Marathon Training Plan

We have designed this Dublin City Marathon training plan around a 3 hour finishing time so if you follow the plan as is you will get around the Dublin City Marathon comfortably in around 3 hours. Now if you can follow and then race at 7 min/mile pace you will with a final push over the last 2 miles come home in under 3 hours.

We want to wish you all the very best in your Marathon Journey and please remember Recovery is as important as getting the training done so that is why we have put in 2 Rest days per week, Mondays and Fridays will need to be your days off in order to maximise your efforts on the other days.


     Race Day October 27th  2019  Dublin City Marathon
     5 miles on October 24th       2019  7min/MILE
     5 miles on October 22nd     2019  7min/MILE
    15 miles on October 20th      2019  7;30/MILE
    18 miles on October 13th 2019  8min/MILE
    22 miles on September 15th      2019  8/MILE Repeat for 4 Sundays
    20 miles on August 11th 2019  8min/MILE Repeat for 4 Sundays
    18 miles on July 21st  2019  8min/MILE Repeat for 4 Sundays
    16 miles on June 16th 2019  8min/MILE Repeat for 4 Sundays


Every wednesday try and run 10 miles steady on a greenway or park if possible.



     Race Day June 2nd         2019  Cork City Marathon
     5 miles on May 30th       2019  7:00/MILE
     5 miles on May 28th       2019  7:00/MILE
    15 miles on May 26th      2019  7:30/MILE
    24 miles on May 19th      2019  7:30/MILE
    10 miles on May 15th      2019  7:00/MILE
    24 miles on May 12th      2019  7:30/MILE
    10 miles on April 17th    2019  7:00/MILE Repeat for 4 Wednesdays
    22 miles on April 14th    2019  7:30/MILE Repeat for 4 Sundays
    10 miles on March 20th    2019  7:00/MILE Repeat for 4 Wednesdays
    20 miles on March 17th    2019  7:30/MILE Repeat for 4 Sundays
    10 miles on February 20th 2019  7:00/MILE Repeat for 4 Wednesdays
    18 miles on February 17th 2019  7:30/MILE Repeat for 4 Sundays
    10 miles on January  23rd 2019  7:00/MILE Repeat for 4 Wednesdays
    15 miles on January  20th 2019  7:30/MILE Repeat for 4 Sundays
    
    10 miles on December 19th 2018  7:00/MILE Repeat for 4 Wednesdays
    14 miles on December 16th 2018  7:30/MILE Repeat for 4 Sundays
    10 miles on November 21st 2018  7:00/MILE Repeat for 4 Wednesdays
    12 miles on November 18th 2018  7:30/MILE Repeat for 4 Sundays
    8  miles on October  16th 2018  8min/mile Repeat for 4 Wednesdays
    10 miles on October  13th 2018  8min/mile Repeat for 4 Sundays
    6  miles on September 16th 2018 8min/mile Repeat for 4 Wednesdays
    8  miles on September 15th 2018  8min/mile Repeat for 4 Sundays


 Ignore the pace settings and run your Long Sunday runs at your own pace

Mondays are rest days but if you want to run, then run no more than 5km in the morning at a very very slow pace.
 
Tuesdays need to be done on a Bike Turbo, this session is really hard but very easy on the joints and is only 1 hour per week. If you do not have a Bike Turbo then run 10km hard on either a trail or gravel paths.

Tuesday;strength training on the bike,warm up 10 min.
 then 52 x 14 for ten seconds flat out,followed by 20 seconds easy (repeat five times  this is one set) followed by 2 min. recovery 42  x  14.
Start;.with 5 sets and continue every week to the end of September 2019 by adding a set.If you miss a week due to a trip to hospital do not add two sets, one each week..

Run your Wednesday 10 mile runs in Threshold Zone 2 which for me is 169bpm

Thursdays are a track session or 10km Tempo Run

Alternatively you can do this session on an indoor bike if the weather outside is brutal
   
Thursday; Progressive Power; in a gear that gives 50 to 60 rpm.heart rate at top of L2 ,85% so this is hard.turbo only,

Start 10 min warm up and stretch.
1 x 1 min interval with two mins easy (the time starts when you hit 85%)

1 x 2 min interval with two mins easy

1 x 3 min interval with two mins easy

1 x 4 min interval with two mins easy.

This represents 10 min work and 8 min recovery / warm down.

On the second week add 1 x  5  min interval, the following second week add 1  x  6min,   Keep adding one interval every second week up to 1 x 8 min interval with the two min rest between each. Keep this session going to end of September
 
Fridays are Rest Days, Do not run on Fridays

Saturdays
are Parkrun days at max effort, or 10km Tempo Run

Sundays are your Long Run days; detailed above.

You will need to drink 750ml of Protein Recovery mixed with Milk after each of the above sessions, best to drink it down within 20mins of finishing your training session in order to give your muscles the maximum chance of a full recovery before your next training session.