runs a marathon every weekend or every other. She only runs about 50 total mile per week including the marathon, teaches full time, and does incorporate other stuff like weights, etc. Awesome feat even to run that many marathons all in the 3:40 range. I think it is genetics regardless. Michael Wardrian did that feat the weekend of the trials.

What Wardian and Engle do on a consistent basis astounds me. I can barely walk after a marathon, so I apparently recover like a wuss. I honestly have no answer.

It would be interesting to see what he could do when totally rested. My guess is ~2:15. So could we run ~10-(add a number) min slower week-to-week? Maybe, but the injury risk is not worth it I believe.

Ben Z wrote:It would be interesting to see what he could do when totally rested. My guess is ~2:15. So could we run ~10-(add a number) min slower week-to-week? Maybe, but the injury risk is not worth it I believe.

I believe that he's run a 2:17. I find this interesting:

The Woodlands Marathon-March 3, 2012
USATF 50K National Championship-March 4, 2012

He is running a marathon the day before the 50k National Championship. I suspect he'll still do quite well.

Wardian came in third in Hartford (still amazing):

18th Annual ING HARTFORD MARATHON
October 15, 2011 Marathon (USATF Certified #CT11024JHP) Hartford, CT
Timing by Granite State Race Services www.gsrs.com (see our Calendar of Races)
Send corrections to: bt@gsrs.com
================================================================================
MARATHON FINAL RESULTS
===============================================================================
Place Divpl Tot Div Half Pace 20m Pace Guntime Nettime Pace Race# Name Ag S Hometown
===== ===== === ===== ======= ===== ======= ===== ======= ======= ===== ===== ================================ == = =============================
1 / M2529 1:09:07 5:17 1:45:48 5:18 2:21:03 2:21:03 5:23 31 Solomon Too 27 M High Falls NY
2 / M2529 1:08:31 5:14 1:45:12 5:16 2:21:33 2:21:33 5:24 32 Folisho Tuko 25 M High Falls NY
3 / M3539 1:09:53 5:21 1:46:56 5:21 2:22:18* 2:22:17 5:26 1 Michael Wardian 37 M Arlington

I listened to his interview on the Marathon Talk podcast. It's a good interview, and he truly just loves racing so often that he'd rather run a bit slower time and race every weekend than train for just one race. He is a genetic alien.

Michael Enright wrote:Wardian came in third in Hartford (still amazing):

18th Annual ING HARTFORD MARATHON
October 15, 2011 Marathon (USATF Certified #CT11024JHP) Hartford, CT
Timing by Granite State Race Services www.gsrs.com (see our Calendar of Races)
Send corrections to: bt@gsrs.com
================================================================================
MARATHON FINAL RESULTS
===============================================================================
Place Divpl Tot Div Half Pace 20m Pace Guntime Nettime Pace Race# Name Ag S Hometown
===== ===== === ===== ======= ===== ======= ===== ======= ======= ===== ===== ================================ == = =============================
1 / M2529 1:09:07 5:17 1:45:48 5:18 2:21:03 2:21:03 5:23 31 Solomon Too 27 M High Falls NY
2 / M2529 1:08:31 5:14 1:45:12 5:16 2:21:33 2:21:33 5:24 32 Folisho Tuko 25 M High Falls NY
3 / M3539 1:09:53 5:21 1:46:56 5:21 2:22:18* 2:22:17 5:26 1 Michael Wardian 37 M Arlington

Ok, so 4 wins and a 3rd place finish.

Yes, the guy is amazing!

Michael Enright wrote:Yes, the guy is amazing!

And very humble and appreciative of the rest of us as well. Great guy!

Michele "1L" Keane wrote:

Michael Enright wrote:Yes, the guy is amazing!

And very humble and appreciative of the rest of us as well. Great guy!

Yep real awesome, humble and down to earth guy. Him and I laughed and shook hands at the the starting line of the JFK 50 and then after the race him and talked again for about 30 mins in the gym.

One of the biggest things I took from him when I asked him about all the racing he does was this " I don't taper for races, I train through them. If I was to taper and train for 1 or 2 races I'm sure I could run faster but it isn't about running faster in a sense. I love to toe the line and racing. So because my mileage is always up my legs tend to handle the stress and fatigue of racing."

He went on to say that there are times when he is flat and his legs hurt and he doesn't perform as well as he wanted to. A example of this is that after finishing 2nd and breaking the JFK course recorder he had a bad race a week or 2 later.

Today he finished 2nd in a 10k in 31:13!! Although I will say the guy is incredible and very very few can do what he does, I also believe that he has trained his body to be able to race week in and week out. Something most of don't do because we put so much into 1 or 2 big races a year.

Now I won't every be running a 2:30 marathon but I'm moving more to racing more and training my body to race more. One of the reason my focus is going more towards the 50 mile and 100 mile races. Just have to learn to train the body and mind differently.



MW and me after the 2011 JFK 50 miler

Schuey wrote:

Michele "1L" Keane wrote:

Michael Enright wrote:Yes, the guy is amazing!

And very humble and appreciative of the rest of us as well. Great guy!

Yep real awesome, humble and down to earth guy. Him and I laughed and shook hands at the the starting line of the JFK 50 and then after the race him and talked again for about 30 mins in the gym.

One of the biggest things I took from him when I asked him about all the racing he does was this " I don't taper for races, I train through them. If I was to taper and train for 1 or 2 races I'm sure I could run faster but it isn't about running faster in a sense. I love to toe the line and racing. So because my mileage is always up my legs tend to handle the stress and fatigue of racing."

He went on to say that there are times when he is flat and his legs hurt and he doesn't perform as well as he wanted to. A example of this is that after finishing 2nd and breaking the JFK course recorder he had a bad race a week or 2 later.

Today he finished 2nd in a 10k in 31:13!! Although I will say the guy is incredible and very very few can do what he does, I also believe that he has trained his body to be able to race week in and week out. Something most of don't do because we put so much into 1 or 2 big races a year.

Now I won't every be running a 2:30 marathon but I'm moving more to racing more and training my body to race more. One of the reason my focus is going more towards the 50 mile and 100 mile races. Just have to learn to train the body and mind differently.



MW and me after the 2011 JFK 50 miler

Cool story Shuey.