The One Workout This Elite Marathoner Swears by to Build Confidence Before a Big Race

When Nell Rojas entered the marathon world in 2018, she took it by storm with a decisive win: She ran the 2018 California International Marathon in 2:31:23, coming in seventh, and qualifying for the 2020 Olympic trials, which had a cutoff time of 2:37:00 for women.Just a few months after her debut at the distance, Rojas won the 2019 Grandma’s Marathon, improving her time to 2:28:06.Then came the cold, windy, and hilly 2020 Olympic trials. Despite feeling overprepared, Rojas’s body couldn’t take any more fuel after mile 16, and she hit the wall at mile 20.She quickly bounced back, and a year later, at the 2021 Boston Marathon, she came in as the top U.S. woman at 2:27:12. She’d also finish as the top U.S. woman the year after that in 2:25:57, and run her PR of 2:24:51 on the same course in 2023.Rojas would be the first to say that even elite runners experience crappy races—and need their confidence boosted before big races. For Rojas, it’s a workout she calls 5555. “If I nail this, I can really perform during the race,” she says.She starts with a marathon warmup, which is one mile easy, followed by dynamic stretches, drills, and a couple of strides, all to get the heart rate up. “You really have to practice that because that's all you get for a marathon,” she says. After that, she runs 5 miles at marathon pace plus 60 seconds, which, for her, is 6:30. The next 5 miles are at a marathon pace of 5:30, followed by another 5 at 6:30, and finally 5 more at 5:30.Other than racing half marathons leading up to her 26.2, this is what makes her confident that she’s ready for the big day.Here’s the breakdown, so you can try the workout for yourself.Try the WorkoutThis workout is designed for experienced marathoners looking to improve their race times or hit a specific goal.Warmup1 mile easydynamic stretchesdrillsa couple of stridesThe Workout5 miles at marathon pace plus 60 seconds5 miles at marathon pace5 miles at marathon pace plus 60 seconds5 miles at marathon paceCooldownWant Nell Rojas to Coach You Through Your First or Next Marathon?Trevor Raab← Now that you know what not to do, are you ready to dial in your training? As the host of Master the Marathon: The Runner’s World Guide to Conquering 26.2, Nell Rojas will coach you from day one all the way to the finish line. Whether you’re targeting your first, next, or best 26.2 miles, our program lets you choose from a range of training plans based on your goals, and it offers expert guidance on injury prevention, strength training, long runs, tapering, fueling, and so much more! Available exclusively to Runner’s World+ members.Pavlína Černá, an RRCA-certified run coach and cycling enthusiast, has been with Runner’s World, Bicycling, and Popular Mechanics since August 2021. When she doesn’t edit, she writes; when she doesn’t write, she reads or translates. In whatever time she has left, you can find her outside running, riding, or roller-skating to the beat of one of the many audiobooks on her TBL list.