Running a Sub-2h50m Marathon

I got more serious into running in 2023 and was able to run a sub-3 hour marathon in Lisbon that year. In 2024, I decided to take things up a notch and tried to go for a sub 2h55. If you want a bit more context about my history with running, you can check out my previous blog post on this: "Running a Sub-3 Hour Marathon".

Unfortunately, I got injured immediately after my last marathon (the one where I cracked sub 3). My right achilles heel was hurting the entire time while I ran, and in the days after the event I couldn't run and I could barely walk properly for a few months. I was diagnosed with achilles tendonitis and I went through a series of rehab sessions. I didn't run much at all for about 4 months. And then I was in India for a full month, and running outside was impossible there. So, during that month, I did some treadmill easy runs, and I also took part in a few races which was actually a lot of fun.

Once I was back, I picked up running again but I had to slowly progress up from really low mileage in order to allow my body to finish recovering. Eventually, I ran a 10K race in June where I was able to clock 00:38:15. This was worse than my previous PR, so I knew I had some catching up to do over the next few months. I found a coach, and we worked hard during the summer in order to prepare for the Chicago Marathon.

The main reason I decided to look for a coach is that I don't have a lot of experience, and while I love planning my weekly workouts myself, I know that a professional can do it better than me. So, we started working together in June with the goal of hitting sub 2h55 before the end of the year.

Preparation for Chicago

In June, I joined a new company (Neon). The first few months are always extra tough — and I had to do a lot of traveling, so this was a hard summer as I was also ramping up mileage for the Chicago Marathon. The bright side is that Madrid is amazing in the summer (I actually love dry heat), so that made things better. I was running almost 100km per week and eventually broke a PR for the half-marathon in training (01:20:27). This gave me a lot of confidence going into the marathon on October 13th, 2024.

Chicago was... great. I broke my PB with 02:53:37. And I officially hit my goal for 2024! Most importantly, I didn't get injured during the actual race (although my calves hurt the entire race, I really need to work on that). Furthermore, the experience of running a major marathon was really special. The amount of cheering from the crowds, and the city vibes during the days before and after the event are phenomenal. It's an experience unlike any other which I recommend to anyone who can afford it (it's very expensive).

However, I feel like I could have done better. I'm not sure if it was the jet lag (I flew in on Friday and raced on Sunday), or the nutrition going into the race, or just something else... But I didn't feel completely accomplished at the end of the race. So, I decided that I had to try again, and fortunately I was already signed up for another epic event 6 weeks later.

The rebound in Valencia

Valencia is an amazing city for running.

• The locals cheer a lot for the participants, almost to the same levels found in Chicago, New York and London.
• The city is flat, with great weather and lots of shade. The route is also made up of several long straights with easy curves.
• It's only a 3 hour car ride for me!
• Who doesn't love paella?

So, even though I had very little time to recover from Chicago and prepare for Valencia, I decided to give it a try. But this time, I only wanted to have fun – I wasn't actually aiming for a specific time.

On the day of the race, I was feeling great. The weather was picture perfect, and I felt energized. So, I went out hard. And I thought I was going too hard but then everything fell into place and I was able to get another personal best.

I realize this might sound weird to some of the readers, but this was one of the best days of my life. The amount of adrenaline and just pure fun I had throughout the race was unbelievable. Everything went perfectly, and I was very lucky with how everything went. I finished with 02:49:22 which was not something I had in mind for 2024 at all.

I already know Valencia quite well, since I've been there 5 times before (mainly for running the local half-marathon). However, I wasn't prepared for how well the marathon is organized, and for how good the course is. I found it much better than Chicago, especially since I prefer warmer weather. And while this was a very sad year for Valencia, the local support was still outstanding. I will forever cherish this special day.

Next steps

So, what's next? Well, I'm not going to stop running that's for sure! However, I need to work on my workout regime and make sure I'm including more strength work since my calves continue to hurt like hell. This is important so that my achilles tendonitis doesn't get worse (it's not entirely gone, and I don't think it ever will).

I want to run a sub 2h45 marathon in 2025, but I have no idea when I'll be trying for that. For now, I'll get some rest, (try to) enjoy the cold winter miles, and reflect on how I want to schedule my upcoming year.

Finally, just like last year, I have to thank Margarida without whom none of this would be possible. It's a lot of work to travel to these events... And she was there for me every step of the way, which also made it a lot more enjoyable. ❤️