Chasing Time: My 2024 Marathon Pace Pursuit
A Personal Quest to Finish a Marathon in Less Than 3 Hours
2023 is coming to an end, and it’s time to set a new fitness goal for 2024.
In the previous years, my athletic endeavors have included conquering Ironman races and 50-mile & 100-mile trail races. For those races, the goal has pretty much just been about finishing. I always want to do good and have a goal time in mind, but for these races, I didn’t train to keep a specific pace. That’s what I want to do this year.
So, my goal for 2024 is to finish a marathon in under 3 hours.
This brings a lot of changes to my training. Previously, it was mainly just about distance and time on feet. Now it will be more about keeping pace. I also realize that I will have to cut some weight to be as efficient as possible. Nothing crazy though, just a few pounds. This will most likely happen organically when mileage is getting higher and I don’t go as heavy in the gym.
I would lie if I said this goal isn’t scary. Thinking about keeping the required pace for the length of a marathon seems so far away right now. And I’m saying that currently running 6 days a week. But even if it is scary, I do not doubt it at all. I had the same feeling when I set out to complete the Ironman race and the 100-mile race.
My first shot at achieving this is on May 11th, which gives me 5 months to prepare. To me, that seems like a comfortable timeline. No need to rush things.
What’s your 2024 fitness goal?
