I’ve adapted it from The Science of Running by Steve Magness. If you’ve experienced this struggle, here’s my thoughts: think of the marathon training pyramid. Remember – the aerobic (aka endurance) base takes the longest to be built. In other words, their aerobic engines are running at their max. Most notably, they’ve trained for several years more than the average runner and at much higher volumes. If you look at elite runners, they generally can nab a marathon pace within 10-15 seconds per mile of their half marathon PR. The jump between a half marathon and a full marathon can see like jumping over the Grand Canyon. “Wow, this means I should be able to run X:XX for a marathon!” One of my first acts after a new PR is to check out the VDOT tables and see what the consensus tells me I should be able to run at other distances.

Are you upset that you can’t translate an awesome half marathon time into an equally awesome marathon time? You’re not alone. I’ve been there too.

Download half marathon pace times