12 WEEK TRAINING PLAN

3:30 Marathon | Goal Pace 4:58min/km

This plan is for you if you:

want to run a 3:30 marathon
are motivated and ready to put in the work
can currently run, or have in the past 6 months run, a 22min 5km
can commit to running at least 5 days of the week
are currently running approximately 50-60km weeks

It is always very tempting to jump straight into a plan before understanding what each
session is and how to approach the training when the potential 'road blocks; get in the
way. Below we will talk through the kind of sessions you will find in this 12 week
marathon training plan, as well as how to deal with bumps in the road.

Rest Days
Arguably the most important training you can do - your rest days are vital. These days
allow you to reap all the benefits and positive adaptations made from the prior sessions.
These days don't mean you have to be sedentary, but recuperative activity with a focus
on rest and relaxation is important. An easy walk, yoga, a dip in the ocean etc., -
restorative activity - coupled with good nutrition and sleep = the perfect rest day.

General Aerobic Runs

General aerobic (GA) runs are the bread and butter of your training. They are harder
than recovery runs, but easier than threshold (to be discussed below) and are intended
to boost your overall aerobic endurance by increasing the volume of your training safely.
You should be able to do a hard session the next day, if not - you're running these too
hard.

Aim for ±75-80% of your goal marathon pace (i.e., 5:43-6:10min/km).

Speed or Strides
General aerobic runs boost your overall aerobic endurance by increasing the volume of
your training safely. To improve form and speed we include strides. Including speed (or
strides) at the end of an aerobic run helps to increase leg turnover, improve form and
trains your nervous system to allow you to maintain faster leg speed during the race.

During the strides, focus on good form (i.e. relaxed shoulders and arms, full hip
extension etc.) and build up speed throughout the rep, accelerating powerfully and
finishing comfortably. Walk or jog back to the start or at least 100m to fully recover
before the next rep.
Long Runs
The intention of a long run is to improve your endurance and prepare you for the Cape
Town Marathon. The effort in a long run should be ±80% of your goal marathon pace,
hard enough to stimulate muscle adaptations and good posture for the race, but
moderate enough to recover well and quickly for the upcoming sessions. For a 3:30
marathon this equates to 5:43min/km

Start slower and pick up the pace as you warm up. This will help to reduce the risk of
injury and provide a positive psychological benefit as you finish strong. It is
recommended to choose routes that simulate the Cape Town Marathon course profile.

Medium Long Run

Medium Long Runs are intended to reinforce the long run stimulus and should be run at
a similar pace/perceived exertion as your long runs (i.e. ±80% of goal marathon pace).

Avoid pushing too hard on these runs which can increase the risk of injury, and increase
the fatigue and recovery required for harder sessions during the week.

Recovery Runs
Recovery runs (RR) are easy effort runs that are noticeably slower than your other runs.
They are intended to enhance recovery, stimulate blood flow and prepare you for your
next work out. Going too hard on these runs increases the risk of injury and means you
will not be able to get the most out of your hard sessions to come. Keep the easy days
easy so you can run the hard days hard.

Lactate Threshold Runs

Lactate Threshold or tempo runs provide a strong stimulus to improve your endurance
at a faster pace and therefore your time over the marathon distance.

These should be done at your current 15-21km race pace (i.e., for a 3:30 marathoner,
this would be equivalent to 4:41-4:48min/km). Include a comfortable warm up prior to
the threshold to ensure readiness for the tempo effort.

Marathon Pace Runs

These are medium long or long runs where a portion of the run is done at your goal
marathon pace (i.e., 4:58min/km) and the rest at your long run pace (±80% of goal
marathon pace, 5:43min/km). For a 3:30 marathon you should be comfortable running
at 4:58 minutes per kilometre. Ask yourself if you could sustain this pace for 3 hours,
30mins.

These are great confidence booster runs, the goal being to help prepare you precisely
by simulating pace and form of race day. Start these runs at long run pace, gradually
increasing the pace throughout, finishing the run with a full marathon pace effort.
VO2 Max Intervals and Track Work
VO2 max intervals and track work are important to improve leg-muscle strength, running
economy and maximal aerobic capacity. These sessions are meant to be challenging, but
within reach. It's best to keep the effort around 5km race pace (i.e., for 3:30 marathon
this would be 4:24min/km).

These sessions are intended to help you get comfortable being uncomfortable.

A note on track and interval sessions - these can be done on a flat piece of
uninterrupted road should you not have access to a track.

But I missed a session, what now?

The most important thing to consider is what the purpose and importance of a run is. Is
it an easy or general aerobic run? Or a more specific workout?

If it is recovery or general aerobic, then there is no need to 'play catch up' later in the
week or tack kilometres on at the end of a run. At the end of a day, if it's a recovery day
and you didn't run, you're still recovering and therefore achieving the goal for the day.
Always think bigger picture - one missed aerobic run won't make or break your training.

If it is a more important session - speed, threshold or intervals - then, you need to look
at why you missed it, and then how you could restructure the week to fit it back in.

If you are injured or sick - don't do it. You will likely only add to the problem, so best
would be to rest and fully recover before attempting an easy run again. If time is the
issue, it might be good to look at fitting it in at another time in the week. You could try to
replace a general aerobic or recovery run with the session, but you must ensure there is
adequate recovery between hard and long efforts. It is important to not squeeze in all
your runs if it is not practical and wont allow for proper recovery and adaptation
between hard sessions.

Remember, you are not a result of one session (or missed session), but rather the sum
of all the hours and kilometres you have dedicated to yourself as a runner. One session
missed does not a runner make or break.

**Note: this is a guide intended to get you ready to run a marathon. It is important, however,
that you listen to your body. Don't run through pain. Understand that there is flexibility (within
reason) in the plan, but ensure you respect the required recovery needed for hard sessions
and long runs.
Block 1: Base Building
The goal of this block is to begin increasing your weekly training volume and frequency to build your aerobic base and to prepare for the big weeks
ahead. Focus on consistency and ensuring that you are running each session at the correct intensity. Week 1-3 are building, and week 4 is a recovery
week.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Rest Day Medium Long Run General Aerobic Track Thursday: Rest Day Long Run Recovery Run

Target km: 55.8

12km Run 4x1200m 17km 8km

Week 1
WU: 2km GA
10km
4x1200m @ 5k race pace
Walking rest: 1min
CD: 2km RR

Rest Day Medium Long Run General Aerobic + Track Thursday: Rest Day Marathon Pace Recovery Run

Target km: 59.6

13km Speed 4x1200m + 2x400m Run 8km

Week 2
WU: 2km GA Total 18km
10km + 5x100m 4x1200m @ 5k pace +
strides 2x400m @ 1200m pace

GA for 12km + 6km

Walking rest: 1.15min at marathon pace
CD: 2km RR

Rest Day Medium Long Run General Aerobic Track Thursday: Rest Day Long Run Recovery Run
14km Run 5x1000m + 4x200m 21km 10km

Target km: 64
Week 3
10km WU: 3km GA
5x1000m @ 5k pace +
4x200m @ 1200m pace
Walking rest: 1:15min
CD: 2km RR

Rest Day General Aerobic + Recovery Run General Aerobic Rest Day Medium Long Run Recovery Run
8km

Target km: 52
Speed 8km Run 15km

Week 4
10km + 5x100m 10km
strides
Block 2: Endurance and Threshold
In the is block you will begin to build up the distance of your long runs which is the key session in building the endurance required for the marathon
distance. You will also work on improving your lactate threshold with the introduction of threshold pace sessions.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

General Aerobic + Medium Long Run Recovery Run Lactate Threshold Rest Day General Aerobic Long Run

Target km: 74.6

Speed 12km 8km Run Run 22km

Week 5
10km + 8x100m WU: 5km GA 10km
strides 4km @ threshold
CD: 5km GA

Recovery Run Medium Long Run General Aerobic Track Thursday: Rest Day General Aerobic Marathon Pace
8km 14km Run 6x800m Run Run

Target km: 78.8

11km WU: 3km GA 10km

Week 6
Total 25km
6x800m @ 5k pace
3min walking rest
+ 7km at
GA for 18km
CD: 3km RR marathon pace

Recovery Run Lactate Threshold General Aerobic Track Thursday: Rest Day Recovery Run Marathon Pace
8km Run Run 10x400m 7km Total 29km

Target km: 80
WU: 3km GA WU: 3km
@ GA

Week 7
WU: 5km GA 10km
6km @ threshold 10x400m @ 5k race pace 4x3k marathon pace
200m recovery jog 4x3k float between
CD: 5km GA
between sets
reps @ GA
CD: 3km RR
CD: 2km RR

Rest Day General Aerobic + Recovery Run General Aerobic Rest Day Long Run Recovery Run
Speed 8km Run 17km 8km

Target km: 57
Week 8
10km + 8x100m 12km
strides
Block 3: Peak and Taper
This will be your final block before the marathon, it will include your peak training week and your longest training run. From there you begin the taper,
reducing your training volume to absorb all the hard work of the last 12 weeks, leaving you fit, fresh and ready for race day.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

General Aerobic + Tune Up Recovery Run VO2 Max Rest Day Recovery Run Long Run
8km

Target km: 86.5

Speed Total: 16km 8km 5x600m + 300m 32km

Week 9
10km + 10x100m WU: 3k GA float
strides 10k @ 15-21k race WU: 3k GA
pace 5x 600m @ 5k pace
5x 300m float
CD: 3km RR run
CD: 3k @ RR

Rest Day Medium Long Run General Aerobic VO2 Max Rest Day Recovery Run + Marathon Pace
Run

Target km: 75.8

14km Run 3x1600m + 800m Speed

Week 10
10km float 8km RR + 8x100m Total: 25km
WU: 4k @ GA strides WU: 5k
@ GA
3x1600m @ 5k pace 15k @ goal
3x800m float marathon pace
CD: 4km RR CD: 5k GA

Recovery Run General Aerobic + General Aerobic Tune Up Rest Day Long Run Rest Day
8km Speed Run Total: 14km 18km

Target km: 60
Week 11
10km + 10x100m 10km WU: 3k @ GA
strides 8km @ 15-21k pace
CD: 3km RR

Dress Rehearsal Rest Day General Aerobic Recovery Run Rest Day Recovery Run +

Target km: 29.9 + 42

Total: 10km Run 6km Speed

Week 12
WU: 4k @ GA 8km 5km RR + 5x50m
2km @ goal marathon strides with 100m
pace walk/jog.
CD: 4km @ GA
 YOUR COACHES
Flat Rock Endurance

Erin van Eyssen Toni McCann

Who are we?

Flat Rock Endurance provides coaching to trail and road runners of all levels, from
beginner to elite. Whether the goal is finishing your first 5 km road race or taking on a
100 mile ultra trail run, we can help you succeed by building a custom training plan for
your unique requirements. Our plans include a high degree of specificity, ensuring that
our athletes are well conditioned and prepared for their goal event.

We pride ourselves in the fact that we always put the health of our athletes ahead of
race goals.

If you want to find out more you can find us at these places below. Happy Running!

@flatrockendurance

www.flatrockendurance.com

erin@flatrockendurance.com

toni@flatrockendurance.com