What is the 2:49 Marathon Project?

The 2:49 Marathon Project will be a chronicle of my 16 week training program targeting a 2:49 finish on December 1st in Valencia, Spain. I will be sharing every aspect of my training. This will include my upcoming training sessions, strength and conditioning work, nutrition and hydration details on a daily and weekly basis. My vision for this is to have you participating in the project along with me. Your support, encouragement, comments and questions are all very much welcome, so please get involved.

The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 1 Training

Below is the breakdown of the training sessions for Week 1. I work through my weeks on a Monday – Sunday basis. This makes sense for me because race day is usually on Sunday so using that as an end date is ideal. Week 1 is the first week of the Base Phase of my program. I use a three phase program BPR (Base, Pace, Race). The objective for week 1 of the 2:49 Marathon Project will be to build back into a solid running routine. I’ve been freestyling my training for too long now. It is time to be disciplined and focussed on Valencia.

I have broken down my upcoming the 2:49 Marathon Project Week 1 into three parts, running sessions, strength and conditioning sessions and weekly targets and goals. 

The Running Sessions

The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 1 Running sessions will consist of 5 days of running to go along with 2 No Running days. It is low volume and low intensity. There is a total of 54 km’s (33 miles) of running this week. This will give me an opportunity to ease into the program and start building the discipline required for a 2:49 finish in Valencia. The relative paces will change over the course of the 16 weeks.

Monday: 10k (6 miles) Easy Run
When running by feel, an easy run should be just that, easy. It should be possible to have a conversation or at least a few sentences at a time. A general guideline is marathon pace + 1:00 – 1:20/km (marathon pace + 1:30-2:00/mile). This will vary per runner and may be different each run.

Tuesday: No Running Day
A no running day is not quite the same as a Rest Day. It gives space to do some cross training, where a rest day is a rest day, no avoidable physical activity.

Wednesday: 8k (5 miles) Steady Run
I define a steady run as comfortably hard. You should have a word or two in answer to someone, but you wouldn’t be able to speak in full sentences for long. A general guideline is marathon pace + 20-25 seconds per/k (marathon pace + 30-40 seconds/mile). This will vary per runner and may be different each run.

Thursday: 10k (6 miles) Easy Run
The same session as Monday

Friday: Rest Day:
A rest day is a rest day, no avoidable physical activity.

Saturday: 10k (6 miles) Tempo Run
I will execute this session as follows:
2k easy + 6k hard effort + 2k easy (1 mile easy + 4 miles hard effort + 1 mile easy)
In the Base Phase, hard effort is marathon pace. There will be sessions with specific target paces I will look to hit  For this phase, hard effort at MP is enough. 

Sunday: 16k (10 miles) – Long Slow Distance Run (LSDR)
The LSDR for me is a very important and under-appreciated session. It can be hard to run slow, but from a physiological perspective it is important. This run offers a great adaptive benefit from an energy and oxygen delivery perspective. My LSDR pace is marathon pace + 1:30 – 1:45/km (marathon pace + 2:15 – 2:45/mile).

Strength & Conditioning

When in a marathon training block, I perform a 20 minute bodyweight circuit every weekday morning. For the 2:49 Marathon Project it will be the exact same. So, I will build up the reps per set over the 16 weeks until I get to 50 reps of each exercise and a 2 minute plank. It builds rather quickly. The important aspect of this is to perform the exercises with good form and technique. Create the mind-muscle connection. 

I have talked about this over and over again because I find it beneficial in so many ways. I may go into some of the reasons on a future post, however, in a nutshell, it is only 20 minutes. I know I can and will do something if it is only 20 minutes. It also hits everything I need to hit to maintain a good strong runners physique.

35 reps push ups
35 crunches
90 second plank
35 squats
35 dead bugs (each side)
35 bicycle crunches (each side)
35 lunges

Repeat these until you hit 20 minutes. I then finish the routine off with:

35 reps close hands push ups

Yoga

I perform a 20 minute yoga for runners routine from YouTube 3 days per week. This week it will be Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As I go through the weeks, there will likely be some longer or more frequent sessions. Like the S & C, it’s only 20 minutes and I am more likely to complete the session because I know it is short. I am making it easy to make the good decision.

Nutrition & Hydration

You can see my starting point on the top right section of this post (Weekly Metrics). At a starting weight of 163lb’s, I will be looking to cut weight with a target of race-day weight of 138lb’s (62 kg’s). This is a lot of weight to shift, but it is typically what I do in a normal training block. For me, the keys to effective marathon training weight loss are as follows:

1. Focus on consuming enough protein. This means a minimum of 120g per day, but a target of 150g/day.
2. Maintain my strength work every weekday. There is a big difference between lean & strong and skinny & weak. We are looking to be the former.
3. Maintain good hydration habits. Keeping topped up has many benefits but even more so for runners.
4. Be prepared. Making it easy to make good food decisions will help weight loss. When we find ourselves very hungry, we tend to reach for something quick and easy. This is not necessarily the good choice. For the 2:49 Marathon Project I will be planning my meals at least one day in advance.
5. Keep a food log. I use MyFitnessPal and have found it effective. It makes planning meals and macro tracking simple. 

The 2:49 Marathon Project Weekly Targets 

For the 2:49 Marathon Project Week 1, my targets will be modest. As I mentioned, intensity and volume are low from a running perspective. Also, I know my weight loss will probably be quick for the first couple of weeks and then slow down. However, after the fifth week, it should kick into full gear and I’ll drop 1-2 pounds per week. I will update my progress each Friday. Here are my weekly targets for the coming week:

• Weight: 161 lb’s (73kg) A drop of 2 lb’s (1kg)
• Daily kilocalories: 1800 kcals
• Average Daily Protein: 140g
• Daily Water: 3 litres
• Average Resting HR: 44 (no drop)
• Average Sleep: 7 hours
• Total Distance: 54 km’s (33 miles) 

The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 1 Summary 

This is my 2:49 Marathon Project Week 1 summary. In week 2, I will go over how week 1 went and share what week 2 sessions and targets will be. This will come out every Friday with daily updates on other Social Media platforms as described below. Please do ask questions and provide your thoughts. If you are following along and doing the same training, let’s have a great week of training. 

Where Can You Follow the 2:49 Marathon Project?

Daily updates will be shared on my Instagram account and Tiktok account. Weekly updates will be in longer form on YouTube, my Facebook page,  and here on the A Heart for Running blog. Also, for anyone who wishes to get email updates, please subscribe to the mailing list at the bottom of this page and the weekly updates will be delivered directly to your inbox. Ensure to check your junk box and allow the emails from here through.

#sub3hourmarathon #runningmotivation #runningcoach #2024valenciamarathon #the249marathonproject