The marathon demands respect & the physiological and psychological demands of the marathon are extreme.

Therefore you must plan your preparation intelligently and thoroughly.

The training information on this page is designed around the Dublin Marathon at the end of October, using the  Irish ¾ Marathon as the perfect preparation race 3 weeks before Dublin.

Three weeks before the marathon is the typical timing for the last long pre-marathon run and so you can use this race as your ideal final preparation event.

The schedules presented should be tailored to suit your individual fitness, condition and lifestyle demands.

Where properly applied they should certainly assist you achieving your realistic goals.

Scroll Down to view our Targeted Training Schedules

Athletic Concepts

To understand the schedules on this page you need to understand some athletic concepts.  These concepts are important as they are the key elements that athletics need to train to reach their marathon potential:

• Maximal Heart Rate (MHR):  The fastest that your heart will beat during maximal-effort running.  Can be approximated by 207 – (0.7 x age).  It can be measured accurately by running three 600-meter repetitions up slight incline, jogging back down after each repetition.  You should reach within 2-3 beats of your maximal heart rate on the last repetition.
• Lactate Threshold (LT):  Lactate (or lactic acid) is a nasty by-product of energy production (carbohydrate metabolism).  Lactate threshold reflects the rate at which your muscles can sustain aerobic energy production.  Successful marathon runners typically race at a speed very close to their lactate-threshold pace.
• Oxygen Uptake (VO₂): VO₂ Max is a measure of your ability to transport oxygen to muscles.  The higher it is the greater your potential as an athlete.
• Running Economy (RE): Running economy determines how fast you run with a given amount of oxygen.  The determinants of running economy that can be trained are your biomechanics and your training history.  The ratio of slow-twitch to fast-twitch fibres in your muscles is also very important, but we will ignore here as it’s not something you can change.
• Fat-Glycogen Storage & Usage (FG): Glycogen is the form of carbohydrate stored in your body (muscles and liver).  Glycogen is an easy access energy source for aerobic activity.  However, a marathoner is limited by the amount stored in the body and also has to use fat for fuel.  Fat is a limitless energy source (in relation to the marathon), but ii more difficult for the body to access. There are key elements to train relation to the marathon:
  • Train the body to use a higher proportion of fat as an energy source, rather than glycogen, at race pace.
  • Train the body to store more glycogen as this is a limiting factor at the marathon distance.
  • Train the body to minimise body fat content (%) as it will improve your running economy. Don’t worry; you’ll always have some – more than enough for a marathon.  This will happen naturally with marathon training & a healthy diet.
• Recovery: Successful marathoners are able to recover quickly from training.  The ability to recover is related to genetics, age, training history, training plan structure, diet and sleep.

Training Principals

• Warm-up & cool-down of about 15-20 minutes for every LT Tempo, LT Interval, VO2 Max and Speed session.
• Consistency is the key to peak performance – these schedules are tough, particularly for novices, but with great sacrifices come great rewards
• Know the difference between a niggle & an injury.  Do not train when injured – seek medical advice and let injuries run their course.  Do not do sessions on a niggle.
• Do core work & stretching as part of your weekly routine.  Stretching is particular important after long runs & sessions.

See our targeted training schedules here

• Long Run: 18km or longer at 75-85% MHR (Maximal Heart Rate). Improves RE (Running Economy) & FG (Fat-Glycogen Storage & Usage). Start at a slow pace and work towards 90% of your goal marathon pace.
• Run: Up to 17km at 70-80% MHR.  Improves RE, FG & recovery.
• Recovery: Up to 12k at less than 75% MHR. Improves recovery.
• LT Tempo: Runs at your half marathon pace (85-90% MHR).  Improves LT (Lactate Threshold).
• LT Intervals:  Long intervals at your 10k race pace (85-92% MHR).  Improves LT.
• VO₂ Max: 400-1600m at 3k race pace (93-95% MHR). Improves VO₂ Max and RE.
• Speed: Up to 400m at 1500m race pace. Improves RE (running form & leg turnover).
• Strides: Up to 100m at 70-80% maximum effort, focusing on running form. Build & reduce speed gradually. Improves running form & race finishing.  Generally completed at the end of a run or as a short pre-race session.