Marathon Specific Training – Five Creative Long Runs
Preparing for a Marathon in the coming months and looking to step your Long Runs up a level or two?
We recommend adding some variety to your long runs by incorporating pace changes. Not only is this a perfect stimulus for a Marathon, it also breaks the Long Run up mentally.
Most elite Marathoner’s alternate same-pace long runs with pace-changing long runs. These pace-changing long runs feature some running at Marathon goal pace interspersed with running at easy paces.
Here are a few examples you could use in your Marathon preparation, completed by elite Marathoner’s from Australia and the USA:
#1 – Completed by Jack Rayner (2:11 Marathoner) and Brett Robinson (2:10 Marathoner)
- 1 hour easy (for Jack and Brett – 4:09/km)
- 10km at just faster than Marathon Pace (for Jack and Brett – 3:02/km)
- 1km jog
- 20mins of 1min fast + 1min float (for Jack and Brett – around 2:50/km + 3:30/km)
- 1km jog
- 5km at just faster than Marathon Pace (for Jack and Brett – 2:59-3:02/km)
- 2km jog (cool down)
#2 – Completed by Jack Rayner (2:11 Marathoner) and Brett Robinson (2:10 Marathoner)
- 20km easy (for Jack and Brett – 4:00/km)
- 2km jog
- 20mins of 1min fast + 1min float (for Jack and Brett – around 2:50/km + 3:30/km)
- 1km jog
- 8km at just faster than Marathon Pace (for Jack and Brett – 3:04/km)
- 1km jog
- 5km at just faster than Marathon Pace (for Jack and Brett – 3:06/km)
- 2km jog (cool down)
#3 – Completed by Scott Fauble (2:09 Marathoner)
- 2 miles easy (warm up)
- 4 miles at Marathon effort (for Scott – 5:09/mi)
- 2 miles moderate (for Scott – 6:00/mi)
- 1 mile at Marathon effort (for Scott – 5:07/mi)
- 2 miles moderate (for Scott – 6:00/mi)
- 1 mile at Marathon effort (for Scott – 5:13/mi)
- 1 mile moderate (for Scott – 6:00/mi)
- 1 mile at Marathon effort (for Scott – 5:18/mi)
- 2 miles moderate (for Scott – 6:15/mi)
- 4 miles at Marathon effort (for Scott – 5:02/mi)
- 2 miles easy (cool down)
#4 – Completed by Scott Fauble (2:09 Marathoner)
- 2 miles easy (warm up)
- 20 miles alternating 1 mile at 5:00 (close to goal Marathon Pace) with 1 mile at 6:00 (moderate effort). Ie mile in 5:00, mile in 6:00, mile in 5:00 etc.
- 2 miles easy (cool down)
#5 – Completed by Scott Fauble (2:09 Marathoner)
- 2 miles easy (warm up)
- 10 miles moderate (for Scott – 6:00/mi)
- 10 miles at around Marathon Pace (for Scott – 5:10/mi)
- 2 miles easy (cool down)
Source: Strava.com
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