Experienced Runners' Marathon Training Plan

This plan provides the daily details for someone training for London marathon 2008, although it can be adopted for any marathon by refering to the 'weeks to go' instead of the date. It is designed for a non-novice marathoner - someone with around 2 years of running experience or more behind them.

Some guidance on the paces mentioned:

  • Long run should be at a comfortable chatty pace
  • Threshold session should include 30-40 minutes at around 85% max HR or "comfortably hard" pace. Can be done as intervals with short recoveries - e.g. 4 x 8 mins with 1 min easy jogging between
  • Marathon-paced run - will get faster as the race approaches - so run by perceived effort - a bit harder than the long run, but slightly slower than the threshold session
  • Hills session should be about 25-40 minutes of continuous up and downhill efforts in the endurance-building phase or substitute a cross-country race

These are the 4 "active ingredients" in the marathon training recipe to build endurance, strength and marathon-speed. If you want or feel you need to do more miles than this, then do additional miles at recovery run ("hello clouds, hello sky") pace. But if you're injury-prone, add cross-training (swimming, biking, elliptical cross-trainer) instead. I also highly recommend core stability or Pilates at least once a week to help improve your posture, balance, running efficiency and injury-resistance. A programme like this is eminently suitable for sub-3:15/sub 3:00 women and sub 3:00/sub 2:45 men, so long as you make the key sessions - the active ingredients - at the prescribed paces. Novices should concentrate more on the distances recommended than worrying about their pace.

Weeks to go Week
starting
 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Total
Miles		 Phase of
training
17 10-Dec 0 6 13 0 5 6 16 46 General preparation phase - building endurance and strength

  Core stability work and stretching Threshold session marathon-paced run at your current not target marathon pace Core stability work and stretching Recovery run Hills session Long run pace  
16 17-Dec 0 6 13 0 5 6 17 47

  Core stability work and stretching Threshold session marathon-paced run at your current not target marathon pace Core stability work and stretching Recovery run Hills session Long run pace  
15 24-Dec 0 13 6 0 5 0 12 36

  Core stability work and stretching Xmas Day: go at long run pace, nice and comfy Threshold session: 2 x 15 mins at LT pace with 2 mins jog between Core stability work and stretching Recovery run Rest Long run pace Cutback week
14 31-Dec 4 7 8 0 5 6 18 48

  Easy run with 8 x 100m strides/sprints New Years Day 10k race Three Parks run but with a much slower group Core stability work and stretching Recovery run Hills session Long run pace  
13 07-Jan 0 6 14 0 5 6 18 49

  Core stability work and stretching Threshold session marathon-paced run at your current not target marathon pace Core stability work and stretching Recovery run Hills session Long run pace  
12 14-Jan 5 6 8 0 5 0 14 38

  Very slow recovery run Threshold session Three parks run Core stability work and stretching Recovery run Rest Fred Hughes 10-mile race Cutback week
11 21-Jan 0 6 13 0 5 6 18 48

  Core stability work and stretching Threshold session marathon-paced run at your current not target marathon pace Core stability work and stretching Recovery run Hills session Long run pace  
10 28-Jan 0 6 14 0 5 6 20 51

  Core stability work and stretching Threshold session marathon-paced run at your current not target marathon pace Core stability work and stretching Recovery run Hills session Long run pace  
9 04-Feb 0 6 14 0 5 6 20 51

  Core stability work and stretching Threshold session marathon-paced run at your current not target marathon pace Core stability work and stretching Recovery run Hills session Long run pace  
8 11-Feb 0 6 8 0 0 0 21 35

  Core stability work and stretching Final threshold session Three parks run Core stability work and stretching Rest Rest Long run pace Cutback week
7 18-Feb 0 6 13 0 5 6 16 46 Sharpening phase

  Core stability work and stretching Speed session @ 10k pace Drop down a pace-group Core stability work and stretching Recovery run Faster Hills session Long run pace  
6 25-Feb 0 6 14 0 5 5 22 52

  Core stability work and stretching Speed session @ 10k pace With faster pace-group Core stability work and stretching Recovery run Faster Hills session Long run pace Lanzarote week
5 03-Mar 0 6 15 0 5 6 23 55

  Core stability work and stretching Speed session @ mixed paces: 10k, 5k, 3k marathon-paced run at your current not target marathon pace Core stability work and stretching Recovery run Faster Hills session Long run pace Lanzarote week
4 10-Mar 0 6 8 0 5 0 15 34

  Core stability work and stretching Speed session @ 10k pace Three parks run Core stability work and stretching Recovery run plus strides Rest Half marathon race
e.g. Bath, Fleet or Hastings		 Cutback week
3 17-Mar 5 6 15 0 5 6 24 61

  Recovery run - nice and slow Speed session @ 5k pace marathon-paced run at your current not target marathon pace Core stability work and stretching Recovery run Faster Hills session Long run pace  
2 24-Mar 0 6 14 0 0 4 20 44 Taper

  Core stability work and stretching Speed session @ 5k pace With faster pace-group Core stability work and stretching Rest Part of faster hills session Long run pace  
1 31-Mar 0 5 8 0 0 4 12 29

  Core stability work and stretching Speed session @ 3k pace Three parks run - fast Core stability work and stretching Rest Part of faster hills session At marathon pace  
0 07-Apr 0 4 5 0 3 0 26.2 38.2

  Core stability work and stretching Speed session @ 3k pace Two parks run - fast Core stability work and stretching Easy jog then 10 x 100m strides Rest London Marathon    
1 14-Apr               0 Transition (Recovery and Review)