Marathon Training Plans

MARATHON TRAINING PLANS

RACE TIME / TRAINING PACE CALCULATOR

DISTANCE RUN (decimals)
TIME TAKEN (h:m:s)
ESTIMATED TIME FOR:

PREDICTED TIME (h:m:s) FOR :


PACE	MILES / KM
EASY
STEADY
TEMPO
10K
5K
3K
1 Mile

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT PLAN FOR YOU

Whether
you are training for the Boston or the London Marathon, Caffeine Bullet
marathon training plans ensure that you peak on marathon day and run a
personal best, no matter what your level or ability is.

The weekly
mileage run in each training plan varies greatly depending on your
target time. Therefore, it is important that you choose a training plan
that matches your ability.

If you are unsure of what time to aim
for, run a 5k use your time to calculate your potential finish time
using a race time predictor.

If in doubt, start with the easier
plan, as it’s far better to discover that you are progressing quickly
and to then up your mileage, than taking on too much too soon and
risking injury.

MARATHON TRAINING EXPLAINED

Every training plan follows the same structure, so we have explained
how each day differs, why we run them and how it helps with marathon
training.

Monday Recovery Run
If you’re going
to drop a session, this is the one. The recovery run is intended to
engage your muscles, increasing blood flow and loosening them up to aid
your recovery, without being a long or intense enough run to tire you.

Tuesday Interval Session
It’s far easier to cruise at 80mph if your top speed is 120mph than if it’s only 90…

Tuesday’s
interval or hill sessions are to improve your leg strength, running
economy and top-end pace. As the distances increase it also improves
your stamina. Your pace for these sessions will vary between 3k-10k pace
depending on the distance of each interval. The reps should ideally all
be run at the same pace, your first rep feeling relatively easy and
growing progressive harder until you are close to flat out on your last
rep.

Wednesday Slow Builder
The Wednesday run should
be at an easy, conversational pace. The temptation is to run faster, but
it will tire you, without significant physiological benefits. The slow
builder increases your mileage and stamina until mid-way through your
training, when we transfer the miles to your Thursday run, getting your
body used to the mileage before training it to run at marathon pace when
tired.

Thursday Tempo Run / Threshold Session A
lot of people are nervous that if you never run more than 22 miles in
your training that they will hit the wall – it’s the Thursday tempo run
that simulates the last miles of your marathon and ensures you won’t
bonk. Thursday is your sixth straight day of running and that tiredness
is in your legs. The session increases in mileage each week, training
your body to deal with lactic acid build-up and also to run at marathon
pace when tired.

Friday Rest Day
What it says
on the tin – your physiological improvements are made when you rest and
repair, so it’s important to properly rest. If you have the itch and
really have to do something, go for a walk or do some stretching.

Saturday Cheeky Tester
Ok, we admit, ‘cheeky
tester’ is not an official training run name, but that’s what your
Saturdays are. A way to test how your training is progressing. Run a
parkrun flat-out and track your times. They won’t always improve as your
body will grow increasingly tired, while your fitness improves, but
it’s the run we most look forward to. If you wake up and still feel
tired or slightly stiff, just treat it as a recovery run.

Sunday Long Run
We’re
sure you all know this one. The long run increases your stamina and
running economy when tired. We build the distance in 4-week cycles,
reducing the mileage with a race every 4 weeks. The biggest mistake
people make is running their long run too quickly – which not only tires
you enough to reduce training quality the following week, it also
increases your risk of injury. Once you are used to the mileage, some of
the longer runs end at marathon pace, simulating the last few miles of
your marathon.

PICK YOUR PLAN

SUB 2 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN

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SUB 2:30 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2023)

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‘HAPPY TO FINISH’ MARATHON TRAINING PLAN

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SUB 2:30 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2022)

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SUB 2:45 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2023)

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SUB 2:45 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2022)

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SUB 3 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2023)

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SUB 3 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2022)

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SUB 3:15 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2023)

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SUB 3:30 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2023)

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SUB 3:45 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2023)

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SUB 4 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2023)

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SUB 4:30 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2023)

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SUB 5 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2023)

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SUB 5:30 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2023)

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SUB 6 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2023)

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SUB 6:30 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2023)

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SUB 7 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2023)

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SUB 7:30 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2023)

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SUB 8 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2023)

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SUB 8:30 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2023)

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SUB 9 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2023)

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