Question for those who have run marathons
 

I found these marathon time predictors over on Runners World. What do you think?

I think Galloways method may be a bit conservative, but the 800 test seems to be a pretty good predictor for the times that I am hoping for this fall.

I'm a slow marathoner, so take this for what it's worth...
Galloway is notoriously conservative in helping people set pace goals. He admits as much, but he also states that if you feel great at 17-18 miles, pick up your pace and you still have time to make up the difference. That is much smarter than going out too hard and crashing.

I think the other method may be conservative as well. I'd also be a little concerned about doing such a hard training session a few weeks before the marathon.

Well if that method is a good predictor, I'd take it, as I did 7 x 800s, feeling good averaging about 2:55. I didn't jog but I did rest one minute between 800s.

I'm not certain that's a predictor, though, because I'm confident I'd run about a 3:15, not a sub 3:00.

But then again, I've only been in three marathons, two in Ironmen, and one as a jog with wife.

Comparing anything Galloway says to anything Yasso says would get you laughed at amongst hardcore marathoners. Yasso 800's have a reputation of being very reliable. He knows his shiz.

That's not to say that Galloway isn't useful, he was an Olympian, but he caters his programs to folks who want to complete a marathon without experiencing any discomfort or pain. Early in my running I attempted to follow a Galloway program and found it too easy, even at a beginner stage. I abandoned it two weeks in and went with something that challenged me more.

So you're saying Yasso is a much more accurate predictor of marathon times for those people actually interested in their finish times? Yasso's 800s predict a 3:15-3:30 finish time for me, as compared to a 3:45-4:00 by the Galloway method. My goal, even though it is still 4 months away, is 3:30.

Like yourself, my wife tried the Galloway method when she was getting ready for her first marathon. She got bored with it and went with a different program after a month or two. I think there is some value in Galloways training, mainly for extreme novices or perhaps for someone prone to injury, but its just not for me.

Well, I think the consensus would be that Yasso would be more accurate, yes. But at the same time, I'm very uncomfortable using 800 meters as a predictor for 26.2 miles. I'm just saying that amongst serious road racers, Yasso's reputation is light years above Galloway's, and his advice would be taken more seriously.

For another opinion, you can plug your 800 time into the McMillan running calculator and see what it gives you.

http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/mcmil...calculator.htm