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Marathon Intermediate Training Plan
You are an intermediate-level runner targeting a 3:45, 3:30, 3:20, or 3:10 hour marathon time goal.
Not an intermediate runner? Check out the beginner or advanced plan.
The key to running a faster marathon lies in improving your endurance, lactate threshold, VO2 max, and speed. These physiological abilities can be developed by adjusting 3 training variables:
- Purposeful running workouts
- A balanced training week
- Smart training progression
Purposeful Running Workouts for the Marathon
A fast marathon time allows for no weakness in any of the training zones. However, marathon preparation emphasizes endurance and lactate threshold training more than is typical for shorter race distances.
The following 12 training zones and sub-zones are part of the marathon intermediate training plan:
- Recovery run
- Easy run / Long run
- Moderate pace
- Marathon pace
- 30K pace (aerobic threshold)
- HM pace
- 15K pace (lactate threshold)
- 10K pace
- 5K pace
- 3K pace (VO2 max)
- 1500m pace
- Power
The Marathon Intermediate Training Week
The 4 to 5-day running week consists of 2 key workouts and 1 long run. The plans that feature a 5-day running week, can be reduced to 4 by replacing one easy run with aerobic cross-training. You can also switch the workout days around (e.g. have the long run on Sunday instead of Saturday), as long as it doesn’t result in consecutive challenging workouts.
- Key workout 1
- –
- Easy/moderate
- Key workout 2
- Long run
- (Easy)
Smart Training Progression for the Marathon
The marathon intermediate training plans consist of four phases: conditioning, base, support, and race-specific. That means the training intensity gradually transitions from general to race-specific efforts.
Conditioning
During the 4-week conditioning phase, you will focus on improving your general endurance and speed. Your weekly mileage will gradually increase, and you will also do hill sprints on 2 of your easy runs to build muscular strength.
- Easy + hill sprints
- –
- Easy + hill sprints
- Moderate
- –
- Long run
- (Easy)
Base Training
During the 6-week base phase, you continue to increase your overall mileage and building your long run distance. The first key workout features a Fartlek training with short segments of 5K to 3K pace. The second key workout is dedicated to aerobic work with a segment at either moderate or marathon pace.
- Fartlek
- –
- Easy
- Moderate / Mar pace
- –
- Long Run
- (Easy)
Support Training
The 6-week support phase aims to enhance your VO2 max and, more importantly, lactate threshold by gradually increasing the number and duration of intervals/segments towards the end of this training phase.
- Intervals 10K/5K pace
- –
- Easy
- Tempo 30K/HM/15K pace
- –
- Extended Long Run
- (Easy)
Race-Specific
In the last few weeks before the race, focusing on running at your marathon goal pace for longer periods is essential. The other key workout of the week maintains a high lactate threshold. The race taper begins in the final 2 weeks.
- HM/10K pace
- –
- Easy
- Marathon pace
- –
- Long Run
- (Easy)
Personalizing the Marathon Advanced Training Plan
You can choose an intermediate marathon training plan from 48 different versions based on 4 criteria. You can choose between a 20, 16, 12, or 8-week training plan. If you have recently trained and participated in races with a strong foundation of endurance and speed, you can go with the 12 or 8-week plan.
- Time goal 3:45, 3:30, 3:20, or 3:10 h
- Plan duration 8, 12, 16 or 20 weeks
- Imperial or metric (miles or km)
- TrainingPeaks or FinalSurge
Marathon Intermediate Training Plans
IN MILES
IN KM
Sub 3:45 h
Marathon
sub 3:45 plan in miles
-
26 - 40 miles per week
-
4 runs per week
-
8, 12, 16, 20 weeks
Choose Plan
Set any time goal for this plan
to personalize your pace.
to personalize your pace.
Sub 3:30 h
Marathon
sub 3:30 plan in miles
-
31 - 45 miles per week
-
4 runs per week
-
8, 12, 16, 20 weeks
Choose Plan
Set any time goal for this plan
to personalize your pace.
to personalize your pace.
Sub 3:20 h
Marathon
sub 3:20 plan in miles
-
36 - 50 miles per week
-
5 runs per week
-
8, 12, 16, 20 weeks
Choose Plan
Set any time goal for this plan
to personalize your pace.
to personalize your pace.
Sub 3:10 h
Marathon
sub 3:10 plan in miles
-
41 - 55 miles per week
-
5 runs per week
-
8, 12, 16, 20 weeks
Choose Plan
Set any time goal for this plan
to personalize your pace.
to personalize your pace.
What level?
Choose a plan according to your time goal but make sure you are realistic about it. If you current marathon PR is 4:20 hours then you are unlikely to succeed with a sub 3:00 hour plan.
That said, the weekly mileage of the plan isn’t exact science to achieve a certain time goal. Rather, it is based on experience of what’s necessary to achieve a certain time. For example, you may choose a 4:00 hour plan and achieve 3:30 hours on race day — or vice versa. That means you could use the lower mileage 4:00 hour plan and personalize its zones for for a 3:30 hour time goal or use a 3:30 plan for a 4:00 h time goal (if you are already comfortable with the weekly mileage).
But don’t worry, if a plan turns out to be too easy or too hard for you, I’ll change it for you free of charge within 14 days of your purchase.
Yes, you can fully adjust the plan to your needs.
Training zones
You can personalize the training zones of based on your fitness level for any plan with a click of a mouse button. Take a recent race result (or an educated guess) for your current ability and then update your zones as needed toward your goal race pace.
Training days
You can move your workouts easily with the drag and drop feature. For instance, if you prefer your long run on a Sunday instead of a Saturday, you can change the order of workouts. Just make sure you don’t have any hard back-to-back sessions.
You can also skip or replace some of your easy runs with aerobic cross-training, such as cycling or swimming. But I recommend a minimum of 4 running days per week.
Race Day
By default my plans assume the race is on a Sunday. Should your race fall on a Saturday, then remove Wednesday’s easy run and bring the workouts that follow 1 day forward.
TrainingPeaks and FinalSurge are the leading online training platforms for endurance athletes. Here you can upload your workouts to your running watch and follow the instructions in real-time. Post-workout it syncs your training data where you can observe your progress over time.
Both platforms come in free and paid versions. The free versions work just fine with any of my training plans.
If you want a maximum of training metrics then I suggest you use TrainingPeaks. But for an easy-to-use and beautiful interface I recommend FinalSurge.
You can contact me anytime via email if you have questions about the training plan or training in general.
But for personalized training consider my 1-on-1 online coaching.
