Marathon Training Program – 16 Week Plan
Got a target marathon time you want to hit and don’t know where to start training? This marathon training program will help you meticulously plan your training over the next 16 weeks to be in optimal condition for race day.
We have teamed up with Bradley Scanes, otherwise known as Physio Brad the personal physio to F1 world champion Max Verstappen to bring you this guide. Brad is an avid runner with a very competitive marathon time, he has recently launched an app providing bespoke training and rehab plans, you can find him on Instagram @Physiobrad.
Pacing
This programme is set up for pacing for going just below the 4 hour mark. To change your pacing numbers a useful website is https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/hmmcalculator/race_equivalency_calculator.php
Here you will be able to input your results from a race like a 5km or a 10km and it will give you what your training paces will be for slow runs, long runs, fast runs etc.
If you’re aiming for a 4 hour marathon then you need to target 5.40 mins per km.
Pacing is the hardest thing to get right. Don’t do anything different from your race strategy and ensure during training that you practice pacing runs.
You will have a target time, which will equate to a target pace – stick to it. You will lose much more time at the back end of the race if you run out of steam than you will going slower at the start. It is a long race, you have plenty of time to make up the seconds. What you want is to arrive around 20 miles / 32 km feeling good and ready to kick on, to achieve one of runnings holy grails of a negative split. For example if you want to run a sub 4, sit behind the sub 4 group, keep them in site and then kick on at 30-32km.
Key points:
- Don’t dodge in and out of people at the start. Just go with it. After a couple of kilometres the crowds will filter out and you will be able to settle into your pace
- Run as though you are trying to hold yourself back to start. Its a long race, you will catch the time easy, but if you are hanging on at the end you will lose much more time
- The race does not start until 20 miles, so arrive there feeling good, and then kick on if you can
- Don’t be a slave to the watch, work out what your 5km times should be and check them instead of looking every 1km
Practice Races
Running races in the lead up to your marathon is a great way to get some race practice and determine the best pacing strategy for training and for race day.
I’d recommend a 5km around 3-4 weeks in, 10km around 7-8 weeks in and a half marathon around 11-12 weeks into your program.
Nutrition & Hydration
As a rule of thumb if you haven’t trained with it then don’t race with it. You want to learn through your training what works for you, tweak and optimise throughout, then emulate that on race day. The last thing you want is to try something new on race day that throws you off.
General rule of thumb when racing is sip water every 3 miles / 5 km. Most races will have water stations at these locations or near enough. And an energy gel every 10km or 1 hour, which ever comes first. However, everyone will need to find where their own tolerance levels are, for example my tolerance to gels is around 8-9km, that’s when I need to take one for my energy levels.
Pre-race again you’ll want to find what works best for you, but for me I find the following to work best:
Wednesday to Friday leading up to the race – an increase in carbs. For me 2 pasta meals and a rice meal.
Saturday – normal meal, relatively light, as I don’t want to be waking up full and bloated in the morning. Sip water all day. Pre load electrolytes in evening.
Sunday Race Day – breakfast a couple of hours before the race, and what you would normally have before long runs or have practiced with, for me it’s 4 pieces of toast with jam, 2 coffees. Energy gel around 30 mins before race start. Sip water throughout.
Macrocycle
Try to establish a routine that you can stick to come rain or shine, get used to running 4 times per week consistently. Easy days will be Tuesday and Saturday, speed work on Thursday, and Sunday will be the long run day. You can adapt the days you do this on to fit your routine but keep them in the same order as this with the same S&C and rest days to optimise recovery.
Training Phase 1 – Fundamentals 1
| Week | Total Run Time | Long Run Time |
| 1 | 2:15 | 0:45 |
| 2 | 2:40 | 1:00 |
| 3 | 3:15 | 1:15 |
| 4 | 3:00 | 1:00 |
Training Phase 2 – Specifics 1
| Week | Total Run Time | Long Run Time |
| 5 | 3:30 | 1:30 |
| 6 | 4:10 | 1:45 |
| 7 | 3:20 | 2:00 |
| 8 | 3:40 | 1:30 |
Training Phase 3 – Specifics 2
| Week | Total Run Time | Long Run Time |
| 9 | 4:25 | 2:15 |
| 10 | 3:55 | 2:30 |
| 11 | 4:55 | 2:45 |
| 12 | 3:55 | 1:30 |
Training Phase 4 – Specifics 3 & Taper
| Week | Total Run Time | Long Run Time |
| 13 | 5:05 | 3:00 |
| 14 | 5:15 | 2:30 |
| 15 | 3:40 | 1:30 |
| 16 | Marathon |
Recovery
| Week | Total Run Time | Long Run Time |
| 17 | 0:50 | 0:30 |
Mesocycle
Week 1
| Day | Run | Daily Total | Other |
| M | Rest day | ||
| T | Easy steady run at 5:20 to 5:50 pace | 0:30 | |
| W | S&C | ||
| T | Easy steady run at 5:20 to 5:50 pace | 0:30 | |
| F | S&C | ||
| S | Easy steady run at 5:20 to 5:50 pace | 0:30 | |
| S | Easy steady run at 5:20 to 5:50 pace | 0:45 | |
| Total | 2:15 |
Week 2
| Day | Run | Daily Total | Other |
| M | Rest day | ||
| T | Easy steady run at 5:20 to 5:50 pace | 0:30 | |
| W | S&C | ||
| T | Run session | 0:40 | 10 minutes easy running warm up, then straight into 4 x 1km in 4:30 – 4:45 per km with a 1.5 minute rest between. Jog cool down the time remaining. |
| F | S&C | ||
| S | Easy steady run at 5:20 to 5:50 pace | 0:30 | |
| S | Easy steady run at 5:20 to 5:50 pace | 1:00 | |
| Total | 2:40 |
Week 3
| Day | Run | Daily Total | Other |
| M | Rest day | ||
| T | Easy steady run at 5:10 to 5:30 pace | 0:30 | |
| W | S&C | ||
| T | Run session | 1:00 | 15 minutes steady run warm up. 4 x 20 seconds fast strides with a walk back to start recovery. Take a minute or two to gather yourself. 8 x 2 minutes fast, 2 minutes jog in between. Fast section at approx 4:45 minutes per km. Jog very slow. 10 minutes easy run cool down. |
| F | S&C | ||
| S | Easy steady run at 5:20 to 5:40 pace | 0:30 | |
| S | Easy steady run at 5:10 to 5:30 pace | 1:15 | |
| Total | 3:15 |
Week 4
| Day | Run | Daily Total | Other |
| M | Rest day | ||
| T | Easy steady run at 5:10 to 5:30 pace | 0:30 | |
| W | S&C | ||
| T | Run session | 1:00 | 15 minutes steady run warm up. 4 x 20 seconds fast strides with a walk back to start recovery. Take a minute or two to gather yourself. 6 x 3 minutes fast, 2 minutes jog in between. Fast section at approx 4:45 minutes per km speed. Jog very slow. 10 minutes easy run cool down. |
| F | S&C | ||
| S | Easy steady run at 5:20 to 5:40 pace | 0:30 | |
| S | Easy steady run at 5:10 to 5:30 pace | 1:00 | |
| Total | 3:00 |
Week 5
| Day | Run | Daily Total | Other |
| M | Rest day | ||
| T | Easy steady run at 5:10 to 5:30 pace | 0:30 | |
| W | S&C | ||
| T | Run session | 1:00 | 15 minutes steady run warm up. 4 x 20 seconds fast strides with a walk back to start recovery. Take a minute or two to gather yourself. 5 x 4 minutes fast, 2 minutes jog in between. Fast section at approx 4:45-5 minutes per km speed. Jog very slow. 10 minutes easy run cool down. |
| F | S&C | ||
| S | Easy steady run at 5:20 to 5:40 pace | 0:30 | |
| S | Easy steady run at 5:10 to 5:30 pace | 1:30 | |
| Total | 3:30 |
Week 6
| Day | Run | Daily Total | Other |
| M | Rest day | ||
| T | Easy steady run at 5:10 to 5:30 pace | 0:40 | |
| W | S&C | ||
| T | Run session | 1:00 | 15 minutes steady run warm up. 4 x 20 seconds fast strides 40 secs jog in between Take a minute or two to gather yourself. 3 x 6 minutes fast, 3 minutes jog in between. Fast section at approx 4:30-4:45 minutes per km speed. Jog very slow. 10 minutes easy run cool down. |
| F | S&C | ||
| S | Easy steady run at 5:20 to 5:40 pace | 0:30 | |
| S | Easy steady run at 5:10 to 5:30 pace | 1:45 | |
| Total | 3:55 |
Week 7
| Day | Run | Daily Total | Other |
| M | Rest day | ||
| T | Easy steady run at 5:10 to 5:30 pace | 0:40 | |
| W | S&C | ||
| T | Run session | 1:00 | 15 minutes steady run warm up. 4 x 20 seconds fast strides 40 secs jog in between Take a minute or two to gather yourself. 3 x 8 minutes fast, 3 minutes jog in between. Fast section at approx 4:30-4:45 minutes per km speed. Jog very slow. 10 minutes easy run cool down. |
| F | S&C | ||
| S | Easy steady run at 5:20 to 5:40 pace | 0:30 | |
| S | Easy steady run at 5:10 to 5:30 pace | 2:00 | |
| Total | 4:10 |
Week 8
| Day | Run | Daily Total | Other |
| M | Rest day | ||
| T | Easy steady run at 5:10 to 5:30 pace | 0:30 | |
| W | S&C | ||
| T | Run session | 1:00 | 15 min easy warm up jog. 10 x 60 secs quick. 60 secs slow jog in between. 10 min cool down jog. |
| F | S&C | ||
| S | Easy steady run at 5:20 to 5:40 pace | 0:30 | |
| S | Easy steady run at 5:10 to 5:30 pace | 1:30 | |
| Total | 3:30 |
Week 9
| Day | Run | Daily Total | Other |
| M | Rest day | ||
| T | Easy steady run at 5:10 to 5:30 pace | 0:50 | |
| W | S&C | ||
| T | Run session | 0:50 | 30 mins @ 5:15 per km 20 mins @ 5:00 per km 10 mins @ 4:45 per km |
| F | S&C | ||
| S | Easy steady run at 5:20 to 5:40 pace | 0:30 | |
| S | Easy steady run at 5:10 to 5:30 pace | 2:15 | |
| Total | 4:25 |
Week 10
| Day | Run | Daily Total | Other |
| M | Rest day | ||
| T | Easy steady run at 5:50 to 6:20 pace | 0:40 | |
| W | S&C | ||
| T | Run session | 1:00 | 15 minutes steady run warm up. 4 x 20 seconds fast strides 40 secs jog in between. Take a minute or two to gather yourself. 3 x 9 minutes fast, 3 minutes jog in between. Fast section at approx 4:30-4:45 minutes per km speed. Jog very slow. 10 minutes easy run cool down. |
| F | S&C | ||
| S | Easy steady run at 6:20 to 6:40 pace | 0:30 | |
| S | Easy steady run at 5:50 to 6:20 pace | 2:30 | |
| Total | 4:40 |
Week 11
| Day | Run | Daily Total | Other |
| M | Rest day | ||
| T | Easy steady run at 5:50 to 6:20 pace | 0:40 | |
| W | S&C | ||
| T | Run session | 1:00 | 30 mins @ 5:55 20 mins @ 5:40 10 mins @ 5:25 |
| F | S&C | ||
| S | Easy steady run at 6:20 to 6:40 pace | 0:30 | |
| S | Easy steady run at 5:50 to 6:20 pace | 2:45 | |
| Total | 4:55 |
Week 12
| Day | Run | Daily Total | Other |
| M | Rest day | ||
| T | Easy steady run at 5:50 to 6:20 pace | 0:40 | |
| W | S&C | ||
| T | Run session | 1:00 | Run 10km in 55 mins (5:30m/km) |
| F | S&C | ||
| S | Easy steady run at 6:20 to 6:40 pace | 0:30 | |
| S | Easy steady run at 5:50 to 6:20 pace | 1:30 | |
| Total | 3:40 |
Week 13
| Day | Run | Daily Total | Other |
| M | Rest day | ||
| T | Easy steady run at 5:50 to 6:20 pace | 0:40 | |
| W | S&C | ||
| T | Run session | 0:55 | 15 minutes warm up, nice and easy running. 2 x 12 minutes fast, 3 minutes jog in between. Fast section at approx 4:30-4:45 minutes per km speed. Jog very slow. 10 minutes easy run cool down. |
| F | S&C | ||
| S | Easy steady run at 6:20 to 6:40 pace | 0:30 | |
| S | Easy steady run at 5:50 to 6:20 pace | 3:00 | |
| Total | 5:05 |
Week 14
| Day | Run | Daily Total | Other |
| M | Rest day | ||
| T | Easy steady run at 5:50 to 6:20 pace | 0:40 | |
| W | S&C | ||
| T | Run session | 0:35 | 10 mins jog warm up. 3km @ 5:35-5:40 min/km. Jog cool down remaining time. |
| F | S&C | ||
| S | Easy steady run at 6:20 to 6:40 pace | 0:30 | |
| S | Easy steady run at 5:50 to 6:20 pace | 3:30 | |
| Total | 5:15 |
Week 15
| Day | Run | Daily Total | Other |
| M | Rest day | ||
| T | Easy steady run at 5:50 to 6:20 pace | 0:40 | |
| W | S&C | ||
| T | Run session | 1:00 | 15 minutes warm up, nice and easy running. 2 x 15 minutes fast, 3 minutes jog in between. Fast section at approx 4:30-4:45 minutes per km speed. Jog very slow. 10 minutes easy run cool down. |
| F | S&C | ||
| S | Easy steady run at 6:20 to 6:40 pace | 0:30 | |
| S | Easy steady run at 5:50 to 6:20 pace | 1:30 | |
| Total | 3:40 |
Week 16
| Day | Run | Daily Total | Other |
| M | Rest day | ||
| T | Easy steady run at 5:50 to 6:20 pace | 0:30 | |
| W | S&C | ||
| T | Run session | 0:30 | 10 mins jog. 2km @ 5:35 – 5:40 min/km. Cool down remaining time. |
| F | S&C | ||
| S | Easy steady run at 6:20 to 6:40 pace | 0:15 | |
| S | Race Day | Target sub 4 | Target Pace 5:35/40 until at least 20 miles, then if you feel you have more you can attack from there. |
| Total | 5:15 |
Week 17
| Day | Run | Daily Total | Other |
| M | No run | ||
| T | No run | ||
| W | No run | ||
| T | No run | ||
| F | No run | ||
| S | Easy run | 0:20 | |
| S | Easy run | 0:30 |
Strength & Conditioning
S&C is a key component of your marathon training. A lot of people think just running is sufficient, but you’ll see huge improvements from incorporating a consistent S&C regime into your program. As shown above in the mesocycle this should be done twice per week, for me on Wednesday & Friday.
Weeks 1-4
| Exercise | Sets & Reps | Comments | Video |
| Double leg glute bridge | 3 x 12 – 20 | Start with 3 sets of what you can, aim to get up 3×20 and be comfortable on each one, and then progress. | https://youtu.be/Z-ZFkRRoXOI |
| Double leg hamstring bridge | 3 x 12 – 20 | As above | https://youtu.be/PBzKEWuPfHI |
| Double leg calf raise | 3 x 12 – 20 | As above | https://youtu.be/yu1jcm049XY |
| Side straight leg raise | 3 x 12 – 20 | As above | https://youtu.be/bakwY5nFdcI |
| Seated knee extension | 3 x 12 | Banded, increase resistance of band rather than reps when easy | https://youtu.be/ZZ9W8DkRUH8 |
Weeks 5-8
| Exercise | Sets & Reps | Comments | Video |
| Single leg glute bridge | 3 x 12 – 20 | Start with 3 sets of what you can, aim to get up 3×20 and be comfortable on each one, and then progress. | https://youtu.be/FsNk5MVwuGY |
| Single leg hamstring bridge | 3 x 12 – 20 | As above | https://youtu.be/gU0Ygz-pyG0 |
| Single leg calf raise | 3 x 12 – 20 | As above | https://youtu.be/q5BCe853H1M |
| Side straight leg raise | 3 x 12 – 20 | As above | https://youtu.be/bakwY5nFdcI |
| Seated knee extension | 3 x 12 | Banded, increase resistance of band rather than reps when easy | https://youtu.be/ZZ9W8DkRUH8 |
Weeks 9-12
| Exercise | Sets & Reps | Comments | Video |
| Squat | 3 x 12 | Add weight when reps are comfortable | https://youtu.be/juiHLghhvgc or https://youtu.be/PIdL9wsNS2E or https://youtube.com/shorts/pLYjJhjUeOc?feature=share |
| Deadlift | 3 x 12 | Choose weight based on difficulty, you want this to be challenging but able to complete 12 reps | https://youtu.be/KXnZ3n3e-aY or https://youtu.be/wcG2jbZm0rA or https://youtu.be/8Qb7wmtmJn8 |
| High step up | 3 x 12 | https://youtu.be/Yc1ot8TaRcc | |
| Single leg hamstring bridge on step | 3 x 12 | https://youtu.be/EWzXWIAPSrw | |
| Single leg calf raise | 3 x 12 | Weighted | https://youtu.be/RESlowo67Ok or https://youtu.be/y35-dYiXZqE or https://youtu.be/AZVH7wjtwXM |
| Seated knee extension | 3 x 12 | Banded, increase resistance of band rather than reps when easy | https://youtu.be/ZZ9W8DkRUH8 |
Weeks 13-16
| Exercise | Sets & Reps | Comments | Video |
| Squat | 3 x 12 | Weighted | https://youtu.be/juiHLghhvgc or https://youtu.be/PIdL9wsNS2E or https://youtube.com/shorts/pLYjJhjUeOc?feature=share |
| Single leg Bulgarian split squats | 3 x 12 | Weighted when reps feel comfortable | https://youtu.be/0P7pcZn11Rc |
| Single leg glute bridge | 3 x 20 | https://youtu.be/FsNk5MVwuGY | |
| Deadlift | 3 x 12 | Choose weight based on difficulty, you want this to be challenging but able to complete 12 reps | https://youtu.be/KXnZ3n3e-aY or https://youtu.be/wcG2jbZm0rA or https://youtu.be/8Qb7wmtmJn8 |
| High step up | 3 x 12 | https://youtu.be/Yc1ot8TaRcc | |
| Single leg calf raise | 3 x 12 | Weighted | https://youtu.be/RESlowo67Ok or https://youtu.be/y35-dYiXZqE or https://youtu.be/AZVH7wjtwXM |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 x 12 | Choose weight based on difficulty, you want this to be challenging but able to complete 12 reps | https://youtu.be/BYO51UxEjmU or https://youtu.be/mxe3KWMzRrk |
| Single leg hamstring bridge on step | 3 x 12 | https://youtu.be/EWzXWIAPSrw |
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