Last time I started marathon training, I started a blog and posted my training plan on it.
This wasn’t (just) self-aggrandisement or self-publicity. It was an attempt to have some form of public conscience. If I didn’t stick to the training, I would need to come to the blog and explain why – so I’d better have a pretty good excuse!
That part seemed to work, so I’m going to do the same again.
This is my training plan, which I hope will lead me to a four hour marathon at the end of September.
In the interest of brevity I have not listed all the warm-up and cool-down phases of my planned runs, rather I have listed the main “target” or “activity” part of the run. Most of the weekday runs will probably be run on the same 6 mile course that I often run, all that will change is the “how” of the run.
Parkruns are generally expected to be the “fast” run of the week – though my “fast” may be a lot less fast than other people’s “fast”!
# | W/B | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Miles (approx) |
1 | 11-Jun | Rest | 4 x (5+1) threshold | Rest | 1 x 10min threshold | Rest | Parkrun | 90 minute LSR | 25 |
2 | 18-Jun | Rest | 5 x (5+1) threshold | Rest | Giffnock 10k | Rest | Parkrun | 120 minute LSR | 28 |
3 | 25-Jun | Rest | 3 x (8+1.5) threshold | Rest | 1 x 15 min threshold | Rest | Parkrun | 90 minute LSR | 25 |
4 | 02-Jul | Rest | 3 x (10+1.5) threshold | Rest | 3 x (6+1.5) Kenyan Hills | Rest | Parkrun (run to & from) | 120 minute LSR | 34 |
5 | 09-Jul | Rest | 45 min recovery | Rest | 1 x 20min threshold | Rest | Parkrun | 135 minute | 30 |
6 | 16-Jul | Rest | 45 minute recovery | Rest | 3 x (10+1.5) Kenyan Hills | Rest | Parkrun (run to & from) | 90 minute LSR | 31 |
7 | 23-Jul | Rest | 45 minute reovery with hills | Rest | 3 x (10+1) Kenyan Hills | Rest | Parkrun at recovery pace | Dundee Half Marathon | 27 |
8 | 30-Jul | Rest | 45 minute recovery | Rest | 3 x (12+1) Kenyan Hills | Rest | 135 minute LSR (in Manchester) | Rest | 28 |
9 | 06-Aug | NODA Summer School | NODA Summer School | NODA Summer School | NODA Summer School | NODA Summer School | NODA Summer School | 135 minute LSR (in Lancaster) | 15 |
10 | 13-Aug | Rest | 45 minute recovery | Rest | 2 x (10+1.5) threshold | Rest | Parkrun | 180 minute LSR | 35 |
11 | 20-Aug | Rest | 45 minute recovery | Rest | 1 x 20 min threshold | Rest | Parkrun (run to & from) | 90 minute LSR | 31 |
12 | 27-Aug | Rest | 4 x (5+1) threshold | Rest | 5 x (5+1) threshold | Rest | 2 mile recovery | Glasgow Half Marathon | 27 |
13 | 03-Sep | Rest | 40 minute recovery | Rest | 3 x (5+1) threshold | Rest | Parkrun at recovery pace | 22 mile LSR | 37 |
14 | 10-Sep | Rest | 40 minute recover | Rest | 3 x (5+2) Kenyan hills | Rest | Parkrun at recovery pace | 90 minute LSR | 20 |
15 | 17-Sep | Rest | 30 minute recovery | Rest | 30 minute recovery | Rest | Parkrun at recovery pace | 60 minute LSR | 15 |
16 | 24-Sep | Rest | 2 x (5+1.5) threshold | Rest | 30 minute recovery | Rest | 20 minute recovery | Race Day! | 34 |
So… this gives me a planned grand total of something like 448 miles of training throughout the sixteen weeks. as compared to the 419 that I actually achieved last time… Let’s see what comes of it all!