Want one of these?

Three steps to your marathon training programme

Want one of these? Follow these three simple steps!

Christmas is over, the New Year is almost here and that means starting your marathon training programme! There are sixteen weeks until the big day, if you're doing the Virgin London Marathon but, no matter which spring marathon, half marathon or any other race distance you are planning we have three simple steps to set you on your way for hitting that 2012 target!

Step 1

Set your time

If you are already a seasoned runner you may have a good idea of a realistic goal but if you are new to running you could schedule in a parkrun at the beginning of your programme and then register for your runbritain handicap score. Once you have done this, the system can tell you what is achievable for you in that distance and in others. Go to the bottom of your profile page to the section titled Time needed to improve your handicap. It will show you the time you need to achieve in the 5k, 10k, half marathon and marathon to bring your handicap score down by a tenth of a point. This is the time you should be able to achieve if you go and run that event in the very near future. However, as your goal is sixteen weeks away or so, you should alter the handicap score, in the red box, to what you feel is realistic for you. This could be anything from 1 to 4 points depending on how long you have been running. Generally speaking those who are new to running have the greatest potential for improvement.

What do you need to work on between now and then?

Step 2

Look at the time frame

You have sixteen weeks to go. What does your training look like now and how will you increase the intensity and volume? If you are training for the marathon you need to look at your target time. How long will you be out on your feet on 22 April? Over the next three months you need to increase your mileage gradually until your long Sunday run has you out on your feet for around the same time that you will be on them on the big day. This doesn't mean that you need to go out and run 26 miles - it will probably be less than that if you are on a different surface, off road or stopping to cross roads etc. During the last month of training you should gradually taper down from that distance so that you are fresh on the big day.

Remember that increases (and decreases) should to be done gradually and you should only focus on increasing one thing at a time, so if you are building up your mileage you shouldn’t try to increase the speed at the same time. Your programme needs to be bespoke to you. If you are aiming for a time that is faster than your current pace you will need to do some speed work, increase the intensity of your sessions and do some anaerobic training but if you just want to get round you could just work on building your aerobic base and your mileage.

Consult the Training Wizard and let him do the rest!

Step 3

Consult the Training Wizard

Why not let our Training Wizard  do the rest for you? All you need to do now is to tell him: what you are training for, your goal, your focus and whether it should be an easy or hard week and he will do the rest! You will need to consult him every week as your training focus and load changes. Simple!

So now you can get started on your training

Happy New Year – let’s make all of your 2012 targets come true!

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