3:25 marathon running 3 days a week?

I've got a friend named Roberto. He is one of the faster runners during our Tuesday and Thursday morning training runs. And when I say fast, I mean his warm-up mile is 7:30.

 

So Thursday morning, after we complete our 5.8-mile hill course around TCU, I overhear Roberto talking to another runner who is having some apprehension about running a marathon. Roberto tells him, correctly, that if he'd just run slower, he'd be able to make the distance.

 

Then, he goes on to say that what he did to run a 3:25 marathon last year. I butt in _ politely _ to tell the other guy that if he'd increase his mileage, he'd also be on his way. Then I turn to Roberto and say, "Wow, 3:25. How many miles a week did you have to do to pull that off."

 

With a straight face, Roberto says, "I only ran three times a week. Tuesday (fast), Thursday (hills), and Saturday (long)."

 

Me: "Are you kidding? That's impossible"

 

Roberto: "Nahh, man. I'm not kidding. I guess I was always fresh for each run and never had to worry about injuries."

 

I guess some people are born runners.

 

Still, I love running wayyyy too much to only three days a week. Besides, I'm afraid if ran that little, what little speed and endurance I've put together would just wither away. No, I'm sure I'll need every mile and every VO2max training run to squeeze out what I hope can be a 3:30 marathon.