How to Run Marathon Pace Properly

Marathon pace training is one of the most important parts of a marathon build, but it is also one of the easiest things to misuse. A lot of runners either treat marathon pace like a test of fitness every time they touch it or they base it on a goal pace they want to run rather than the fitness they actually have. In this video, I break down what marathon pace training is really for, how to find the right pace for your current fitness, and how to use it in a way that actually supports better racing. I walk through where marathon pace sits physiologically, why it lives between easy running and threshold work, and why its biggest value is often not raw fitness development but practising rhythm, patience, fuelling, and control under fatigue. We also get into one of the biggest mistakes marathoners make: forcing goal pace too early in a build, then carrying the damage into the rest of the week and undermining consistency. I also break down how I structure marathon pace work inside a 14-day cycle, why I like alternating harder long-run sessions with simpler aerobic long runs, and how I progress athletes from earlier marathon pace sessions into the bigger dress rehearsal efforts later in a build. If you want to understand how marathon pace should feel, how it should be trained, and why more is not always better, this will help make the whole picture a lot clearer. Happy Training! ➡️ Watch my “Running: Explained” Series:    • Running: Explained   ➡️ Sign Up For My Newsletter And Get My Next YouTube Video Early: https://brantstachel.activehosted.com... ⸻ Relevant Links 🚨 FREE TOOLS I CREATED FOR RUNNERS 🚨 https://www.runfastandfree.com/free-t... ⚠️ TAKE THE MARATHON READINESS QUIZ NOW ⚠️ https://marathon-readiness-quiz.score... Get coached by Brant Stachel https://teamrunrun.com/coach/brant-st... Mental Performance Coaching with Brant Stachel: https://calendly.com/cepadminteam/15-... Get my Book, “Fast and Free”: https://a.co/d/00twBZ6d Learn More about Team RunRun: https://teamrunrun.com/ Fuel Your Training (Affiliate Link): https://fuelgoods.com/?ref=Brant ⸻ Follow Brant Stachel Fast & Free Performance Coaching    / @brantstachel     / fastandfreecoaching     / brant_stachel     / brantstachel     / strava     / fastandfreewithbrant     / brantstachel     / brant-stachel   Visit My Website: http://runfastandfree.com ⸻ Listen to the Fast and Free Podcast on Your Favourite Podcast Platform: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2jI6TBv... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Chapters: 00:00 - Understanding Marathon Pace Training 02:52 - The Importance of Current Fitness in Marathon Pace 05:43 - Integrating Marathon Pace into Training Plans 08:59 - Common Mistakes in Marathon Pace Training 11:52 - The Dress Rehearsal: Testing Race Readiness 14:40 - Rethinking the 20-Mile Myth #marathonpace #marathontraining #runningtips #marathontips #runningcoach