Twelve to twenty weeks to race day
Half and marathon plans
A plan for your race and your week, with training paces from the predictor, a fortnightly call if you want one, and a pacing card for the day.
A good plan fits around your life rather than the other way round, and a plan you follow at eighty per cent beats a perfect one you abandon in week six.
We start from a recent race or a time trial, run it through the predictor to get your paces, and ask about your weeks: how many days, how long, which day can take a long run. The plan is twelve weeks for a half and sixteen to twenty for a marathon.
Most of the running is easy. One session a week is harder: tempo runs, intervals or marathon-pace segments, depending on the week. The long run grows slowly, with a lighter week every third or fourth.
With the £55 option you get a twenty-minute call every fortnight to adjust the plan around life, illness and niggles. Everyone gets a pacing card for race day.
What is included
- A plan written for your race and your week
- Training paces from a recent race, updated monthly
- A lighter week every third or fourth
- A race-day pacing card
- Fortnightly calls on the £55 option
What it costs
£25 a month for the plan, £55 a month with fortnightly calls. Every price is on the services page; the race predictor works out your training paces.
Questions about half and marathon
How many days a week do I need to run?
Three is enough for a half, four is better for a marathon. More only if your body is used to it.
Can I train for a marathon from nothing?
Not sensibly in sixteen weeks. Run a 10k and a half first; a year from couch to marathon is a good plan.
What if I get injured?
Stop, see a physio, and tell us. We rewrite the plan around what they say.
Your first club run is free. Tuesday, 6:30, the lighthouse.
Turn up five minutes early and find a coach in a teal jacket. There are four pace groups and a back marker who finishes last on purpose, so whatever your pace, you will not be running on your own.