RW's VLM Garmin-Ready Marathon Schedule: Sub-3:30

Posted: 23 November 2006

A 3:30 marathon is approximately 8:00 per mile. To break 3:30, you should eventually be capable of a sub-1:37 half-marathon (7:20 per mile) and sub- 43:00 10K (7:00 per mile). Right now, you should be running at least 25-30 miles per week, and be able to run for 1:30 non-stop.

The schedule below (devised by former London Marathon winner Mike Gratton) is explained more fully in our free weekly marathon training email, and all at once in our subscriber-only Ultimate Schedules section.
The target times below are approximate defaults. Your Garmin download will give you more specific targets.

WEEK ONE (Dec 27-Jan 2): approx 25M

Mon 3M easy (miles) (approx 27 mins)
Tue 3M marathon pace (approx 24 mins)
Wed 4M steady (approx 34 mins)
Thu 4M with middle 2M at 10K pace (approx 32 mins - 12 mins fast)
Fri Rest
Sat 3M inc hill session or circuit
Sun 8M easy (approx 67 mins)

WEEK TWO (Jan 3-9): approx 31M

Mon Rest
Tue 1M jog, then 12 x 200m at mile/5K speed (or 45 secs) with 200m (or 1-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jog
Wed 5M steady (approx 42 mins)
Thu 1M jog, then 3M at half-marathon pace (22 mins)then 1M jog
Fri Rest
Sat Parkrun or 30 mins fartlek (approx 4M)
Sun 12M easy (approx 1 hours 48)

WEEK THREE (Jan 10-16): approx 34M

Mon Rest
Tue 1M jog, then 3 x 1M or 1600m at 10K pace (or 7 mins) with 400m (or 2-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jog
Wed 6M easy (approx 54 mins)
Thu 1M jog, then 4M at half-marathon pace (30 mins)then 1M jog
Fri Rest
Sat 4M inc hill session or circuit
Sun 12M steady (approx 1:42)

WEEK FOUR (Jan 17-23): approx 34M

Mon Rest
Tue 1M jog, then 5 x 1000m at 10K speed (or 4:30) with 200m (or 1-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jog
Wed 7M (approx 63 mins)
Thu 5M steady (approx 42 mins)
Fri Rest
Sat 4M easy (approx 36 mins)
Sun 12M in approx 1:42 (First 6M in 54 mins, last 6M at marathon pace in 48 mins)

WEEK FIVE (Jan 24-30): approx 40M

Mon Rest
Tue 1M jog, then 12 x 400m at mile/ 5K speed (or 95 secs) with 200m (or 1-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jog
Wed 8M easy (approx 72 mins)
Thu 1M jog, then 4M at half-marathon pace (approx 30 mins), then 1M jog
Fri Rest
Sat Parkrun or 35 mins fartlek (approx 4M)
Sun 15M easy (approx 2:15)

WEEK SIX (Jan 31-Feb 6): approx 37M

Mon Rest
Tue 1M jog, then 3 x 2000m at 10K pace (or 9:00) with 400m (or 2-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jog
Wed 9M easy (approx 81 mins)
Thu 5M inc hill session or circuit
Fri Rest
Sat 4M easy (approx 36 mins)
Sun Race or 13M at half-marathon pace

WEEK SEVEN (Feb 7-13): approx 43M

Mon Rest
Tue 1M jog, then 16 x 200m at mile/5K pace (or 45 secs) with 200m (or 1-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jog
Wed 10M easy (approx 90 mins)
Thu 1M jog, then 5M at marathon pace (approx 40 mins), then 1M jog
Fri Rest
Sat 5M hills or hilly circuit
Sun 15M steady (approx 2 hrs 7)

WEEK EIGHT (Feb 14-20): approx 42M

Mon Rest
Tue 1M jog, 4x 1M or 1600m at 10K pace (or 7:00) fast with 400m (or 2-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jog
Wed 11M easy (approx 99 mins)
Thu 1M jog, then 3M at half-marathon pace (approx 22 mins), then 1M jog
Fri Rest
Sat 4M easy (approx 36 mins)
Sun15M in approx 2 hours 7 (First 7M easy in 63 mins, last 8M at marathon pace in 64 mins)

WEEK NINE (Feb 21-27): approx 45M

Mon Rest
Tue 1M jog, then 6 x 1000m at 10K speed (or 4:30) fast, with 200m (or 1-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jog
Wed 10M easy (approx 90 mins)
Thu 5M hills or hilly circuit
Fri Rest
Sat Parkrun 5km or 40 mins fartlek (approx 5M total)
Sun 18M (approx 2hrs 33)

WEEK TEN (Feb 28-March 6): approx 45M

Mon Rest
Tue 1M jog, then 15 x 400m at mile/5K speed (or 95 secs) with 200m (or 1-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jog
Wed 11M steady (approx 93 mins)
Thu 1M jog, then 3M at half-marathon pace (approx 22 mins), then 1M jog
Fri Rest
Sat 3M easy (approx 27 mins)
Sun18M in approx 2hrs 33 (First 9M easy in 81 mins, last 9M at marathon pace in 72 mins)

WEEK ELEVEN (March 7-13): approx 48M

Mon Rest
Tue 1M jog, then 18 x 200m at mile/5K pace (or 45 secs) with 200m (or 1-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jog
Wed 6M (approx 50 mins) slow
Thu 12M easy (approx 1:48)
Fri Rest
Sat Parkrun 5km or 40 mins fartlek (approx 5M total)
Sun 20M easy (approx 3hrs)

WEEK TWELVE (March 14-20): approx 42M

Mon Rest
Tue 1M jog, then 4 x 2000m at 10K pace (or 8:30) with 400m (or 2-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jog
Wed 10M easy (approx 90 mins)
Thu 1M jog, then 3M at marathon pace (approx 24 mins), then 1M jog
Fri Rest
Sat 4M easy (approx 36 mins)
Sun Half-marathon race (plus 1M warm up and cool down)

WEEK THIRTEEN (March 21-27): approx 48M

Mon Rest
Tue 1M jog, 5 x 1M (or 7:00) fast, with 400m (or 2-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jog
Wed 9M easy (approx 81 mins)
Thu 1M jog, then 4M at half-marathon pace (approx 30 mins), then 1M jog
Fri Rest
Sat 4M (approx 36 mins)
Sun 20M in approx 2:50 hrs (First 10M easy in 90 mins, last 10M at marathon pace in 80 mins)

WEEK FOURTEEN (March 28-April 3): approx 41M

Mon Rest
Tue 1M jog, then 6 x 1000m at 10K speed (or 4:30) with 200m (or 1-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jog
Wed 8M steady (approx 68 mins)
Thu 1M easy, then middle 4M at marathon pace (approx 32 mins), then 1M easy
Fri Rest
Sat Parkrun 5km or 40 mins fartlek (approx 5M)
Sun 15M steady(approx 2hrs 7)

WEEK FIFTEEN (April 4-10): approx 29M

Mon Rest
Tue 1M jog, then 10 x 400m hill at mile/5K speed (or 95 secs) with 100m (or 1-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jog
Wed 6M easy (approx 54 mins)
Thu 1M jog, then 3M at half-marathon pace (approx 22 mins), then 1M jog
Fri Rest
Sat 3M easy (approx 27 mins)
Sun 10M steady (approx 85 mins)

WEEK SIXTEEN (April 11-18): 13M plus race

Mon Rest
Tue 1M jog, then 12 x 200m at mile/5K speed (or 45 secs) with 200m (or 1-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jog
Wed 4M easy (approx 36 mins) with 5 marathon pace 100m strides
Thu 3M easy (approx 27 mins) with 4 marathon pace 100m strides
Fri Rest
Sat 2M easy (approx 18 mins), in racing kit with 3 marathon pace 100m strides
Sun The race

Download This Schedule For Your Garmin

You can download this schedule onto your Garmin Forerunner 205, 301 , 305 or 405 (it will work best on the 205, 305 and 405). Your Forerunner will then guide you through each session with target training paces or heart rates to aim for.

Decide whether you want to train by heart rate or pace (if in doubt, choose pace).
Download the schedule onto your PC desktop using either the quick-download buttons below, or the custom-download buttons further down the page. (The custom options allow you to refine your training paces and heart rates.)
Open your Garmin Training Centre software, use 'file>import sessions' to import the schedules from your desktop, then plug in your Forerunner to synchronise it.
(You should make sure your Garmin software is up to date, especially as there is a new improvement to pace-smoothing for the 205 and 305. We suggest you use the 'WebUpdater option on these pages: 205; 301 ; 305)
If you are new to the 405, to ensure that you have the right software installed, click here.

Quick-download the RW Sub-3:30 schedule:

Make A Version With Custom Training Paces

Here are the training paces recommended by this schedule, in minutes/mile. You can adjust them if you feel that the overall schedule is right for you but that one or two of the paces is likely to be slightly too fast or too slow.

Jog recovery - a period of extremely slow running in between the efforts in a speed session	:
Easy - Easy - a gentle jog at below 75% maximum heart rate (MHR)	:
Slow - conversational pace (73-78% MHR)	:
Steady - a comfortable, but purposeful, pace. About marathon pace (79-84% MHR)	:
Brisk (or Threshold (THR)) - around your target half-marathon pace (87-91% MHR).	:
Fast-10K - 90-94%	:
Fast-5K - 93-97% MHR	:
Fast-above-5K	:
You can also adjust the paces above by adjusting your marathon target slightly. The sessions and mileages in the schedule will stay the same but the paces will change.
New target:
:

Finished? When you're happy with the paces, download your schedule

(You can revise your paces partway through your training – just come back to this page, change the values and reupload to your Forerunner.)

Make A Version With Custom Heart Rates

Here are the percentages of maximum heart rate used in the different sessions in this schedule. Insert your maximum heart rate to see which targets you will have to aim for. You can adjust the '% max' figures if you feel that the overall schedule is right for you but that one or two of the heart rates is likely to be slightly too high or too low.

Finished? When you're happy with the heart rate zones, download your schedule

(You can revise your heart rate zones partway through your training - just come back to this page, change the values and reupload to your Forerunner)

Your Questions Answered

Choosing and customising a schedule

Downloading the schedule from RW onto your Forerunner

Using Training Center

Following the sessions

More help... If you don't find the answer to your question in the above FAQs, then please email Garmin's helpline, inputting 'Runner's World training plans' in the subject field of your email to aid our product support teams.