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At 45 years old, Patrick Blair ran a 2:25 Boston Marathon, finishing second in his age group. Even more remarkably, he's running faster in his mid-40s than he did as a competitive college runner. His biggest training secret? Running incredibly slowly for 95–97% of his training.
So how can runners over 40 continue getting faster, improve their marathon times, and avoid injuries as they age?
In this episode of The Endurance Lab, Patrick Blair joins Jusman So to break down his marathon training philosophy, including why he runs most of his miles at an easy pace, how he structures his training throughout the year, and the changes that helped him break through a performance plateau.
Patrick regularly runs around 100 miles per week during his higher-volume training weeks, often at surprisingly slow paces of 11–13 minutes per mile on trails. But there's much more to his success than simply running slowly.
We explore the role of easy running, aerobic base training, hill sprints, strides, marathon-specific workouts, recovery, and long-term consistency in helping masters runners improve their performance.
Whether you're training for your first marathon, chasing a Boston Marathon qualifying time, trying to improve your personal best, or simply wondering how to run faster after 40, this conversation offers a fascinating look at what's possible with intelligent, consistent training.
Patrick's training volume is far higher than most recreational runners can realistically manage, so we also discuss how training intensity and mileage might need to differ for runners with limited time.
