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RW's Basic Marathon Schedules: Intermediate

Classic 16-week marathon schedules

Posted: 7 May 2000

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Week 1	Rest or 5M easy, off-road if possible	6M. Start slowly, finish faster	7M. Warm up, then 10 x 1 min fast, 2 mins slow,	6M easy	Rest	5-7M steady, off-road	8M steady
Week 2	Rest or 5M easy	5M: first and last mile slow, middle 3M faster	6M steady	Warm up, then 4 x 3 min fast, 2 min slow	Rest	6M easy, off-road	10M slow
Week 3	Rest or 5M easy	6M steady, with a few faster stretches	Run to a hill, then 8 x 40 secs uphill, jogging back for recovery. Run home	5M easy	Rest	6-8M steady, off-road.	12M slow – take it easy!
Week 4	Rest or 5M easy	Warm up, then 3 x 1000m (or 3 x 4 mins), with 3-min jog recoveries. Warm down	5M easy	Run to hill, then 9 x 40 secs uphill, jogging back for recovery. Run home	Rest	Warm up, then 3M at a good speed. Warm down	10M steady, as Wk 2, but with more confidence
Week 5	Rest or 5M easy	6M – start slow, then put in repeated bursts over 200m, jogging about 400m after each	6M. – start slowly, finish faster	Hill session, as Wk 4, but add 1 more rep	Rest, or jog up to 3M	4M easy	Half-marathon race
Week 6	Rest or 5M easy, off-road	6M – start slowly, work up to faster pace if not tired	Warm up, then repetition session: 3 x 1M approx, with 5-min recoveries after each	7M steady, with some strides at the end	3M jogging only, off-road	5M fartlek, inc some fast 200m bursts	13M steady – don’t kill yourself!
Week 7	Rest or 5M easy, off-road	Warm up, then 3 x 10 mins at half-marathon pace or faster, with 4-min recoveries	4M easy, off-road	6M steady with a few surges	Rest	Warm-up, then 3M at a brisk pace. Warm-down	18M. – take your time, and take drinks, too
Week 8	Rest or 4M easy, off-road	5M – another easy run	6M. – to hill, then 9 x 40 secs uphill, jogging back for recovery.	6M. – start slowly, finish strongly	Rest or 3M jog	5M steady, inc a few fast strides	Half-marathon race
Week 9	Rest or 5M easy, off-road	6M steady pace run, no pressure	6M. – slow start, then put in fast strides of 30 secs, with 1-min jog recoveries	Warm up, then 4 x 1M, with 5-min recoveries	Rest	Warm up, then brisk 3M. Warm down	16-18M – another endurance run. Take it steadily
Week 10	Rest or 5M easy, off-road	5M easy, with a few fast strides	8M steady, inc 6M at marathon pace	6M. – start slow, then put in fast strides of 30 secs, with 1-min jog recoveries	Rest or 3M jog	6M, inc 3M at a brisk pace (omit if racing)	11-13M steady, or race 10-13M
Week 11	Rest or 5M easy	Warm up, then 6 x 45 secs fast, 3 mins jog. Warm down	8M at marathon pace	6M. – start slowly, finish fast	Rest	5M easy, with a few strides	18M endurance run
Week 12	Rest or 5M easy, off-road	5M easy	Repetition runs: 4 x 1M at 10K pace	6M steady	Rest	4M jogging and easy strides	Half-marathon race
Week 13	Rest or 5M easy, off-road	6M steady	6M, inc 10 x 30 secs fast, with 1-min jog recoveries	8M, inc 2 x 3M at marathon pace	3M jogging and strides	Rest	20M endurance run – the last long one! Start easily, and take drinks with you
Week 14	Rest or 4M jog, off-road	8M steady	Warm up, then 6 x 800m (with 2 mins rest) or 6 x 3 mins fast, 2 mins slow. Warm down	6M easy	Rest	7M, inc 5M timed, at marathon pace	10-12M, inc a race or fast run of 6-10M
Week 15	Rest or 5M easy, off-road	6M steady	Warm up, then 10 x 400m (with 90-sec recoveries) or 1 2 x 1 min fast, 1 min slow	5M easy	Rest	Warm up, then 2 x 2M at marathon pace, timed	10M steady. Practise your marathon preparation
Week 16	Rest or 3M jog	Warm up, then 1M timed, at race pace. Warm down	4M easy, with a few strides	3M jog, in racing kit	Rest	20 mins jogging, inc easy strides	RACE DAY

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RW's Basic Marathon Schedules: Get You Round

RW's Basic Marathon Schedules: Advanced

marathon schedule

Discuss this story

Twist

On the RW intermediate schedule, it says for this Sunday do a 10m run and practice your 'marathon preparation'. Sorry to be a dunce, but what does that last bit mean? Is it the warm up, how you physically start running when the crowd starts to move off...?
Posted: 03/04/2003 10:05

pinto wannabe

try out your kit,practise drinking whilst running,vaseline the bits you expect to hurt,know what to eat on the morning of the 13th,stuff like that.
Posted: 03/04/2003 10:07

Happy Chuckie

I am aiming on getting up at the time I intend to on 13th, eating my normal pre-race meal, putting my race kit on and get going at 9h45. Take a drinking bottle with LSport orrange (as is being handed out in the race). Enjoy it, visualise the race and the people arround you.
Posted: 03/04/2003 10:09

Twist

Oha, that's what it means. Thanks. I'll put that into practice then - I wonder how many of us I shall bump into round Park doing the same thing!
Posted: 03/04/2003 10:18

pinto wannabe

When you go for your last training run just shout "London marathon" see how many waves you get.Then again you might get carted off.
Posted: 03/04/2003 10:21

Twist

Thanks pinto wannabe, that's a plan! Someone's also suggested I do the whole route to Greenwich, and do my last long run from there, just to tell my body I can do it. Maybe that smacks of over dedication...?
Posted: 03/04/2003 11:50

Nessie

Depends where you live! :-) When you have done everything and are happy that that is how you want to do it on race day, WRITE IT ALL DOWN! Make a list of all the stuff you need to take with you, mark which of it needs to be worn with a W and which needs to go in your bag with a B. Then you can tick it off as you put it in the bag/put it on on race morning. This saves on last minute panics at having forgotten something vital.
Posted: 03/04/2003 12:00

Nessie

BTW - yes, I am sad.
Posted: 03/04/2003 12:00

Monique

marathon prep. for me is running 10 miles in the exact socks shoes kit etc as I will wear on race day after a having the exact breakfast I will have on race day.
Posted: 03/04/2003 21:03

Plum

IM going to do the first 6 miles of the marathon course with 2 miles there and 2 back again coz I can. I can walk to the start from home if I feel like it but will probably cycle.
Posted: 03/04/2003 21:42

bricky

take it all in savour the momebt all the work has been done see the thosands thinking just like you ,in your pen turn to a neigbour shake there hand wish them luck they will appreciate it and will make you fell good to best of luck
Posted: 03/04/2003 22:16

Anto

hey guys, this isn't a reply really, i am new to this,but it relates to the 16 week program. i am an aussie coming to london in a few weeks, missed london so intend to do a marathon later in the year, possibly new york??

i have run 90 mins for a half and can do 10k's in about 40 mins. according to a calculator on the us runners world site, i should be able to complete a marathon in 3:09-3:21 (seems a bit quick to me).

i only run 4-5 times a week as i cross-train, i make them count though, but this prog has 6-7 runs/week which is too many for my legs (old rugby injuries)

i haven't done a marathon before, am i kidding myself? do i have any idea what i am getting myself into? and if i do new york, do i just work on my fitness base betwen now and may, then start the 16 week prog? or do a half program?

this is too long, sorry.

Posted: 05/01/2004 12:08

Sirius3030

Anto

I trained for last year's FLM on 3-4 runs per week, and have identical half and 10K times to you. I managed FLM in 3:30 (I've always found those calculators a bit optimistic). All you need to do is put in a few long runs (I did 3 at 20M plus, and a 20M race) in the Spring, and you are there.

No worries mate.
Posted: 05/01/2004 13:12

Ismo Ylenius

I bought a polar s625x a couple of months ago and I'm starting to train the intermediate marathon schedule. I have a couple of questions concerning the differrent workouts in this schedule.

What is the difference, in pace and in heart rate, between easy, steady and long runs in this schedule? I mean the basic difference, e.g. easy = 65% max WHR and so on? Which one of these paces is slowest and which is fastest?

Posted: 21/12/2004 06:04

Foo Bar

twist, I think you're supposed to gather round 30000 friends, rent 800 portaloos, practise queuing for them, wait 2 hours at the start line in a bin bag, spend half an hour shuffling forward before you break into a run, start your stopwatch as you cross the mat, etc., etc. It will help if some of your friends dress up as wombles and overtake you just as you cross the finish line.

HTH.
Posted: 21/12/2004 08:36

Tetley

'scuse me - that was no costume - I am a Womble!
Posted: 21/12/2004 13:40

Womble

No, you look like a tigger to me!
Posted: 22/12/2004 13:06

graeme scandrett-smith

Good luck to everyone doing FLM 05 - Have a great day. I got rejected so am doing Stratford instead. If anyone knows what the course is like (i.e.Hills) please let me know.
Posted: 11/04/2005 14:17

Ultra Hamster

There are a few climbs at Stratford and also long flat sections along the Greenway (converted railway line-cycle path) and the last bit along ther river and through the park is flat.
Posted: 11/04/2005 16:02

Barry Lennox

A query about the intermediate schedule. I am a newbie so have no first hand experience. I notice there are three half marathon races in the schedule with only one day's rest after each. I understood more rest was needed after a race. Any comments welcome
Posted: 10/06/2005 08:45

Atinuke Ogundari

can anyone help me?

am preparing for my first race of 5km next month (race for life). i run around 30mins to 1 hour (5 times a week). and am thinking of doing FLM 2006, am i ready for it?

Any comments welcome pls
Posted: 23/06/2005 12:51

Richard Woodhall 2

hi,
done lots of running but nvere have i undertaken a schedule,plan to run the flm in 2006,
need some explanantion on several items in the intermediate schedule.
1.wwek one states that on wednesday there is a 7 mile run or warm up then 10 x 1mi fast and 2mins slow,can someone explain this,
basically camn somenne explain the whole thingb to me as it would be very helpful
cheers

rich
Posted: 30/08/2005 12:02

Freemers

First of all you need to work out your pacing for the various types of run (fast, slow, easy, marathon, tempo etc etc) - there's a pace calculator on this site to help you.

The 7 mile warm up is probably going to be at a fairly east pace, before you move into the fast/slow intervals.

Don't worry too much about making the distances accurate, just work out how long roughly a mile should take at each pace (which the calculator will tell you). I use a watch that I can set to beep at different intervals, which helps with this sort of thing.

Hope this helps. I'm not an expert on these things by any means, and I'm sure other forumites can chip in with info and ideas.
Posted: 30/08/2005 12:22

Richard Woodhall 2

cheers mate
Posted: 30/08/2005 16:47

Nicola Coleman

I prefer training 5 times a week with yoga on rest days. Important to strengthen quadriceps (to protect knees) and build strong core muscles in abdominals and lower back to help power along during runs. Yoga good for all of this.
Posted: 05/04/2007 20:14

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