A smart, structured marathon training system built from real Olympic-level experience. This plan doesn’t just tell you what to run — it explains why, how to pace it, how to recover, and how to stay accountable.
Irish Olympian, 2:09 marathon runner, multiple Irish national champion, and international athlete with almost 20 years of elite racing experience.
Olympic Coaching
Personalise paces
Enter a goal time and the pace guides will adjust from your marathon pace.
Week breakdown
A quick look at the full training week before going into the daily details.
Hills + recovery
5 miles easy, 8 × 100m hills, 3 miles easy home.
Mixed intervals
3 sets: 1 mile controlled, then 4 × 400m faster.
Easy recovery
8 miles very easy or 60–70 minutes cross training.
Steady endurance
8 miles with 4 miles steady, not just easy running.
Alternating threshold
16km alternating 1km faster and 1km controlled.
Easy aerobic / cross train
8 miles very easy or 60–90 minutes easy cross training.
Long run
14 miles with easy and steady endurance sections. Practice drinks.
Today’s workout
Activation routine and drills before hills. 5 miles recovery pace, then 8 × 100m hills at 90% with walk-back rest, then 3 miles recovery pace.
Activation routine and drills before the hill session. Focus on smooth relaxed mechanics before starting.
5 miles recovery pace, then 8 × 100m hills at 90% with walk-back recovery. Keep the hills controlled and similar to last week.
3 miles easy home. Finish relaxed and controlled.
Elevate your mind
“The marathon is a test of endurance. It’s not about how fast you can run, but how long you can keep going.”
Coach’s corner
Easy enough day. Then I’d run the hills similar to last week, but now 8 reps, and finish with 3 miles easy home.
Today’s workout
Warm up with drills and strides. Complete 3 sets of 1 mile controlled, then 4 × 400m faster. Take 75 seconds rest within the set and 2 minutes between sets.
Coach’s corner
Important day. You’re keeping in touch with faster work while using the mile reps to include LT2 and help flush fatigue from the 400s.
Today’s workout
Activation routine before training. Run 8 miles very easy recovery, or choose 60–70 minutes of easy cross training.
Coach’s corner
Keep this very easy. Let the body warm up naturally and avoid forcing the pace.
Today’s workout
Activation routine 5 minutes before training. Run 8 miles total with 4 miles at steady effort. This should not feel like just an easy run.
Coach’s corner
Start casual and run somewhere free from traffic. The steady portion should feel purposeful.
Today’s workout
Warm up with drills and strides. Complete 16km of work alternating 1km faster and 1km controlled. Finish with a warm down routine.
Coach’s corner
The goal is to bridge the gap between your threshold paces and start pushing training volume in a positive direction.
Today’s workout
Activation routine before training. Run 8 miles very easy recovery, or choose 60–90 minutes of easy cross training.
Coach’s corner
I would run, but cross training helps a lot. Keep this very relaxed and avoid forcing anything.
Today’s workout
Activation routine before training. Practice drinks. Run 14 miles total using a mix of easy and steady endurance sections.
14 miles total. You can add 4 miles easy recovery, 6 miles steady endurance like Thursday, and 4 miles easy. Structure it however you like.
4 miles easy, then 2 miles steady / 1 mile easy × 3, then 1 mile easy to finish.
Coach’s corner
Keep the first 4 miles relaxed, run the middle section steady and controlled, then finish back easy. Do not race the long run.