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, 6 × 100m hills, 3 miles easy home.
Easy aerobic run
10 miles mostly easy. Hills are okay if effort stays controlled.
Threshold intervals
5 × 2km at LT2 with 90 seconds recovery.
Steady run
8–10 miles with 6 miles steady, building through the run.
Recovery day
Rest or very easy run. No pressure on pace or distance.
Alternating tempo
6 × 1 mile alternating faster and steadier pace.
Long run
1 hour 45 minutes easy. Practice drinks.
Today’s workout
Monday · Easy effort · Zone 1
Activation routine & drills before hills. 5 miles recovery pace, then 6 × 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, 6 × 100m hills at 90% with walk-back recovery. Keep it controlled for week one.
3 miles easy home. Finish relaxed and controlled.
Elevate your mind
“The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.”
Joe Paterno
Coach’s corner
Easy enough day. I’d run the hills fairly steady, not 100%, knowing it’s week one. I’d start a little easier so I’m not sore, then run 3 miles easy home.
Today’s workout
Tuesday · Easy to steady
Activation routine and drills before training. Run 10 miles mostly easy. If the route has hills, it is okay for heart rate to drift up on the climbs.
Coach’s corner
I would run a bit faster than easy pace on uphill sections only. Not reps — just solid running.
Today’s workout
Wednesday · LT2 focus
Activation routine before training. 5 × 2km at LT2 with 90 seconds rest.
Coach’s corner
Now we’re moving your fitness forward. Some training helps you run longer, and some helps you run faster. Today is for getting faster.
Today’s workout
Thursday · Controlled progression
Activation routine 5 minutes before training. Run 8–10 miles with 6 miles at a steady effort.
Coach’s corner
I’m a massive fan of steady runs. Start casual and run somewhere free from traffic. The steady part creates the difference between solid and great results.
Today’s workout
Friday · Low stress
Activation routine 5 minutes before training. Easy recovery today: either rest, or a simple run with no stress on pace or distance.
Coach’s corner
Simple focus on recovery. Keep today easy and come out fresher for the next quality session.
Today’s workout
Saturday · Pace control
Activation routine 5 minutes before training. 6 × 1 mile alternating between faster tempo and controlled float pace.
Coach’s corner
Alternating pace work improves threshold pace and teaches you to recover while still running at a good pace.
Today’s workout
Sunday · Easy endurance
Activation routine before training. Practice drinks. Run 1 hour 45 minutes easy. No need to run fast or steady — just get the time done.
Coach’s corner
Get used to days like this. Be sensible: easy means easy. Build slowly and it will support the important long run days later.