SUB 4 HOUR MARATHON TRAINING PLAN (2024)

To consider using this plan you should be used to regularly running 15+ miles per week and be able to run a 5k in 25:00, a 10k in 52:30 or a half marathon in 1:54.

A sub 4 hour marathon is 9:09 per mile, however, you are likely to run around 26.4 miles on the day due to crowding, so you should aim for 9:05. 

RACE TIME / TRAINING PACE CALCULATOR
PACE MILES / KM
EASY
STEADY
TEMPO
10K
5K
3K
1 Mile
WEEK MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT SUN
Week 1 4.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km Rest 6.4km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 3.2km Steady - 05:41 mins/km Rest 4.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 11.2km Easy - 06:24 mins/km
Week 2 Rest 1.6km Easy, 2 x 1.5M fast with 400m recoveries, 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
8.0km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 1.6km Easy, 3.2km Tempo, 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km,
Tempo - 05:27 mins/km
Rest 4.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km or Parkrun 12.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km
Week 3 Rest 1.6km Easy, 3 x 1.6km fast with 400m recoveries, 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
9.6km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 1.6km Easy 4.8km Steady 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
Steady - 05:41 mins/km
Rest 4.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km or Parkrun 14.4km Easy - 06:24 mins/km
Week 4 Rest 1.6km Easy, 4 x 800m fast with 200m recoveries, 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
11.2km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 1.6km Easy, 3.2km Tempo, 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
Tempo - 05:27 mins/km
Rest 4.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 1.6km Easy, 8.0km/10k Race, 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
Race - 05:13 mins/km
Week 5 Rest 1.6km Easy, 6.4km Fartlek, 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
8.0km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 8.0km Steady - 05:41 mins/km Rest 4.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km or Parkrun 17.6km Easy - 06:24 mins/km
Week 6 Rest 1.6km Easy, 8 x 2 mins uphill, Easy back, 1.6km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 9.6km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 1.6km Easy, 4.8km Tempo, 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
Tempo - 05:27 mins/km
Rest 4.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km or Parkrun 20.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km
Week 7 Rest 1.6km Easy and strides, then 10 x 400m with 200m Easy recoveries, then 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
11.2km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 9.6km Steady - 05:41 mins/km Rest 4.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 24.0km Easy - 06:24 mins/km
Week 8 Rest 1.6km Easy, 12 x 200m with 200m Easy recoveries, then 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
11.2km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 1.6km Easy, 3.2km Tempo, 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
Tempo - 05:27 mins/km
Rest 4.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km Race (ideally half-marathon) or 24.0km Tempo - 05:27 mins/km
Week 9 Rest 1.6km Easy and strides, then 10 x 90 secs uphill, Easy back, then 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
11.2km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 12.8km Steady - 05:41 mins/km Rest 4.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 27.2km Easy - 06:24 mins/km
Week 10 Rest 1.6km Easy, 3 x 1.5M fast with 400m Easy recoveries, then 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
16.0km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 1.6km Easy, 4.8km Tempo, 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
Tempo - 05:27 mins/km
Rest 4.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km Half-marathon (aim for sub-1:50)
Week 11 Rest 1.6km Easy, 8.0km Fartlek, then 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
9.6km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 12.8km Steady - 05:41 mins/km Rest 4.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km or Parkrun 30.4km Easy - 06:24 mins/km
Week 12 Rest 1.6km Easy and strides, 4 x 1.6km fast with 200m (90 secs) Easy recoveries, then 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
11.2km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 1.6km Easy, 4.8km Tempo, 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
Tempo - 05:27 mins/km
Rest 4.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km or Parkrun 33.6km
Week 13 Rest 1.6km Easy and strides, 10 x 90 secs uphill, Easy back, then 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
11.2km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 1.6km Easy, 6.4km Tempo, 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
Tempo - 05:27 mins/km
Rest 4.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km or Parkrun 32.0km Easy - 06:24 mins/km
Week 14 Rest 1.6km Easy - 06:24 mins/km, 6x800m fast with 100m recoveries 9.6km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 11.2km Steady - 05:41 mins/km Rest 4.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km or Parkrun 28.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km
Week 15 Rest 1.6km Easy, then 8 x 400m (90 secs) fast with 200m (2-min) Easy recoveries, then 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
8.0km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 1.6km Easy, 4.8km Tempo, then 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
Tempo - 05:27 mins/km
Rest 4.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km 19.2km Steady - 05:41 mins/km
Race Week Rest 1.6km Easy, 10x200m fast (45 secs) with 100m (30 secs) recoveries, then 1.6km Easy
Easy - 06:24 mins/km
4.8km Easy - 06:24 mins/km Rest Rest 3.2km Easy - 06:24 mins/km Race day!