Running
Improve Your Marathon Time
Marathon plan that blends pace specificity and durability. 18 weeks, 5 to 6 runs a week.
- Distance
- Marathon
- Length
- 18 weeks
- Runs per week
- 5–6
- Level
- Intermediate
- Goal
- Run it faster
Who it's for
You already run a few times a week. It is built to help you run a faster marathon.
How the weeks work
It runs for 18 weeks with 5 to 6 runs in each.
If life gets in the way you can stretch it to 24 weeks, or tighten it to 16 if you are already fit.
The last 14 days are a taper: less running, a little intensity, so you start the race fresh.
- Marathon-pace blocks inside some long runs, so goal pace feels routine by race day.
- Threshold runs of 15 to 30 minutes at a comfortably hard pace. You could say a few words, not hold a conversation.
- One long run a week that grows slowly. Run it easy; the time on your feet is the point.
Setting your paces
Start with a half-marathon time trial. Your result sets the paces for the rest of the plan, so run it honestly and on fresh legs.
Later benchmarks: a marathon-pace check run. Use them to adjust your paces rather than to chase a number.
Making it stick
- Keep easy days slow. Most plateaus come from running them too fast.
- Put an easy day or a rest day after every hard session.
- If you miss a week, pick up where you left off instead of cramming the sessions in.
