As I said earlier in this newsletter, everyone’s hot-taking the sub-2 marathon right now, and I’ve been mostly avoiding it (you know me and my permanent information diet), but I promised this follow-up when I told you to stop analyzing your races so soon, so here we go.
Three things hobby joggers are getting wrong about Sawe’s run.
1. Don’t copy the pro fueling and pacing.
Pros aren’t doing the same sport as you. Steve Magness made the point that sub-2 marathoners run for two hours at roughly 95% of VO2 max, basically threshold heart rate effort. That’s how they get away with slamming 115+ grams of carbs an hour (that number makes me sick to my stomach writing it). Try that on your 4 hour 30 minute marathon and your gut folds most likely somewhere around 30k (mile 18). When I run sub-3 marathon, I’m in zone 2 most of the way (it still hurts my body, just in a low heart rate way). Most 4 and 5 hour finishers are the same. It’s a different run entirely.
2. Super shoes are a tool, not a daily driver.
Phil Maffetone’s take is that super shoes are a problem if you haven’t learned to run properly first, because they let your tendons and feet skip the adaptation work.
I think of them like a party. “It’s not a party if it happens every night”.
(c) Death Cab for Cutie – This Place is a Prison
Use super shoes for race day, your one or two key fast interval sessions a block, and goal pace long runs. The other 8 of every 10 runs go in regular trainers.
I talk about this more here.
3. Take the belief, skip the shortcut.
The biggest gift the sub-2 gives you isn’t the tech, it’s the Bannister effect. Within 46 days of Bannister breaking 4 minutes for the mile (1.61k) in 1954, somebody else did it. Then dozens did soon after that. The wall was mental the whole time. Same deal now as Sub-2 just got real, which means the thing you’ve been afraid to chase (sub-3 marathon, first 5k/3 mile under 25 minutes, whatever) just moved a little closer. The shortcut version is buying the carbon shoes. The legit version is taking the belief and doing the boring training your next PR is hiding inside.
Quick funny thing… I work with a young Kenyan woman who runs casually. I messaged her all amped up, “OMG is everyone going crazy in Kenya right now??” Her reply…
Steal the belief, leave the rest.
