When Howard Calvert, a fellow club runner and marathon coach, asked me for advice ahead of this year’s London Marathon, he already had the hard work mapped out. What he wanted was one thing added to the mix: simple long progression runs.
It’s a principle I’ve leaned on for decades, and one that still holds up.
Howard was chasing something that would have felt out of reach for most 47-year-olds: a first sub-2:30 marathon. He’d already shown real signs that it was possible, running 2:32 in the heat the year before by racing on feel rather than by the watch.
For this block, he built around higher weekly mileage, slower easy runs, threshold work aimed at pushing his lactate threshold higher, and sessions designed to test him mentally as much as physically, including one brutal 22-lap loop split between fast and marathon pace.
On the day, Sunday 26 April 2026, he crossed the line in under 2:30, with 58 seconds to spare, on the same day two elite men went under two hours for the first time in history.
Watching Howard run at 47 was brilliant. It shows there’s no expiry date on getting faster, if you train smart and stay patient.
His story is a reminder that age doesn’t have to be a ceiling. With the right structure and a willingness to test your limits in training, PBs are still there to be found well into your forties, and beyond!
Howard’s mid-life running story was featured in Runner’s World and Men’s Health.
Thinking about going beyond the marathon? Don’t miss Howard’s guide to ultramarathon training.
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