Stefano Baldini Training Program – Olympic Marathon Champion – Training Program

Stefano Baldini Training Program – Olympic Marathon Champion – Training Program

Stefano Baldini won the Marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games in 2:10:55. He has a personal best marathon time of 2:07:22.

Here is his training log, 13 weeks leading into the Athens Olympic Games in 2004.

** Note: In training runs not specified, Baldini did all running at between 3:40/km-4:00/km (around 6:00/mi or thereabouts). He has been quoted saying that he never ran slower than 4:00/km (6:26/mi) in training. **

Mon 31 May AM Rest  |  PM 60mins

Tues 1 June AM 40mins  |  PM 60mins

Wed 2 June AM 60mins + flexibility work  |  PM 1hr + 10 strides

Thur 3 June AM 40mins + 15x100m  |  PM 55mins + flexibility

Fri 4 June AM 20mins easy + 15km at 3:16/km  |  PM: 40mins easy + flexiblity

Sat 5 June AM 75mins  |  PM 60mins

Sun 6 June AM 120mins with the last 30mins decreasing from 3:40/km to 3:20/km   |  PM Rest

Week Total: 200km

 

Mon 7 June AM 60mins  |  PM 60mins

Tues 8 June AM 40mins  |  PM 50mins + 20x100m + flexibilty

Wed 9 June AM Intervals: 6x2km @ 6:24 with 1km recovery in 3:20  |  PM 40mins

Thur 10 June AM 60mins  |  PM 60mins

Fri 11 June AM 55mins  |  PM 60mins

Sat 12 June AM 90mins (last 10km hard)  |  PM 40mins

Sun 13 June AM 90mins on very hilly course

Week Total: 212km

 

Mon 14 June AM 40mins + 5x200m hill + 5x150m hill  |  PM 60mins

Tue 15 June AM Intervals 10x1km in 2:50 (2min recovery)  |  PM 50mins

Wed 16 June AM 60mins  |  PM 55mins

Thurs 17 June AM 60mins  |  PM 60min + 10 strides

Fri 18 June AM 40mins + 5 strides  |  PM 5 x (2km in 6:15, 1km in 2:50)

Sat 19 June AM 55min + strides  |  PM 60mins

Sun 20 June AM 90mins progressive run

Week Total: 202km

 

Mon 21 June AM 40mins + 5 strides  |  PM 4x2km + 2x1km (5:35, 5:33, 5:37, 5:35, 2:45, 2:43) with 1km recovery in approx 4min.

Tues 22 June AM 60mins  |  PM 50mins

Wed 23 June AM 75mins + 10 strides  |  PM 40mins

Thurs 24 June AM 40mins + 10x100m hill + 1x200m hill  |  PM 55mins

Fri 25 June AM 6 x (2km in 6:15, 1km in 2:50)  |  PM 40mins

Sat 26 June AM 75mins

Sun 27 June AM 90mins

Week Total: 193km/week

 

Mon 28 June AM 40mins + 12x100m hill + 1x200m hill  |  PM 60mins + flexibility

Tues 29 June AM 2hrs (75mins steady + 5 x (6mins surge, 3min easy)  |  PM 30mins

Wed 30 June AM 60mins  |  PM 60mins + 6 strides

Thurs 1 July AM 60mins + 10 strides  |  PM 60mins + flexibility

Fri 2 July AM 20mins + 15km run up hill + 20mins  |  PM 10x400m with 200m jog rest

Sat 3 July AM 60mins  |  PM 50mins

Sun 4 July AM 120mins

Week Total: 223km

 

Mon 5 July AM 60mins + flexibility  |  PM 50mins + 10 strides

Tues 6 July AM 40mins + 5x100m hill + 5x150m hill  |  PM 55mins + flexibility

Wed 7 July AM 20min + 5x4km (3min rest). 4km reps were to be cycling 1km at 3:05-3:10, 1km under 3min |  PM 45mins

Thurs 8 July AM 60mins + 10 strides  |  PM 60mins + flexibility

Fri 9 July AM 75mins + 10x100m  |  PM 50mins + flexibility

Sat 10 July AM 2hrs (75mins steady + 45mins with long surges)  |  PM 40mins

Sun 11 July AM 110mins  |  PM Rest

Week Total: 224km

 

Mon 12 July AM 50mins + flexibility  |  PM 60mins + 10 strides

Tue 13 July AM 40mins + 5 strides  |  PM 10x1km in 2:50 with 400m recovery in 1:27.

Wed 14 July AM 50mins + flexibility  |  PM 50mins

Thur 15 July AM 50mins + flexibility  |  PM 10x400m in 64 with 200m jog in 42

Fri 16 July AM 50mins + flexibility  |  PM 50mins + 5 strides

Sat 17 July AM 40mins + 10 strides  |  PM Rest

Sun 18 July AM 30mins + 5 strides  |  PM 10km Race in 28:10

Week Total: 167km

 

[Now in St Moritz]

Mon 19 July AM 60mins + flexibility  |  PM 60mins + flexibility

Tues 20 July AM 70mins + 10 stridesvPM 60mins

Wed 21 July AM 25min + 5x4km (3min rest)  |  PM 50mins + flexibility

Thurs 22 July AM 115mins + 6 strides  |  PM Rest

Fri 23 July AM 60mins + 6x100m fast  |  PM 50mins

Sat 24 July AM 135mins: 75mins + intervals: 5km + 4km + 3km + 2km + 1km (1km recovery)

Sun 25 July AM 75mins + flexibility

Week Total: 216km

 

[In St Moritz]

Mon 26 July AM 75mins   |  PM 55mins + 6 strides

Tues 27 July AM 50mins + 12x100m hills + 5x100m fast  |  PM 60mins

Wed 28 July AM 6km warm up + 13.56km Tempo in 41:44 (3:04/km)  |  PM 6km warm up + 13.56km Tempo in 41:32 (3:03/km)

Thur 29 July AM 60mins  |  PM 60mins + 6 strides

Fri 30 July AM 75mins  |  PM 55mins

Sat 31 July AM 25mins + 5x3km (1km recovery)  |  PM 50mins + flexibility

Sun 1 Aug AM 75mins + flexibility

Week Total: 222km

 

[In St Moritz]

Mon 2 Aug AM 50mins + 12x100m hill sprints  |  PM 60mins + flexibility

Tues 3 Aug AM 75mins  |  PM 55mins + 8 strides

Wed 4 Aug AM 130mins (95mins steady + 35mins surges lasting 1-4mins)  |  PM 30mins

Thur 5 Aug AM 60mins + flexibility  |  PM 55mins + 6 strides

Fri 6 Aug AM 60mins + 6x100m  |  PM 55mins + flexibility

Sat 7 Aug AM 25mins + 13.56km Tempo in 41:57 (3:05/km) + 20mins  |  PM 10x400m with 200m jog recovery

Sun 8 Aug AM 75mins + flexibility

Week Total: 214km

 

Mon 9 Aug AM 60mins + 10x100m  |  PM 50mins + flexibility

Tues 10 Aug AM 50mins + 10 strides

Wed 11 Aug AM 30mins + 4 strides  |  PM Race (it only lists the time in his journal: 23:44, 8.5km perhaps?)

Thur 12 Aug AM 75mins + flexibility

Fri 13 Aug AM 85mins (last 40mins progressive)  |  PM 40mins + 10 strides

Sat 14 Aug AM 60mins + 8x100m  |  PM 60mins + flexibility

Sun 15 Aug AM 120mins (18km steady + 10km near race pace + 3km in 8:47 + 2km in 5:46)

Week Total: 180km

 

Mon 16 Aug AM 60mins + flexibility  |  PM 60mins

Tues 17 Aug AM 110mins + 10 strides

Wed 18 Aug AM 40mins + flexibility 4x5km (1km recovery) at race pace

Thurs 19 Aug AM 60mins + flexibility  |  PM 50mins + 10 strides

Fri 20 Aug AM 50mins + flexibility  |  PM 55mins

Sat 21 Aug AM 115mins (including 20x1min on/1min off)  |  PM 40mins + flexibility

Sun 22 Aug AM 90mins + flexibility

Week Total: 210km

 

Mon 23 Aug AM 95mins

Tue 24 Aug AM 40mins + travel to Athens  |  PM 45mins + 10 strides

Wed 25 Aug AM 40mins + flexibility  |  PM 5x2km at race pace (no recovery written)

Thurs 26 Aug AM 50mins + 10 strides

Fri 27 Aug AM 40mins (final 3km in 9:02)

Sat 28 Aug AM 30mins + 10 strides

Sun 29 Aug Athens Olympic Games Marathon 1st (2:10:55)

Week Total: 153km

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On Stefan Baldini’s website, it mentions a few more example workouts of his, including a standard week of training, perhaps not right before a major competition, but in build up phase. It looks like this:

Monday AM:

30km increase pace every 10km, road course.
10km at 3.20 per km,
10km at 3.15 per km,
10km at 3.10 per km,

Monday PM:

50 mins @ 4`to 3.45 per km,
1 hour of stretching.

Tuesday AM:

60 min run, 4 mins per km finishing at 3.30 per km,
1 hour of muscle work in the gym… back, calfs, quads., and hamstrings.

Tues. PM – rest.

Wednesday AM:

40 mins warm up + hills 15 x 100m on hill of 15% 1 min rest between each.

Wednesday PM:

Recovery run – 50 mins at between 4 mins to 3.30 per km.

Thursday – Long session

2:15` with one hour in the forest. Starts at 4 mins per km finish @ 3.30.

5km at 3.06 per km,
1km in 3.09
4km at 3.02
1km in 3.08
3km at 3.00 per km
1km in 3.07,
2km in 2.58,
1km in 3.06
1km in 2.56. Total – 19km in 58` + warm down, 15 mins easy.

Friday AM:

60 mins of endurance followed by one hour of stretching.

Friday PM:

Gym work: abs. and muscles of the upper body only.

Saturday AM:

1 hour 15 mins trails.
Plyometrics and bounding: strides, stairs etc. Bounding 10 x 100m

Saturday PM:

60 mins recovery run.

Sunday AM:

1 hr 45 mins trails, easy.

 * Some of the information is translated from slides by coach Luciano Gigliotti