How do you train for a marathon? Let’s touch on a few key points.
More training miles = a better marathon.
The quicker runner will incorporate faster paced runs and workouts into their training. For the majority of runners, more slower miles at a lower intensity will be more relevant to the marathon distance. This does not mean you should refrain from quicker workouts, but for most, an increase in low intensity volume will result in a better marathon. If you’re looking to run 9 mins/mile, more volume at this pace (or slower) is better than any runs / sessions at 7-7:30 min/mile.
The ‘Long Run’ is a key component of any marathon plan. It trains your slow twitch muscle fibres. It makes you better at metabolising fat. It develops mental toughness and confidence. How long and fast though is the long run?
It’s best to think in terms of time rather than distance. Runs much over 3 hours are probably detrimental with a 3 hours 30 minute maximum. The quicker you expect to run, the longer the distance the long run should be. So a 2 hour 20 minute marathon runner could cover 24-25 miles in training at a slower pace. Somebody looking to run 5 hours would not benefit from a 25 mile training run. That is why time on your feet is so important.
The long run is tough on your body physically and here, there’s a higher risk of injury. You will build more strength and reduce injury risk if the long run is around 40% of your weekly mileage. There’s 7 days in a week so you will want to spread the mileage out fairly evenly over the week as this will be a lot kinder to your body. A higher overall volume but less running in one go is better.
The long run should progress throughout the training plan. It doesn’t have to be (and shouldn’t be) longer every week. Maybe every other week, the run increases in length. For the quicker runner, the long run should incorporate some quicker sections at goal marathon pace.
Whilst the majority of training runs should be at a low intensity, some shorter quicker workouts (10km threshold pace) should be incorporated. These shouldn’t be overdone though. For a lot of runners, every 10-14 days is sufficient.
Some strength and conditioning work is also essential to all marathon runners. The key to a good training programme is consistency and not getting injured. Most of us are not as strong and robust as we could be. A bigger volume of training normally brings to light these weaknesses. 20 minutes of conditioning work a couple of times a week is a must for any marathoner.
