Maybe you've thought about it before:

“Someday, I want to run a sub-3 marathon.”

But then comes the difficult question...

What exactly do I need to do to get there？

Maybe you've watched a sub-3 runner and wondered how fast they're actually running.

So you try running just one kilometer at sub-3 marathon pace:4:15/km.

And your first reaction is...

“Wait... they run THIS fast for 42.195 kilometers？”

If you've ever felt that way, I completely understand.

Because I've been there myself.

When I returned to running as an amateur runner after an eight-year break, sub-3 marathon pace felt incredibly fast.

But over the next few years, I experimented with my training, studied the theory behind distance running, and gradually improved.

Eventually, I broke 2 hours and 30 minutes in the marathon.

At the same time, I've had the opportunity to work with many amateur runners pursuing sub-3.

And through those experiences, I've noticed several common abilities that runners generally need before they're truly ready to break three hours.

Today, I want to share three of them with you.

Condition #1: Run 5K in 19:15 or Faster

When you're trying to run a marathon in a certain time, there are basically two things you need to accomplish.

First:

Reach the halfway point comfortably enough.

Second:

After reaching halfway comfortably, maintain your pace all the way to the finish.

Simple, right？

But simple doesn't mean easy.

And before we even worry about the second half...

we need to solve the first problem.

If your goal is to break three hours, but running a half marathon under 90 minutes already requires everything you have...

then maintaining sub-3 pace for another 21.1 kilometers is obviously going to be extremely difficult.

So how do we make sub-3 marathon pace feel easier？

One answer is:

Improve your basic speed.

For marathon runners, I like to look at 5K ability as one useful measure of that basic speed.

When marathon training goes extremely well, elite runners can sometimes maintain a marathon pace that is roughly 1 minute 30 seconds slower per 5K than their all-out 5K ability.

But there's an important difference between elite runners and most amateur runners:

Training volume.

A professional runner may run 800 kilometers per month—and sometimes much more.

For most amateur runners with jobs, families, and other responsibilities, that's simply unrealistic.

Even serious amateur runners may be closer to around 300 kilometers per month.

Because of this, I think it's more realistic for amateur runners to allow approximately two minutes per 5K between their 5K ability and marathon pace.

Sub-3 marathon pace is approximately:

21:15 per 5K.

Subtract two minutes...

and you get:

19:15.

That's why I consider a 5K time of around 19:15 or faster an important benchmark for runners pursuing sub-3.

It doesn't guarantee you'll break three hours.

Far from it.

But it gives you the basic speed you'll need for the next part of the equation.

Condition #2: Build the Speed Endurance to Hold That Pace

Let's say you can already run 5K in 19:15.

But you still can't break three hours.

What's probably missing？

In many cases:

Endurance.

More specifically...

the ability to maintain a reasonably fast pace for a long time.

And there's an important distinction here.

When runners hear “build endurance,” they sometimes think:

“I just need to run more slowly.”

Easy running is important.

But if your goal is to race a marathon fast, you also need to become comfortable running a meaningful amount of volume at moderately fast speeds.

This is where Steady Running becomes extremely valuable.

Steady Running is faster than easy running, but still controlled enough that it shouldn't destroy you or leave significant fatigue the following day.

Building enough endurance to comfortably include 10–15 km of Steady Running multiple times per week can give you a strong aerobic foundation.

Then, as your marathon approaches, you can gradually combine that foundation with longer runs performed somewhat closer to marathon pace.

Remember:

It's not enough to be fast.

And it's not enough to be able to run for a long time.

For a fast marathon...

you need speed AND endurance.

That's what speed endurance is all about.

Condition #3: Consistently Run 30K or More

The third condition is:

You need to be able to complete long runs of 30 kilometers or more consistently.

The marathon is difficult to prepare for without long runs.

And if you're trying to break three hours...

they become even more important.

I sometimes hear runners say:

“But Tex, I ran 40 kilometers in training. Why did my legs still die during the marathon?”

Then I ask about their training.

And sometimes I discover something like this:

They ran one 40K long run three or four weeks before the race.

But apart from that...

most of their training consisted of 10K runs, Steady Running, or intervals.

That's the problem.

Training doesn't work because you expose your body to a stimulus once.

Training works because your body adapts to the stimulus.

And adaptation requires repetition.

Think about learning something at work.

If somebody explains a complicated task to you once...

do you remember everything perfectly？

Probably not.

You need repetition.

Your body works the same way.

One huge 40K run doesn't magically turn you into a marathon runner.

In many cases, I'd rather see someone run 30K three times at an appropriate intensity than run one massive 40K workout and never repeat that kind of stimulus again.

Because the longer and harder the workout...

the more recovery and adaptation it requires.

And there's another reason long runs matter.

The marathon creates stresses that are difficult to fully simulate with short runs:

The gradual depletion of glycogen.

Muscular fatigue.

The mental stress of continuing to run when you've already been moving for hours.

You need to expose yourself to these challenges gradually and repeatedly.

That's why consistent long runs are such an important part of preparing for sub-3.

So, the 3 Conditions Are...

If your goal is to break three hours in the marathon, these are three useful benchmarks to work toward:

1. Run 5K in approximately 19:15 or faster.

2. Develop enough speed endurance to make sub-3 marathon pace sustainable.

3. Build the durability to complete 30K+ long runs consistently.

Again...

meeting these three conditions does not automatically guarantee a sub-3 marathon.

Weather, race execution, fueling, course conditions, your individual strengths and weaknesses, and many other factors still matter.

But these benchmarks can tell you something important:

Are you moving in the right direction？

And that leads us to an even bigger question.

For Runners Who Want to Break 3 Hours in the Marathon

Do you want to run a marathon under three hours someday？

Maybe you're close right now.

Or maybe sub-3 still feels several years away.

Either way...

if sub-3 isn't one of your goals, what I'm about to show you probably isn't for you.

But if you do want to break three hours...

and you want a clear blueprint showing you how sub-3 marathon training can actually be structured...

I have something for you.

It's called:

25 Weeks Training Program for Running Marathon Sub 3 Hours

And it costs just:

$10.

But before you decide whether it's for you, let me explain exactly what you're getting.

This Isn't “Try These 3 Workouts and Maybe You'll Break 3 Hours”

You've probably seen training advice like this before:

“Do this interval workout.”

“Try this long run.”

“Do these three workouts and you'll run faster.”

That's not what this program is.

This is an actual:

25-week training program.

You'll see how an entire sub-3 training cycle can be structured...

week by week...

and day by day.

That includes the hard days.

The moderate days.

The easy days.

And yes...

the rest days.

Because recovery is also training.

You can't just keep adding hard workouts and expect your body to keep improving.

The stimulus matters.

But so does your ability to recover from that stimulus and adapt.

That's why the balance between hard, moderate, and easy training matters so much.

And this program shows you what that balance can actually look like.

Speed or Endurance?

Here's another mistake runners make.

They ask:

“Should I focus on speed or endurance？”

For a fast marathon...

the answer is:

Both.

If your only goal is to finish a marathon, endurance may take you a long way.

But if you want to race a marathon fast...

you need enough speed to make your goal pace feel manageable.

And enough endurance to maintain that pace for 42.195 kilometers.

This program shows you how speed work and endurance work can fit together across an entire training cycle.

Not just one week.

25 weeks.

Basic Training Comes Before Specific Training

There's another important concept I want you to understand.

If we want to race fast...

eventually, we need to simulate some of the demands of the race in training.

For example:

If your goal is sub-3, running 20 km around 4:15/km gives you experience with your target marathon pace.

But here's the problem:

What if you aren't fit enough to run 20 km at 4:15/km yet？

You can't start there.

You need to build the fitness that allows you to get there.

That's why basic training comes first.

Then...

as your basic fitness improves...

you gradually move toward more specific marathon training.

I've worked with hundreds of amateur runners over the years.

Some started around a 4:30 marathon and eventually progressed to sub-3.

But obviously, someone currently running 4:30 can't simply go outside tomorrow and run 20 km at 4:15/km.

So we don't start there.

We build the foundation first.

And once that foundation is built...

we maintain it while gradually adding more specific training.

That's why you'll see plenty of workouts in this 25-week program that don't look spectacular.

They aren't designed to destroy you.

But they're there for a reason.

Why 25 Weeks?

You might be wondering:

“Tex... why is this program so long？”

Twenty-five weeks is more than half a year.

There's a simple reason.

Small steps are easier to climb.

Many runners try to make huge jumps.

Then they fail because the next step is simply too big.

Good training is about breaking a difficult goal into smaller problems that your body can actually solve.

That's what these 25 weeks are designed to show you.

Now...

if you currently can't run 5K under 20 minutes...

or you aren't consistently running around 200 km per month / 50 km per week...

you may need even smaller steps before you're ready for some parts of the program.

That's okay.

Because even then, there's enormous value in knowing:

What does the destination actually look like？

You Need to Know Where You're Going

Imagine there's a huge treasure buried somewhere in the Philippines.

You know it exists.

But you have absolutely no idea where it is.

Would you fly to the Philippines tomorrow and start digging？

Probably not.

Where would you even begin？

But imagine someone gave you a map.

Now everything changes.

Maybe you're still thousands of kilometers away from the treasure.

But at least...

you know where you're going.

Sub-3 training is similar.

The biggest problem isn't always that you're far away from your goal.

Sometimes the bigger problem is:

You don't know which direction to go.

You don't know how far away you are.

And you don't know what the training should eventually look like.

That's what this program gives you.

A map.

But Please Don't Follow It 100%

This is extremely important.

I do NOT want you to blindly follow every workout in this program exactly as written.

Every runner is different.

Your training history is different.

Your age is different.

Your schedule is different.

Your strengths and weaknesses are different.

Your recovery ability is different.

So the details should be individualized.

But here's what's interesting.

When you look at runners who successfully progress toward sub-3...

their programs are rarely completely different.

A large part of the overall structure is often similar.

I like to think about it like a river.

Imagine getting into a boat.

You can't control every centimeter of your journey.

But if you choose the right river...

the current already takes you in the right direction.

You still have to steer.

You still have to make adjustments.

But you aren't starting from nothing.

That's how I'd like you to use this 25-week program.

Don't think:

“I must copy 100% of this.”

Think:

“Now I understand the flow.”

And once you understand the flow...

you can start adjusting the details to yourself.

That's the Real Advantage

A lot of amateur runners are working incredibly hard.

But they have no idea whether all that work is taking them in the right direction.

You don't necessarily need to work harder than everyone else.

First...

you need to know where you're going.

And for $10, you can see what an entire 25-week sub-3 marathon training cycle looks like.

Not one workout.

Not one week.

Twenty-five weeks.

So whether you're trying to break three hours in your next marathon...

or sub-3 is still a long-term dream...

this program can give you a blueprint for what the journey can look like.

👇

[Get the 25 Weeks Training Program for Running Marathon Sub 3 Hours — $10]

Getting started is simple.

Choose your payment method.

Enter your name and email address.

And after your purchase, the program will be sent to you automatically by email.

Within minutes...

you can have the full 25-week blueprint in front of you.

And instead of wondering:

“What should I do to break three hours？”

you'll finally have a much clearer picture of the road ahead.

If sub-3 is your goal...

start by getting the map.

👇

[Get the 25-Week Sub-3 Marathon Training Program →]

See you out there,

Tex