M | Tu | W | Th | F | Sa | Su |
Easy | Easy | Speed (6-10x 800, 400 jog or 2 minute rest) | Easy / off | Easy | Long w/ tempo miles | Easy / off |
You may have noticed that the schedule and cadence for week 1 & 2 are the same. This will be mostly true throughout the course of your training. You want to try and keep a regular schedule to take the mental guesswork out of training and your body in a routine.
Obviously if you have to travel on a speed day and cannot complete a run, that is ok. You may shuffle around accordingly. Just try to give yourself at least a day in between speed and long runs. Ideally two days or more if you can.
A key part of every week are the speed runs which could mean anything from 200m intervals to 10k tempo runs. These runs are the easiest to skip, hardest to complete, but always feel the best when finished.
Additionally, they will give you the most fitness gains out of any run throughout the week. They are a very important component of training, and you will need to put in the work. This is one job you cannot outsource to India.
Bonus: Need speed run workout inspiration? I put together a 12 different types of speed runs cheat sheet you can use here.
Why Intervals Matter
Interval workouts are short bursts of high-intensity running followed by recovery. No, they aren’t just for sprinters. For marathoners, they train your body to become more efficient over long distances. Here's how:
Boosts VO2 max: Intervals improve your maximum oxygen uptake, which helps your body deliver more oxygen to your muscles, especially critical when fatigue sets in at mile 20.
Raises lactate threshold: Running hard teaches your body to clear fatigue-inducing byproducts (like lactate) more efficiently, so you can run faster without burning out.
Improves running economy: By pushing your body at faster speeds, intervals fine-tune your stride and neuromuscular coordination, making you more efficient at your marathon pace.
Bottom line: Intervals make you faster, but more importantly, they make it easier to sustain your target pace when it matters most: in the final miles of race day.
What’s VO₂ Max? It’s a runner’s fitness indicator.
VO₂ max is your body’s maximum ability to take in and use oxygen during intense exercise. The higher it is, the more efficiently your body can deliver oxygen to your muscles, which means you can run faster and farther before getting tired.
Although I am unsure how accurate Garmin’s VO2 Max calculation is, it is certainly fun watching it tick higher, and trying to push it higher throughout training.
Why Tempo Runs Matter
Tempo runs, sustained efforts at a “comfortably hard” pace, are where mental toughness and aerobic efficiency collide.
Builds your lactate threshold: Tempo runs train your body to handle more effort before fatigue kicks in, allowing you to hold your goal pace longer without slowing down.
Mimics marathon effort: They sit right below your redline, teaching your body and brain how to stay calm and controlled at race pace.
Sharpens pacing and focus: Holding a steady, tough pace for 20–40 minutes builds the discipline you’ll need between miles 13 and 23 on race day.
Bottom line: Tempo runs teach your body to stay strong under pressure. Just like you'll need to do in the back half of the marathon.
Why Progression Runs Matter
Progression runs start easy and finish fast. Exactly how your marathon should feel.
Builds endurance with speed: You train your body to run faster when it’s already tired, simulating the final stretch of a marathon.
Teaches control and patience: Starting slow helps prevent burnout, while finishing fast builds confidence and race-day discipline.
Reinforces good form: Ending strong reinforces running with good mechanics even when fatigued, helping prevent injury and inefficiency.
Bottom line: Progression runs build the patience, grit, and closing speed that help you pass people in the final miles, not get passed.
Knowing the importance of these runs will help you see the bigger picture, fight through the pain, and persevere. I’d love to hear your experience - how did you feel before, during, and after? Have you seen any benefits so far?
Feel free to email me your thoughts, and please make sure you replenish correctly!