In short, by incorporating acute: chronic workload and 80:20 intensity distribution calculations, we’ve ensured that weekly mileage increases are suitable, ultimately reducing injury risk and ensuring peak performance on race day.

We’ve also utilized feedback from Facebook groups and various running forums, we analyzed existing plans, modifying weeks linked with a higher risk of injuries for a safer, more effective training approach.

The weekly mileage run in each training plan varies greatly depending on your target time. Therefore, it is important that you choose a training plan that matches your ability.

If you are unsure of what time to aim for, use a recent race finish time to calculate your potential finish time using our race time predictor.

If in doubt, start with an easier plan, as it’s far better to discover that you are progressing quickly and to then up your mileage, than taking on too much too soon and risking injury.

Every training plan follows a similar structure, so we have explained how each day differs, why and how it helps with marathon training.

Monday Recovery Run
If you’re going to drop a session, this is the one. The recovery run is intended to engage your muscles, increasing blood flow and loosening them up to aid your recovery, without being a long or intense enough run to tire you.

Tuesday Interval Session
It’s far easier to cruise at 80mph if your top speed is 120mph than if it’s only 90…

Tuesday’s interval or hill sessions are to improve your leg strength, running economy and top-end pace. As the distances increase it also improves your stamina. Your pace for these sessions will vary between 3k-10k pace depending on the distance of each interval. The reps should ideally all be run at the same pace, your first rep feeling relatively easy and growing progressive harder until you are close to flat out on your last rep.

Wednesday Slow Builder
The Wednesday run should be at an easy, conversational pace. The temptation is to run faster, but it will tire you, without significant physiological benefits. The slow builder increases your mileage and stamina until mid-way through your training, when we transfer the miles to your Thursday run, getting your body used to the mileage before training it to run at marathon pace when tired.

Thursday Tempo Run / Threshold Session A lot of people are nervous that if you never run more than 22 miles in your training that they will hit the wall – it’s the Thursday tempo run that simulates the last miles of your marathon and ensures you won’t bonk. Thursday is your sixth straight day of running and that tiredness is in your legs. The session increases in mileage each week, training your body to deal with lactic acid build-up and also to run at marathon pace when tired.

Friday Rest Day
What it says on the tin – your physiological improvements are made when you rest and repair, so it’s important to properly rest. If you have the itch and really have to do something, go for a walk or do some stretching.

Saturday Cheeky Tester
Ok, we admit, ‘cheeky tester’ is not an official training run name, but that’s what your Saturdays are. A way to test how your training is progressing. Run a parkrun flat-out and track your times. They won’t always improve as your body will grow increasingly tired, while your fitness improves, but it’s the run we most look forward to. If you wake up and still feel tired or slightly stiff, just treat it as a recovery run.

Sunday Long Run
We’re sure you all know this one. The long run increases your stamina and running economy when tired. We build the distance in 4-week cycles, reducing the mileage with a race every 4 weeks. The biggest mistake people make is running their long run too quickly – which not only tires you enough to reduce training quality the following week, it also increases your risk of injury. Once you are used to the mileage, some of the longer runs end at marathon pace, simulating the last few miles of your marathon.

Saturday Cheeky Tester
Ok, we admit, ‘cheeky tester’ is not an official training run name, but that’s what your Saturdays are. A way to test how your training is progressing. Run a parkrun flat-out and track your times. They won’t always improve as your body will grow increasingly tired, while your fitness improves, but it’s the run we most look forward to. If you wake up and still feel tired or slightly stiff, just treat it as a recovery run.

Sunday Long Run
We’re sure you all know this one. The long run increases your stamina and running economy when tired. We build the distance in 4-week cycles, reducing the mileage with a race every 4 weeks. The biggest mistake people make is running their long run too quickly – which not only tires you enough to reduce training quality the following week, it also increases your risk of injury. Once you are used to the mileage, some of the longer runs end at marathon pace, simulating the last few miles of your marathon.

No, this is our gift to the running world. Our expert team update these plans every year based on updates in sport science research and feedback from you. If they help you, let us know and tell a friend, and maybe buy them a pack of Bullets to give them the extra motivation.