Experienced Runners' Marathon Training Plan

By Karen Hancock

This plan provides the daily details for someone training for London marathon 2009, 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 22-Dec 0 6 11 0 5 6 16 44 General preparation phase - building endurance and strength

  Core stability work and stretching Threshold session marathon-paced run at your current not target marathon pace or rest if running on Xmas Day Christmas Day - either rest or do Wednesday's run here Recovery run Hills session Long run pace  
16 29-Dec 0 6 12 0 5 6 17 46

  Core stability work and stretching Threshold session marathon-paced run at your current not target marathon pace New Year's Day- help at Serpentine NYD 10k Recovery run Hills session Long run pace  
15 05-Jan 0 6 13 5 5 0 18 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 Rest Long run pace  
14 12-Jan 4 7 8 0 5 4 14 42

  Easy run with 8 x 100m strides/sprints Threshold session Three Parks run but with a much slower group Core stability work and stretching Recovery run "Lite" Hills session Fred Hughes 10-mile race or Dartford 10-mile race Cutback week
13 19-Jan 0 7 14 0 5 6 18 50

  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 26-Jan 5 7 14 0 5 6 18 55

  Very slow recovery run Threshold session marathon-paced run at your current not target marathon pace Core stability work and stretching Recovery run Hills session Long run pace  
11 02-Feb 0 7 8 0 5 5 16 41

  Core stability work and stretching Threshold session Three Parks run Core stability work and stretching Recovery run "Lite" Hills session Wokingham 1/2 marathon + w/u and c/d Cutback week
10 09-Feb 5 7 14 0 5 7 20 58

  Very slow recovery run 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 16-Feb 5 7 15 0 6 7 20 60

  Very slow recovery run 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 23-Feb 0 7 8 5 5 6 21 52

  Core stability work and stretching Final threshold session Three parks run - pack for Lanzarote Easy run in Lanzarote track session Hills session Long run pace Lanzarote week
7 02-Mar 5 15 8 5 5 6 21 65 Sharpening phase

  Recovery run - nice and slow Lanzarote 1/2 marathon with w/u and c/d Tempo run at 1/2 marathon pace Recovery run Recovery run Faster Hills session Long run pace Lanzarote week
6 09-Mar 0 7 8 0 5 5 15 40

  Core stability work and stretching Speed session @ 10k pace Three parks at tempo pace Core stability work and stretching Recovery run Faster Hills session Half-marathon race -e.g. Bath, Fleet or Hastings Cutback week
5 16-Mar 5

7

15 0 5 6 22 60

  Very slow recovery run 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  
4 23-Mar 5 7 8 0 5 6 23 61

  Very slow recovery run Speed session @ 10k pace marathon-paced run at your current not target marathon pace Core stability work and stretching Recovery run plus strides Faster Hills session Long run pace  
3 30-Mar 5 7 16 0 5 6 24 63

  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 06-Apr 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 13-Apr 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 20-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+ 27-Apr               0 Transition (Recovery and Review)