Sunny September | zone 2 run

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Saterday evening I was notified that I would not have to pace a friend for the november Spijkenisse marathon.

With 8 weeks to go, I decided to set the ambitions high! Rather than just cruizing to the finish I decided to take a shot at my pr. While my 2026 goal is to run a sub 3 marathon - I realize that I would more time to prepare for that (as part of the strategy involves losing weight and building more muscles). My goal for november will be 3:15:00 - which would beat my pr by 5 minutes.

This might seem like not such a big deal, but with my pr last april, I was running weeks averaging 75-90 km. Currently I was preparing for an easy november with roughly 50-60 km a week. Time to get to work!

Todays run:
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Trainingsload and recovery need to be in line. This means you cannot always do fast runs and expect to be ready for the next run tomorrow. By running slower (on a lower heartbeat) you mostly train your heart and lungs and you will - over time - become a more efficient runner. My run today was such a lower pace run (zone 2) - so I can do a more intense workout tomorrow!

The run itself was great fun, while it is late september, the sun was shining bright and the sky was clear. I decided to just run a few different paths in the area without any real traffic.

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This evening I will do some bodyweight exercises - hoping that some extra strenght will make the difference in november.

Happy running

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5 comments
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Pushing for 3:15 off a 50 to 60 km base is bold, and your zone 2 today so you can go hard tomorrow is exactly the pcae discipline that keeps the legs fresh. My spreadsheet brain loves how you line up training load and recovery, it is like compounding interest for lungs :) If you sprinkle short goal pace blocks in the long run and and keep one easy cutback, you will sharpen without cooking yourself. Bodyweight work is a quiet win, dont skip the calves and glutes.

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(Edited)

Tnx! Haha a fellow spreadsheet lover!

What do you think of my race day nutrition plan?

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First half I skip the aid posts and stick to my own drinks - I take 1 liter water + 4 sis hydro tabs (electrolytes). Second half I will take the aid stations aswell (AA Isotonic sport drinks)

Little translation:
“Slok drinken” => “take a sip”

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That is a serious goal to cut 5 minutes of your previous marathon. Very interesting to hear how you're planning to do it, never having been a runner myself I know very little about the training process. It sounds like an intense 8 weeks coming up for you, but it will all be worth it when you're able to achieve that goal!

How much muscle weight are you planning on adding for the race?

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Thanks man!

The weight and muscle part is the only aspect I am still a little in doubt off.
For sub 3 I wanted to both lose weight (-9 kg) and transform from the remaining weight some muscles. With 8 weeks to go that goal is unrealistic.

My goal right now will be in the first 4 weeks:

  • eat clean, loads of protein, carbs on the heavy trainingdays, small calory shortage
  • build muscle with 3x week additional training. 1x bodyweight, 1x heavy weighted, 1x sprint / strong interval.

Last 4 weeks,

  • eat clean, switch back to carbs, maintain weight (restore fuel)
  • strenght sessions will all be bodyweight, intervals will be shorter in distance.

My guess will be I will end at 84kg (-6 kg)

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